January 7, 2026
When you walk into a manufacturing plant or a multi generation ag operation, you rarely see one neat system running everything. You see a patchwork. A cloud ERP here, a warehouse tool there, a spreadsheet that has survived multiple decades, and sometimes a Windows 95 machine humming in the corner like it never got the memo that time moved on.
That reality is exactly where North Built lives.
In a recent TechCom.News conversation, North Built CEO Chris Morbitzer and President Aaron Huisinga shared how their team helps manufacturers, equipment builders, and agriculture businesses modernize without ripping everything out. Their approach is not “start over,” it is “start where you are, and improve what matters.” This interview became a masterclass in practical modernization, AI readiness, and why customer service should never be the first thing you automate.
Built in the Midwest, Built for Real Work
Morbitzer and Huisinga both grew up in the Midwest, watching family members and community leaders build businesses in agriculture and skilled trades. That upbringing shaped their view of technology. The problem, Morbitzer explained, is that much of the best technology talent often gets directed toward companies that are not solving grounded, operational problems. North Built was formed to bring modern software, data systems, and AI to businesses that power the economy but rarely get the spotlight. Huisinga story mirrors that practical mindset. Raised in central Minnesota in a turkey farming and equipment manufacturing family, he learned early that he loved building, but also knew he did not want to spend his life in a turkey barn. That motivation pushed him into software, hardware, and eventually into leading teams that build tools people actually use. One of his best lines came when describing the driver behind his career: “Watching people’s vision become reality became my addiction.” Turns out, that addiction scales nicely into a business model.
If you have spent time on a shop floor or in a dealer network, you know the scene.
The host (also named Aaron in the transcript) described visiting manufacturers and seeing “12 different systems,” including legacy databases, manual paper handoffs, and workflows so fragile that a torn piece of paper can become a quality problem.
North Built sees the same thing.
Morbitzer framed it in lean terms: we talk about lean on the factory floor, but do we talk about lean in information flow?
In their view, “digital shop floor” is not just a buzz phrase. It is a way of reducing human error, removing wasted motion, and improving speed without sacrificing quality.
Their work often focuses on the connective layer that manufacturers desperately need: the “brain in the middle.”
North Built is custom, but not in the “reinvent everything” way. Their projects often fall into a few categories:
Manufacturers often have ERP systems plus separate inventory tools, accounting platforms, and custom databases. The business needs unified reporting and analytics, but the tools do not naturally talk.
North Built builds the integration layer that pulls data together and makes it usable.
For equipment manufacturers, dealer portals matter. Warranty claims, parts orders, service workflows, and dealer communications often run through disjointed systems. North Built builds web and mobile experiences that simplify the dealer experience and reduce friction.
They called out a common failure pattern: consultants show up, look at a system, and immediately say, “scrap it and rebuild.” That can be expensive and unnecessary.
North Built takes the opposite stance: learn why the legacy systems exist, identify the real pain points, and build around the existing foundation until it makes sense to replace it.
That is an especially important mindset for companies with long histories and limited internal tech resources.
The “Trusted Partner Model” vs the Project Dump
When asked how they scope improvements and determine ROI, Morbitzer emphasized something that technical communicators understand well: you cannot treat operational transformation like a single deliverable.
Their model is a long term partnership, operating like an extension of the client’s team.
Instead of selling one giant project and walking away, they focus on:
Business priorities first
Technology as an accelerator, not the driver
A blended team approach, so clients get access to CTO level guidance, engineering, design, and data expertise without hiring all those roles internally
Morbitzer summarized it simply:
Technology should not lead the business. Business goals should lead, and technology should support them.
AI Readiness: Do Not Boil the Ocean
This is where the conversation got especially relevant for anyone working in documentation, training, or knowledge systems.
The host noted a common failure pattern: organizations dumping PDFs into an LLM and expecting meaningful results. North Built sees the same thing, and they agree. Without data structure, curation, and governance, AI becomes a confidence machine for bad answers.
Morbitzer explained the challenge for companies with decades of data spread across servers, closets, and backups. The problem is not that AI cannot help. The problem is that “everything” is too big a target.
