The manufacturing industry talks a lot about workforce shortages. But after sitting down with Matt Kirchner (manufacturing executive, educator, host of The TechEd Podcast, and longtime advocate for technical education) we came away with a differe…
Finding skilled workers has become one of the biggest challenges facing manufacturing today. Across the country, companies are searching for new ways to attract talent, develop technical skills, and prepare the next generation of industrial automati…
The manufacturing industry is evolving faster than ever. New automation technologies, artificial intelligence tools, and modern software platforms are changing how facilities operate and how engineers solve problems. At the same time, manufacturers …
Manufacturers are hearing the same message from every direction: modernize, digitize, automate, and adopt AI. But for many operations leaders, plant managers, and engineers, the reality on the plant floor looks very different. Some facilities are …
PID loop tuning may not be the flashiest topic in industrial automation, but according to Joe Virag, it remains one of the most important and most misunderstood. In our latest live of Automation Ladies, the conversation focused on the realities of …
There’s a certain type of person who can’t quite fit all their interests into a traditional box. The kind of person who works a full day, but still wants to create, build, learn, teach, network, write, host events, start projects, and explore new i…
In this episode of the Automation Ladies podcast, Nikki Gonzales sits down with Rachael Pasini, Editor in Chief of Design World, to explore a topic that resonates across manufacturing, engineering, and modern careers: why career paths are rarely lin…
Something interesting is happening in automation right now. Not just with AI.Not just with tools. But with how people actually work. In this episode of Automation Ladies, the conversation goes beyond the usual “what’s new” and gets into something…
Humanoid robots often get attention because they look futuristic. But one of the most practical questions behind them is much simpler: Who will know how to build, program, maintain, and troubleshoot them when they become part of everyday life? Th…
A year ago, a young woman shared something honest online. She was early in her career (one year as an intern, nine months full-time) working in oil and water automation. She loved the work. Programming. Commissioning. Understanding how systems act…
From the Automation Ladies Archives Artificial intelligence continues to dominate conversations across manufacturing, automation, and digital transformation, but some of the most thoughtful conversations around AI happened before the current wave o…
What Manufacturing Leaders Can Learn from Unconventional Career Paths Not every manufacturing leader starts on the plant floor. Some begin in industries that seem completely unrelated, then discover that the skills they built elsewhere translate m…
In industrial automation, strong technical work often speaks for itself on the plant floor. But outside the plant, someone still has to tell the story. That is where voices like Sarah Wynn are helping reshape how the manufacturing world connects.…
Industrial automation is changing fast. Controls engineers today aren’t just working with PLCs and HMIs anymore. The modern automation environment now includes networking, cybersecurity, data infrastructure, and IT/OT integration. And with that sh…
We recently asked a simple question on LinkedIn: “What’s the most underrated skill in industrial automation?” The response from the community was incredible. Engineers, controls specialists, integrators, and automation professionals shared insight…
Season seven of Automation Ladies is officially here, and we are starting strong. If you have spent time in industrial automation, you may already know her. If not, you are about to. This episode features Cathy “Conveyor Cougar” Rinne, president o…
From the Automation Ladies Archive Before the Automation Ladies podcast had thousands of listeners and a growing community of automation professionals, it started with a single conversation. This episode is a throwback to the very first Automation…
As we continue reviewing some of our older episodes, we’re reminded that truly impactful conversations don’t lose their relevance. In this session, the Automation Ladies sat down with Jen Sutter, Itoro Meshioye, and Talita Clemente from Schneider El…
In this episode of Automation Ladies, hosts Nikki Gonzales and Courtney Fernandez sit down with Ryan Treece to explore the realities behind predictive maintenance, machine vision, industrial IoT, and the evolving promise of Industry 4.0. At the tim…
I didn’t get to be part of this Automation Ladies conversation in real time. After OT SCADA CON, I came home with a nice case of pneumonia (or at least a convincing impression of it). My voice was in no shape for podcasting, so Courtney and Alicia …
Special Article by Dana Myers, nVent Properly specifying electrical enclosures designed to endure intense washdown environments is no easy task. Especially in food and beverage applications, where washdown procedures are extremely intense, industri…
