Automation World Gets Your Questions Answered

Industrial elements are getting smaller, hardier and outgrowing the need to be housed within cabinets to protect them. This is a good thing; it means more available space within manufacturing environments and greater accessibility for those who work in them. This Automation World podcast focuses on smart new approaches with cabinet-free automation hardware systems. We'll define this approach, spotlight why this is beneficial and detail who it best ​​serves, and we'll share application tips and explore the benefits of doing this properly.  

This podcast is sponsored by Beckhoff Automation.

In this Automation World podcast, we’re joined by Vention's Brendan Sterne to explore how usability and accessibility are helping drive trends in industrial cobots and robotics. We dive into how manufacturers can create that environment where "anyone can program" and why that's important for realizing success in modern industrial spaces. We also touch on the common challenges manufacturers face in this space and how holistic solutions can mitigate those pitfalls.

In this Automation World podcast, we’re joined by Hexagon’s Joel Martin to explore methods to make automation more practical, more accessible for manufacturers at every stage of their journey. In taking this mindset, Joel stresses, we make automation techniques more fully embraced and, thus, more successful. Our conversation touches on getting started with automation programs, the most common pitfalls at the beginning of campaigns, and the easy wins that can create excitement in teams making first steps with smart new processes.

In this episode of the Automation World Gets Your Questions Answered podcast, Chris McNamara, Automation Group market content director, interviews Steve Kaminski, product manager for condition monitoring sensors at Banner Engineering.

Kaminski explains that condition monitoring converts machine data into actionable maintenance insights, helping manufacturers keep assets operating efficiently and avoiding failures. He recommends beginning with the most critical, failure-prone, or difficult-to-replace equipment, such as compressors, pumps, and connecting systems.

The discussion highlights Banner’s Snap Signal ecosystem, which connects diverse sensing devices—including vibration, temperature, voltage, current, pressure, and humidity sensors—into a streamlined data n...

During this Automation World podcast, we’re talking about something different… not automation in the traditional industrial spaces (process or discrete manufacturing which we often focus on), but rather we’re looking at automation in the metal fabrication and construction spaces, which are changing drastically as smart new tools and techniques empower teams in new ways.  We’re joined by Zach Boyd, CTO at Hirebotics, to explore the evolution of fabrication, construction, welding and even painting, as humans pass paintbrushes and torches over to robotic assets.

In this Automation World podcast, recorded at the IMTS show in Chicago in late summer 2026, we connect with Sergei Altynbaev, founder and CEO of Aiolys, to explore the retrofit vs. replace debate when it comes to automation initiatives. We discuss how this decision is changing as automation matures and mainstreams, and if there are differences between European and American mindsets when it comes to updating or entirely swapping out assets and technologies.

In this episode of Automation World’s “Get Your Questions Answered” podcast we connect with Raj Rajendra, a Siemens portfolio sales specialist for automation products, who explains that “everyday automation” targets smaller applications—such as pumping stations, HVAC, water and wastewater systems, irrigation, building automation, energy monitoring, and OEM equipment—where users need capability without the expense or complexity of a full PLC system.

 The discussion centers on Siemens’ LOGO! 9 logic controller. Raj highlights its expanded 800-function-block capacity, floating-point calculations, AM4 module, integrated color touch display, built-in HMI, web visualization, and LOGO! Soft Comfort V9 engineering tools.

 Raj and Ch...

If you’ve read a newspaper over the past year—or purchased gasoline—you’re aware that our global supply chain is turbulent. And while we can’t control weather or war, manufacturers do have tools at our disposal to operate more efficiently within unsteady supply chains.

In this Automation World podcast we connect with Vincent Vasilevski of Supply Technologies, a leading global supply chain management company for assembly components and fasteners, to discuss how supply chain disruption can be mitigated through additional inventory and contingency planning, but those tactics don't always give manufacturers the flexibility to respond du...

