Ed Youdell with Fabricators and Manufacturers Association

Industrial Talk is onsite at FABTECH and talking to Ed Youdell, President and CEO at Fabricators & Manufacturers Association (FMA) about “Inspiring future manufacturing professionals by attracting, developing and engaging”.

Scott MacKenzie interviews Ed Youdell, President and CEO of the Fabricators and Manufacturers Association International (FMA), at FABTECH in Orlando. Ed discusses FMA’s mission to attract, develop, and engage the next generation of manufacturing professionals through scholarships, summer camps, and inclusion camps for diverse groups. He highlights the importance of combating outdated perceptions of manufacturing and emphasizes the role of AI and advanced technology in the industry. Ed also mentions FMA’s annual meeting in Phoenix and encourages manufacturers to stay updated with technology through FMA’s resources and events.

Justin Sirotin with OCTO Product Development

Scott MacKenzie interviews Justin Sirotin from OCTO, a company that designs complete customer experiences across various industries. OCTO, named after the octopus’s adaptability, has been in operation for 15 years. Justin, with nearly 30 years in industrial design, emphasizes the importance of usability in technology. They discuss the challenges of integrating edge technology with utility grids to improve efficiency and user experience. Justin highlights the need for seamless, user-friendly designs to avoid user frustration. They also touch on the rapid prototyping and testing approach of companies like SpaceX and Formula One, which emphasize real-world testing and continuous improvement.

Tom Mack and Darin Briskman with Imply

Industrial Talk is onsite at IoT Solutions World Congress and talking to Tom Mack and Darin Briskman with Imply about “Your IoT strategy begins and ends with data and ability to access the insights”.

Scott MacKenzie hosts an industrial podcast from the IoT Solutions World Congress in Barcelona, featuring Darin and Tom from Imply. Imply specializes in real-time analytics for IoT data, offering a database that integrates data from various sources for end-to-end solutions. They emphasize the importance of collecting and analyzing data in real-time to improve efficiency and decision-making in manufacturing and other industries. They discuss the challenges of dealing with large volumes of data, the need for clean data, and the role of historical data in contextualizing current events. The conversation also touches on the importance of user-relevant data presentation and the evolving landscape of IoT and SCADA systems.

Donna Peterson with World Innovators, Inc.

Scott MacKenzie and Donna Peterson discuss B2B marketing strategies at FABTECH in Orlando, Florida. Donna emphasizes the importance of building relationships and personalizing marketing efforts, including email campaigns and leveraging AI tools like ChatGPT and Descript. She highlights the need for consistent, valuable content and the significance of showcasing a company’s unique qualities. Donna also notes the impact of AI on equipment efficiency and productivity, suggesting it could lead to higher-level job opportunities. Scott and Donna agree on the value of humanizing B2B brands and the benefits of stepping out of comfort zones to foster deeper connections and long-term relationships.

Chuck Byers with OMG

Industrial Talk is onsite at OMG, Q1 Meeting and talking to Chuck Byers, CTO with Industry IoT Consortium  about “Developing AI standards to insure market trustworthiness!”

Chuck Byers, a seasoned industry professional, discussed the integration of AI and IoT technologies in the context of the Object Management Group (OMG) and the Digital Twin Consortium. Byers highlighted the importance of AI in real-time systems, emphasizing the need for prompt engineering and meta AI to ensure trustworthiness. He detailed the computational requirements of training large language models, noting that retraining the ChatGPT 3 model would require 195 NVIDIA DGX servers, costing $80 million and consuming 2.5 million watts. Byers also stressed the importance of sustainable energy sources and efficient cooling solutions for future data centers.