Automate Coverage Paused
I have been captured by the drama of the FIFA World Cup. Having the World Cup in my time zone, having been a soccer referee for more than 30 years, and unable to focus on automation, I've found myself sucked into Soccer/Football. The games have been great. The players...
MESA International Closes Doors
I received two not wholly unexpected emails today from an organization with whom I’ve been affiliated and one I devoted much work in the past—MESA International Also known as the Manufacturing Execution Systems Association and the Manufacturing Enterprise Resources...
Tech-Clarity Open Survey on The Business Value and Evolution of MES and AI
Before I could compile all my news from last week, a subsequent news item superseded this one. Long-time partners The Manufacturing Enterprise Solutions Association International (MESA) and Tech-Clarity, Inc. are once again teaming up for an important survey on...
Om Malik
I would guess that few readers know Om Malik. I began reading and appreciating his writing about 30 years ago. I didn’t realize then that he was only a kid. He wrote for Red Herring and Business 2.0. An early blogger, he turned his blog, GigaOm, into a business. He...
Automate 2026
I’ve lost a day’s productivity today driving into Chicago and back home. The backlog of company news continues to stack. I’ll tackle it tomorrow. First some impressions. I can’t believe how large the show was this year. Someone told me it was a result of consolidating...
Podcast 277—An Integrator’s View of Applying AI
Nothing in industrial technology news annoys me more than the hype around artificial intelligence—AI. I recorded this podcast on the eve of the Automate trade show and conference in June 2026. Looking to for realistic use of Industrial AI, I’m bringing in an interview...
Rockwell Automation Introduces FactoryTalk ResilientEdge to Enable Autonomous, Scalable Manufacturing Operations
Rockwell Automation ’s software group has undergone substantial change over the past few years. It seems to have settled into a groove lately. I’d imagine that its story at this year’s Automation Fair in November in Boston should be interesting. The TL;DR of today’s...
Industrial manufacturing: US Deals 2026 midyear outlook
PwC sends regular merger and acquisition and related reports. This update seems timely as I’ve heard from a number of companies restructuring. It’s been some time since I attended a Hexagon conference where they announced spinning off manufacturing software now known...
The Algorithm of Elon Musk
Given my interests about manufacturing, Lean, strategy, leadership—and dealing with strong bosses with mental health issues—I couldn’t resist reading a promo copy of a book covering all of those. And, recommending it. Go, get the book, study it with your team. It's...
AI, God, and the Pope
Secularism, scientism, rationalist Richard Dawkins wants to end any influence of “religion.” In doing so, he actually tries to start a new religion. This new secular religion most likely began with French philosopher and mathematician René Descartes. The coterie of...
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