Automation Ladies

Automation Ladies
  • 4.2 (12)
  • Technology

The podcast where girls talk industrial automation! We interview people from all walks of life in the Industrial Automation industry. Through a personal narrative/conversational framework we talk about PLCs, HMIs, SCADA, IIoT, Machine Vision, Industrial Robots, Pneumatics, Control Systems, Process Automation, Factory Automation, Systems Integration, Entrepreneurship, Career Stories, Personal Journeys, Company Culture, and any other interesting and timely topic we want to discuss. Co-Hosted by Nikki Gonzales, Ali G & Courtney Fernandez - find them on LinkedIn! 

  1. 6d ago

    The Future of Automation: Physical AI, Robotics, and What’s Next with Dennis Gansen

    AI isn’t just a software story, it’s a power story, a controls story, and a “how do we actually build this stuff” story. After the EPC show in Houston, I sit down with Dennis Ganson from Schneider Electric to unpack what’s changing in industrial automation and energy, and how you can stay useful as the pace picks up. Dennis shares his career path from West Point and the US Army into GE Energy, field service, project leadership, and strategic sales, eventually landing in process automation. We talk about what he leads at Schneider Electric across the Foxboro and Triconex world, and why process automation and discrete automation are different in practice even when customers need both. If you’ve ever felt boxed into one niche, this conversation makes the case for learning laterally and building a strong technical network. We also dig into what we heard at EPC: data center buildouts, utility constraints, gas turbine bottlenecks, and the craft labor shortage that no spreadsheet can wish away. Then we bring it back to technology, how modern control systems unlock more plant data, why that changes predictive maintenance and optimization, and what “software-defined automation” and truly open architecture can mean when supply chains get messy. If you’re navigating DCS vs PLC decisions, tracking AI infrastructure demand, or just trying to understand where automation is headed next, you’ll leave with clearer mental models and better questions to ask. Subscribe, share this with a friend in controls or energy, and leave a review telling us what topic you want us to chase next. Support the show _________________________________________________________________ 🎙 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 Courtney Fernandez Ali G __________________________________________________________________ 🎟 The Automation Ladies Community Conference: https://otscada.com Learn more about the hosts’ industrial automation conference OT SCADA CON attended by 100+ automation professionals, engineers, integrators, and technology leaders for hands-on learning, real-world case studies, and meaningful industry connections. 🎬 Credits Produced by: Veronica Espinoza Music by: Sam Janes P.S. - Help our podcast grow with ...

    The Future of Automation: Physical AI, Robotics, and What’s Next with Dennis Gansen

  2. Jul 30

    Automate mini series: Christine Bush

    ROI math can be brutally simple, and that’s exactly why it often fails in industrial automation. If your spreadsheet only asks “how many heads are we replacing,” you might get a clean payback number, but you also risk approving the wrong projects and rejecting the right ones. We’re joined by Christine Busch, who leads Schneider Electric’s Robotic Center of Excellence, to talk about what return on investment should look like when you’re trying to make robotics deployments truly successful. We dig into the payback expectations Christine sees most often, typically 18 to 24 months, and why finance teams still push for 12. Then we widen the lens to the costs and constraints plants routinely overlook: turnover in high-churn roles, recruiting and training spend, performance instability, and the cultural damage that happens when automation is framed as “replacing humans.” Christine argues that many of the best robotics wins come from automating the dirty, dull, and dangerous work no one wants to keep, then empowering operators to run the line better through upskilling and clearer ownership. From there, we introduce a practical way to rethink the business case with what Christine calls a plant vitality index: reliability, downtime, maintenance burden, aging equipment and spare parts risk, KPIs like OEE, digital transformation readiness, and how well you use data for productivity, energy management, and sustainability goals. We also get real about cobots, why the space is more mature now, and why safety depends on whether the application is actually collaborative. To wrap, we touch on Schneider’s bigger vision, including software-defined automation, EcoStruxure Automation Expert, and the Universal Automation ecosystem. Subscribe for more conversations on industrial automation and robotics, share this with a teammate building ROI cases, and leave a review if you want more practical frameworks like this. _________________________________________________________________ 👾  Connect with the guest _________________________________________________________________  🏢 Connect with Schneider Robotics _________________________________________________________________ Support the show _________________________________________________________________ 🎙 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 Courtney Fernandez Ali G __________________________________________________________________ 🎟 The Automation Ladies Community Conference: https://otscada.com Learn more about the hosts’ industrial automation conference OT SCADA CON attended by 100+ automation professionals, engineers, integrators, and technology leaders for hands-on learning, real-world case studies, and meaningful industry connections. 🎬 Credits Produced by: Veronica Espinoza Music by: Sam Janes P.S. - Help our podcast grow with ...

