EnergyTech Podcast

EnergyTech Podcast

By Opsite EnergyTechnology
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EnergyTech Podcast episodes

  • You Can See the Alarm. Can You See the Response? | IGear + Ignition - Ep 115

    Industrial alarms make problems visible—but what happens after someone must respond?


    Celine Mbanasor, Director of Customer Success at IGear, joins Jeff Perry and Mike Flores live from ICC 2026 in Sacramento to explain how SQUEAKS helps industrial teams coordinate the human response after an alarm, event, material request, or operating issue is detected.


    Celine breaks down the gap between seeing an alarm and knowing who took ownership, how quickly they responded, what action they took, and how long resolution required. She also explains why too many notifications create alarm fatigue—and why targeted alerts, structured workflows, escalation, and measurable response data are essential for continuous improvement.


    The conversation also explores the relationship between operational response data and industrial AI. Celine explains why AI is only useful when the underlying information has trustworthy context and structure. IGear is working to make SQUEAKS data easier to query so teams can ask operational questions instead of relying only on dashboards and manual filtering.


    You’ll also hear a practical parts-replenishment example in which production demand, forklift assignments, escalating line-stop risk, and targeted notifications work together to keep material moving. Celine shares how IGear approaches proofs of value, integrator training, customer feedback, and its new SQUEAKS Ignition Module.


    IN THIS EPISODE


    ⚡ What happens between an Ignition alarm and final resolution

    ⚡ Alarm fatigue and the importance of targeted notifications

    ⚡ Creating ownership, escalation, and accountability

    ⚡ Turning human response into measurable operational intelligence

    ⚡ Why industrial AI needs structured, contextualized data

    ⚡ Asking operational questions instead of filtering dashboards

    ⚡ Predictive material replenishment and forklift deployment

    ⚡ Starting with one meaningful workflow and proving value

    ⚡ IGear’s integrator training and customer success model

    ⚡ The SQUEAKS Ignition Module and what comes next


    What is the hardest part of alarm response in your operation: reaching the right person, establishing ownership, coordinating the work, or learning from what happened?


    Subscribe to the Energy Tech Podcast, presented by OpSite Energy, for practical conversations about industrial technology, automation, AI, and digital transformation.



    00:00 Welcome from ICC 2026

    01:05 The Ignition community and conference takeaways

    01:29 Celine’s path from solutions engineering to customer success

    02:21 Closing the post-project customer success gap

    03:07 What IGear and SQUEAKS add to Ignition

    04:05 Alarm fatigue and targeted notifications

    05:16 Why industrial AI needs structured context

    06:30 Turning response history into operational intelligence

    07:01 Predictive parts replenishment and forklift response

    08:14 Listening to customers and building the right workflows

    09:40 Starting small and proving value

    11:05 Proofs of value and IGear’s integrator program

    11:51 Hands-on training and certification

    12:34 IGear’s industrial AI roadmap

    13:38 Connecting an LLM to the Ignition module

    14:13 Asking questions instead of filtering dashboards

    14:44 Testing new AI capabilities with customers

    15:12 How AI can strengthen customer success

    16:16 What changed for IGear between ICC appearances

    17:15 Building the SQUEAKS Ignition Module

    18:17 The Louisville Slugger and closing thoughts

    19:02 Final remarks


    # Resources and credits



    - [IGear](https://www.igear.com/)


    - [SQUEAKS Response Intelligence](https://www.igear.com/squeaks)


    - [SQUEAKS and Ignition](https://www.igear.com/ignition)


    - [SQUEAKS TTLS predictive parts replenishment](https://www.igear.com/predictive-parts-replenishment/ttls)


    - [Ignition Community Conference](https://icc.inductiveautomation.com/)


    - [OpSite Energy](https://opsiteenergy.com/)


    - [Listen to the Energy Tech Podcast](https://opsiteenergy.podbean.com/)


    **Music**


    “Fast Life” by Uygar Duzgun\

    Courtesy of Epidemic Sound\

    [https://www.epidemicsound.com/](https://www.epidemicsound.com/)


    #IndustrialAutomation #IgnitionSCADA #EnergyTechPodcast

    20 min
  • Inside the Ignition Firebrand Award-Winning Midstream SCADA Transformation - Ep. 114

    What does an ICC 2026 Discover Gallery Award-winning pipeline SCADA rebuild look like? Ryan Burris, SCADA Project Manager at MVP Holdings, joins Mike Flores at ICC 2026 to explain how the company replaced fragmented Wonderware and Geo SCADA systems with an API 1165-aligned Operational Intelligence Platform designed around the controller.


