What happens when a controls engineer raised in coal mines starts turning chicken manure into renewable energy? In this episode, made possible by PLCnext Technology, we get a masterclass in practical automation, functional safety, and building systems that work in the real world.

Jason Watts, Owner and Founder of Alpha Industrial Technologies, joins Phil Seboa and Ed Fuentes to discuss building an automation company around passionate engineers, using AI as an adversary in the design process, and why improperly applied safety functions can be more dangerous than no safety at all.

In this episode, we explore:

• Building an automation company with a flexible, passion-driven workforce model
• Using AI as an adversary to stress-test engineering designs and find failure modes
• Cross-industry technology transfer from mining and automotive to agriculture
• Why Safe Torque Off (STO) is often implemented incorrectly and the case for risk assessments
• Converting poultry manure into renewable natural gas and fertilizer using bio digesters and IIoT

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This episode is proudly made possible by PLCnext Technology

PLCnext Technology is the ecosystem for industrial automation consisting of open hardware, modular engineering software, a global community, and a digital software marketplace.

Learn more at:

⁠⁠https://www.plcnext-community.net/news/synergy-edge-cloud/

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Connect with Jason on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonwattsae/

Connect with Phil on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philseboa/

Connect with Ed on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edfuentes/

Learn more about Alpha Industrial Technologies: http://www.alphaindustrial.us

Join host Ed and Phil as they explore how PLCnext Technology is redefining what industrial controllers can do, and why openness in automation is both a massive opportunity and a serious responsibility. Martin Boers, Technical Specialist at PLCnext Technology with Phoenix Contact, joins to discuss the origins of the PLCnext ecosystem, what IT/OT convergence really looks like on the plant floor, and how partnerships with companies like Festo and Yaskawa are shaping the future of automation platforms.

Key topics in this episode:

- The four pillars of PLCnext Technology: Control, Engineer, Store, and Community

- IT/OT convergence: LDAP, firewalls, certificates, and the EU Cyber Resilience Act

- Docker containers and the PLCnext Store app ecosystem

- PLCnext Technology partnerships and the all-electric society

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This episode is proudly made possible by PLCnext Technology

PLCnext Technology is the ecosystem for industrial automation consisting of open hardware, modular engineering software, a global community, and a digital software marketplace.

Learn more at:

⁠https://www.plcnext-community.net/news/synergy-edge-cloud/

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Connect with Martin on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mboers/

Connect with Phil on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/philseboa/

Connect with Ed on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/edfuentes/

Learn more about PLCnext Technology:

https://www.plcnext-community.net/

What happens when a controls engineer with 16 years of mining and manufacturing experience decides to build an AI-powered SoftPLC from scratch? In this episode, we find out.

Alex Sharikov, Founder of Jasper-X and creator of JasperNode, joins Phil Seboa and Ed Fuentes to share how he's enabling small manufacturers to program and troubleshoot their control systems using plain English, no PLC software required.

Key topics in this episode:

• Why 80% of Australian manufacturers struggle with automation support
• How JasperNode's "atomic and unambiguous logic" keeps AI reliable
• The shift from prompt engineering to context engineering in control systems
• Building a SoftPLC from scratch instead of patching AI onto existing platforms
• Why human-in-the-loop safety is non-negotiable for production environments

This episode is proudly made possible by PLCnext Technology

PLCnext Technology is the ecosystem for industrial automation consisting of open hardware, modular engineering software, a global community, and a digital software marketplace.

Learn more at:

https://www.plcnext-community.net/news/synergy-edge-cloud/

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Connect with Alex on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexander-sharikov/

Connect with Phil on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-seboa/

Connect with Ed on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ed-fuentes-2046121a/

Learn more about Jasper-X: https://jasperx.com.au

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About Industry Sage Media:

Industry Sage Media is the content creation company behind Unplugged: An IIoT Podcast. We help automation brands grow their reach, influence, and pipeline through expert-driven content.

Learn more at: http://www.industrysagemedia.com