    Automate mini series: Christine Bush

  3. Jul 16

    The Skills Gap Is Your Fault with Matt Kirchner

    “Manufacturing is still the place where you can start out sweeping the floor and end up running the company” is a bold claim, so we brought on someone who has lived the full arc. I’m joined by Matt Kirkner from the Tech Ed Podcast to unpack how advanced manufacturing, industrial automation, and technical education can still deliver real upward mobility and why the American dream is less about nostalgia and more about building better opportunities for the next generation.  We get practical about what has to change inside manufacturing companies to make that promise believable: clean and modern plants, serious attention to safety, and a culture that treats people as long-term investments rather than quarterly expenses. Matt shares why layoffs for convenience poison trust, how “destination employer” thinking improves workforce retention, and the non-obvious reasons employees stay: they like their coworkers, feel respected and heard, have freedom from micromanagement, and believe in a mission that goes beyond profit.  On the education and workforce development side, we dig into the real gap between what industry needs and what students learn, including why exposure must start early, especially for girls who often self-select out of STEM by middle school. We also talk Industry 4.0 and digital transformation in plain terms, from smart sensors at the edge to PLCs and HMIs, OT cybersecurity, and how applied AI is showing up in robotics, drones, and modern manufacturing systems.  If you care about building a stronger manufacturing workforce or you’re carving out your own path in automation, listen, share this with a friend in the field, and leave a review so more people can find the show. __________________________________________________________________ 👾 Connect with the guest Website: https://techedpodcast.com/Matt’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewkirchner/Podcast LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-teched-podcast/Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teched_podcast/Podcast TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@techedpodcastPodcast YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@techedpodcast Support the show _________________________________________________________________ 🎙 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 Courtney Fernandez Ali G __________________________________________________________________ 🎟 The Automation Ladies Community Conference: https://otscada.com Learn more about the hosts’ industrial automation conference OT SCADA CON attended by 100+ automation professionals, engineers, integrators, and technology leaders for hands-on learning, real-world case studies, and meaningful industry connections. 🎬 Credits Produced by: Veronica Espinoza Music by: Sam Janes P.S. - Help our podcast grow with ...

    The Skills Gap Is Your Fault with Matt Kirchner

  4. Jul 10 ·  Bonus

    Automate mini series: Wesley Garrett

    Most automation projects stall long before the first robot moves. Not because the technology isn’t ready, but because buying feels like a maze: vague budgets, endless “it depends” quotes, and months of back-and-forth just to learn what something costs. We sit down with Wes from FANUC to talk about a different path for manufacturers, especially in food and beverage packaging: standard, scalable robotic solutions you can pilot quickly and then replicate across lines or plants. We dig into what “automation made simple” looks like on the ground, including FANUC’s CRX cobots and the growing partner ecosystem behind ready-to-deploy applications like cobot palletizers. We talk about why transparent pricing and show-floor demos can lower the barrier to trying automation, how lead times improve when systems are standardized, and why some suppliers can even support trial periods or quick evaluations before you fully commit. If you’re newer to robotics automation, we share a practical way to approach evaluation: define your SKUs, speeds, payloads, and KPIs before you get distracted by a shiny demo. We also get real about what drives success after install: operator-friendly HMIs, changeover flexibility, safety and risk assessment choices like area scanners, and the small day-to-day tweaks that keep a system running for years. If this helps you think more clearly about your next automation decision, subscribe, share the episode with a teammate, and leave a quick review so more manufacturers can find it. Support the show _________________________________________________________________ 🎙 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 Courtney Fernandez Ali G __________________________________________________________________ 🎟 The Automation Ladies Community Conference: https://otscada.com Learn more about the hosts’ industrial automation conference OT SCADA CON attended by 100+ automation professionals, engineers, integrators, and technology leaders for hands-on learning, real-world case studies, and meaningful industry connections. 🎬 Credits Produced by: Veronica Espinoza Music by: Sam Janes P.S. - Help our podcast grow with ...

