Every investment is just an ROI calculator.

Automation feels risky—until you run the numbers.

It doesn’t kill craftsmanship—it scales it.

Growing your pre-roll category usually means balancing sales growth with hand-filling teams to maintain quality.

But what if you could do both?

What if you could leverage best-in-class automation to hit your numbers faster, cleaner, cheaper—without sacrificing quality?

The truth?

You don’t need 30 people rolling joints when 3 people and a machine can do it better.

This week, we sit down with Shahar Yamay, CEO of Hefestus Technologies, to break it down.

The ROI of Automation—and how to know if it actually makes sense
Balancing scale, quality, and consistency in cannabis manufacturing
Why automation doesn’t replace jobs—it removes bottlenecks

Summary

In this episode, Bryan Fields and Kellan Finney welcome Shahar Yamay, CEO of Festus Technologies, to discuss the evolution of automation in the cannabis industry. Shahar shares insights on the iterative design process, the importance of customer feedback, and the challenges faced in R&D. The conversation also covers the current state of automation, ROI considerations, and the integration of AI for quality control. Shahar emphasizes the need for open-mindedness in engineering and the importance of being a trusted partner in the industry. The episode concludes with a look at future innovations and how listeners can connect with Festus Technologies.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Festus Technologies and Shahar Yamay

03:04 The Evolution of Cannabis Automation

05:58 Iterative Design and Customer Feedback

08:55 Challenges in Automation and R&D

12:14 Integration with Cannabis and Hemp

15:11 The State of Automation in the Cannabis Industry

18:04 ROI and the Case for Automation

21:06 Training and Implementation of Automated Systems

23:55 Quality Control and AI in Automation

27:02 Future Innovations and Industry Trends

30:08 Final Thoughts and Contact Information

Shahar Yamay

Episodes with Shahar Yamay