Automation World Gets Your Questions Answered

This episode is sponsored by Rockwell Automation

In this Automation World podcast episode, sponsored by DigiKey and Phoenix Contact, host Chris McNamara, head of content for Automation World, sits down with Chris Barber, product marketing manager for Phoenix Contact, to discuss the future of industrial automation. The episode focuses on how industrial automation is shifting toward web-based HMIs, industrial PCs, edge computing, and software-defi...

In this episode, we connect with Damantha Boteju, Configit's chief product and technology officer, to learn more about configuration lifecycle management and why manufacturers need consistent, connected configuration data for AI to deliver real, scalable business value.

In this episode, we connect with Jayesh Jariwala, senior project engineer with system integrator Applied Control Engineering to discuss virtual controller technology, hypervisors and virtualization in general and what these technologies mean for manufacturers.

CESMII's new i3X platform aims to standardize manufacturing APIs, enabling portable apps across vendor platforms and ending costly system fragmentation. We connect with Jonathan Wise, CTO at CESMII, to understand how i3X is design to help manufacturers, how it works with standards such as OPC UA, MQTT and ISA 95, as well as how it handles connectivity with legacy OT systems.

In this episode, we connect with Basma Ahmed, industrial Ethernet product manager at Weidmuller, to understand how selecting the right Ethernet switch for your industrial network depends on several key factors, including application requirements, distance, performance, security, monitoring and overall cost. This choice often comes down to understanding when an unmanaged or managed Ethernet switch...

In this episode, we connect with Stefan Basenach, senior vice president of automation technology at ABB, to learn how ABB's new dual-environment architecture, called Automation Extended, enables the integration of AI, predictive maintenance and cybersecurity upgrades while protecting reliable core control functions in the distributed control system.

In this episode, we connect with Dale Hopkinson, senior product manager with Thales, a supplier of technologies for the aerospace, defense and security industry and a provider of cybersecurity and digital identity technologies, to learn how OEMs are leveraging modular software licensing to replace costly hardware variants, creating predictable revenue while delivering customizable capabilities to...

In this episode, we connect with Austin Levin, lead automation engineer with system integrator ACS, to explore how strategic automation deployment addresses manufacturing's labor shortage by eliminating dangerous, repetitive tasks while creating engaging roles that attract new worker while also retaining skilled workers. This episode is sponsored by ACS.

Insights on how the trend of right-sizing motion systems, incorporating AI-driven adaptability, and increasing use of software-configurable electric actuators are reducing costs while improving flexibility in modern manufacturing.

Discover how a variety of technologies, from machine vision and physical AI to integrated MES and ERP systems, are revolutionizing quality control with insights from Archetype AI, ECS Solutions, Oxipital AI and Yokogawa.

A look at how manufacturers are fighting ransomware and supply chain threats with AI-powered defenses, OT-IT collaboration, and new industrial cybersecurity technologies. Access the source documents for this podcast by visiting this podcast on the Automation Word site at https://www.automationworld.com/55338375

Learn how these manufacturers eliminated hours of wasted time by unifying data from fragmented systems using MQTT Sparkplug, with Toyota leveraging Inductive Automation’s Ignition platform and MTNA deploying Opto22’s groovRIO, and both proving the value of their low-cost approach before scaling enterprise-wide.

Get Automation World’s insights on four key news items showcasing automation hardware and software successes: a game-changing industrial AI partnership led by Siemens, 177% throughput gains at Balluff using AutoStore’s automated storage tech, a combination of Körber’s MES and Pepperl+Fuchs’ HMI tech for on-site and remote global pharma production oversight and compliance, and compelling survey dat...

In this episode, we connect with Steve Wetzel, a member of IEEE and principal applications engineer with Southwire Company, one of North America's largest wire and cable manufacturers and the sponsor of this podcast, to learn more about how the cable connecting a VFD to a motor might be costing you thousands of dollars in premature motor failures, unexpected downtime and interference with other eq...

In this podcast episode, we've assembled insights from three articles recently published on automationworld.com that paint a picture of where AI is succeeding, where it's struggling and, most importantly, what manufacturers can actually do about it. Featured in this podcast are insights from industrial AI experts at Altimetrik, Beckhoff, Emerson and Wago.

Learn how smart sensors enable predictive maintenance, AI-powered manufacturing, and revolutionary ADAR technology that's changing industrial automation and robot safety economics with insights from Endress+Hauser, Rockwell Automation, specialty chemicals company Premix Group, and Sonair.

In this episode we explain how IT/OT convergence, the need for digital thread traceability and agentic AI have extended MES software beyond its production tracking roots and are putting it at the core of industry's digital transformation. Insights from Luigi de Bernardini, CEO of system integrator Autoware, and Francisco Almada Lobo, CEO of Critical Manufacturing, explain why and how this is happe...

In this episode we'll look at the impact of the recently imposed U.S. tariffs on industrial automation technologies, with insights from Endress+Hauser USA, Fluke Reliability, Weidmuller USA, Actemium Avanceon and Opto 22. We'll also provide recommendations on steps automation buyers can be taking now to secure stable pricing and supply.

The summer of 2025 has shaped up to be very eventful for the robotics industry, with A3 reporting significant growth for both robots and cobots, key moves by well-known robotics experts, a new humanoid robot from major motion plastics company and a new collaboration between two industrial heavyweights.

Tim Gaus from Deloitte Consulting joins us again — this time to discuss how automation technologies, particularly those aided by AI are helping manufacturers address the industrial workforce shortage that could lead to nearly 2 million unfilled manufacturing jobs by 2030, while production and operations management roles are currently going unfilled at nearly 50%.

In this episode we connect with Sanu Warrier, product director for software at nVent, to get insights on Industry 4.0's ROI for panel builders, how design to manufacturing (DTM) software differs from traditional CAD, how DTM software helps ease the friction between engineering and manufacturing, and the cost-saving specifics that DTM software provides to panel builders.

In this episode, we connect with Kristi Martindale, chief commercial officer at Palladyne AI, to explore the use of low-code software and associated closed-loop systems to process data at the edge for AI-enabled robotics, how AI-powered robotics software adapts to new parts or processes, and what kinds of manufacturing applications stand to benefit most from this technology.

In this episode we connect with Devin Murray of Schmersal USA to learn about the new ISO 10218 robot standard, how it interacts with other parts of the ISO 10218 series of standards, how manufacturers can integrate it with their existing robotic systems, and for what kinds of manufacturing operations is this standard considered critical.

We connect with Jason Hehman, leader of Industry 4.0 at TXI, to understand the use of digital twins in supply chains operations — how they help manufacturers predict and manage supply chain disruptions and assess the impact of raw material shortages or logistics delays, and we explore the key data sources manufacturers need to build an effective supply chain digital twin.