    Automate mini series: Wesley Garrett

  5. Jul 2

    The Apprenticeship Model That Could Transform Manufacturing with PJ McGrew

    Most workforce development advice sounds good until you try to scale it. Today we get specific, practical, and a little disruptive with PJ McGrew, Senior Vice President of Talent Strategy and Programming at Conexus Indiana, on why the Swiss apprenticeship model works and what it takes to adapt it for modern manufacturing in the United States. We talk about the real bottleneck nobody wants to admit: education systems cannot sustainably deliver dozens of employer-specific training plans. PJ shares how an industry talent association can bring manufacturers together to define shared occupational standards, then translate those standards into repeatable high school CTE courses and work-based learning. The goal is a clearer, employer-led pathway that starts in a student’s junior year, navigates hazardous occupation rules, and builds job-ready skills that reduce retraining on day one. We also zoom out to the bigger picture: changing how families define a “good job,” opening factory doors so students can see clean, tech-enabled facilities, and building foundational skills that let people specialize later. That includes CNC, automation and robotics, PLC concepts, and especially troubleshooting and adaptability. We wrap with what manufacturers can do right now to start small, train supervisors to mentor teens, and connect talent strategy with digital adoption, including the rising pressure to add AI literacy and prompt-writing skills. If you found this useful, subscribe for more conversations on industrial automation careers, share the episode with a manufacturer or educator, and leave a review so more people can find the show. Support the show _________________________________________________________________ 🎙 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 Courtney Fernandez Ali G __________________________________________________________________ 🎟 The Automation Ladies Community Conference: https://otscada.com Learn more about the hosts’ industrial automation conference OT SCADA CON attended by 100+ automation professionals, engineers, integrators, and technology leaders for hands-on learning, real-world case studies, and meaningful industry connections. 🎬 Credits Produced by: Veronica Espinoza Music by: Sam Janes P.S. - Help our podcast grow with ...

    The Apprenticeship Model That Could Transform Manufacturing with PJ McGrew

  6. Jun 18

    From AI to OT SCADA CON: The Future of Industrial Innovation with Bryan Thyken

    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 machine learning should look like when it’s built for OT instead of for slide decks. The through-line is simple: the people closest to the process should be the ones shaping the models, and the tech should meet them where they work.  We break down Sorba’s end-to-end on-prem AI ML platform, from industrial data connectors and unified data access to no-code AutoML that can produce anomaly detection, forecasting, advanced process control, and digital twin models. Brian explains why “AI needs the cloud” is often the wrong assumption for manufacturing, how closed-loop control can drive more consistent yield than reactive PID hunting, and why the best results come from rapid iteration that proves value in minutes rather than burning months on a traditional data science cycle.  Then we zoom out to careers and credibility. Brian shares his hot takes on what skills survive automation, why fundamentals and hands-on troubleshooting still matter, and why “one size fits all” pre-trained models rarely match how your specific plant behaves. We also call out the difference between a real digital twin that enables what-if optimization using time-series data and the kind that looks nice but doesn’t move KPIs.  If you care about industrial AI, OT security, predictive maintenance, digital twins, and the future of controls engineering, this conversation will sharpen your filter for hype and help you spot practical wins. Subscribe, share this with a plant engineer who’s skeptical of AI, and leave a review with your take: where do you think AI truly belongs in manufacturing? Support the show _________________________________________________________________ 🎙 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 Courtney Fernandez Ali G __________________________________________________________________ 🎟 The Automation Ladies Community Conference: https://otscada.com Learn more about the hosts’ industrial automation conference OT SCADA CON attended by 100+ automation professionals, engineers, integrators, and technology leaders for hands-on learning, real-world case studies, and meaningful industry connections. 🎬 Credits Produced by: Veronica Espinoza Music by: Sam Janes P.S. - Help our podcast grow with ...

