One registration for 3 free webinars in July!
Sign up for these live presentations to introduce Artificial Intelligence into your manufacturing operations.
July 15, 2026 | 12 noon CST
AI for Business Leaders:
What It Can Do, Why It Matters, and How to Get Started
The Presentation
AI is moving faster than most businesses expected. The question is no longer whether it applies to your business, but how to prepare your organization to use it well. In this 45-minute session, Lutz Tech Director Ryan Wade breaks down what AI is, how it's actually being used today, and what it takes to get your team ready. You'll leave with a practical framework for evaluating opportunities and a realistic plan to get started, without a large IT team or a six-figure investment.
Key Takeaways:
- Understand why AI is different from past technology shifts, and why that matters for manufacturers
- Learn what organizational readiness actually requires
- Identify high-impact use cases for your team
- Build a realistic starting plan
- Take advantage of AI, while avoiding common mistakes
Ryan Wade
Tech Director, Lutz
Ryan Wade leads Digital Transformation and AI Strategy at Lutz Tech, helping small and mid-sized businesses cut through the hype and put AI to work. Since ChatGPT launched in 2022, he has worked directly with manufacturers, distributors, and professional services firms to identify real use cases, deploy the right tools, and build the internal habits that make adoption stick.
His background spans finance, marketing, and technology, giving him a practical lens on where AI creates value and where it doesn't. Ryan trains teams on Microsoft Copilot, ChatGPT, and Claude, and advises leadership on governance, readiness, and building an AI roadmap that fits the business.
Ryan lives in Omaha with his wife Tiffany and their two kids.
The Presentation
Standard work is foundational to quality, training, and scalable operations—but many manufacturers still rely on paper binders, word of mouth, or documentation that is too difficult to create, maintain, and use. In this applied session, the Oregon Manufacturing Extension Partnership will showcase its next-generation standard work platform built for manufacturers.
Participants will see how OMEP is leveraging AI to help transform video into structured work instructions, support point-of-use access, enable voice-based Q&A, provide multilingual capability, and maintain version control and history. Rather than focusing on broad AI concepts, this webinar will demonstrate a practical use case that addresses a common manufacturing challenge: capturing expert knowledge and turning it into accessible, sustainable standard work.
Shane Steinke
Principal Consultant, Oregon Manufacturing Extension Partnership
Shane is a Managing Consultant for OMEP, where he leads technology delivery services and program development. He is an executive leader with more than thirty years of operations and planning experience, crafting strategic vision and following through to implementation. Adept at balancing competing priorities while managing personnel, budgets, customer requirements and project timelines. He has extensive experience with risk mitigation, problem analysis, evaluation of alternatives, and resolution. Have is highly adaptive and consistently successful across various positions, having served as a leader at multiple levels from small, focused divisions to large complex organizations.
The Presentation
Discover how advanced AI is transforming maintenance by turning real-time equipment data and historical insights into intelligent, action-driven workflows. This session showcases how AI agents diagnose issues, surface the right information, and guide technicians with precise, contextual recommendations. Allowing you to reduce downtime and eliminating guesswork. Move beyond reactive maintenance to a smarter, more autonomous, operation powered by AI-driven decision-making. All done in a secure way.
Andrea McQuaid
Business Lead, Information Software Solutions, FactoryXT
Andrea McQuaid is a Solution Consultant for Rensenhouse FactoryXT , where she helps manufacturers accelerate digital transformation through data, analytics, and AI-driven solutions.
She partners with manufacturing leaders, integrators, and technology providers to bring innovative capabilities—such as MES, machine learning, AI, and advanced analytics—into real-world manufacturing environments.
Andrea is passionate about translating emerging technologies into practical outcomes on the plant floor.
She plays an active role in shaping initiatives that connect operational data with business intelligence, enabling organizations to improve efficiency, reduce downtime, and unlock new levels of performance.
