Step Out of Your Comfort Zone And Change How You Look At Your Business
SOUTHEAST Session:
SOUTHEAST Session:
Speaker at SOUTHEAST: Nick LaVigne, Director of Greenwood Manufacturing Operations, Monti Inc.
SOUTHEAST Session: Brought to you by SME
SOUTHEAST Session:
SOUTHEAST Session:
SOUTHEAST Session: Your next efficiency breakthrough isn't hiding in a machine learning algorithm. It's walking around your shop floor right now. While manufacturing obsesses over AI, 85% of operations still depend on human expertise. The CNC programmer who knows exactly when to adjust spindle speeds. The veteran welder who spots perfect joints in seconds. The setup technician whose alignment cuts cycle times. These operators don't just run your processes, they've mastered them. They hold the institutional knowledge that separates good production from great production. But your systems can't see what they know, creating a costly blind spot. Mid-market manufacturers nationwide face the same challenge: valuable knowledge trapped in individual heads instead of being scaled digitally. The result is lost efficiency because operator expertise can’t integrate with core systems. Companies overcoming this aren’t layering more machine learning. They’re building systems that amplify human intelligence. They digitize workflows, connect teams to real-time data, and create interfaces designed around how operators think and work, not the other way around. In this session, Docket will reveal how shop floor digitization platforms close the gap between operator expertise and digital execution. You’ll gain practical insights into smart manufacturing systems that support your frontline, enabling faster setups, higher accuracy, and smoother production. At a time when manufacturers chase the next big overhaul, don’t overlook the team that got you here. The goal isn’t replacing human insight, it’s designing systems that can multiply it.
SOUTHEAST Session: Manufacturers today are under immense pressure to navigate supply chain complexity while improving agility, customer responsiveness and cost efficiency. The industry has invested years in enabling core digital foundations like ERP, MES, WMS and operational dashboards; however, persistent blind spots across sourcing, production, inventory, logistics, sales and aftermarket services continue to erode operational performance and limit strategic decision-making. According to a 2025 survey of 300 mid-market manufacturers, only 45% have recently improved end-to- end- supply chain visibility, indicating that there is significant room for investment and improvement. Supply Chain visibility will be the future of manufacturing. A recent survey by Deloitte showed that 76% of manufacturers report limited visibility across their supply chain, making traceability a key issue in today’s environment. Data visibility is essential to a resilient supply chain; however, in a survey of 506 supply chain leaders, only 19% of organizations have embedded scenario planning into their operations, limiting their ability to anticipate and respond to disruption. The answer to fixing these blind spots isn’t yet another dashboard or point solution, but a digitally engineered supply chain with intelligent, end-to-end visibility and traceability across the manufacturing value chain. In this presentation, we explore why blind spots emerge and how a unified theme of real-time traceability can act as a digital thread to convert blind spots into sweet spots for manufacturers.
SOUTHEAST Session: Manufacturing facilities generate vast amounts of visual data daily, yet most struggle to extract actionable insights from this untapped resource. This presentation demonstrates how Vision AI transforms existing camera infrastructure into intelligent systems that improve operational efficiency and reduce costs. We will explore practical deployment strategies that deliver measurable ROI within months. Attendees will learn how computer vision can be used for: detecting microscopic defects invisible to human inspectors, real-time SOP and process monitoring, automated inventory tracking, equipment utilization analysis, enhancing the safety culture and automating order accuracy verification. The session covers the complete implementation lifecycle—from identifying high-impact use cases to production deployment. We'll examine how Vision AI solutions can be integrated with your existing equipment and software. Attendees will leave with a clear framework for building their Vision AI roadmap, understanding both the technical requirements and organizational changes needed for successful adoption. Whether you're exploring initial pilots or scaling existing deployments, this presentation provides actionable strategies for leveraging Vision AI to reduce costs, improve quality, and accelerate your smart manufacturing transformation.
SOUTHEAST Session: Manufacturing is undergoing rapid digital transformation—driven by predictive maintenance, AI-driven insights, and smart factories. Yet IT/OT convergence is not achieved in strategy documents; it is lived daily through remote access, where people, vendors, and data cross into critical environments. This presentation explores the unique challenges CISOs and OT teams face—legacy patching debt, vendor access sprawl, ransomware pressure, and compliance demands—and why secure OT remote access is the essential bridge to efficiency, resilience, and productivity. Through industry case studies, we’ll examine how leaders are standardizing connectivity, reducing downtime costs, and enabling AI-driven operations—while ensuring security never falls behind transformation.
SOUTHEAST Session: Automation is transforming manufacturing, making it essential for companies to adopt and scale these technologies effectively. As industry trends favor smarter, flexible systems, understanding how to start and grow an automation journey is vital for competitiveness, efficiency, and growth. Many organizations face challenges in strategic planning, technology selection, and implementation. This presentation offers practical guidance on developing aligned strategies, avoiding common pitfalls, and partnering effectively to ensure long-term success. Staying informed and prepared in this evolving landscape is crucial for both new and existing users to unlock automation’s full potential.