Robots don’t kill jobs, and they might even be able to save them when you use them right.

In this episode, Jake Hall: the Manufacturing Millennial, joins Olivier Bloch and Ryan Kershaw of Thing-Zero to dig into the real levers behind U.S. manufacturing: reshoring, automation, brownfield vs. greenfield, AI (yes, generative too), security/trust, and the single biggest constraint of all… people and skills.

We cover:

• Why many SMEs still run like it’s 2005—and what flips the adoption switch

• RaaS, easier software, and proof-you-can-scale examples• Robots creating local jobs (not replacing them)

• Practical security/trust moves when connecting OT → cloud

• Education pipelines: FIRST Robotics, digital natives, and what Gen Z actually wants at work

Chapters below. If this helped, hit Subscribe and share with a manufacturing friend who needs a nudge to modernize.⏱ Chapters:• 00:00 Intros & setup (Olivier, Ryan, Jake)

• 01:38 Sports icebreaker → manufacturing mindset

• 02:30 Reshoring & tariffs: can the U.S. staff up?

• 05:44 “Good enough” risk: closure story & the moving-train analogy

• 09:50 Post-2020 winners: automation, flexibility, RaaS & easier software

• 12:45 Brownfield first steps: lighthouse plants & fail-fast culture

• 16:32 Brownfield vs. Greenfield: culture decides; skills are the bottleneck

• 20:04 Robots save jobs: U.S. case study + AI parallels

• 26:07 Security & trust: connecting OT → cloud the right way

• 32:42 Education pipeline & what Gen Z wants (FIRST Robotics)

• 37:22 Closing thoughts

🎧 Brought to you by Thing-Zero — Secure. Predict. Augment. Automate.

📌 Follow Jake Hall on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacobrhall/

📌 Follow Olivier Bloch on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/olivierbloch/

📌 Follow Ryan Kershaw on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryankershaw/

Follow Thing-Zero on:

- YouTube: YouTube.com/@Thing-Zero

- Linkedin: linkedin.com/company/thing-zero

- 𝕏: https://x.com/ThingZ96954

- Web: https://www.Thing-Zero.com

#IoT #OT #AI #PredictiveAnalytics #manufacturing

What happens when you combine shift-level insights, OT data, and predictive analytics? You stop burning buns, and start scaling profits.

In this episode of the Zeroed In Podcast, Marvin Tansley (Thing-Zero) sits down with Aaron Pfeifer (Atlas OT) to unpack how manufacturers can:

• Pull signal from noisy operations data

• Spot patterns in downtime, waste, and inefficiency

• Use successful shifts as live playbooks for struggling ones

• Bridge the gap between OT realities and IT-driven AI models

Whether you’re leading a plant, an OT security program, or a digital transformation initiative, this conversation gives you a frontline look at how to turn data into behaviors that improve reliability, safety, and profitability.

⏱ Chapters:

• 00:00 — Start / Framing ROI: Maintenance math, partial valve testing (SIL mindset)

• 02:45 — Real-time + historical data: Compare assets, vendors, and cycles for gains

• 05:30 — Prep the data estate for AI: “You already own the apartment” (cloud)

• 08:50 — Secure democratization: Read-only, one-way flows; exec dashboards that matter

• 12:10 — Crawl → Walk → Run: Models, thresholds, and cost-of-action decisions

• 16:20 — Edge models safely: Optimize offline; push anomalies up, not commands down

• 19:30 — Brownfield realities: Knowledge loss, out-of-date prints, safety interlocks

• 24:30 — The cost of NOT modernizing: Unplanned downtime vs. proactive budgets

• 28:50 — Heterogeneous control stacks: Standardizing without standardizing

• 33:10 — Agile POCs on your cloud: Measure waste first; fast wins prove value

• 37:10 — Close: Better business → better world (and better jobs)

🎧 Brought to you by Thing-Zero — Secure. Predict. Augment. Automate.

📌 Follow Marvin Tansley on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/marvin-tansley-a914551/

📌 Follow Aaron Pfiefer on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/adpfeifer/

Follow Thing-Zero on:

- YouTube: YouTube.com/@Thing-Zero

- Linkedin: linkedin.com/company/thing-zero

- 𝕏: https://x.com/ThingZ96954

- Web: https://www.Thing-Zero.com

#IoT #OT #AI #PredictiveAnalytics #manufacturing

Today we’re joined by David Schultz (G5 Consulting) and Ryan Kershaw from Thing-Zero to unpack what smart manufacturing really looks like beyond buzzwords.

Chapters:

00:00 - Intro: OT vs IT and the "Boring Topics, Interesting People" Premise

00:55 - Meet David Schultz: Background in Automation & G5 Consulting

03:40 - What Digital Transformation Actually Looks Like

06:10 - Why Most Dashboards Don’t Drive Action

08:20 - Human-Centered Change Management in Manufacturing

10:00 - How ISA-95 Helps Bridge OT and IT 11:50 - The Real Power of Unified Namespace (UNS)

14:20 - Cultural Resistance and Adoption: The Real Battle

17:15 - How to Lead Through Event Storming and Trust Building

20:40 - Why “Secure by Design” Isn’t Optional

23:00 - Lessons from the Field: What the Best Teams Do Differently

28:45 - Final Thoughts: Advice for Industrial Leaders

30:30 - Wrap-Up & What’s Next for Smart Manufacturing

🎧 Brought to you by Thing-Zero — Secure. Predict. Augment. Automate.

📌 Follow Ryan Kershaw: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryankershaw/

📌 Follow David Schultz: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/thedavidschultz/

Follow Thing-Zero on:

- YouTube: YouTube.com/@Thing-Zero

- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/thing-zero/

- 𝕏: https://x.com/ThingZ96954

- Web: https://Thing-Zero.com

#IoT #OT #AI #PredictiveAnalytics #manufacturing