Computer Engineer Virginia Tech · CpE

Founder & CEO, SiteTrax.io · Virginia Beach & Norfolk, Virginia

Two decades turning physical events into trusted signals.
That is the AI problem supply chain actually needs solved.

Computer vision, OCR, and AI built for physical operations: intermodal yards, ports, terminals, and drayage. Two decades deploying technology where the conditions are demanding, the data is real, and the margin for error is zero.

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20+ Years building operating technology for industrial and logistics environments
10+ Years applying computer vision and AI to physical operations
6 Continents with active customer and partner deployments
Chris Machut, CEO of SiteTrax.io and founder of HoistCam, speaking on AI in supply chain and intermodal logistics

Work

Built for the field.
Proven in production.

Founder & CEO

SiteTrax.io is an AI-as-a-Service OCR platform built for the intermodal supply chain. Point any camera at a container or chassis and the platform captures the ID, geolocation, and timestamp in near real-time, then pushes it directly into TMS, WMS, YMS, or ERP systems via open API. It cuts container search time from 45+ minutes to under 10. Built for the yard by people who have been in the yard.

98%+ OCR accuracy in live yard conditions
45 min to under 10 on container search time
Visit SiteTrax.io →

Founder & Chairman

HoistCam is the ruggedized wireless crane camera system the Netarus team built to eliminate dangerous blind spots for crane and heavy equipment operators. It reduces incidents by over 90% and boosts productivity by 20%+. Trusted on 6 continents. It keeps people safe. That matters more than any spec sheet.

HoistCam is where the camera vision and edge hardware foundation was built. That decade of field-hardened computer vision work became the technical bedrock for SiteTrax.io.

Visit HoistCam.com →

About

Engineer at heart.
Entrepreneur by compulsion.

Chris Machut, Computer Engineer and CEO of SiteTrax.io, Virginia Beach Virginia

I earned my B.S. in Computer Engineering from Virginia Tech with a Minor in Computer Science. That foundation shaped how I think about problems, and more than two decades later I am still applying that same systems-thinking mindset alongside some genuinely talented people.

It started with HoistCam. I founded Netarus and we built a ruggedized wireless camera system to give crane and heavy equipment operators live visibility into dangerous blind spots below their loads. What started as a safety product became a multi-million dollar revenue business and a productivity breakthrough the industry did not know it needed. The Netarus team scaled it to deployments on 6 continents. I did not plan for 6 continents. The customers and our team had other ideas.

Then customers started asking not just to see their assets, but to know them: container ID, chassis number, location, timestamp. The original concept for SiteTrax.io, then codenamed SiteTracker, took shape in 2016. The State of Virginia recognized it early and provided grant funding that helped prove the idea. Today the SiteTrax.io team has built a platform that cuts container search time from 45+ minutes to under 10 and integrates into what operators already use.

Entrepreneurship, for me, has never been about disruption for its own sake. It is about identifying a real problem, assembling a great team, and building something that actually holds up in the field. I have done it three times, including a successful strategic asset sale exit, and the lesson each time is the same: execution beats cleverness, customers beat assumptions, and a great team beats everything.

Ut Prosim. "That I May Serve." The Virginia Tech motto. The most accurate thing I have found to say about why I keep doing this.

The Four Pillars of AI in Supply Chain

A framework for how AI actually maps to physical operations. Published with IANA as a white paper and webinar series.

Read the white paper →

Large Language Models

Changed how people interact with information. The conversational layer. More valuable when the underlying data is strong.

Analytics

Identifies patterns, spots opportunities, informs decisions. Becomes more useful when the events it analyzes actually reflect reality.

Agents

Reshapes how tasks are coordinated, triggered, and executed across systems. Far more effective when it acts on trusted signals rather than approximations.

Applied AI

Intelligence applied to a real workflow, a real asset, a real handoff. The point where digital systems meet physical truth. The pillar that makes the other three work, and the one with the most opportunity still to capture in supply chain.

Timeline

Present
Founder & CEO, SiteTrax.io

AI-powered OCR platform for real-time intermodal asset tracking

Ongoing
Founder & Chairman, Netarus / HoistCam

Ruggedized crane camera systems deployed on 6 continents

Exit
President & CTO, Technology Venture

Built from zero to a successful strategic asset sale

Foundation
B.S. Computer Engineering, Virginia Tech

Minor: Computer Science. Systems design, networking, and software foundations

Expertise

Computer Engineering (Virginia Tech) AI & Computer Vision OCR / Data Capture Applied AI Systems Engineering Supply Chain Technology Industrial IoT & Edge Devices Intermodal Logistics Startup Strategy Entrepreneurship Mentorship B2B & Channel Sales

Advisory & Board

Growth-stage industrial technology founders who need someone who has actually built and shipped the tech they are trying to adopt call me when they are making the hard calls: how to position AI capabilities honestly, how to build a go-to-market that survives first contact with real customers, how to structure a board, or when to say no to a partnership. I have been the engineer, the startup founder, and the executive. That range is what makes the advisory useful.

By the Numbers

3 Revenue-generating companies built from zero
1 Successful exit: strategic asset sale, technology sector
6 Continents with active HoistCam deployments

Community & Education

Showing up for the next generation.