So their approach is:
Tie AI readiness to specific business goals
Identify what data supports those goals
Make that data AI ready first
Expand as value becomes clear
That is the same approach technical communicators take when modernizing content systems. Start small, validate value, scale with intent.
The Window for Small Businesses
One of the most compelling themes was this: AI can level the playing field for smaller operators.
Huisinga described how AI tools cut repetitive work and reduce friction for smaller teams. In their view, large competitors face long enterprise planning cycles, legal reviews, and slow implementation. Smaller teams can move quickly.
That agility becomes a competitive advantage.
The host summed it up in a relatable way: modern AI and agent tools can reduce an 80 hour work week back down to 40 by removing repetitive, low value tasks. That gain is not just personal relief, it is operational leverage.
Customer Service: Stop Automating the Relationship
This section will resonate with anyone who has had to fight a chatbot to change a phone plan.
Everyone agreed that companies are making a serious mistake by replacing customer support and sales interactions with bots. While self service has value, trust still comes from people.
The host’s point was blunt: the moment a business loses direct feedback from customers, decline begins.
North Built sees this as especially dangerous for small and midsize businesses because personal service is one of the strongest differentiators they have.
Instead of cutting labor, they argue the better strategy is to make teams more powerful by giving them better tools and better access to answers.
How North Built Uses AI in Development
Yes, they use it heavily.
And their description was refreshingly realistic.
Huisinga explained that the biggest shift is not that AI writes “magic code.” It is that development time is moving from typing to planning and QA.
Their workflow looks like this:
Deep planning upfront
Clear acceptance criteria before any code is generated
AI handles repetitive scaffolding and pattern based tasks
Humans handle review, testing, validation, and refinement
Iteration continues until requirements and quality standards are met
This is one of the most important takeaways for anyone excited about AI coding tools: speed without discipline turns into security problems fast.
They also described a useful practice for startups: build a quick prototype to make the idea visible, then bring professionals in to rebuild it securely and properly once the concept is validated.
That guidance matters because, as the host noted, some startups publish AI generated code without understanding the security or quality implications. AI can build faster tools, but it cannot replace domain expertise.
Security: Do Not Build From Scratch
When asked how they approach security, Morbitzer highlighted a key practice: they do not build from the ground up. They build on maintained frameworks and platforms with active communities and security patch pipelines.
The basics still matter:
Use maintained frameworks
Keep dependencies updated
Monitor vulnerability notices
Patch fast
He gave a memorable example: if you let WordPress plugins go out of date, you might wake up to a hacked site selling products you never stocked.
The same rules apply to custom software. It requires a partner who watches the ecosystem and keeps the product current.
The Value of AEM and Industry Associations
North Built also spoke positively about AEM (Association of Equipment Manufacturers) as a source of market insights, economic data, and trusted collaboration.
For those looking to grow in the manufacturing ecosystem, they recommended:
National Association of Manufacturers
Regional manufacturing associations
Specialized groups by sector, such as the Farm Equipment Manufacturers Association (FEMA)
Manufacturing Extension Partnerships (MEPs), noting that funding uncertainty may affect their future but local support structures will still matter
For startups and new manufacturers, those associations can provide something software cannot: a real network.
Final Thoughts
If you are a technical communicator, training leader, product educator, or content strategist working alongside manufacturing and dealer networks, this conversation should feel familiar.
The problems are not futuristic.
They are clipboards, information silos, legacy systems, and teams trying to do too much with too little.
North Built’s message was clear:
Modernization should be incremental, not destructive
AI should follow business priorities, not hype
Customer service is a relationship, not a cost center
AI makes experts faster, it does not replace expertise
And perhaps the most important point for this moment in time:
Small and midsize companies have a window to move faster than the giants.
Contact North Built
Chris Morbitzer and Aaron Huisinga can be reached at:
LinkedIn (both founders are active there) -
Their team encourages direct conversations, and they say they pick up the phone
As Huisinga put it:
“We like talking to people. That’s why we do what we do.”
