“This Whisper Report address the question regarding the best practices for integrating AI and ML into our security Systems. It highlights how leaders emphasize protecting PII, using selective data movement, optimizing hardware, choosing the right models, and knowing when AI should not be applied. Insights come from LVT’s Steve Lindsey, Safr’s John Cassise, 360 Privacy’s Trinity Davis, Intel’s Mike Nielsen, RightCrowd’s Jason Bohrer, Bioconnect’s Edsel Shreve, Vaidio’s Marshall Tyler, and Databuoy’s Kathleen Griggs. “
“CONEXPO‑CON/AGG 2026 delivered a packed week of press announcements, massive exhibits, and next‑generation jobsite innovation, 140,000 attendees and over 3 million square feet of exhibits. Press Day highlighted electrification, repairability, and asset intelligence, while the show floor showcased automation, telematics, lifecycle support, and equipment spanning every hall and lot of the LVCC. We live‑streamed daily coverage and completed research for six forthcoming Whisper Reports. Readers can explore the full experience through the Conference Whispers playlist and upcoming video edition.”
The Conference
A community of over 140,000 attendees from 128 countries including 2000 vendors gathered at CONEXPO-CON/AGG. The event spanned over 3 million square feet of exhibit space.
Cautions
Friendly reminder: this research provides examples of what was shared with us at the event, not an evaluation, validation, or recommendation of the given technology.
CONEXPO-CON/AGG featured an entire Press Day on Monday, the day before the formal opening. We were able to capture a few of the events. First, we captured Moog Construction’s event featuring their Adaptive Electrification Management System – AEMS. Moog is a motion control company, provides electrification solutions for heavy vehicles, aiming to improve motion control systems. Moog technology enables any manufacturer to use any type of electric solution they would like. Their design is focused on improving simplification through design and reducing costs. The result is a modular solution that achieves remote diagnostics and over the air updates. If someone can physically replace a module, over the air capabilities flash the module to act like it should in that specific system. The solution is targeted at 6-25-ton compact loaders and excavators.
The right to repair is alive and well in Europe but that is not the only thing that has come to life. Cojali USA solution focuses on the ability to maintain and repair a fleet of heavy equipment across manufacturers. Bringing you telematics that can act enabling not just predictive maintenance, but remote maintenance is also realized.
The equipment leveraged in construction and agriculture are rather expensive. Even smaller tools are highly expensive and can be quite costly if lost or stolen. Samsara Asset Tags leverages industrial strength Bluetooth to help increase your chances of recovery. Each asset added to the network adds to the network’s density in tracking other assets. Their network is connected to an inbuilding network for asset tracking thus covering all the highways and major commercial building across major geographies.
CONEXPO-CON/AGG saw an announcement of the arrival of Twins! Mack Trucks press event announced the updating of their very popular Granite Model of Mack Trucks. The second announcement that their every popular Pinnacle Model was being replaced with Keystone. The Keystone includes everything the Pinnacle model included plus additional chassis and sleeper options. The MP13, a13-litre engine in the Granite, now has 540 horsepower and a whopping 1950 torque.
Beyond the press events, Exhibits are always massive and physically impressive at CONEXPO-CON/AGG. John Deere didn’t just bring the equipment but wanted to make sure you know they support the entire lifecycle. Specifically, John Deere’s highlighted its connected support and the massive span of maintenance it represents to the customers. Bobcat introduced their RogueX3 concept machine which is electric, autonomous and module leveraging Moog’s electrification technology from the aforementioned press event. For those seeking brand agnostic, machine agnostic, roof mounted automation, CNF more commonly known as simply Case, shared their patented adaptable solution. Komatsu burst into expo hall with 7 brand new models across their lines. Epiroc not only shared their machines and automation, but also their customers appreciated span of services offering. Hyundai had a detailed display highlighting their leaps forward in advanced telematics improving reliability. Sometimes it is not about the machine as much as it is the components. Does your excavator or loader need a new bucket? Weir Group’s ESCO division exhibited their innovative buckets optimized for safety, durability, and performance. If your reason for hesitation in upgrading is moving your older assets off the books, have no fear! Ritchie bros. specializes in rotating equipment so you are free to upgrade your equipment today!
For OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) in construction and agricultural equipment seeking to automate and optimize their equipment, MOBA Automation was hoping to speak with you. If you are an OEM and you really want to connect your physical equipment with the digital world, Trimble bridges the divide. Their massive booth highlighted their hardware, software, and services for positioning, modeling, analytics, and connectivity. Of course, predictive maintenance, remote maintenance, automation and all of these advanced capabilities that shined brightest are only possible IF the OEM installed the right sensors. To that end, sensor manufacturers were also on sight such as SIKO featuring location sensors. These location sensors can ensure you are never lost – even if GPS is denied in your location.
After 66 videos, three livestreams, and over two dozen fact checks, our coverage of CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2026 closes. CONEXPO-CON/AGG welcomes over 140,000 construction professionals from 128 countries. CONEXPO-CON/AGG occurs once every three years in Las Vegas Convention Center – the only Convention Center built strong enough to be able to house heavy equipment indoors. Featuring over 2,000 exhibitors, the event spanned over 3 million square feet of exhibit space. The massive event spanned every inch of the Las Vegas Convention Center including exhibits* in all of the lots including the massive new lot in front of the Fontainebleau the current Diamond Lot. The diamond lot featured next-generations jobsite solutions including attached robotic systems. The traditional Silver Lot featured demonstrations for brands. West Hall was the hub for smart construction technology and interactive workflow solutions with over 40 machines and 20 brand new models featured. North Hall focused on operational innovations. Central Hall was very concrete and asphalt centric including mixing equipment. Both South Hall Upper and Lower were leveraged for this event. South Upper was the prominent exhibition area for power equipment including electrified engines. South Hall features the ultimate in large scale equipment. As is customary, food was available throughout the convention center with all the normal LVCC eateries open and ready to serve including the major food courts including West Hall and North/Central Hall Lobby Food Court. Transportation options included shuttles, buses, and of course the famous Vegas Loop connection South, Central and West Halls.
We once again live streamed from on site. On Media Day Monday letting you know we are on the ground covering the event. Tuesday we shared the excitement of Exhibits officially opening. And Wednesday specifically, I requested assistance on your favorite videos for my segment on the March 6th broadcast edition of Computer Talk Radio.
We conducted research for twelve additional forthcoming Whisper Reports for our clients. The reports spanned research on improvements to jobsite output, automation, uptime, telematics, innovations in safety and those affecting the labor gap issue. The playlists are unlisted but available with the video version to be distributed via YouTube Whisper Club upper tier membership area on our YouTube Channel.
Readers and viewers wishing to experience the entire event are encouraged to view the Conference Whispers: CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2026 Playlist in its entirety. The playlist will be sited in the end screen, description, and as a pinned comment of the video edition.
The video edition will conclude with gratitude towards those that contributed and a montage of responses to the Bonus Question, “What’s the best part about attending the CONEXPO-CON/AGG live in Las Vegas?”.
The event is held every three years with the next event scheduled for March 13-17, 2029 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
*When vendors’ names are shared as examples in this document, it is to provide a concrete example of what was on display at the conference, not an evaluation or recommendation. Evaluation and recommendation of these vendors are beyond the scope of this specific research document. Other examples of products in the same category may have also been on display.
“This Whisper Report investigates how Gen AI will reshape enterprise finance operations. Researched on‑site at Money 20/20 USA 2025 in Las Vegas, it examines how financial operations are evolving under accelerating automation and intelligence. The report highlights perspectives from AutoRek’s Nicholas Botha, Veratad’s Thomas Canfarotta, Globant’s Erin StillWell, Oracle’s James Calise, Zoominfo’s Brandon Tucker, localpayment’s Ezequiel Israel, and IPQS’ Shea Craft.”
Published to clients: February 24, 2026 ID: TBW2115
Published to Whisper Club: February 24, 2026
Analyst(s): Dr. Doreen Galli
Photojournalist(s): Dr. Doreen Galli
Abstract:
“This Whisper Report investigates how will AI change warehouse architecture. Researched at the Retail, Supply Chain and Logistics Expo in Las Vegas, it highlights how AI boosts worker guidance, accelerates operations, improves predictive decisions, and reshapes automation across physical and digital systems. It also stresses fragmented tech stacks and future robot‑centric warehouse design. Quoted: Steve Harris (Warehouse Craft), Priya Katyal (PGS360), Petros Dertsakyan (oloround), Rodrigo Hernandez (Bazarup), Sean Elmurib (Backops AI), Naushad Ahmed (MetaOption), Ingo Pietruska (Lufthansa).”
