Manufacturing Modernization 5 min read October 20, 2025

6 Things We Learned that Impact Manufacturing at CBJ AI Summit and Competimates 2025

ERP, MES, or CPQ? 6 takeaways from CBJ AI Summit & CIRAS Competimates 2025 everyone in manufacturing should know including AI, lean, grants, and cultural...

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6 Things We Learned that Impact Manufacturing at CBJ AI Summit and Competimates 2025 — Letter B manufacturing and integration insight

5 min readINSIGHT // 6-THINGS-LEARNED-FOR-MANUFACTU

Insight at a glance

Key Takeaways

ERP vs MES vs CPQ: know which system owns what — you likely need at least two
AI is embedded in operations now, not optional — readiness is data and integration
CPQ is a sales engine for configure-to-order — quoting accuracy drives margin
Cultural tech fit and lean thinking outrank feature lists in adoption
Grant/Industry 4.0 funding can underwrite modernization — map it early

October is Manufacturing Month

Learning is the key to leveraging opportunities

Discover 6 key things that will help your company leverage opportunities in 2026.

1. ERP and MES Are Not the Same—And You Need Both

ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) and MES (Manufacturing Execution System) serve different purposes.

ERP helps manage the business: finance, HR, inventory, purchasing, and customer orders.
MES helps manage the production: machine performance, shop floor scheduling, quality control, and real-time tracking.

Example:
If your ERP says you need to produce 500 units by Friday, your MES tells you which machines are available, what materials are staged, and whether your operators are on schedule. Without MES, your ERP is just guessing.

IndustryWeek recently highlighted how traditional MES systems have fallen short, and how AI-native MES and MOM platforms are stepping in to close the gap between automation and digitalization on the shop floor. Read more here.

Let's Talk about it.

2. AI Is Embedded—Not Optional

AI is no longer a buzzword. It’s baked into modern systems. We saw demos of AI-driven scheduling, predictive maintenance, and even automated quoting. There is opportunity across industries like manufacturing, automotive, real estate, finance, higher education ETC. These aren’t future features, they’re available now but not only in the form of chatbots. Starting by structuring your data to reach your desired outcome and then using Ai tools to consume and interact with the data Ai can boost productivity greatly. If your current system doesn’t support AI, it’s time to start shopping. We talk about some AI tools in our past article.

3. CPQ Is the Sales Engine You Didn’t Know You Needed

Configure-Price-Quote (CPQ) systems are transforming how manufacturers quote custom jobs. We spoke with companies who cut quoting time from days to minutes—and reduced errors by over 80%.

Example:
One Iowa-based manufacturer used CPQ to link their sales team directly to engineering specs. No more back-and-forth emails or manual spreadsheets. The quote was accurate, fast, and ready to go. With direct experience building CPQ systems for manufacturing organizations from the ground up it is clear that quoting is not a standard process and should not be left to off the shelf software. The investment in a custom CPQ tool that feeds the quotes into both the ERP and the MES system will show great ROI for the whole business.

Let's Talk about it.

4. Re-Patriotizing Data Is a Real Strategy

For businesses with sensitive operations or compliance requirements, cloud isn’t always the answer. We learned about re-patriotizing data—bringing data back on-premise for tighter control and faster processing.

Example:
A regional supplier moved their MES from the cloud to an on-prem server to meet customer data security requirements. The result? Faster response times and fewer compliance headaches.

Another example is IOT systems that are tracking real time interactions don’t need to store all data and the nature of real time make collecting and storing the critical data close to the operations important. Performance and timing is key to these activities so network latencies would make being in the cloud a barrier to the IOT functions.

5. Lean and AI Can Work Together

There’s a myth that lean manufacturing and AI don’t mix. Not true. AI can support lean by automating data collection, surfacing inefficiencies, and helping teams focus on value-added work.

use ai to track KPIs through machine learning in manufacturing to show where projects and products. track gross margins and revenue growth to gauge profitability.

Example:
One speaker showed how AI flagged a recurring bottleneck in a lean cell—something the team hadn’t noticed manually. The fix improved throughput by 12%.

IndustryWeek reinforces this idea in their article “Where Does AI Work Best With Lean?”, noting that AI acts as a “thought partner” in continuous improvement. It helps clear the noise, capture tribal knowledge, and sharpen decision-making—without replacing the human element that makes lean work.

Another piece, “Bringing AI Into a Lean Transformation”, describes AI as a “digital sensei”—a tool that challenges your assumptions and accelerates problem-solving. That’s exactly the kind of support mid-sized manufacturers need to stay competitive.

Let's Talk about it.

6. Culture Drives Tech—and There’s Grant Money to Help

At Letter B Global Technologies, we don’t just implement systems, we design them around people. Our cultural design functions ensure that any ERP, MES, or CPQ solution fits the way your team actually works. That means fewer disruptions, faster adoption, and better ROI.

And here’s the kicker:
There’s grant funding available right now for manufacturers investing in Industry 4.0 technologies. Whether you’re exploring AI, automation, or system integration, state and federal programs are offering financial support to help you modernize.

Example:
One Iowa manufacturer secured a grant to pilot a smart MES system with on-prem data processing. The funding covered implementation costs and training—accelerating their digital transformation without draining their budget.

If you’re not looking into these opportunities, you’re leaving money on the table.

Let's Talk about it.

Final Thoughts on improving business operations in the future.

If you’re planning a system upgrade a legacy system or a move to a new system, start now. The tools are ready. The insights are clear. And the competition isn’t waiting. Letter B can help with a free consultation to look at your supecific use cases and the types of systems available to help achieve your goals. Just because we develop custom software does not mean that going custom is always the correct route for your needs. Let us help make the fog of the future dicipate and a clear path to success visible.

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Frequently asked questions

Common questions about manufacturing modernization

ERP plans resources, MES runs the floor, CPQ accelerates quoting and product configuration. Many shops need a lean combination that connects, not a single monolith.

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