Specright’s annual conference took place the first week of February in Nashville, TN, connecting leaders from across industries, academia, and expertise to share and learn about the value of a spec-first approach. The event was an incredible opportunity for attendees to connect with the Specright team and one another - sharing ideas that will transform how companies make amazing, sustainable things.
The Specright team is thrilled after an incredible three days at this year’s Specification Management Summit in Nashville, TN. From thought-provoking keynotes by leaders at Fortune 500 companies, Gartner, Bloomberg, and more to valuable insights shared by academic experts, attendees had the opportunity to connect with leaders who are transforming their industries and taking innovation to the next level.
Below are some of the highlights and key themes from this week’s sessions.
Chat with Matt
Day 1 of Spec Summit kicked off with an engaging session led by Matthew Wright, Founder & CEO of Specright. Matthew challenged the audience to rethink the status quo, emphasizing the urgent need for technology-driven transformation across industries. Matthew explored why industries remain stuck in outdated processes despite having cutting-edge tools at their disposal.
A key theme was leveraging data and AI to drive sustainability beyond isolated wins, making it an integral part of organizational progress. Matthew shared powerful stories of innovation, highlighting how industry leaders have pushed past legacy constraints to drive real change. He reinforced the importance of collaboration, urging attendees to find like-minded partners and take action. The conversation set the stage for a high-energy Summit focused on breaking down barriers and shaping the future of industrial technology.
Chair Introduction and A Look Into Empowering Innovation with David Schonthal
This year it was a pleasure to have David Schonthal kickoff Summit 2025 as our keynote speaker. An award-winning professor of strategy, innovation, and entrepreneurship at the Kellogg School of Management, David is also the bestselling author of The Human Element: Overcoming the Resistance That Awaits New Ideas. In his keynote session, David spoke about how to successfully drive innovation by empowering new ideas while minimizing the friction that often stands in the way. His message encouraged companies to focus on fuel over friction to be the change-makers in their industries. His insights provided attendees with actionable strategies to navigate change and accelerate progress.
2025 Themes: Importance of Digitization, Sustainable Packaging & Leveraging the Ecosystem
This year’s Spec Summit focused on three critical themes that are shaping the future of business: the importance of digitization, sustainable packaging, and leveraging the ecosystem. As industries continue to navigate an increasingly complex landscape, these themes serve as a roadmap for companies looking to drive efficiency, meet regulatory requirements, and stay competitive.
This year we were excited to have Cyndi Shahroozi, from DHL, as our event chair and keynote speaker. We also heard from many other industry leaders such as Richard Beckett from Oriflame, Toko Weaver from Unilever, and John Blake from Gartner, along with many other incredible speakers.
Legacy systems and outdated processes no longer scale, making digitization essential for business growth. This year’s Spec Summit sessions explored how companies have started their digital transformation journeys and matured their strategies to unlock efficiency and visibility across supply chains.
On Friday attendees had the opportunity to choose between the executive and user tracks. In the user track attendees heard stories from customers like F&S Fresh Foods, NicePak & more, as well as sessions on the implementation process with Specright, best practices, and more. In the executive Tennessee State Senator, Heidi Campbell spoke about how Tennessee is implementing sustainable change and EPR legislation currently and moving forward.
Sustainability also remained a focus of this event. With increasing regulatory pressures, shifting consumer demands, and rising competition companies must rethink their approach to sustainability. Discussions highlighted why now was the time to take action and how a data-driven approach has driven meaningful progress.
Attendees also learned the value of leveraging the ecosystem, through Specright’s integrated approach, to create a better-connected supply chain. Attendees gained insights into how collaboration and strategic partnerships have unlocked new opportunities and driven innovation across industries.
With the theme "The Future is Now," this year's Summit provided the tools and insights necessary to help companies navigate these challenges and seize new opportunities for growth.
The Future of Specright: Sustainability Reporting & SpecGPT
As the leader in specification management, Specright continues to evolve, setting the standard for how companies digitize, manage, and leverage their data. With growing industry demands for sustainability transparency and the rapid adoption of AI-driven solutions, Specright is once again at the forefront of innovation. At this year’s product showcase the Specright product team gave an in-depth demo of Specright’s exciting new features that are empowering businesses to stay ahead of regulatory requirements, drive efficiency, and make smarter decisions.
The Specright product team also opened up the solutions studio where demos of Specright’s new and exciting features were shown. This was a great opportunity for customers and prospects to connect with the Specright team to learn more about the product, ask questions, and see up-coming features.
The Specright team showcased various new features and functionalities such as:
- Spec GPT: Specright is revolutionizing data access with SpecGPT, its new AI-powered chatbot. Now in beta for customers on the latest Specright version, SpecGPT enables conversational search, making it easier to find and analyze specification data. Users can ask questions in natural language—just like with ChatGPT or Google Gemini—and instantly get insights. Whether identifying formulas with banned ingredients, exploring data relationships, or downloading results as Excel files, SpecGPT streamlines searches, saving time and enhancing decision-making.
- Sustainability Integrations: The product team also featured the many sustainability integrations that Specright offers. Achieving sustainability goals requires collaboration. Specright integrates with Lorax EPI for accurate Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) data collection, How2Recycle for managing on-pack labeling programs, and COMPASS for conducting Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) on current and emerging products and packaging. Using Specright’s supplier portal and management features this can all be done at the click of a button.
- NPD Export: Specright’s NPD export features allow teams to seamlessly transfer records between NPD and Finished Goods, or repurpose existing products to jumpstart new developments. This feature eliminates manual data entry, enhances specification accuracy, and speeds up product development through seamless data synchronization.
Closing Thoughts: Driving the Future of Specification Management
As this year’s Summit came to a close, Specright Founder & CEO Matthew Wright left attendees with a powerful message: the future of business is built on data, collaboration, and a willingness to embrace change. Sustainability is no longer optional—regulatory pressures are increasing, and companies that proactively integrate compliance into their operations will gain a competitive edge. From Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) to sustainability-driven shelf placement, businesses must rethink how they manage and report on sustainability data.
Integration was another key takeaway—companies need seamless connections between their spec management systems and other business platforms to drive cost savings, regulatory compliance, and operational efficiency. Without real-time data access, even the best sustainability and cost-optimization strategies will struggle to succeed.
Lastly, simplification is critical in today’s complex business landscape. Companies that cling to outdated processes often face version control issues, inefficiencies, and missed opportunities. By embracing digital transformation and aligning their teams around a unified system, organizations can unlock unprecedented value.
This year’s Spec Award winners were recognized for their excellence in specification management. We are grateful for all our customers who help us learn, grow, and continue to build amazing, sustainable things. Learn more about our winners.
The Summit reinforced that success requires action. Whether it’s investing in new technology, rethinking outdated processes, or stepping into leadership roles within your organization, the time to drive change is now. As we wrap up another incredible event, we’re already looking ahead to Spec Summit 2026—where we’ll continue to push the boundaries of what’s possible in specification management. See you next year!
