Chris Joco
Speaker at WEST: Chris Joco, Principal Solutions Architect, DSD Business Systems
Speaker at WEST: Chris Joco, Principal Solutions Architect, DSD Business Systems
WEST Session: We don’t lose deals because we’re not working hard enough. We lose them because we’re working on the wrong things. In manufacturing, wholesale, and distribution, sales teams are moving faster than ever—yet growth feels stuck. Why? Noise. Endless updates. Unreliable forecasts. Chasing the wrong deals. We’ve accepted it as the cost of doing business. But what if it’s actually killing your momentum?This 20-minute talk is a call to rethink how sales teams operate—with more clarity. You’ll learn: Why noise—disguised as intuition—is wrecking your forecast How bad data and busywork eats into your selling time What top sales teams are doing to cut through the noise and stay laser-focused And you’ll see real-world proof: 44% growth at Creative Foam.This isn’t a product pitch. It’s a shift in perspective. If your team’s putting in the effort but still falling short, this is the rethink you’ve been waiting for.
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: Smart manufacturing is redefining the relationship between people and technology. As automation, artificial intelligence and machine learning continue to evolve, they are not replacing human intelligence - they are enhancing it. These technologies reduce the burden of repetitive, manual tasks and empower employees to focus on higher-value, strategic work such as problem-solving, innovation and continuous improvement. To unlock the full benefits of Industry 4.0, manufacturers must do more than adopt new tools - they must cultivate a resilient, future-ready workforce. This session will explore strategies for upskilling, nurturing adaptability and creating collaborative, digitally fluent work environments that help employees and organizations thrive in a rapidly changing landscape.
Speaker at WEST: David Hallac, Founder and CEO, Viaduct
WEST Session: A recent MIT study, highlighted by Forbes , found that 95% of corporate AI pilots have failed to produce meaningful results or delivered ROI. There are many challenges and complexities that contribute to these failures, including company-wide strategy, technical system integrations, and internal cultural adoption to AI. As for the successful pilots, they often involve systems that learn, admit uncertainty, and integrate deeply into workflows, focusing on back-office functions where ROI is direct. This presentation will share lessons learned and successful use cases from the field and reveal the Top 5 focus areas every manufacturer should prioritize to turn AI pilots into ROI generating engines.
Speaker at WEST: Rick Schultz, Executive Director of Aerospace and Defense, FANUC America
Speaker at WEST: Paul Boris, Strategic Accounts, Manufacturing & Industrial Operations, UiPath
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: Jordan Dugosh, Account Executive – TOLA/LATAM, Dispel