Registration Hours
SOUTHEAST Session:
SOUTHEAST Session:
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: Most manufacturers begin their AI journey with high expectations, yet research shows that 95 percent of GenAI projects fail to create real business value. A common trap is the shiny object syndrome, where leaders and empowered employees chase trendy tools that look impressive but do little to address core operational challenges. This is why only 5 percent of enterprise-built AI tools ever make it into production. The companies that succeed take a different path. They delve into the business itself, uncovering where AI can make the most significant difference. Predictive maintenance that prevents costly downtime, quality control that reduces waste, and supply chain optimization that improves resilience are just a few areas where measurable impact becomes possible. What often separates success from failure is expertise. Internal teams, no matter how skilled, can be limited by organizational bias, resource gaps, and familiar ways of thinking. That is why internal builds succeed only a third of the time. Third-party AI experts, on the other hand, bring fresh perspectives that identify blind spots, challenge assumptions, and apply proven frameworks that raise the success rate to nearly 70 percent. With the proper guidance, AI stops being an expensive experiment and becomes a powerful, revenue-generating asset. For manufacturers, this shift marks the difference between falling behind and building a sustainable competitive edge.
SOUTHEAST Session: America is facing a challenge that threatens our economic future: a widening skills gap between the jobs available in industry and the preparation of our workforce. In this engaging talk, this Presentation will explore why this gap exists—and how we can close it. Drawing from years of experience and insights the presenter will highlights the historical shifts that shaped America’s workforce, the rapid pace of technological change, and the mismatch between traditional education pathways and modern industry needs. The talk will emphasize that this is not just a labor issue, it’s an innovation issue, a productivity issue, and ultimately, a national competitiveness issue. With a practical, solutions-driven approach, Mark Goodman outlines strategies for building stronger partnerships between educators, employers, and policymakers. He shares success stories from companies and training programs that have embraced hands-on learning, technical certifications, and competency-based education to develop a highly skilled workforce.
SOUTHEAST Session: Job shops, mid-size machine shops, and contract manufacturers power much of the world’s production, yet they face persistent constraints: skilled labor shortages, rising complexity, and pressure to deliver faster at lower cost. While AI adoption has taken root in large enterprises, the greatest untapped potential lies with small and mid-sized manufacturers. This session will cover how practical AI solutions can compress programming time, improve productivity and reskill existing and onboard new employees and attract a new generation of talent.
Speaker at SOUTHEAST: Ryan Benson, Vice President of Security, CompassMSP
Speaker at SOUTHEAST: Mark Goodman, Director of North American Commercial Sales, Amatrol
SOUTHEAST Session:
SOUTHEAST Session: In today's highly competitive manufacturing landscape, operational efficiency is more critical than ever. Yet, excessive energy consumption and unplanned downtime remain major challenges, significantly impacting productivity and costs. Traditional maintenance strategies often fail to address the root causes of inefficiencies, leading to unnecessary energy waste and unexpected failures. This session explores Energy-Centered Maintenance (ECM)—a data-driven, AI-powered approach that goes beyond conventional reliability-centered maintenance by integrating energy efficiency as a key decision-making factor. By leveraging advanced IoT sensors, AI-driven analytics, and real-time machine health monitoring, manufacturers can proactively detect faults, minimize energy loss, and extend asset life. Through real-world case studies and industry insights, attendees will learn how ECM enables manufacturers to reduce operational expenses, prevent unplanned downtime, and achieve sustainability goals—all without compromising productivity. The session will also highlight how machine learning and AI-driven predictive analytics help manufacturers make smarter maintenance decisions, optimizing energy use while ensuring equipment reliability. Whether you're looking to cut energy costs, enhance machine uptime, or align with Industry 4.0 and sustainability initiatives, this session will provide practical takeaways to help you transform your maintenance strategy. Learning Objectives Understand the limitations of traditional maintenance strategies and how excessive energy waste and unexpected downtime impact manufacturing costs and efficiency. Explore the principles of Energy-Centered Maintenance (ECM) and how AI-driven predictive analytics can optimize machine performance, reduce energy waste, and prevent costly breakdowns.
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.