Abelara Ascent

Abelara

Abelara Ascent - Long-form conversations about what it actually takes to modernize manufacturing. Abelara Ascent is where architecture meets execution. Interviews with the people building real systems. Panel discussions that go deeper than the keynote. And solo episodes that break down the frameworks, decisions, and trade-offs behind industrial digital transformation. Hosted by Zack Scriven, Director of Sales and Marketing at Abelara, with regular appearances from cofounders Dylan DuFresne, Chief Architect, and Glenn Gardner, President. If you are a manufacturing leader, plant manager, controls engineer, or solutions architect trying to figure out where to start, what to prioritize, and who to trust, this is the show. Published by Abelara. Event coverage powered by Abelara Live.

  1. May 29

    Simplify your enterprise architecture with Fuuz + Litmus

    Most manufacturers we talk to aren't asking for more software. They're asking for less. Forty applications. A dozen integrations holding it all together. We cover: The supply chain ↔ factory floor disconnect, and why the language of customer POs almost never lines up with the work orders that actually get runWhy standard cost variances catch you at quarter close instead of when you can still do something about themWhat a C-suite KPI dashboard really looks like under the hood — and how many hours of manual reconciliation hide behind every "give me the top three reasons we missed."Craig Scott (CEO, Fuuz) on why this is an architecture problem, not a technology one — and what a shared operational model actually isDylan DuFresne on Fuuz as "IT software that understands OT," Litmus's 250+ device drivers, and modeling data as close to the edge as possibleHussein (Litmus) on edge containerization, metadata at scale, and the UNS flexibility you need to actually move fastThe security question — role-based access control, encrypted data, the Fuuz Gateway through the DMZ, and what "MCP-ready" actually means for OT dataThe brownfield reality — no rip-and-replace, just better connection into the SCADAs, historians, and OPC servers already in placeGlenn's mic drop — if you built top-down from the C-suite, you'd build Fuuz. If you built bottom-up from the factory floor, you'd build Litmus. They're the two most important anchor points in the whole industrial software ecosystem. CHAPTERS 00:00 Intro — the simplification thesis 00:51 Glenn's pain point #1 — supply chain ↔ factory floor disconnect 03:02 Pain point #2 — late awareness of cost variances 04:45 Context — why enterprises are cutting logos 05:48 Pain point #3 — C-suite KPIs vs. how they're really built 07:40 Cappy Hour reference (see the Prove It session) 09:22 The wish — one platform to solve all three 10:16 Craig Scott — it's an architecture problem, not a technology one 11:31 Excel is still the dominant MES 12:27 Shared operational model — red, blue, and purple data 14:09 Walker Reynolds, UNS, and an oil-and-gas project with 50+ software vendors 15:09 Death by a thousand cuts 16:08 Cost visibility isn't a reporting problem — it's a latency problem 17:36 Burying A-players in spreadsheets 18:45 Bridging C-suite KPIs to the plant floor 20:46 The operational model as DNA 22:35 Dylan — getting data from the edge, the right way 25:22 Litmus's 250+ drivers and edge data modeling 27:48 Kepware vs. Litmus — containerization at the enterprise 29:25 Edge modeling as the differentiator 30:48 PLC-level hygiene and OEM involvement 33:40 Patrick's question — security, RBAC, and the Fuuz Gateway 35:46 Litmus + Fuuz visualization — overlap and complement 38:36 Brownfield — Litmus and Fuuz alongside existing OPC, SCADA, historians 43:02 Why point-to-point solutions break at scale 44:38 Glenn's mic drop — top-down vs. bottom-up 46:15 The Lighthouse Partner — how to work with Abelara 47:19 Closing — we always start from a fresh sheet of paper \WORK WITH ABELARA — LIGHTHOUSE PARTNER PROGRAM Companies come to Abelara to architect agnostic solutions and skip past the trial-and-error. We're accepting a small number of Lighthouse Partners — a digital transformation workshop, architected solution, and hitting the ground running.

