Displaying 281-290 of 334 results for

Speaker at WEST: Douglas Orantes, Sales Manager, Aero Bending Company

WEST Session:

WEST Session: Manufacturers face constant pressure to improve output while controlling costs, yet productivity gains are often pursued through equipment upgrades or process reengineering alone. A critical but overlooked lever is the frontline workforce—the people running machines, moving materials, and maintaining operations every day. When employees are disconnected from the information, communication, and tools they need, even small inefficiencies compound into significant losses. This presentation explores how targeted technology investments can unlock measurable productivity improvements, sometimes as much as 25%, by empowering frontline employees. We will examine the most common friction points that reduce performance, such as paper-based reporting, limited resource access at work stations, delayed reporting and task triggers, inconsistent training and retention, and siloed communication. We’ll then show how software solutions can extend existing ERP, HCM, and MES systems to the shop floor, creating a single hub where employees can access workflows, compliance updates, and real-time alerts. Attendees will see how manufacturers are achieving faster response times, reducing downtime, streamlining onboarding, and improving compliance by modernizing the employee experience. The session will provide a practical framework to quantify workforce productivity losses and demonstrate the ROI of equipping employees with the right digital tools.

WEST Session: AI promises to transform manufacturing and service operations, but for most teams the challenge is not algorithms—it’s integration and adoption. This session will be co-presented by industry experts who will share real-world lessons from deploying AI-powered workflows at an e-recycling facility and in design-for-manufacture (DfM) and quoting. Attendees will learn a practical framework for deciding when to use deterministic software workflows, when to embed AI as an enabler, and when—if ever—to rely on autonomous AI “agents.” Using concrete metrics, we’ll show how hybrid approaches reduce cost, latency, and risk while delivering measurable gains. We will also describe the importance of human feedback in improving accuracy metrics. This is an inside look at what’s working (and what isn’t) as we automate inspections, quoting, and compliance tasks across the physical and digital sides of manufacturing. You’ll leave with a decision surface you can apply immediately to your own operations.

WEST Session: Things are changing quickly. Five years ago, we were telling welders to learn the code, now we're telling coders to learn to weld. How can manufacturers, who live and die by process reliability and scalability take advantage of tools that can't seem to do simple addition reliably. As the saying goes, 'there's no such thing as a bad tool, only the wrong tool for the job'. We're about to witness a step change in the adoption of true continuous improvement methodologies, and most people don't even see it coming.

Speaker at WEST: Chris Joco, Principal Solutions Architect, DSD Business Systems

Speaker at WEST: Steve George, Senior Manager Product Engineering – Solid Rounds, Kennametal

Speaker at WEST: Kartik Pasumarti, Vice President of Revenue & Operations, ShareCRM

WEST Session: Artificial Intelligence is revolutionizing nearly every industry—but many manufacturing operations are still missing out. Over the past five years, a growing divide has emerged. Some manufacturers are embracing Industry 4.0 and reaping the rewards. Others remain stuck—struggling with disconnected machines, underutilized data, and manual workflows that slow down operations. From isolated systems to paper-based logs, the American manufacturing sector often lacks the connectivity required to stay competitive in a global market. So what needs to change? The first step is breaking down data silos. To enable true Industry 4.0 capabilities, manufacturers must connect the factory floor with IT systems like ERP, MES, and WES. This connectivity lays the groundwork for advanced capabilities like predictive maintenance—where machine learning models monitor operations, learn normal patterns, and predict failures before they happen. It's also about integrating design and execution. Bridging CAD and CAM systems directly to production equipment eliminates manual recipe entry and reduces errors. By creating a unified namespace, manufacturers can abstract away proprietary device protocols and enable seamless communication between all components in the process. And this is where AI truly shines. With a connected infrastructure and unified data model, manufacturers can build digital twins—virtual representations of their production environments. These models power real-time optimization, simulation, and automation in ways that were once unimaginable. This talk presents real examples, practical steps, and the mindset shift required to modernize operations—so manufacturers don’t just keep up with Industry 4.0, but lead it.

WEST Session: For decades, manufacturing poured its innovation into automating production, while business operations like sourcing, purchasing, and procurement were left behind. Companies chased bloated ERPs that promised to do everything and ended up doing little. That is why email and spreadsheets have ruled for so long: they are flexible enough to handle the messy realities of manufacturing. But organizations should dictate software, not the other way around. Today’s technology makes it possible to solve discrete problems with precision. When you automate something as specific as the RFQ process, eliminating every email and copy-paste, the ROI becomes immediate. Apply the same focus to supplier communications or purchase orders, and the gains in profit and throughput dwarf what you get from another machine on the shop floor. The future is not about automating production. It is about automating the work that has been ignored.