DigitalituM Podcast Episode 22 - Mark Eferdinger - Card Monroe - Cutting Through the Digital Fog: Custom Automation & Digital Twins with Card Monroe

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In this episode, I sit down with my longtime friend and partner, Mark Eferdinger (Sales, Card Monroe Automation). We discuss the very real pressures U.S. manufacturers face—labor shortages, reshoring, tariffs, and the need to automate more quickly—and how a hands-on, customer-driven approach outperforms one-size-fits-all “modularity” every time.

About our guest
Austrian-born and U.S.-based for 15+ years, Mark came up through mechanical engineering and project management (Schaeffler, pharma packaging, custom machinery). He’s now helping Card Monroe design, build, commission, and support custom automation solutions across various industries, including automotive, food & beverage, chemical, aerospace, construction, and more.

What we cover

• Why custom beats catalog: Real-world cases where customers need tailored cells (palletizing, drilling, assembly, packing, vision-guided inspection) instead of off-the-shelf machines.
• Digital Twin & Virtual Commissioning: Simulate, emulate, and debug code before steel is cut—shrinking on-site commissioning and de-risking retrofits years later.
• Reshoring reality: Tariffs, supply risk, and floor-space constraints are pushing production stateside—while labor scarcity makes automation non-negotiable.
• Service that sticks: Why local, responsive support wins (time zones, language, standards) and how service packages can turn downtime into pit stops.
• The Digitalitum “toolbox”: Picking the right digital tools (AR/VR, IoT, PM/PdM analytics, AI/vision) to cut through the digital fog—and actually get adoption on the shop floor.
• AI, practically: Where AI already helps (PLC assist, machine monitoring, vision analytics, planning) and where it won’t (turning a wrench).

Key takeaways

• Start small, prove value, climb the digital-transformation ladder—don’t wait for the “perfect” platform.
• Digital Twin isn’t hype: it saves time at launch and during future product changeovers.
• U.S. manufacturers value speed, clarity, and proximity—and so do their best suppliers.
• The biggest failure mode isn’t software; it’s non-adoption. Implementation and training make or break ROI.

Events & where to meet us

• SPS Atlanta — Sept 16–18, Georgia World Congress Center. Visit DigitalituM Booth #1027.
• SOUTHTEC (Greenville, SC) — Third week of October. Meet Card Monroe Automation at Booth #1439.
• SC Manufacturing Expo — November 5-6th in Greenville, SC

Connect

• Card Monroe Automation (Greenville, SC & Hixson, TN) — custom automation, vision-guided systems, turnkey projects from concept to commissioning and service.
• Guest: Mark Eferdinger (LinkedIn)
• Host: Markus Rimmele / DigitalituM — let’s talk AR/VR, IoT/OEE, AI, and the right tools fo

Stay tuned for more inspiring conversations about manufacturing and digital transformation. Also, remember to follow and subscribe to the DigitalituM Podcast for exclusive insights from industry leaders and innovators.

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