Entrepreneurship & Business Academy

Each spring I mentor students at Kempsville High School's Entrepreneurship and Business Academy in Virginia Beach. Students pitch real business ideas in front of business and community leaders. The standard is high and the students rise to it. I also teach a structured prompting framework called C.A.R.E. (Context, Action, Results, Example) to help students use AI as a tool for clarity, not a shortcut around thinking.

#EBAProud

Old Dominion University Industrial Advisory Board

I participate in ODU's Engineering Technology Industrial Advisory Board, working with faculty and program leaders on curriculum that reflects where the industry is actually going. The goal is straightforward: students should graduate knowing how to use AI critically, not just how to list it on a resume.

ASTM International

I collaborate with ASTM on intermodal data standards because open, interoperable technology benefits the whole industry, not just one company. Standards work is unglamorous. It matters more than the press release.

Chris Machut presenting at an AI and supply chain industry conference
On stage: AI and supply chain
Port terminal with gantry cranes and container ships where HoistCam and SiteTrax.io operate
Where the work happens
HoistCam ruggedized wireless camera system mounted for crane operations
HoistCam in the field

Writing

Ideas from the field.
Field notes, analysis, and original frameworks.

Published on LinkedIn. Field notes, industry analysis, and the thinking that happens between conference panels. Practical perspectives from someone whose teams have deployed the technology he writes about.

Named Frameworks

The Four Pillars of AI LLMs · Analytics · Agents · Applied AI A framework for how AI maps to physical supply chain operations. Published with IANA as a white paper and webinar series.
C.A.R.E. Context · Action · Results · Example A structured prompting framework for getting useful output from AI. Taught to students at EBA Kempsville and shared at ODU Industrial Advisory Board sessions.
All articles on LinkedIn →

Speaking

I talk about what
actually works.

AI, computer vision, and data quality in supply chain and logistics. The goal is always the same: cut through the hype and share what the technology actually does when it meets real operations. Teams have deployed this in the field. There are stories worth telling.

Topics I deliver today

Applied AI in Intermodal and Supply Chain

What Applied AI actually means when a container is in a wet, muddy yard at 4 a.m. The signal problem, the guard rail problem, and the integration problem.

The Four Pillars of AI: A Framework for Operators

LLMs, Analytics, Agents, and Applied AI. How supply chain operators should think about deploying each, and why leading with Applied AI changes the value of the others.

Data Quality Is the AI Strategy

Data quality is the foundation every AI investment depends on. What operations leaders need to get right before the AI layer can deliver on its promise.

Building Industrial Tech That Survives the Field

What it takes to take a computer vision or AI product from concept to live deployment in a crane cab, a port yard, or an intermodal facility. Lessons from three companies and two decades.

Recent and notable engagements

Invite Chris to speak

Available for keynotes, panels, fireside conversations, and workshops. Formats that work well: supply chain and logistics conferences, industrial technology summits, AI and data quality sessions, and executive briefings.

Get in touch

Press

Media kit and
press resources.

For journalists, analysts, and conference producers. Everything you need in one place. Direct contact information is at the bottom of this page.

Editorial coverage

Engineering News-Record Crane Safety, Computer Vision & Industrial IoT Coverage of HoistCam's impact on blind-spot elimination, operator productivity, and jobsite safety across construction, marine, energy, and industrial operations.
Cranes Today Industrial camera systems for crane operations Editorial coverage in the leading crane industry publication on wireless camera technology and operator safety.
American Cranes & Transport HoistCam deployment and performance Feature coverage of ruggedized camera systems in heavy lift and transport operations.
JOC.com · Journal of Commerce AI, Data Quality & Logistics Technology Published analysis on AI-powered systems, data quality requirements, and the gap between supply chain visibility promises and operational reality.
Supply & Demand Chain Executive OCR, Asset Tracking & Supply Chain Innovation SiteTrax.io featured for AI-powered intermodal asset tracking and practical applications of computer vision in logistics operations.
Innovate757 Hampton Roads technology entrepreneurship Coverage of technology innovation and startup leadership in the Virginia Beach and Norfolk region.
Recognition Top 10 Entrepreneurs to Watch Hampton Roads, Virginia · Home of the Port of Virginia

Bios and headshots

Chris Machut headshot 2024, CEO of SiteTrax.io and founder of HoistCam
2024 headshot

Speaker Bio

Chris Machut is a computer engineer, serial founder, and CEO of SiteTrax.io, an AI-powered OCR platform built for intermodal supply chain operations. He is the founder and chairman of Netarus, makers of HoistCam, a ruggedized wireless crane camera system deployed on 6 continents. A Virginia Tech Computer Engineering graduate, Chris has spent more than two decades applying AI, computer vision, and clean data to physical industrial and logistics environments.

Expert on

Applied AI in supply chain and logistics, intermodal technology and operations, computer vision and OCR for physical asset tracking, AI data quality requirements, drayage technology, port and terminal operations, industrial IoT, and technology entrepreneurship in industrial markets.

Three-property ecosystem

machut.com · SiteTrax.io · ThoughtLeadership.biz

Media inquiry →

Contact

Got a problem worth
actually solving?

If you need AI-powered asset tracking for your yard, a speaker who has actually deployed the technology he talks about, or a strategic partner who has built and scaled industrial tech from scratch, the door is open and I answer my own email.

LinkedIn Connect and follow SiteTrax.io Product and platform inquiries HoistCam / Netarus Crane camera systems Schedule a meeting Speaking, advisory, and partnership conversations