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Unplugged: An IIoT Podcast: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Phil Seboa and Ed Fuentes - Industry Sage Media
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- 5 days ago58 min
50 - Why Factory AI Fails Without a Data Foundation with Alexander Kruger
Most industrial AI projects fail before they produce anything useful. The models are ready, the dashboards look great, and the executive presentation landed. But on the shop floor, nobody can get clean data out of the PLC without calling the vendor. The missing piece is a data foundation.Alexander Kruger, co-founder and CEO of United Manufacturing Hub (UMH), joins Phil Seboa and Ed Fuentes on this episode, powered by PLCnext Technology, to explain why factory AI stalls without the right infrastructure underneath it, why boring technology beats shiny platforms, and how open source tooling is putting data ownership back in the hands of the people who run factories.Key topics in this episode:Why most factory AI projects fail at the data layer before they reach the model layerHow UMH went from systems integration with McKinsey to building open source data infrastructureThe five-step process for connecting machines, modeling data, and serving it to applicationsWhy Kafka and Postgres beat purpose-built IoT platforms for long-term reliabilityHow containers and Kubernetes solve high availability problems OT has wrestled with for yearsThe open source bet on forerunner power users who change organizations from within--------------------------------This episode is proudly made possible by PLCnext TechnologyPLCnext Technology is the ecosystem for industrial automation consisting of open hardware, modular engineering software, a global community, and a digital software marketplace.Learn more at:https://www.plcnext-community.net/news/synergy-edge-cloud/--------------------------------Connect with Alexander on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexander-krueger/Connect with Phil on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philseboa/Connect with Ed on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edfuentes/Learn more about United Manufacturing Hub: https://umh.app
- 2 weeks ago55 min
49 - The Human Context Hidden Behind Industrial Data You Can't Ignore with Bob van de Kuilen
Most industrial data projects fail before they start. The data is clean, the tools are connected, and the dashboards look great. But nobody can explain why the production line dropped 12% last Tuesday. The missing piece is human context.Bob van de Kuilen, CEO and co-founder of Thred, joins Phil Seboa to explain why knowledge graphs fill the gap that the Unified Namespace leaves open, and how pairing them with AI turns weeks of troubleshooting into minutes.Key topics in this episode:Why machine context alone cannot make industrial data meaningfulHow knowledge graphs go beyond UNS to connect cross-functional perspectivesA hydraulic failure diagnosed in three minutes instead of two weeksThe knowing-doing gap that keeps factories stuck despite having the right toolsWhy throwing an LLM over raw data without a knowledge graph causes hallucinations---------------This episode is proudly made possible by PLCnext TechnologyPLCnext Technology is the ecosystem for industrial automation consisting of open hardware, modular engineering software, a global community, and a digital software marketplace.Learn more at:https://www.plcnext-community.net/news/synergy-edge-cloud/---------------Connect with Bob on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bob-van-de-kuilen-a531403/Connect with Phil on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philseboa/Connect with Ed on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edfuentes/Learn more about Thred: https://thredcloud.com
- Apr 15, 20261h 1m
48. Containers Without the Complexity: Bringing IT Tools to the Factory Floor with Neil Cresswell
Containerization is quietly reshaping how factories deploy and manage software, but most OT teams never asked for it. In this episode powered by PLCnext Technology, we explore why containers matter for manufacturing and how to adopt them without the complexity.Neil Cresswell, Founder and CEO of Portainer, joins Phil Seboa and Ed Fuentes to discuss how his platform went from an IT tool to a factory floor essential, and why the technology behind it should be invisible to the people using it.Key topics in this episode:How Portainer evolved from an IT tool to an industrial platformWhy containers and Kubernetes are reshaping factory software deploymentThe global manufacturing competition driving modernizationReal-world use cases from John Deere, precision agriculture, and quality controlA bottom-up strategy for adopting new technology in your plantThis episode is proudly made possible by PLCnext TechnologyPLCnext Technology is the ecosystem for industrial automation consisting of open hardware, modular engineering software, a global community, and a digital software marketplace.Learn more at:https://www.plcnext-community.net/news/synergy-edge-cloud/---------------------------FlowFuse at Hannover Messe 2026Discover how FlowFuse empowers you to build, deploy, and scale industrial automation -- your way. Visit FlowFuse at Hall 014, Stand K26 during Hannover Messe (April 20-24, 2026) and experience live demonstrations of FlowFuse connecting the entire industrial stack -- from PLCs on the shop floor to MES, ERP, and cloud services -- enabling real-time industrial connectivity, data integration, and AI-powered operations.Let's transform industrial data together -- live, integrated, and in real time.Claim your free pass and learn more: https://flowfuse.com/events/hannover-messe-2026/---------------------------Connect with Neil on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ncresswell/Connect with Phil on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philseboa/Connect with Ed on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edfuentes/Learn more about Portainer: https://www.portainer.ioEpisode Recap Article: https://unpluggediiot.com/episodes/ep-48-containers-without-complexity-it-tools-factory-floor
