Small manufacturers are making six-figure automation decisions without anyone on their side. Trestle sits at your table — before, during, and after every project.
When a manufacturer is ready to automate, they call an integrator. That integrator has every incentive to oversell scope, pad timelines, and lock in dependencies. Most small manufacturers have no way to know if the proposal in front of them is right — or just the most profitable one for the person pitching it.
Without someone who speaks the integrator's language and the owner's language, you're making a six-figure decision blind.
Trestle sits on your side of the table. We help you define the problem correctly, evaluate proposals honestly, and hold integrators accountable to what they promised.
A metal fabricator gets three bids ranging from $180K to $340K on the same welding cell. No idea which is right — or which integrator will actually deliver.
Review all three proposals, identify exclusions the low bid is hiding, flag scope the high bid doesn't need, and negotiate payment milestones that protect you.
$55K–$115K identified savings. A well-scoped project. A protected budget. An advisor on-site when execution begins.
Every engagement is built on one principle: your interests, not the integrator's. We never accept fees that would compromise our recommendations.
Monthly on-call automation expertise without the cost of a full-time hire. Floor walks, opportunity identification, ROI ranking, vendor shortlisting, proposal review, and project oversight — all included.
A one-time 90-minute floor walk followed by a written automation roadmap. Three to five opportunities ranked by ROI potential with rough budget ranges. No retainer required, no obligation to act.
Already have proposals on your desk? We review, compare, and translate into plain language — identifying what's included, what's missing, and where you're being oversold before you sign.
Your eyes and ears on the floor during a live integration. Weekly integrator check-ins, scope change management, timeline accountability, and commissioning support.
We come to your facility, observe your operation, and listen. No pitch. No agenda. An honest look at what's happening on your floor.
Within 48 hours you receive a plain-language summary — opportunities ranked by ROI, rough budget ranges, and a recommended first step.
If the roadmap resonates, we start with a no-commitment pilot. Cancel with 30 days notice at any time. No long-term contract required.
Monthly site visits, vendor management, and direct advisor access — as automation opportunities develop and projects get underway.
One identified scope gap. One unnecessary line item removed. One better-fit integrator. Any of these covers the advisory fee for the year. Here are real numbers from typical manufacturer situations we encounter on floor walks.
Trestle Automation Advisors was built on a straightforward observation: small and mid-size manufacturers are making their biggest capital decisions without any independent expertise on their side. Integrators are skilled — but they are not your advisor. They are a vendor.
I spent five years inside manufacturing facilities as a controls and integration engineer — programming PLCs, commissioning FANUC robot cells, designing mechanical systems, and watching how automation projects actually get bought, scoped, and delivered. I saw firsthand what happens when a manufacturer doesn't have someone translating between the vendor's world and their own operation.
"I speak the integrator's language and the plant manager's language. That's the whole job."
Trestle is based in Holland, Michigan, serving small and mid-size manufacturers across West Michigan. We are not an integrator. We do not sell equipment. We do not take referral fees from vendors. Our only incentive is your outcome.
No pitch. No obligation. Tell us about your operation and we'll reach out within one business day to schedule a free floor walk.
The initial floor walk is always free. We observe, listen, and provide a written summary within 48 hours. No obligation to continue beyond that.