Cloud-first AI sounds great until you remember what a factory actually is: proprietary recipes, fragile uptime, legacy controls that still run fine, and a small team expected to keep everything profitable. We sit down with Brian Thykin, Head of Revenue at Sorba AI, to talk about what industrial AI and…
In this clip from our latest Automation Ladies episode, Rylan Pyciak of Cleveland Automation Systems® shares a practical perspective on AI in manufacturing and industrial automation. ⚙️ AI can help troubleshoot problems faster ⚙️ AI can accelerate repetitive tasks ⚙️ AI can support engineers and technicians as they learn ⚙️…
Everyone’s talking about AI, humanoids, and the “factory of the future” but plenty of plants are still held together with undocumented panels, obsolete PLCs, and the same hard production constraints they’ve had for decades. Nikki sits down with Rylan Paishack from Cleveland Automation Systems to sort out what actually works…
Not because you can’t do it. But because it’s easier to say, “maybe later.” In our latest episode with Rachael Pasini from WTWH Media LLC, we got into something that hits for a lot of us: “I’m not bad at this… I just haven’t learned how to be good at…
In this clip from our latest Automation Ladies episode, Carrie Brown and Krista Beyhaut from Wesco chat with Nikki Gonzales about one of the biggest disconnects happening in manufacturing right now: Companies are excited to invest in AI and digital transformation… but many facilities still struggle to access the PLC…
That pressure to have a plan. To know exactly where you’re going. To make the right decision. In our latest episode with Rachael Pasini from WTWH Media LLC, this really stood out: “There is no ‘correct’ path.” And honestly… that’s a hard pill to swallow, especially in technical fields where…
In this clip from our latest Automation Ladies episode, Carrie Brown and Krista Beyhaut from Wesco talk about one of the biggest shifts happening in industrial automation right now: AI moving beyond helping operators and engineers… and potentially becoming part of the decision-making process itself. The conversation touches on: ⚙️…
That part of our conversation with Yogashri Pradhan, MBA, P.E. will probably resonate with a lot of people. 👀 Not everyone is built to only do one thing. Some people are energized by creating, building, networking, learning, teaching, starting projects, sharing ideas, and constantly exploring what else is possible. And…
“Digital transformation” sounds exciting until you’re standing in front of a 30-year-old panel with missing drawings and a line that cannot go down. Nikki sits down with Carrie Brown and Krista Beyhaut from Wesco to get real about what modernization actually looks like across manufacturing, especially for plants that are…
Getting laid off can either shrink your world or force it open. When we sit down with Yogashri Pradhan, she walks us through how she’s navigated the reality of a cyclical oil and gas industry and why she chose entrepreneurship anyway, building Iron Lady Energy Advisors and taking on fractional…
In this episode of Automation Ladies, we step away from the technology and talk about something just as important: the people behind it. From nonlinear career paths to the pressure of “doing everything right,” this conversation dives into what work really looks like in today’s world, especially in industrial automation…
Something shifted for us this year: the more we commit to doing less, the more we’re actually building. Nikki, Courtney, and Allie get together for a real catch-up on work, life, and what’s next for Automation Ladies, with stories that range from bigger robotics and better work-life balance to a…
In this clip, Dr. Elliott Heflin, Jr. explains why he prefers general-purpose, humanoid-style robots over purpose-built machines. For him, it’s not just about moving a box from A to B. It’s about creativity, programming flexibility, and imagining what else the robot could do. 💡 Sometimes the most exciting tech isn’t…
Humanoid robots are getting real, and the biggest question isn’t “Can they dance?” It’s “Who’s going to understand them well enough to build, program, and fix them?” We sit down with Dr. Elliot Hefling Jr., founder of Reality Tech Academy, to talk about why he brings full-scale humanoid robots into…
Humanoid robots are getting real, and the biggest question isn’t “Can they dance?” It’s “Who’s going to understand them well enough to build, program, and fix them?” We sit down with Dr. Elliot Hefling Jr., founder of Reality Tech Academy, to talk about why he brings full-scale humanoid robots into…
You don’t need a perfectly planned career to become a manufacturing leader. Megan, Director of Manufacturing at Sentry Equipment, started in hospitality and landed in manufacturing because she wanted a more predictable schedule for family life. What happened next is the part most people miss: she fell in love with…
You don’t need a perfectly planned career to become a manufacturing leader. Megan, Director of Manufacturing at Sentry Equipment, started in hospitality and landed in manufacturing because she wanted a more predictable schedule for family life. What happened next is the part most people miss: she fell in love with…
Automation media, trade shows, and digital content are reshaping how the industrial automation industry connects. In this episode, Sarah shares insights from covering manufacturing and packaging events, building relationships across OEMs and integrators, and how social media and content creation are influencing the future of automation, engineering, and industrial technology.…
Support the show (https://www.buzzsprout.com/2053051/support) __________________________________________________________________ 🎙 About Automation Ladies Automation Ladies is an industrial automation podcast spotlighting the engineers, integrators, innovators, and leaders shaping the future of manufacturing. __________________________________________________________________ 🎤 Want to be a guest on the show? https://www.automationladies.io/guests/intake/ __________________________________________________________________ 👩🏭 Connect with the Hosts Nikki Gonzales: https://linkedin.com/in/nikki-gonzales Courtney Fernandez:…
Season 7 of Automation Ladies kicks off with grit, ingenuity, and a no-nonsense take on modern industrial automation. In this episode, hosts Nikki Gonzales and Courtney Fernandez sit down with Cathy “Conveyor Cougar” Rinne, President of FlexLine Automation — a 15-person, woman-owned systems integrator that moves fast, stocks critical inventory,…
Season seven opens with a burst of grit and ingenuity as we sit down with Cathy “Conveyor Cougar” Rinne, president of FlexLine Automation. She’s built a 15-person, woman-owned integrator that moves fast, ships parts when it counts, and isn’t afraid to retool the playbook—from conveyors to robotics, from taping to…
Part conference. Part conversations in hallways. Part “wait… this is actually really cool.” From meeting people who live in CAD to seeing how many ways SOLIDWORKS shows up in real life, this is what being on the floor is all about. Starting to see the pattern? It’s not just software…
Automation Ladies, Courtney Fernandez and Emily Merritt, will demo the robot fleet orchestration platform MX Interface with Theodore Weerts from @process-robotics ! We'll see how MX Interface streamlines multi-robot, multi-machine automation and dynamically assigns tasks based on real-time availability and capability. If you're in production and operations and have machines…