- Apr 1, 202652 min
47 - What Ignition 8.3 Means for Industrial Automation's Next Leap with Carl Gould
Carl Gould, CTO and co-founder of Inductive Automation, joins hosts Phil Seboa and Ed Fuentes for an in-person conversation recorded in Australia ahead of the Ignition Everywhere event in Brisbane.Carl traces Ignition's journey from FactorySQL in 2003 to the 8.3 release, which introduces file-based configuration, Git and GitOps compatibility, Perspective offline mode, and a new architecture for managing distributed OT systems at scale. He breaks down the three design principles that have guided the platform from day one (cost, convenience, and capability), shares his evolving take on AI in industrial automation, and explains why he calls the IT/OT divide "a fictional line."In this episode, we discuss:The 8.3 release: file-based config, GitOps, deployment modes, and Perspective offlineScaling from thousands of tags to millions with distributed, decoupled architecturesWhy AI in industrial automation is a means to an end, not a product in itselfThe community and culture behind Ignition's worldwide growth---------------------------This episode is proudly made possible by PLCnext TechnologyPLCnext Technology is the ecosystem for industrial automation consisting of open hardware, modular engineering software, a global community, and a digital software marketplace.Learn more at:https://www.plcnext-community.net/news/synergy-edge-cloud/---------------------------FlowFuse at Hannover Messe 2026Discover how FlowFuse empowers you to build, deploy, and scale industrial automation -- your way. Visit FlowFuse at Hall 014, Stand K26 during Hannover Messe (April 20-24, 2026) and experience live demonstrations of FlowFuse connecting the entire industrial stack -- from PLCs on the shop floor to MES, ERP, and cloud services -- enabling real-time industrial connectivity, data integration, and AI-powered operations.Let's transform industrial data together -- live, integrated, and in real time.Claim your free pass and learn more: https://flowfuse.com/events/hannover-messe-2026/---------------------------Carl Gould is the CTO and co-founder of Inductive Automation. He has been building and guiding the Ignition platform since 2003. Under his leadership, Ignition has grown from a SQL connectivity tool into a comprehensive platform used across industries worldwide for SCADA, HMI, MES, and IIoT applications.Connect with Carl Gould on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carl-gouldLearn more about Inductive Automation: https://inductiveautomation.comConnect with Phil on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philseboa/Connect with Ed on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edfuentes/
- Mar 17, 20261h 0m
46 - Functional Safety, AI Blindspots, and Designing Systems That Actually Work with Jason Watts
What happens when a controls engineer raised in coal mines starts turning chicken manure into renewable energy? In this episode, made possible by PLCnext Technology, we get a masterclass in practical automation, functional safety, and building systems that work in the real world.Jason Watts, Owner and Founder of Alpha Industrial Technologies, joins Phil Seboa and Ed Fuentes to discuss building an automation company around passionate engineers, using AI as an adversary in the design process, and why improperly applied safety functions can be more dangerous than no safety at all.In this episode, we explore:Building an automation company with a flexible, passion-driven workforce modelUsing AI as an adversary to stress-test engineering designs and find failure modesCross-industry technology transfer from mining and automotive to agricultureWhy Safe Torque Off (STO) is often implemented incorrectly and the case for risk assessmentsConverting poultry manure into renewable natural gas and fertilizer using bio digesters and IIoT----------This episode is proudly made possible by PLCnext TechnologyPLCnext Technology is the ecosystem for industrial automation consisting of open hardware, modular engineering software, a global community, and a digital software marketplace.Learn more at:https://www.plcnext-community.net/news/synergy-edge-cloud/----------Connect with Jason on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonwattsae/Connect with Phil on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philseboa/Connect with Ed on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edfuentes/Learn more about Alpha Industrial Technologies: http://www.alphaindustrial.us
- Mar 3, 20261h 2m
45 - Why PLCnext Technology Is Changing Industrial Automation Forever with Martin Boers