    Ryan walks through the decisions behind the rebuild: reusable UDTs, an API 1165-aligned HMI, Ignition Perspective, mobile-ready design, standardized alarms, and analytics embedded directly in operator workflows. He explains why quick min, max, and average views can help controllers understand their lines without leaving the main SCADA experience.


    The conversation also covers the value of learning from the Ignition community, designing with controller and field feedback, live line balancing, AI-assisted scripting and design, and what new AI capabilities inside Ignition could mean for future projects. Ryan reflects on the 2026 Discover Gallery win as a long-term goal and a north star for the rebuild.


    IN THIS EPISODE

    ⚡ Why the project earned a 2026 Discover Gallery Award

    ⚡ Replacing four legacy Wonderware and Geo SCADA systems

    ⚡ Building an enterprise pipeline SCADA platform from a blank slate

    ⚡ Structuring UDTs and alarms around API 1165 requirements

    ⚡ Designing a mobile-ready Ignition Perspective experience

    ⚡ Turning traditional SCADA into an Operational Intelligence Platform

    ⚡ Embedding min, max, average, and trend analytics for controllers

    ⚡ Using feedback from control-room and field teams

    ⚡ Bringing SCADA ownership and development in-house

    ⚡ Learning from the Ignition community

    ⚡ Using AI to review scripts and explore design options

    ⚡ What future AI capabilities could change inside Ignition


    If you were rebuilding a pipeline SCADA platform from scratch, what would you prioritize first: the data model, operator experience, analytics, alarm philosophy, or future scalability? Tell us in the comments.


    Subscribe to the Energy Tech Podcast, presented by OpSite Energy, for practical conversations about SCADA, industrial automation, oil and gas technology, operational intelligence, and the future of industrial AI.


    CHAPTERS

    00:00 Welcome to the Energy Tech Podcast

    00:17 Meet Ryan Burris of MVP Holdings

    00:50 Discovering ICC and the Ignition community

    01:49 Why Ignition keeps pushing the platform forward

    03:09 Winning a 2026 Discover Gallery Award

    04:32 Replacing four legacy pipeline SCADA systems

    05:51 UDTs, data structures, and system integration

    06:47 API 1165 alignment and mobile-ready design

    08:28 Using the ICC award as a project north star

    09:07 Sharing lessons with the oil and gas community

    10:07 Learning from other Ignition projects

    11:46 Putting analytics inside the controller workflow

    13:13 Designing from the operator’s point of view

    14:13 Working with field and control-room users

    15:08 Using AI for scripting, design, and future development

    17:10 Gratitude, education, and community takeaways

    18:11 From traditional SCADA to operational intelligence

    19:03 Closing thoughts from ICC 2026


    WEBSITES & RESOURCES


    Ignition Community Conference: https://icc.inductiveautomation.com

    API RP 1165 Pipeline SCADA Displays: https://www.apiwebstore.org/standards/1165


    Eclipse Sparkplug specification: https://sparkplug.eclipse.org/specification



    OpSite Energy: https://opsiteenergy.com/](https://opsiteenergy.com


    MUSIC

    “Fast Life” by Uygar Duzgun

    Courtesy of Epidemic Sound

    [https://www.epidemicsound.com/](https://www.epidemicsound.com)


    #scada #Ignition #DiscoverGallery

    20 min
  • Your AI Model Isn’t the Problem: Your Field Data Is - Andrew Hinz Ep. 113

    Your AI model may not be the problem. If field data is fragmented, inconsistent, and missing context, even the best industrial AI tools will struggle to deliver value.


    Recorded live at the 2026 ENTELEC Fall Seminar in Odessa, Texas, AUTOSOL Senior Manager of Digital Operations Andrew Hinz joins Mike Flores to explain why oil and gas AI readiness starts at the edge. They break down clean field data, contextualization, Unified Namespace (UNS), MQTT, the OT data layer, and the path from proof of concept to production.


    Andrew explains how a dedicated OT data pipeline can serve SCADA, PI System and historian teams, Databricks, measurement, leak detection, and other internal consumers from one trusted data foundation. He also discusses AUTOSOL’s role in industrial data transport, AI-assisted implementation, zero-trust OT security, and the practical limits of autonomous agents at the wellsite.


