SOUTHEAST Exhibitor: We're a premier Manufacturers' Representative Agency and we will be featuring innovative metal cutting technologies from a distinctive group of high performance tooling & work holding suppliers. Some with no known competitors. http://www.jonesmarketinginc.com
Speaker at SOUTHEAST: Cozette Robinson, CEO, CYR Consulting, LLC
SOUTHEAST Session: Many small and medium-sized manufacturers feel overwhelmed by the hype around artificial intelligence yet struggle to see where to begin without significant disruption or cost. This talk will present a practical, proven framework that helps owners, operators, and engineering managers adopt AI in a step-by-step approach. Real case studies will be shared, including a sales order entry automation initiative that reduced manual effort by 60% through the use of a third-party AI solution, allowing employees to focus on higher-value customer service and informed decision-making. Attendees will gain a clear roadmap to identify high-impact opportunities, pilot small projects, and scale AI solutions that deliver measurable ROI and strengthen long-term competitiveness. This session provides actionable strategies and dispels common myths, demonstrating that digital transformation does not have to be complex or out of reach for smaller manufacturers ready to take the first step.
SOUTHEAST Session: "The Manufacturing Leader's Playbook for Surviving Tariffs, Taxes, and Tech Turm," explores strategies for mitigating the effects of taxes and tariffs on manufacturing businesses through the use of modern business software. It covers key financial and operational factors such as OBBA, tariffs, and technology, highlighting how these elements impact R&D credits, clean energy credits, bonus depreciation, and potential savings. The presentation also delves into the benefits of ERP software, emphasizing the need for high-quality data ingestion, cost accounting, supplier diversification, customer prioritization, and predictive analytics to enhance profitability and market share. Additionally, it provides an example of a modern ERP platform and discusses the integration of Acumatica Manufacturing ERP, which combines financials, planning, and scheduling to support diverse manufacturing strategies and deliver real-time insights.
Speaker at SOUTHEAST: Brandon White, Vice President of Sales, Acieta
Speaker at SOUTHEAST: Robert Jacobs, Digital Growth Director, CliftonLarsonAllen
SOUTHEAST Session: Digital twins are rapidly becoming a cornerstone of advanced manufacturing, enabling companies to simulate, optimize, and validate their production processes in a virtual environment before committing to physical execution. This presentation explores the value of digital twins specifically in the domains of CNC machining, robotic automation, and the broader virtual factory. In CNC machining, digital twins replicate the behavior of machines, tools, and part geometries, allowing for precise simulation of toolpaths and real-time detection of potential collisions, over-travel, and inefficiencies. By simulating the exact machine kinematics, spindle dynamics, and tool libraries, manufacturers can reduce setup times, improve part quality, and significantly lower the risk of costly rework or downtime. In robotic work cells, digital twins mirror robotic behavior, motion, and task sequences. This enables manufacturers to program, test, and optimize robot trajectories and tool interactions virtually - ensuring safety, cycle time optimization, and maximum utilization of expensive automation assets. Collision detection, reach analysis, and process synchronization can all be handled digitally before deployment on the shop floor. At the virtual factory level, digital twins provide a holistic view of the entire manufacturing environment - integrating machines, robotics, material flow, operators, and logistics into a unified simulation. This enables strategic decision-making, accurate capacity planning, and the ability to test process changes in a risk-free virtual environment. The result is greater agility, resilience, and efficiency across the entire production lifecycle. Attendees will gain insight into how digital twins reduce risk, increase productivity, and enable smarter planning across manufacturing operations. By harnessing digital twins in CNC machining, robotic systems, and factory-wide simulations, companies can accelerate their journey toward digital transformation and fully realize the promise of Industry 4.0.
SOUTHEAST Session: Join us for an insightful and action-packed session that reveals how smart process optimization is transforming financial, logistical, and ecommerce operations. Whether you're looking to streamline workflows, boost accuracy, or scale your business, this presentation delivers practical strategies. Takeaways and What You'll Learn The latest improvements in shipping, fulfillment, and order flow management that are elevating logistics and customer satisfaction. Sail seamlessly! Learn from two real-world business ecommerce customer integration examples—Shopify and BigCommerce—demonstrating how seamless connections with platforms like Acumatica, SAP Business One, and an AI Pricing Agent can streamline operations and support scalable growth. Spotlight Feature: Pricing Automation Tool - Say goodbye to manual pricing guesswork! Discover how this: Optimizes margins in real time Syncs across multiple channels Executes hands-free updates Keeps your pricing competitive—automatically Whether you're in finance, logistics, or ecommerce, this session is will provide insights to help you work smarter, not harder. Don’t miss your chance to see how innovation is driving scalable growth and operational excellence.
SOUTHEAST Session: Manufacturers performing visual inspections on their products have historically had two options: perform the inspection manually, or program a rule-based vision system. Both of these options are slow, inflexible, and costly to maintain. However, as Graphical Processing Units (GPUs) have become more powerful, a third approach has become available: deep learning. Deep learning-based vision systems learn directly from annotated images to perform inference on images. They offer numerous advantages including rapid deployment, greater detection flexibility, and lower development and acquisition costs. They are also easily retrained and reconfigured with minimal to no programming. As such, they represent a massive opportunity to automate quality inspection for small to medium sized manufacturers. In this presentation, we will discuss the technology that enables AI-based computer vision, the advantages they provide, use cases, and how to best implement them. Attendees will walk away with a clear understanding of where deep learning fits into their operation and how to get started with the right tools and strategy.
SOUTHEAST Session: This presentation showcases the successful migration of Prym Consumer USA from a local SAP ERP to the Prym Group’s global SAP platform, a transformation that redefined core manufacturing and supply chain operations. Completed in just eight months, the project modernized order-to-cash, procure-to-pay, finance, warehouse management, and returns processes while aligning with Prym’s fiscal year change. To address manufacturing challenges, advanced automation solutions, including Pick by Light and a Loose Item picking sorter were implemented to boost accuracy and efficiency in logistics. Seamless EDI integration via Seeburger connected Prym with leading U.S. retailers such as Walmart and Amazon, while Shopify integration expanded direct-to-consumer sales. Delivered on time, under budget, and with minimal disruption, this case study offers a clear roadmap for manufacturers seeking to harmonize global processes, adopt automation, and strengthen supply chain resilience in today’s competitive landscape.