WEST Product: The new Siegmund 6’x12’ Imperial Welding Table is the largest in the Imperial Series, delivering unmatched strength, precision, and workspace for demanding fabrication.
WEST Product: The new MACC S415 DI Semi-Automatic Band Saw with variable speed inverter offers 13-3/4” round tube cutting capacity, precision, and durability for fabrication.
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WEST Product: Acena Consulting helps manufacturers turn innovation into cash flow with the R&D Tax Credit. Our proactive, responsive, and accurate approach maximizes your credits.
WEST Product: Acena Consulting boosts cash flow with expert cost segregation studies—accelerating depreciation and maximizing tax savings.
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: If you’re in the manufacturing field, then you must be passionate about how things are made. Manufacturing matters, and it’s crucial that leaders step out of their buildings and focus on the business, rather than just working in the business. Most small to mid-sized manufacturers don’t realize there is much power in utilizing peer networks, communities, regions, and states to look from the outside in. We want to leave our businesses in a better condition than when we arrived. We want more youth in manufacturing, we want better data about our manufacturing operations, and we want to understand how to incorporate the newest technology into our operations. Fourteen years in the family’s manufacturing business has allowed me to inform myself and bring solutions to our business and remain competitive. Additionally, amid exploring opportunities, I have discovered the importance of the critical need to bridge the skills gap and the tacit knowledge that is being lost as our skilled workforce retires. The impact that harnessing and leveraging this knowledge will help alleviate the existential crisis that threatens us all.
WEST Session: The modern manufacturing shop floor demands seamless data exchange, real-time visibility, and operational efficiency to stay competitive. IMAGINiT FormsConnected optimizes these workflows by bridging the gap between design, production, and field operations. By digitizing paper-based forms and integrating them directly with Autodesk Fusion Manage and other enterprise systems, FormsConnected ensures accurate data capture, reduces manual errors, and accelerates decision-making. This enhanced connectivity empowers teams to track production status, manage change requests, and streamline quality checks in real time. As a result, manufacturers experience improved productivity, reduced downtime, and greater collaboration across departments, driving measurable gains in efficiency, profitability and overall growth.
WEST Session: As manufacturers face new requirements to safeguard Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) under CMMC 2.0, many see compliance as a costly obligation. Yet, when implemented as intended, these same controls create a foundation for operational excellence—connecting machines and data securely, automating oversight, and strengthening resilience. From CUI to ROI reveals how aligning cybersecurity, compliance, and smart manufacturing turns regulatory readiness into measurable business performance and long-term return on investment.