Published to clients: February 17, 2026 ID: TBW2086
Published to Whisper Club: February 17, 2026
Analyst(s): Dr. Doreen Galli
Abstract:
“This Whisper Report investigates how AI and behavioral analytics enhances identity security. It highlights how organizations manage identity scale and emerging threats using behavioral baselines, anomaly detection, and contextual risk scoring. Researched at Identiverse held in Las Vegas, it incorporates quoted insights from Lumos’ Janani Nagarajan, GitGuardian’s Dwayne McDaniel, CyberSolve’s Ankush Kappor, Oasis’ Guy Feinberg, Simeio’s Octabio Lopez, Clarity Security’s James Davidson, Cubeless’ Treb Ryan, Apono’s Ofir Stein, Keeper Security’s Craig Lurey, Imprivata’s Diron Chain, and Panini’s Jim Harris.”
“Manifest 2026 brought together 7,350 attendees in Las Vegas, showcasing supply‑chain innovations across cold chain, warehouse automation, robotics, and logistics solutions. TBW Advisors LLC captured extensive on‑site coverage, including 62 videos, two livestreams, and over a dozen fact checks. Twelve Whisper Reports were also researched for deeper analysis across emerging operational challenges. Exhibits highlighted end‑to‑end supply‑chain platforms, automation breakthroughs, sensing technologies, and AI‑enabled workflow solutions across the expo hall.”
Attendance at Manifest 2026 saw an increase from 2025 with a whopping 7,350 attendees!
Cautions
Friendly reminder: this research provides examples of what was shared with us at the event, not an evaluation, validation, or recommendation of the given technology.
After 62 videos including 2 livestream and over a dozen and a half fact checks, our coverage of Manifest 2026 closes. No lines for the 7350 attendees at registration as the process was quite efficient and took place right outside of expo hall. Venetian came through for attendings with delicious food. If you were not already hungry, the smell from their Tuesday lunch and the Pasta station that accompanied Wednesday lunch was sure to get you there. Enjoy the walkabout to and through expo hall. We always try to bring you fresh vendors in our coverage but you will recognize many brands in the walkabout from our coverage of other distribution sector events such as Pack Expo and Retail, Supply Chain, and Logistics Expo. One observation we would like to share is the unique way Manifest physically sets up their track sections within the Venetian. It creates this great gathering space for people in between sessions not seen at other events. We were able to get a great video of the space while all were at the keynote. Vendors at the booths frequently strongly complimented the event. One attendee denoted that there was a highly desirable mix decision makers or their direct reports.
We once again live streamed from on-site. We streamed from outside of expo on Tuesday right before its grand openings requesting those attending to find me to answer Questions 1-6. On Wednesday we were back but from inside expo hall and reminding all to show us which videos you enjoy as assistance for my segment on the February 21st broadcast edition of Computer Talk Radio. Readers and viewers wishing to experience the entire event are encouraged to view the Conference Whispers: Manifest 2026 Playlist in its entirety. The playlist will be sited in the end screen, description, and as a pinned comment of the video edition.
We conducted research for twelve additional forthcoming Whisper Reports for our clients. The playlists are unlisted but available with the video version to be exclusively distributed first via YouTube Whisper Club upper tier membership area on our YouTube Channel.
The video edition will conclude with gratitude towards those that contributed and a montage of responses to Bonus Question, “What’s the best part about attending the Manifest live in Vegas?”.
For our coverage we will start with the easy and complete, end-to-end supply chain solution for brand owners by Aptean Supply Chain who’s logo was seen all over the registration area. Enlightening operations teams by answering the questions, “Where their stuff in the supply chain?”, Surgere enables better decisions. If ‘when’ it arrives is critical, C.R. England would like you to know their trucking services are on time 99% of the time! Moving things cross borders? Ascendia operates in 17 countries with an extensive footprint in Canada. Executives looking to automate their operations but truly desire support may appreciate finding Engineering Innovation in the expo hall.
This year we also explicitly covered some cold pack technologies and vendors leveraged for perishable goods and transportation of items that must remain refrigerated. ColdTrack is a cold chain 3pl, shipping, pick pack and storage services provider for the perishable market direct to consumer. If you need to transport up to 10,000 lbs of cold chain, Reefer Van Network was on site showcasing their solution. Wondering if your solution maintained acceptable temperature? Willog, a South Korean standout, brought their six‑metric supply‑chain intelligence to the USA. Concerned about how to get packages from an automated supply chain all the way to the door? Specifically, are the last 10 feet causing you concerns? Rivr.ai was once again onsite this year albeit capable of even heavier loads! This robot can get packages from a truck to humans at a door or a package from the human to bring to the truck.