    49 min

  2. May 29

    Predictive Maintenance in Practice: From Prediction to Prevention

    The conversation begins with an introduction to predictive maintenance and the expert panel. Glenn Gardner discusses the evolution of predictive maintenance, highlighting the transformation of the industry over the past 20 years. He then delves into the concept of vibration as a predictive technology, providing a detailed explanation of its relevance and power. The discussion shifts to the role of CMMS in predictive maintenance, emphasizing the importance of both predictive technology and CMMS for an effective maintenance program. Mark Kingkade shares insights on vibration analysis in real systems, showcasing the practical application of vibration analysis in identifying machinery flaws. The conversation covered challenges in equipment repair, integration of machine data with maintenance workflows, data integration and predictive maintenance, and integrating advanced maintenance technologies. The challenges included difficulty in finding replacement parts, extended lead times for replacements, and the impact of supply chain challenges. The integration of machine data with maintenance workflows highlighted the direct integration of diagnostic insights with work orders, automated generation and assignment of work orders, and the importance of getting information to the right people. Data integration and predictive maintenance discussed the integration of machine data from various sources, usage-based predictive maintenance, and a phased approach to implementing predictive maintenance. Integrating advanced maintenance technologies addressed challenges in integrating different maintenance technologies, the importance of keeping analysis in purpose-built tools, and sending scalar data to centralized systems. Takeaways Predictive maintenance has evolved significantly over the past 20 years, with a notable reduction in cost and time for implementing a world-class program.Vibration analysis is a powerful technology for identifying machinery flaws, and when combined with CMMS, it forms an effective predictive maintenance program. Challenges in equipment repair due to supply chain issuesImportance of direct integration of diagnostic insights with work orders Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Predictive Maintenance11:46 CMMS and Predictive Maintenance32:29 Challenges in Equipment Repair47:24 Data Integration and Predictive Maintenance58:02 Integrating Advanced Maintenance Technologies

    1h 1m

  3. May 29

    Why AI Fails in the Factory? - AI Panel at MX.0 Southeast 2026

    Why does AI fail in the factory? Three reasons: unstructured data, fragmented data, and no governance. At MX.0 Southeast in Greenville, SC, Zack Scriven sits down with Matt from HiveMQ and Remus from Concept Reply for a field panel on why most manufacturers aren't ready for AI — and what to build first. They cover what a Unified Namespace actually is (two definitions), where it's being misused, the Excel-to-MQTT trick, AI governance as a critical skill, and how to get started when you can't even get budget approval for a consultant. 00:00 — Introductions 00:37 — Why AI fails: three root causes 02:16 — HiveMQ as the data backbone 03:01 — No data equals no AI 03:21 — The Excel problem 04:24 — What is a Unified Namespace? 07:40 — Where UNS is misused 09:03 — Don't build a UNS without a problem statement 10:35 — AI as accelerant for building foundations 11:52 — AI governance as a future skill 12:35 — Overcoming internal resistance 14:57 — People, process, technology 16:34 — Start with what you control Abelara: https://www.abelara.com #Abelara #AbelaraAscent #AI #UNS #MQTT #HiveMQ #ManufacturingTransformation #MXO ➡️ Learn more: https://abelara.com/ ➡️ Follow us: https://www.linkedin.com/company/abelara/ Subscribe for insights on digital manufacturing, leadership, and system architecture.

    18 min

  4. May 29

    ProveIt! Live Q&A + Whiteboard Session with Walker Reynolds & Dylan DuFresne

    🔴 LIVE from ProveIt! 2026 Whiteboard Q&A with Walker Reynolds & Dylan DuFresne Wednesday morning on the ProveIt! Main Stage, Walker Reynolds returns to the whiteboard, and he is joined by Dylan DuFresne, Co-Founder & Solutions Architect at Abelara. This educational style is what the industry 4.0 community loves: Real questions. Real Unified Namespace architecture. No slides. No scripts. No fluff. ✔️ Live UNS mapping discussion ✔️ Deep dives into enterprise IT ↔ OT architecture ✔️ Real-world implementation tradeoffs ✔️ Direct audience Q&A Sponsored by Fuuz — the Industrial Intelligence Platform helping Fuuz the Gap between enterprise systems and the factory floor. If you care about visibility, ownership, and building systems you actually understand… this session is for you. 📍 ProveIt! Conference 2026 Hyatt Regency Dallas February 18th, 2026 Subscribe for more conversations at the intersection of manufacturing, architecture, and human-first digital transformation. #ProveIt2026 #UnifiedNamespace #Industry40 #SmartManufacturing #Abelara #FUUZ #DigitalTransformation

