01
The Permanent Deficit
- Why the projected 2-million worker shortfall is structural, not temporary — the 2026 demographic reality.
- The “retirement wave” in skilled trades, and why high 90-day quit rates are making HR budgets bleed.
ConTech Webinar · 2nd Edition · Aug 26, 2026 · 1:00 PM EST
CONTECH WEBINAR #2 | Don't Get Left Behind: Transforming the Shop Floor to Scale Manufacturing Sales in 2026
The manufacturing workforce shortage isn't going away. The question is no longer whether to adapt, but how. Should you invest in automation, your workforce, or both? Where should you start, and what mistakes should you avoid? Our panelists will share their perspectives and answer the questions manufacturers are asking right now.
Aug
26
2026
Live on
Wednesday, August 26th, 2026
1:00 PM EST · 60 min
The Problem
Running a Reliable Operation When Skilled Labor Is Aging Out
The manufacturing workforce isn't getting bigger. By 2030, the industry could be short more than 2 million workers, while 78% of manufacturers still struggle to connect AI with their existing systems. We'll talk about what these numbers mean, where automation actually pays off, and what manufacturers should be doing now instead of waiting for hiring to get easier.
We break the path forward into three parts:
02
Stop Recruiting, Start Automating
- Shifting capital from endless recruiting cycles to high-ROI physical and digital automation.
- How machine-tending robots and computer vision (99%+ defect detection) are replacing missing quality-control and assembly roles.
03
The AI Integration Bottleneck
- Why 78% of manufacturers still fail to connect AI tools to their core ERPs — and how to build data bridges that actually reduce manual workloads.
- How to operate advanced AI systems on the floor without hiring an army of expensive data scientists.
The Speakers
Hosted by an operator, not a consultant.
Host
Chris Parjaszewski
CEO, MindPal · ConTech by MindPal
“CEO of MindPal. Building AI tools for the manufacturing in construction — the $1.8T market that AI forgot. Previously shipped 120+ AI products across fintech, healthcare, and PropTech.”
View LinkedInRoundtable Lineup
3 guest speakers confirmed for the roundtable.
Operators and researchers from mid-market manufacturing.
Guest Speaker
Edward E. Gordon, Ph.D.
President, Imperial Consulting Corporation
“Dr. Gordon has spent more than 50 years studying workforce change, skills gaps, and the future of work. As President of Imperial Consulting Corporation and author of Future Jobs and SkillWars, he brings the long view on why the labor shortage is structural and what companies can do when the worker pipeline no longer keeps up.”
Guest Speaker
Marc Ostafil
Industry 4.0 & 5.0 Expert | Entrepreneur | Technology Advisor
“Marc works with manufacturers on practical digitalization: assessing maturity, setting roadmaps, and connecting Industry 4.0 and 5.0 ideas to real plant constraints. He is an ADMA-certified expert, co-founder of Smart Secure Networks, and initiator of the IoT & AI Cluster — SINOTAIC.”
Guest Speaker
Stanley Tan
Director of Business Development, Jendamark Automation
“Stanley helps manufacturing and engineering teams put automation into production. At Jendamark Automation, he focuses on digital assembly systems, operational knowledge capture, and human-machine collaboration — the places where technology has to work with the people already on the floor.”
Next step
Save your seat at the 2nd ConTech roundtable
A closed-door, 60-minute session on automating the work that shouldn't depend on scarce labor - and connecting AI to the systems that actually run your plant.
Aug
26
2026
Live on
Wednesday, August 26th, 2026
1:00 PM EST · 60 min
Closed-door·Limited seats·Free to attend