StratAI Series: AI in Manufacturing – Collaborator Event with BusinessWest
Mar. 26, 2026 – FORGE joined forces with BusinessWest and Innovate413 to co-host the first in a series of events to help businesses develop practical AI strategies, smarter operations, and stronger growth.
AI developers, AI experts and manufacturers convened at the Brian Corridan Center at STCC Technology Park in Springfield for “StratAI: AI in Manufacturing” to share ideas and firsthand experiences with using large language models (LLMs)/generative AI in the manufacturing industry.After a networking session with food from Olde Armory Grille and beverages from White Lion Brewing Company, BusinessWest Sales Manager & Associate Publisher Kate Campiti, Innovate413 CEO Paul Silva and FORGE Manufacturing Expert-in-Residence Scott Longley gathered attendees to introduce the event, sponsors and panelists.
Event sponsors
Sponsoring the event were design/build construction management firm RP Masiello and Western New England University’s FinTech Incubator, an AI- and fintech-focused program hosted by WNE’s College of Business to drive the competitiveness and economic growth of the Massachusetts economy.
Remarks about Western Massachusetts innovation, manufacturing and AI
Mass. State Representative Orlando Ramos spoke, thanking FORGE, BusinessWest and Innovate413 for contributing to the conversation about AI and manufacturing. He described Springfield’s expansive manufacturing history, saying “It’s fitting that we’re here talking about what’s next in Springfield.”
FORGE President and Executive Director Laura Teicher said “Fifty-seven percent of manufacturers are already using AI. As I was talking to folks during networking, there was such a clear theme: we want this event to make AI feel more accessible and less scary for manufacturers.”
Western Massachusetts Economic Development Council President and CEO Aaron Vega said “To all the business owners in this area, thank you. It’s not easy doing business these days, especially in Massachusetts, and we appreciate that you’re staying here and are trying to build support for you.”
Panel of manufacturing and AI experts from the Springfield, MA region
Longley and Silva introduced the panelists, chosen, as Longley put it, for having “taken the step to start using AI and build the tools manufacturers need for future growth.”
The panelists were:
- Western Mass. Chapter, National Tooling and Machining Association President and Meridian Industrial Group General Manager Ben Grande. Grande uses ChatGPT at Meridian for administrative tasks; a ChatGPT-drafted email helped him save $25,000 on a large capital purchase.
- REIGN Manufacturing President and CEO Gavin Giguere. Giguere has used AI in manufacturing for the past two years for quoting, sales, email and CNC programming.
- Pilot Precision Products President and COO John Fazzio. Fazzio’s company has been using AI for several years, implementing two AI agents and with two more on the way. Pilot Precision Products’ AI user service agent now handles 50 percent of user service calls.
- Tetra Labs US CEO David Arturi and CTO Vinny LaRocca. Tetra is a custom application development and AI integration company serving a range of industries including manufacturing.
- Western New England University AI Liaison/Working Group Chair David Disabito. Disabito and his collaborators created an AI-based application that can return datasets based on large sets of unstructured documents.
AI and manufacturing workshops
Attendees broke into groups to ask questions and learn from each panelist. The experts covered topics including bias mitigation, AI customer service applications, using AI to automatically find service instructions for manufacturing machinery, addressing employee distrust of AI tools and more.
After more networking and drinks, attendees left with a new appreciation for how manufacturers can take advantage of AI and prepare for an increasingly generative and automated future.
FORGE is proud to have contributed to the first event in the StratAI series. We can’t wait to see what knowledge and expert insights BusinessWest and Innovate413’s network brings to the next StratAI event.
Are you a manufacturer looking for connections to physical product customers or an innovative founder interested in manufacturing readiness resources, connections to manufacturers/suppliers or product development funding?
