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The Specification Management Summit, or Spec Summit, is an annual event that brings together professionals from across the packaging, product development, quality assurance, sustainability, and supply chain sectors. Spec Summit 2025 was no exception, with more than 350 attendees, there were engaging presentations from leaders of multiple industries, insightful panels, and a plethora of conversations on the latest innovations in specification data management.
Join Laura Foti, host of the Beyond the Shelf podcast, as she sits down with Cory Connors and Brodie Vander Dussen, hosts of the Sustainable Packaging podcast, to recap some key topics of Spec Summit 2025.
The Evolution of Spec Summit
Cory Connors kicked off the discussion by highlighting the growth of Spec Summit over the past three years. From its humble beginnings to now hosting hundreds of industry professionals, Spec Summit has become a cornerstone for those looking to integrate advanced specification management systems into their workflows. Cory noted how various software integrations like TOPS, Lorax EPI, and Trayak have made processes more efficient and sustainable.
Digitizing Specifications: The Future is Now
One of the central themes of this year’s Spec Summit was digitizing specifications. Laura emphasized the challenges many organizations face with legacy systems—spreadsheets, emails, shared drives—that are inefficient for managing critical data. This inefficiency leads to downstream impacts that can hamper business operations.
Brodie Vander Dussen even led a panel with leaders from Taylor Farms, Bob Evans Farms, and Clemson University discussing the importance of having dedicated resources for specification management. With changing resources and increasing data demands, it's crucial for companies to manage their platforms effectively and to bring up the next generation to continue on these efforts.
Bridging the Gap Between Academia and Industry
A compelling moment came when Greg Batt from Clemson University shared his insights on bridging the gap between academic training and industry needs. Students often enter entry-level positions only to find themselves managing data rather than applying their engineering or creative skills. This disconnect highlights the need for better alignment between what students learn in school and what they do in their first jobs.
Sustainability: More Than Just a Buzzword
Sustainability remains a hot topic in packaging and product development circles. Cory pointed out that Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) laws are now a reality, making it imperative for companies to have accurate data readily available for reporting purposes. If you don't have your data organized today, you're already behind.
Laura echoed these sentiments by mentioning a point from the event’s opening keynote, given by David Schonthal, on overcoming resistance to new ideas within organizations. The focus should be on making new technologies easier to adopt rather than just adding more benefits.
Simplifying Complex Processes with Dynamic Digital Platforms
The Product Showcase was another highlight where attendees saw firsthand how quickly ideas could move through approval stages using dynamic digital platforms like Specright. These next technologies help packaging engineers shift from spending most of her time investigating specs to actually innovating and driving the company forward.
The showcase illustrated how integrating lifecycle assessments (LCA) into product development can streamline processes while incorporating sustainability factors. It also demonstrated how much quicker projects could move from concept to market when teams aren’t bogged down chasing data.
Collaboration Over Competition
Breaking down silos within organizations was another major talking point at this year’s summit. By getting all stakeholders on the same page with unified data sets, companies can foster better collaboration across departments—from supply chain teams to packaging engineers.
Laura highlighted that one of her favorite aspects of Spec Summit is seeing people realize they aren't alone in facing these challenges; there are solutions available that others are successfully implementing.
Conclusion
This year's Spec Summit underscored several key themes: digitization of specifications, sustainability integration, effective collaboration, and breaking down organizational silos. Whether you’re part of a supply chain team or working as a packaging engineer, adopting advanced spec management tools can significantly impact your efficiency.
If you're interested in learning more about how technology can transform your approach to packaging or product development and want to join a community that's leading this change, join us at Spec Summit 2026. Until then, get more information here.
To request a demo of Specright, click here.
To listen to other Beyond the Shelf episodes, click here.
