Attendees of Hypertherm’s first ever ProNest User Group Event are putting their knowledge to work this week following two days of informational programming, training, product input, and networking with others in their field.
The inaugural ProNest User Group Event drew a wide range of ProNest users including programmers and managers. They heard from special guest speakers including Dan Davis of the Fabricator, discussing the future of industry, and Michael Bremer, a well-known speaker, educator, and consultant speaking on value stream mapping.
Participants were able to gain practical knowledge by attending their choice of certified training sessions, with options ranging from ProNest basics to advanced level topics. Other sessions were focused on specific cut processes (whether plasma, laser, or waterjet). During the plasma session, Hypertherm’s renowned plasma expert Jim Colt shared stories and insights from his 38 years in the industry and helped plasma users better understand how to overcome challenges in the production environment. Feedback from attendees was overwhelmingly positive. Comments included:
- “I’m a beginner with ProNest and I really got a lot from the ProNest 101 session.”
- “My key takeaway was looking at the different cutting techniques for getting better quality holes and parts.”
- “I found it very informative and inspiring to make better business decisions. This event has motivated me to bring change to our current shop floor and fabrication work flow process.”
Participants also had access to leaders of the Hypertherm software team including Nick Rosenberg and Stephen McDonald who shared their expertise, provided software insights, and discussed topics beyond nesting including production management.
Day two highlights included live demos and Q&A sessions on some of ProNest’s features that integrate more heavily with the rest of the business. Hypertherm team members, Bob Damon and Jason Michalski covered quoting, work order management, and plate inventory, and showed how these features can have a big impact on organization and productivity.
Finally, several of Hypertherm’s software partners joined the group for an informal panel discussion on third party ERP/MRP integration. Representatives from AVEVA FabTrol, FabSuite, SecturaSOFT, and StruM.I.S shared their insights into the world of enterprise resource management.
“Overall we believe this was a great event for both the end user participants, and for Hypertherm,” said Stephen McDonald, Hypertherm National Sales Manager for CAM Software. “We were able to gain valuable feedback and feature suggestions from the attendees, which is very important to our product development process."