Moving into the warehouse, for those creating machines meant to be around people but don’t want to force your customers to wear cautions vests? Matrix Design Group created robot technology enabling your system to avoid people without putting requirements on people or their clothing! Do you desire automated inventory for your cold chain inventory even though your freezer gets down to -10 degrees? Dane Technologies robots not only answer the call but come with increased safety and efficiency technology for your workflows. Perhaps loading the trailers is your pain point and you are having difficulty finding dock workers. You simply need to load and unload them and don’t want any complex technological integrations or have to bug the IT department? Expand that dream and what if I told you automation exists to load that trailer AND that it can be done in under 5 minutes? That’s right Slip Robotics has expanded their line up! Now the Slip Lift is separated from the Slip Carrier – watch how this innovation can load and unload a truck in 5 minutes. Do you want to add automation but are concerned about complex training in your brownfield facility? Yondu.ai’s drop in robot might just be the adaptable, quick-learning automation you are seeking! Order consolidation your pain point and hoping to find an automation solution? Unbox Robotics can even handle orders with multiple pieces of the same inventory and move vertically.
Moving deeper into the warehouse, Rufus Labs is redefining how one can get labor statistics with their multi-purpose hand scanner. It is valuable to note that this scanner is on the back of one’s hand, not handheld in the palm enabling. This placement enables the user to maintain full dexterity and capacity of their hands. Simply require package dimensions. This year’s show we captured FreightSnap’s dimension solution in the expo hall. For those seeking back office agentic solutions, freehand declares you no longer need to outsource. You can insource with your own AI agents!
The Manifest 2027 will once again return to Las Vegas and will be held at the Sands Convention Center on February 8-10th, 2027.
*When vendors’ names are shared as examples in this document, it is to provide a concrete example of what was on display at the conference, not an evaluation or recommendation. Evaluation and recommendation of these vendors are beyond the scope of this specific research document. Other examples of products in the same category may have also been on display.
Published to clients: February 10, 2026 ID: TBW2099
Published to Whisper Club: February 10, 2026
Analyst(s): Dr. Doreen Galli
Photojournalist(s): Dr. Doreen Galli
ABSTRACT
“This Whisper Report explores how CTOs should rethink organizational design in the world with Generative AI. Generative AI introduces structural shifts that accelerate delivery and reshape skills, workflows, and talent strategy. The research was conducted at HR Tech in Las Vegas. It highlights how agile cycles, cross‑functional skills, and HR collaboration strengthen organizational resilience.Quotes come from leaders at RChilli, Darwinbox, FitFirst, Fountain, FranklinCovey, Eightfold AI, Gem, and Aptia USA.”
Published to clients: February 2, 2026 ID: TBW2135
Published to Whisper Club: February 2, 2026
Whisper Email Release:
Analyst(s): Dr. Doreen Galli
Photojournalist(s): Dr. Doreen Galli
Abstract:
“This Whisper Report investigates what IoT innovation will redefine smart living in 2026. Researched on‑site at CES 2026, it explores how emerging technologies are reshaping home experiences in ways that blend intelligence, responsiveness, and new forms of interaction. Designed to spark curiosity, the report brings forward perspectives from Perfect Corp.’s Dr. Wayne Liu, X‑Origin’s Szeyu Wong, RiseLink’s Dr. Pengfei Zhang, and LG Electronics’ Chris DeMaria.”
Published to Whisper Club: January 27, 2026 ID: TBW2095
Analyst(s): Dr. Doreen Gal
Photojournalist(s): Dr. Doreen Galli
Abstract:
This Whisper Report investigates how will drones change enterprise data strategy. It draws on insights gathered at the Commercial UAV Expo 2025 in Las Vegas, where UAV experts described the growing data volume, multi‑use potential, and rising compliance pressures shaping enterprise architectures. The report highlights strategic alignment, cross‑industry collaboration, and the challenge of converting drone data into actionable insights. It cites Barry Paul (Blue Nose Drones), Jason San Souci (Drone Ops USA), Kevin Teen (Aloft), Bill Reynolds (Central UAS Technologies), and Vik Chaudhry (Buzz Solutions).
