AI in the real world isn’t a keynote... it’s a factory floor, a power bill, and a risk register. In this episode, Marvin Tansley (Thing-Zero) sits down with Alec Coughlin (AI with Alec) to map the jump from hype to hard results: securing brownfield OT, preparing a data/knowledge-centric estate, and using agents to augment operators—not replace them.We cover the shift from app-centric silos to platforms, prescriptive analytics that drive next-best actions, and the leadership moves that make it stick: psychological safety, exec bootcamps, incentives that reward smart risk, and “hands-in-dirt” adoption.If you’re a CTO/CIO, plant leader, or ops owner wondering how to compete when AI becomes table stakes, this is the playbook you've been looking for.⏱ Chapters:0:00 – Intros & setup0:24 – Alec’s origin: RPA spark → “AI with Alec”1:14 – Marvin’s path: industrial engineering to AI2:00 – Practical vs hype; LLMs get “evolutionary” + Palantir/data platforms5:31 – Augmentation vs automation (factory story)9:07 – Brownfield OT realities & security-by-design12:50 – From app-centric to data/knowledge-centric (why it’s existential)16:45 – Analytics ladder: descriptive → predictive → prescriptive19:08 – Ransomware lesson ($20M/day) & designing safety in40:56 – Culture, incentives, “make the beer taste better” 42:32 – Closing Thoughts→ The Zeroed in Podcast is also now available on your favorite podcast platforms: https://linktr.ee/zeroedinpod📌 Follow Alec Coughlin on LinkedIn -https://www.linkedin.com/in/alecchh/📌 Follow Marvin Tansley on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/marvin-tansley-a914551/🎧 Brought to you by Thing-Zero — Secure. Predict. Augment. Automate.Follow us on:- YouTube: YouTube.com/@thing-zero - Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/thing-zero/- 𝕏: https://x.com/ThingZ96954/- Web: https://www.Thing-Zero.com/#AIwithAlec #AI #Robotics #MachineLearning #ML

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

This is Episode 1 of the Zeroed In Podcast. Marvin Tansley from Thing-Zero interviews Eric Siegel from Gooder AI to tackle real-world smart manufacturing challenges using predictive AI. Together, they break down common issues seen on the factory floors into quick-wins, with step-by-step guidance you can use to break into the exciting world of OT and increase ROI with predictive AI.

If you're in an IT or OT role in Manufacturing, this episode is for you!

Chapters: 00:00 – Intro & episode setup (manufacturing + AI)

01:06 – What Thing-Zero does: secure predictive analytics

01:30 – Guest intro: Eric Siegel (Goodter AI, ex-Columbia)

02:21 – The pain: ~30% downtime / quality loss in factories

04:26 – Predictive maintenance explained (why it’s the gold standard)

06:12 – Decisions by probability: expected cost in plain English

08:08 – Why pilots stall: missing business visibility & ROI

10:01 – Data you need: historical + real-time (same schema)

12:38 – Secure OT→Cloud pipeline (zero-trust, compliant)

13:02 – Crawl-Walk-Run roadmap to production value

16:03 – Change management: augment operators, don’t replace them

17:52 – Beyond binary: process optimization & democratized data

19:12 – From data lake to business wins (scrap, shifts, capex)

33:23 – Visibility → optimization → financial decisions (playbook)

38:33 – Wrap-up, next steps & how to get in touch

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

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

📌 Follow Eric Siegel on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/predictiveanalytics/

Follow Thing-Zero on:

- YouTube: YouTube.com/@Thing-Zero

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

- 𝕏: https://x.com/ThingZ96954

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

#IoT#AI #PredictiveAnalytics #SmartManufacturing