    57 min

  5. May 29

    From Pilot Purgatory to ROI in 90 Days | Abelara at ProveIt! 2026

    At ProveIt! Conference 2026, Abelara did something different. We built a fictional bottling company called Cappy Hour and re-enacted a problem manufacturers face every day: data is flowing, infrastructure is in place, but leadership still can't answer basic operational questions. What ran yesterday? What's in the tanks? How much product is going down the drain? Glenn Gardner plays the president of Cappy Hour — a multi-site beverage manufacturer under cost pressure, losing market share, and facing layoffs if waste isn't found fast. Dylan DuFresne runs the architecture workshop. Ricardo Santos from Tupinix implements the plant-floor solution. And Dan Clark from Axelon shows what happens when the internal engineering team takes ownership and builds on the foundation — using AI. This session walks through the full path from problem to payback: 00:00 — Introduction 03:05 — Glenn as CEO of Cappy Hour: the five languages of manufacturing 11:10 — The cost problem: why Cappy Hour is in trouble 12:30 — Abelara's $25K architecture workshop 13:15 — Ricardo and Tupinix: boots on the ground with Litmus Edge 15:43 — Live waste tracking: $551/hour going down the drain 17:48 — Phase 1 results: $29K investment, 3-month payback, $292K annual savings 19:29 — Phase 2: building a composable MES with Ignition + Postgres 23:33 — Dan and Axelon: AI copilot builds a downtime screen during lunch 27:35 — Glenn retells the full story from the CEO's perspective 29:31 — Dylan on everything else we built for ProveIt 35:00 — Audience Q&A The philosophy behind everything we do: you can't improve what you can't see. Ownership starts with visibility. *About Abelara:* Abelara works with manufacturing leaders to bridge strategy and execution. We help teams deploy modern architectures, unify disconnected systems, and unlock real operational visibility. No jargon, no fluff—just practical solutions built to scale in the real world. ➡️ Learn more: https://abelara.com/ ➡️ Follow us: https://www.linkedin.com/company/abelara/ Subscribe for insights on digital manufacturing, leadership, and system architecture.

    48 min

  6. May 29

    Fuuz x The Crysler Club: People, Process, Tech and Why “Shiny Objects” Fail

    Recorded at Fuuz HQ in Detroit, this conversation brings together Craig Scott (Founder & CEO of Fuuz), Dave Crysler (Founder of The Crysler Club), and Zack Scriven (Abelara) for a real, operator-to-operator discussion on what actually drives manufacturing results. This is not a vendor pitch. It’s a grounded conversation about how manufacturers really scale: what works, what breaks, and where technology actually belongs. *You’ll hear:* - Dave’s “planning, people, process, technology” framework and how he applies it across industries - Craig’s story building Fuuz out of real system integrator pain: too many tools, too many skill sets, too much complexity - Why good vendors say “no” when they’re not the right fit - How to think about data, ownership, and adoption without losing the humans in the system - Quick hot takes on AI: where it helps, where it distracts, and why authenticity is coming back If you’re a plant leader, operations leader, or IT/OT leader trying to connect shop-floor reality to enterprise outcomes, this one will hit. *About Abelara:* Abelara works with manufacturing leaders to bridge strategy and execution. We help teams deploy modern architectures, unify disconnected systems, and unlock real operational visibility. No jargon, no fluff—just practical solutions built to scale in the real world. Thank you to Craig Scott and Dave Crysler for joining this Abelara Ascent podcast. ➡️ Learn More about Fuuz: https://www.fuuz.com ➡️ Learn More about Crysler Club: https://thecrysler.club ➡️ Learn more about Abelara: https://abelara.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/abelara/ Subscribe for insights on digital manufacturing, leadership, and system architecture. Keywords: manufacturing operations, continuous improvement, lean manufacturing, digital transformation, IT/OT, ERP integration, MES, data visibility, Unified Namespace, Detroit manufacturing, system integrator, manufacturing consulting, Fuuz, The Crysler Club, Abelara, Craig Scott, Dave Crysler, Zack Scriven. #manufacturing #operations #digitaltransformation #continuousimprovement #IIoT #ITOT #MES #ERP