This Whisper Report investigates the biggest packaging tech blind spot for CIOs. It draws on urgent insights gathered from Pack Expo Vegas 2025, where operations engineers and technology professionals shared firsthand perspectives. From overlooked IT involvement to cultural gaps with OT teams, the findings expose critical challenges in data use and collaboration. Discover why these blind spots persist—and what steps can transform them into competitive advantages. Featuring insights from Mike DeGrace (Universal Robots), Rich Parkhurst (KUKA), Aaron Silverberg (Flexible Vision), Chris King (Unitronics), Mike Wolf (Signode), and Brandon Winer (Cognex).
We took the most frequently asked and most urgent technology questions straight to the operation engineers and technology professionals gathering at Pack Expo Vegas 2025. This Whisper Report addresses the question regarding what’s the biggest packaging tech blind spot for CIOs? Figure 1 displays.
The first blind spot to overcome is that there is an actual project underway. As Universal Robots’ Mike DeGrace shared, “This blind spot in involving your IT data team early on in your projects. This is something that we encounter and that we always coach our customers to work on is to bring your IT data team in very very quick for the project especially if you’re looking at implementing autonomous mobile robots as the requirement for that team is going to be heavy and it needs to be they need to be involved very quickly.” If the formal methods are not keeping you in the loop, be sure to nurture and create those informal relationships across IT – information technology and OT – Operations Technology or the engineers operating the packaging space.
While IT and OT are both engineers, they operate in vastly different cultures. As KUKA’s Rich Parkhurst highlights, “The knowledge of what’s happening on the manufacturing floor or the needs of what’s happening on the manufacturing floor versus what happens in the business world. Right? Obviously things are time critical on the manufacturing floor. there are certain technical requirements that are needed to execute operations on a on a on a factory floor whereas those don’t exist in the business world and typically the people that are in the IT space are not knowledgeable or aware of that and so that communications between those two groups tends to be an issue.” More specifically, downtime is frequently measured in significant financial consequences in OT even for as little as an hour. Try attributing financial consequences to email being down for an hour – or any IT system for that matter. While many are upset when IT systems go down, the financial consequences tend to be of a different magnitude. Thus many in OT find those in IT cannot grasp their operating environment.
Many in IT want to be helpful to the business but do not understand the impact they can have on the business. One such critical function was highlighted by Flexible Vision’s Aaron Silverberg. “A lot of companies struggle with traceability and understanding what types of defects that they’re seeing on their line.” In case you were wondering how – its all in the data. That raises the question what data do you need and how does one get the data? Aaron went on to further explain that you can hire someone to get it for you. “We help our customers collect that data, be able to see if there’s damage on packaging, missing labels, upside down labels, anything that you can visually see through a camera’s lens will help detect that.”
Unitronics’ Chris King brings good news to those that were trying to figure out how to understand what is going on in the packaging area of the facility. In case you are not familiar your blind spot is, “the machines they already have. The data that’s already there, the data they’re already producing by the machines they have. If you can find a way to gather that, bring it to one central location, analyze it, report out of it, you’re going to have a lot more valuable information in your hands than you than you do today.”
Signode’s Mike Wolf is on the same page. “How much data is already available on the existing equipment that you can use to make business process decisions. So, when we talk about trying to figure out how to better manage an industrial facility, a lot of times the focus is on adding sensors or trying to figure out how do I add a whole solution. But one thing that you find if you work directly with the manufacturers of the equipment, a lot of that data is already on the PLC (programmable logic controller). It’s already on the screen. And our approach to doing IoT involves bringing that data straight into the cloud. So you can see the same thing on the factory floor and in the cloud when you’re doing fleet management.” For those not familiar PLC stands for programmable logic controller, it is the hardware controller that automates the machinery frequently found in OT spaces.
Many PLC’s have their data collected by the SCADA system. SCADA stands for supervisory control and data acquisition and they are quite popular in OT spaces. Cognex’s Brandon Winer suggests, “Thinking about like the bigger picture of the traceability side of things, the SCADA systems (supervisory control and data acquisition). Yeah, you want to collect all this data and you want all this data on your packaging line, but where does that go? And that’s usually the first step you need to start with.”
In other words, while it is valuable to respect you don’t want to disrupt OT, don’t assume that OT will not work with you and share their detailed data with you. If you are going through a OT and IT digital transformation, be sure to leverage TBW Advisors LLC’s first-hand extensive experience in this space. Inquiries should be scheduled at the projects onset and through the transformation including critical steps such as the strategy, architecture, and major benchmarks.