Join host Ed and Phil as they explore how PLCnext Technology is redefining what industrial controllers can do, and why openness in automation is both a massive opportunity and a serious responsibility. Martin Boers, Technical Specialist at PLCnext Technology with Phoenix Contact, joins to discuss the origins of the PLCnext ecosystem, what IT/OT convergence really looks like on the plant floor, and how partnerships with companies like Festo and Yaskawa are shaping the future of automation platforms.Key topics in this episode:- The four pillars of PLCnext Technology: Control, Engineer, Store, and Community- IT/OT convergence: LDAP, firewalls, certificates, and the EU Cyber Resilience Act- Docker containers and the PLCnext Store app ecosystem- PLCnext Technology partnerships and the all-electric society----------------------------------This episode is proudly made possible by PLCnext TechnologyPLCnext Technology is the ecosystem for industrial automation consisting of open hardware, modular engineering software, a global community, and a digital software marketplace.Learn more at:https://www.plcnext-community.net/news/synergy-edge-cloud/----------------------------------Connect with Martin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mboers/Connect with Phil on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philseboa/Connect with Ed on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edfuentes/Learn more about PLCnext Technology: https://www.plcnext-community.net/
- Feb 24, 202649 min
44 - From Mining PLCs to AI-Powered Automation: Building the Future SoftPLC with Alex Sharikov
What happens when a controls engineer with 16 years of mining and manufacturing experience decides to build an AI-powered SoftPLC from scratch? In this episode, we find out.Alex Sharikov, Founder of JasperX and creator of JasperNode, joins Phil Seboa and Ed Fuentes to share how he's enabling small manufacturers to program and troubleshoot their control systems using plain English, no PLC software required.Key topics in this episode:Why 80% of Australian manufacturers struggle with automation supportHow JasperNode's "atomic and unambiguous logic" keeps AI reliableThe shift from prompt engineering to context engineering in control systemsBuilding a SoftPLC from scratch instead of patching AI onto existing platformsWhy human-in-the-loop safety is non-negotiable for production environmentsThis episode is proudly made possible by PLCnext TechnologyPLCnext Technology is the ecosystem for industrial automation consisting of open hardware, modular engineering software, a global community, and a digital software marketplace.Learn more at:https://www.plcnext-community.net/news/synergy-edge-cloud/-----Connect with Alex on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexander-sharikov/Connect with Phil on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-seboa/Connect with Ed on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ed-fuentes-2046121a/Learn more about JasperX: https://jasperx.com.au-----About Industry Sage Media:Industry Sage Media is the content creation company behind Unplugged: An IIoT Podcast. We help automation brands grow their reach, influence, and pipeline through expert-driven content.Learn more at: http://www.industrysagemedia.com
- Feb 11, 202655 min
43 - Flowfuse, AI, and the Future of Industrial Automation with ZJ van de Weg
Industrial automation meets modern software as FlowFuse CEO ZJ van de Weg joins Phil Seboa and Ed Fuentes to unpack how open-source tools like Node-RED are connecting teams across IT and OT, breaking down barriers with visual, low-code programming. Hear firsthand insights about scaling automation systems, the challenges and rewards of open source in manufacturing, and clever approaches to secure data management and fleet updates.From home automation passion projects to strategic deployment in factories, this episode teases out the evolution of workflow integration, the importance of context, and practical ways organizations are pursuing smarter operations, plus a preview of what to expect at the ProveIt! Conference.-----About ZJ:ZJ is the CEO of FlowFuse. As an engineer-turned-CEO with a career built on open-source software, his mission is to empower engineers to build better, more efficient software solutions.Connect with ZJ: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zegerjan/-----About FlowFuse:FlowFuse is the Industrial Application Platform that connects any machine, moves data across any protocol, models it in any data platform, and operates industrial applications at scale—accelerated by an LLM-powered copilot that uses Model Context Protocol (MCP) to connect AI directly to your live industrial data.Learn More:https://flowfuse.com/https://flowfuse.com/platform/why-flowfuseLearn about FlowFuse at ProveIT Conference:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Wvbhw9MHzsFollow FlowFuse on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FlowFuseIncListen to our episode with FlowFuse’s Nick O’Leary:https://youtu.be/mNCiiAHHFGU-----Connect with Phil on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-seboa/Connect with Ed on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/ed-fuentes-2046121a/-----About Industry Sage Media:Industry Sage Media is your backstage pass to industry experts and the conversations that are shaping the future of the manufacturing industry.Learn more at: http://www.industrysagemedia.com
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About Unplugged: An IIoT Podcast
Join industry experts Phil Seboa and Ed Fuentes on "Unplugged: An IIoT Podcast", powered by PLCnext Technology, as they explore the fascinating world of the Industrial Internet of Things. Discover the latest trends, debunk common myths, and gain insights from leading voices in IIoT. From seasoned professionals to those new to IIoT, you'll learn about practical applications and cutting-edge innovations driving digital transformation. Tune in for thought-provoking discussions and engaging interviews, making complex topics accessible and interesting. Brought to you by Industry Sage Media.
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