Live from ICC 2025 in Sacramento, Mike chats with systems engineer Adrian Harvey about why this year’s conference feels different—new venue, the Ignition 8.3 release, and a “Prove It” momentum. Adrian walks through a clever Maker Edition inventory app at home (inspired by warehouse projects) and then dives into real-world industrial wins: migrating a fully proprietary RNG plant to Ignition without server credentials, unifying multi-site operations that run different processes, and accelerating delivery with UDTs, PlantPAx structures, and—when needed—MQTT/Sparkplug B. She also shares a rail-facility story that went from zero to a full Ignition platform (plus Perspective mobile apps) in roughly six weeks. The conversation closes on AI: why Model Context Protocol (MCP) excites her, practical MCP prompts for BOM/inventory reconciliation, and potential applications for alarm management in energy.
- ICC 2025 “level up”: venue scale, Ignition 8.3, and hands-on “prove it” culture
- Practical migration playbook: document legacy screens → map process → leverage UDTs/OPC → use MQTT/Sparkplug B when protocols block you
- Operator-first design: iterate live, maintain consistent layouts, standardize across sites even if processes differ
- Speed matters: small teams + clear outcomes + reusable structures = weeks, not months
- MCP/AI isn’t hype if scoped to workflows (BOM checks, purchasing, alarm management assistance)
Useful links (mentioned or contextually relevant)
Ignition by Inductive Automation: https://inductiveautomation.com/ignition
Ignition Perspective Module: https://inductiveautomation.com/ignition/modules/perspective
Ignition Maker Edition: https://inductiveautomation.com/maker-edition
ICC (Ignition Community Conference): https://icc.inductiveautomation.com/
MQTT (protocol): https://mqtt.org/
Sparkplug Specification (Eclipse Foundation): https://sparkplug.eclipse.org/
4.0 Solutions (the “Prove It” vibe): https://www.4.0solutions.com/
Model Context Protocol (MCP): https://modelcontextprotocol.io/
00:10 – Welcome to Energy Tech Podcast; guest intro (Adrian Harvey) & ICC 2025 vibes
01:03 – Why ICC 2025 feels “leveled up”: new venue, Ignition 8.3, “Prove It” flavor, and podcast on site
02:12 – What Adrian hopes to get from ICC; differences from her 2023 Build-a-Thon experience
03:28 – Adrian’s Edge Theater talk: Maker Edition inventory app (home electronics “bits & bobs”)
04:47 – From warehouse automation ideas to a home AS/RS concept & very “loud/easy” UI choices
05:09 – Pivot to industry work: bridging tech & energy (oil & gas, RNG, landfill gas, data centers)
06:14 – Case study: migrating a proprietary RNG plant to Ignition (no server passwords!)
07:57 – Standardizing multi-site ops in Ignition despite differing processes (membranes, bio-reactors, water)
09:11 – Using UDTs/PlantPAx structures; when to lean on MQTT & Sparkplug B to unlock data
13:52 – Rail facility story: from zero to full Ignition platform + Perspective mobile apps in ~6 weeks
15:11 – Iterative UI with operators; fast feedback, alignment/consistency obsession in Designer
16:13 – How Adrian frames new projects: work backwards, small teams, rapid iteration
19:26 – Three essentials before “doing Ignition”: shared vocabulary, scoped expectations, relevant possibilities
21:14 – “What can Ignition do for me?”—tailoring the pitch to context (MES, historian, WMS, tracking, etc.)
22:37 – AI & MCP: why Adrian’s excited; OpenAI DevDay 2023 anecdote
22:48 – MCP example: BOM prompts against inventory, web price checks, and energy alarm-management ideas
23:39 – Wrap-up & sign-off
