“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…
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 and…
When a chance conversation at a beer bar introduced her to the word “SCADA,” Margarita Rosenkrans had no idea it would spark a career in industrial automation. In this episode, Courtney and Alicia chat with Margarita—Sales Engineer at Inductive Automation—about her path from graduating in the middle of a hiring…
Demo of AMDT's Octoplant with Dan Topley 🎙️ New to streaming or looking to level up? Check out StreamYard and get $10 discount! 😍 https://streamyard.com/pal/d/4715478195765248
Ever wondered what it takes to lead automation projects at trailblazing companies like Tesla and The Boring Company? Nikki chats with Riddhi Padariya about her journey from nerdy high schooler inspired by "How It's Made" to becoming a controls engineering leader in industries ranging from tissue manufacturing to carbon capture…
Curious how someone ends up building a career around machine vision and industrial automation? Nikki sits down with Kerry Pierce, discussing the winding path that led her from computer engineering to becoming a machine vision integrator, the invaluable lessons learned along the way, and how she’s helping demystify the field…
Nicole Knox and Jessica Dillon from Software Toolbox will demo their OPC Router software! Software Toolbox is sponsoring and feeding us at OT SCADA CON!! (love that for us) Plus....they will be raffling off a 1-year subscription to OPC Router!!! During this demo, they will talk about how OPC Router…
How do you build business skills as a chemical engineer? In this episode of the Automation Ladies podcast, Ali G chats with Brielle Reisman, who shares her experiences at Applied Control Engineering, and the importance of combining technical skills with business acumen. Brielle shares how she embraced the value of…
How will AI change Industrial automation? Ashlesha Anil Chaudhari and Alex Kaderi from Masked Owl Technologies join us this week to discuss how their team is building practical solutions to support engineers and rethink the use of AI and new technologies on the factory floor. Hear firsthand insights into what…