    From AI to OT SCADA CON: The Future of Industrial Innovation with Bryan Thyken

  7. Jun 4

    AI Won't Replace Automation Engineers, but It Will Change Everything with Rylan Pyciak

    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 when you’re responsible for keeping equipment running and delivering automation projects that survive real life. We get into Rylan’s path through manufacturing, Rockwell co-ops, OEM work, and system integration, then the leap into building his own automation business. Along the way we talk about why the integrator role forces nonstop learning, how good vendor relationships and honest communication save projects, and why a site assessment and full line walk can reveal the “missing truth” that never shows up in a scope document. If you’ve ever inherited a machine built in the 1950s, you’ll recognize the problems instantly. Then we dig into the tension between shiny new tech and the basics: modern connectivity, new HMIs that still talk to PLC5 and SLC systems, and what has to happen before advanced tools can deliver value. We also talk about CodeSys adoption, subscription fatigue across industrial software, and where AI can genuinely help controls engineers with debugging and repeatable work without pretending it can replace human judgment on a production line. If this conversation helps you think more clearly about modernizing legacy equipment, choosing technology that will be supportable long-term, or building a healthier automation career path, subscribe to Automation Ladies, share the episode with a teammate, and leave a review so more people can find the show. Support the show _________________________________________________________________ 🎙 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 Courtney Fernandez Ali G __________________________________________________________________ 🎟 The Automation Ladies Community Conference: https://otscada.com Learn more about the hosts’ industrial automation conference OT SCADA CON attended by 100+ automation professionals, engineers, integrators, and technology leaders for hands-on learning, real-world case studies, and meaningful industry connections. 🎬 Credits Produced by: Veronica Espinoza Music by: Sam Janes P.S. - Help our podcast grow with ...

    AI Won't Replace Automation Engineers, but It Will Change Everything with Rylan Pyciak

  8. May 21

    Modernizing Manufacturing with AI, AMRs & Digital Transformation with Carrie Brown & Krista Beyhaut of Wesco

    “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 stuck spending their entire budget on downtime instead of upgrades.  We talk career journeys that don’t follow a straight line and why that’s normal in industrial automation. Carrie shares how a mechanical engineering background and years in telecom and analytics led her into distribution sales, while Krista breaks down how early sales leadership training and deep plant exposure shaped her approach to automation strategy. Along the way, we dig into what it’s like to find community as women in automation when you care more about how things work than fitting a mold.  From there, we zoom into the plant floor: varying stages of modernization, the hidden cost of “black box” legacy systems, and the uncomfortable truth that AI in manufacturing can’t deliver much if you can’t reliably access PLC data. Carrie and Krista explain why an assessment or modernization health check is often the best first step, how Wesco brings the right specialists into the room, and how vetted partners like AI integrators can turn the right data into real ROI with predictive models. We also hit labor shortages, cobots, AGVs, Spot, and the rising curiosity around humanoid robots and AI copilots.  If you enjoy grounded automation talk with practical takeaways, subscribe, share this with a friend in manufacturing, and leave a review so more people can find Automation Ladies. Support the show _________________________________________________________________ 🎙 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 Courtney Fernandez Ali G __________________________________________________________________ 🎟 The Automation Ladies Community Conference: https://otscada.com Learn more about the hosts’ industrial automation conference OT SCADA CON attended by 100+ automation professionals, engineers, integrators, and technology leaders for hands-on learning, real-world case studies, and meaningful industry connections. 🎬 Credits Produced by: Veronica Espinoza Music by: Sam Janes P.S. - Help our podcast grow with ...

    Modernizing Manufacturing with AI, AMRs & Digital Transformation with Carrie Brown & Krista Beyhaut of Wesco
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4.2
out of 5
12 Ratings

About

The podcast where girls talk industrial automation! We interview people from all walks of life in the Industrial Automation industry. Through a personal narrative/conversational framework we talk about PLCs, HMIs, SCADA, IIoT, Machine Vision, Industrial Robots, Pneumatics, Control Systems, Process Automation, Factory Automation, Systems Integration, Entrepreneurship, Career Stories, Personal Journeys, Company Culture, and any other interesting and timely topic we want to discuss. Co-Hosted by Nikki Gonzales, Ali G & Courtney Fernandez - find them on LinkedIn! 

Information

  • Creator
    Automation Ladies
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    123
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Automation Ladies
  • Show Website
    Automation Ladies