Prove It - 2025 Takeaways

Alright, now that ProveIt is over and we have had a bit of time to reflect, I wanted to recap my experience with one last post... A post that got too nong and turned into an article.

Let's start by saying that the crew did a great job, you could really tell that Zack Scriven , Vaughn Turner and all of 4.0 Solutions team really put everything they could into pulling this off - and they executed at a very high level.?

A common phrase around the hall was "I can't believe this is a first year conference".?

That is impressive, and as I said before, 4.0 Solutions really Proved It here.

That said, I felt that some of the presentations fell a bit flat. I won't name any names so don't ask but I will add a bit of context...

Some background on the attendees to start, I was personally surprised at how many people in attendance were just starting out on their Digital Transformation journey. Which is incredible, it means that a real impact was made here.

But it also means that a lot of the solutions presented missed the mark on what a pilot project really is... They presented solutions that are representative of much later stages, and much higher budgets. Or how I was wording it "Selling Ferraris to someone who needs a bicycle".

While some solutions were just too much too soon, othere were just too much for the budget to handle, others yet solved needs that many don't even know they have yet.

A few presentations fell flat, simply failing to Prove It.

A positive that almost every vendor shared was an abundance of technical staff manning the booths. Usually when I walk up to a booth my questions are met with blank stares or a promise that someone else will reach out to me... Which they never do.?

At ProveIt, they had the answers on the spot, many vendors were even eager to debate the nitty gritty details about protocols and specific integration patterns.?

With all of that, most of the vendors nailed it. Even some of them that didn't present as well were able to make up for it in the booth.

You might have seen my recent post about Flow Software Inc. - they were the best presentation in my opinion...

But another well deserved shout-out is the MACH Controls LLC booth, Brian Pribe with Mach Controls (with the help of 4.0 Hero - Trent Christopher and JPI Solutions - Dustin Symes ) really nailed it.?

Using United Manufacturing Hub (UMH) to create a low cost pilot project that Connects, Collects, and Stores plant floor data.? Adding in Node-Red and Grafana to Analyze and Visualize. He really Proved that a low cost entry point exists.

Another really cool solution was MaintainX - There is something really special about the ease and ability they provide to enable condition based monitoring to your plant - Especially when combined with your UNS.

It would be a shame not to highlight the incredible MCs, Amy Williams and Jeff Winter had a very difficult task of not only holding the vendors accountable but keeping the audience entertained.

Aside from a few blips in the hotels WiFi connection, the network really appeared to handle the load (at least from the outside - I'll bet there is an unsung hero or two in the background who made it happen). Another impressive feat given the quantity and frequency of traffic not only thought the UNS but the sheer number of attendees.?

All in all, this sets a new standard for conferences and trade shows.?

Since this is an article, I don't suspect too many will read this far in but I just want to stress how incredible this community is. I may push some buttons from time to time, I may not agree with ever aspect of the architectures proposed, but I do appreciate this community and their commitment to our industry.

Bravo.