    54 min

  7. May 28

    Stop Commissioning Blind

    The conversation covers the experience of building realistic simulators in Ignition, creating detailed tag structures, and the transition from accounting to industrial controls. It also delves into go-live events, post-implementation support, and the process of improving development processes and training interns. The discussion further explores training AI models, script development, and leveraging ChatGPT for project assistance. The conversation delves into the use of AI for script creation, fine-tuning, and debugging, as well as the process of simulator creation and manual execution. It also explores the evolution of automated code generation, simulated testing in the office, and physical testing on site. Additionally, it highlights the end user experience, including simulation in PLCs, testing and collaboration on site, and the importance of ownership and accountability. The conversation covers topics such as efficient panel conversion, simulating systems with Docker, exciting developments in simulation and automation, handling complex routing and indirection in PLCs, testing and simulation workflow, and DevOps principles and project management practices. The speakers discuss the benefits of rapid panel conversion, challenges with external integrators, automated OPC module creation, and the utilization of graph databases for complex systems. They also emphasize the importance of testing and simulating systems before commissioning and highlight the alignment of project management practices and complementary approaches to project management. Takeaways Building realistic simulators in IgnitionTraining and managing teamsLeveraging AI models for project optimization AI-assisted script creation and fine-tuningAutomated code generation and simulated testingEnd user experience and ownership Efficient panel conversion processUtilizing Docker for system simulationExciting developments in simulation and automation Chapters 00:00 Building Realistic Simulators in Ignition06:04 Experience with Ignition and Python Scripting18:13 Improving Development Processes and Training Interns23:31 Training AI and Script Development29:16 Leveraging ChatGPT for Project Assistance45:34 Automated Code Generation54:47 End User Experience01:01:25 Closing the Gap with Axelon01:13:42 Testing and Simulation Workflow01:23:32 DevOps and Project Management

    1h 24m

  8. May 22

    The death of data without context

    The conversation explores the importance of historical data with context, the challenges of data collection and storage, and the role of unified namespace in data management. It delves into the need for context in time series data, the impact of historical data on decision-making, and the challenges of implementing a unified namespace. The discussion also covers the significance of understanding data consumers and the cultural and technical aspects of implementing a unified namespace. The conversation delves into the practical application of UNS (Unified Namespace) and its role in data storage, historization, and AI enablement. It explores the use of MQTT brokers, OPC servers, and time-based storage solutions, emphasizing the importance of context, historical data, and statistical analysis in manufacturing operations. Takeaways Historical data with context is crucial for decision-making and process improvement.The implementation of a unified namespace requires consideration of both technical and cultural aspects. UNS as a broader conceptImportance of context and historical dataPractical application of AI in manufacturing Chapters 00:00 The Role of Unified Namespace in Data Management36:26 Data Storage and Historization42:23 Requirements for UNS and AI Enablement

    55 min
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About

Abelara Ascent - Long-form conversations about what it actually takes to modernize manufacturing. Abelara Ascent is where architecture meets execution. Interviews with the people building real systems. Panel discussions that go deeper than the keynote. And solo episodes that break down the frameworks, decisions, and trade-offs behind industrial digital transformation. Hosted by Zack Scriven, Director of Sales and Marketing at Abelara, with regular appearances from cofounders Dylan DuFresne, Chief Architect, and Glenn Gardner, President. If you are a manufacturing leader, plant manager, controls engineer, or solutions architect trying to figure out where to start, what to prioritize, and who to trust, this is the show. Published by Abelara. Event coverage powered by Abelara Live.

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  • Creator
    Abelara
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    20
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Abelara