Now, 3D bin picking adds tremendous capability to industrial robots in manufacturing, but this technique requires advanced vision and expert setup. Today we’re going to spotlight the emerging 2D Flex feeding approach, empowered by more simple vision systems to enable quicker, more reliable implementations.

We’re connecting with Nicholas Kern, systems applications engineer with SICK, and Nick Barron, President of Feedall, to differentiate flex feeding from bowl feeding, explore new capabilities enabled by this smart new approach, highlight some of the early adopters generating real wins, and look to the future of feeding robots with smarter visi...

Join us for this podcast in which we take a deep dive into emerging benefits of the digital lockout/tagout approach. We connect with Devin Murray, safety manager with Schmersal, to explore the most common and beneficial applications of lockout/tagout, how network complexity is affecting this tactic, and how minor-servicing comes into play. Finally, we discuss how standards support lockout/tagout and what new capabilities are revealing themselves as this tactic evolves and new tools are launched.

Let’s face it...CAD systems are really just documentation systems for mechanical and electrical outputs from engineers’ minds. And oftentimes the greatest barrier to productiveness is the bandwidth of those engineers. But that bottleneck can be overcome with a smarter approach—the evolution of engineering intelligence—to make knowledge scalable across hundreds of projects.

In this podcast, we connect with Dr. Axel Zein, CEO of WSCAD, to explore the changing role of CAD, why electrical engineers should really care about AI, and how new software is empowering these industry-shaping shifts.

In this Automation World podcast, we chat with Rittal's Sarah Groden to explore modern manufacturers' challenges related to changing customer requirements, supply-chain disruptions, labor shortages, and accelerating production timelines. The key to staying competitive, Groden explains, is not simply reacting faster—it's designing agility into engineering and manufacturing processes from the very beginning.

We discuss how manufacturers can build agility into every stage of engineering and manufacturing by connecting digital engineering, standardized infrastructure, and integrated workflows.

This podcast is sponsored by Rittal, LLC 

In this Automation World podcast, we chat with Infinite Uptime Founder and Managing Director Raunak Bhinge to explore the trust problem with artificial intelligence and how vertical AI can overcome that problem. Our conversation explores:

And we discuss how overcoming that gap enables industrial enterprises to realize more efficient, more productive autonomous industrial operations.

This podcast is sponsored by Infinite Uptime.

This episode is sponsored by Rockwell Automation.

We talk with Andy Stump, director of technical enablement at Rockwell Automation, about the latest findings from Rockwell Automation’s 11th annual State of Smart Manufacturing Report.

The discussion looks beyond the hype around AI to examine the broader industrial reality: Manufacturers are investing in connected systems, automation, robotics, digital twins and AI-enabled tools, while also managing a more complex risk environment shaped by workforce shortages, cybersecurity threats, rising costs and supply chain pressure.

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-defined control. Chris Barber describes Phoenix Contact’s PLCnext approach, which combines traditional OT programming with IT-friendly tools and protocols to reduce integration complexity, improve real-time processing, and bridge the IT/OT gap. Barber cites a water-wastewater example where edge PCs im...

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 or Single Pair Ethernet switch is the right fit within your overall network architecture. This episode is sponsored by DigiKey, a global distributor of electronic components and automation products that features Weidmuller products.

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 industrial customers.

This episode is sponsored by Thales.

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 data from Verizon showing IoT investments driven by measurable returns within months.

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 equipment.

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 happening and what manufacturers should be doing in response.

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.

In this episode we connect with Alex Greenberg, director of robotics 4.0 simulation at Siemens Digital Industries Software, to learn how immersive virtual reality, photorealistic simulations and AI are accelerating robot deployment assessments and manufacturing cell design.

In this episode, we connect with Dusty Alexander, CEO of Global Shop Solutions to explain ERP’s role in the digitization of manufacturing production, how it enables real-time production management, and how small to mid-sized manufacturers can justify the use of ERP for their business.