    IN THIS EPISODE

    ⚡ Why AI readiness is often a data problem—not a model problem

    ⚡ Cleaning, normalizing, and contextualizing data at the edge

    ⚡ Building a Unified Namespace strategy that teams can actually implement

    ⚡ Why an OT data layer needs clear ownership and governance

    ⚡ Using MQTT for faster, higher-resolution field data

    ⚡ How AUTOSOL helps operators accelerate industrial data projects

    ⚡ Designing proofs of concept with measurable business outcomes

    ⚡ Testing pilots across multiple sites before scaling

    ⚡ Keeping more tools inside the process-control network

    ⚡ Why autonomous AI agents at the edge may still be years away

    ⚡ Aligning SCADA, automation, telecom, PI, and analytics teams


    What is the biggest AI-readiness bottleneck in your operation: raw field data, missing context, unclear ownership, or getting a pilot to scale? Tell us in the comments.


    Subscribe to the Energy Tech Podcast, presented by OpSite Energy, for practical conversations about industrial AI, oil and gas automation, SCADA, MQTT, cybersecurity, and the future of operational technology.


    CHAPTERS

    00:00 Welcome and guest introduction

    00:46 AI readiness begins with clean edge data

    02:48 Contextualization and a Unified Namespace strategy

    03:28 Who should own AI-ready operational data?

    04:28 Building a dedicated OT data layer

    05:43 Is your field data really clean?

    07:24 AUTOSOL’s role in industrial data transport

    08:50 AI accelerators and faster implementation

    09:30 Turning clean data into business outcomes

    11:28 Practical AI for production and OT teams

    12:50 Zero trust inside the control network

    13:39 When edge AI agents make economic sense

    15:24 Escaping proof-of-concept purgatory

    18:06 Shared data ownership across OT teams

    19:22 Governing and implementing a Unified Namespace

    21:18 Why MQTT needs a business outcome

    22:38 Aligning SCADA, automation, and telecom

    23:37 Closing thoughts from ENTELEC


    WEBSITES & RESOURCES

    AUTOSOL: [https://autosoln.com/](https://autosoln.com)



    2026 ENTELEC Fall Seminar: https://www.entelec.org/event/2026-entelec-fall-seminar](https://www.entelec.org/event/2026-entelec-fall-seminar


    AI-Ready at the Wellsite session overview: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/entelec-association_ai-data-entelec-activity-7491178421973041152-Fjva


    MQTT: (https://mqtt.org)


    OpSite Energy:(https://opsiteenergy.com)




    MUSIC

    “Fast Life” by Uygar Duzgun

    Courtesy of Epidemic Sound

    (https://www.epidemicsound.com)


    #IndustrialAI #OilAndGas #UnifiedNamespace

    25 min
  • Industrial AI Won’t Reduce Downtime Without This - Nick Haus Ep. 112

    Why does industrial downtime stay high even after companies invest in sensors, SCADA, automation, and AI? MaintainX co-founder Nick Haase joins Mike Flores at ICC 2026 to explain why industrial teams need an action layer that turns equipment data into frontline maintenance work.


    Recorded at the Ignition Community Conference in Sacramento, this conversation covers industrial AI, CMMS adoption, reliability, interoperability, and event-based maintenance. Nick explains how trusted operational context can connect MaintainX with Ignition, SAP, ERP systems, MQTT, and other plant tools—while making the frontline experience easier to use.


    Mike also shares examples from an oil and gas deployment that expanded from one plant to six and cut roughly 2.5 hours of manual entry from a 12-hour operator shift. The episode explores preserving tribal knowledge, shortening troubleshooting time, and building AI workflows that are useful, safe, and grounded in trusted data.


    IN THIS EPISODE

    ⚡ Why industrial companies have an execution problem—not a sensing problem

    ⚡ Turning dashboards and alerts into frontline maintenance action

    ⚡ Breaking down silos across controls, reliability, operations, and finance

    ⚡ Building CMMS adoption from the frontline up

    ⚡ Connecting MaintainX with Ignition, SAP, ERP systems, APIs, and MQTT

    ⚡ Moving from time-based to event-based and condition-based maintenance

    ⚡ Preserving tribal knowledge as experienced technicians retire

    ⚡ Using trusted industrial AI to speed troubleshooting across plants

    ⚡ MaintainX’s roadmap for agentic workflows and the Autodesk ecosystem


    Where does your reliability process break down most often: sensing the problem, adding context, or getting the right action to the frontline team? Tell us in the comments.


    Subscribe to the Energy Tech Podcast, presented by OpSite Energy, for practical conversations about industrial AI, automation, reliability, energy technology, and frontline operations.


    CHAPTERS

    00:00 Welcome to the Energy Tech Podcast

    00:14 Meet MaintainX co-founder Nick Haase

    00:42 Deploying MaintainX in energy and oil and gas

    01:20 Why sensing is not the real problem

    03:13 Reliability gaps and organizational silos

    04:24 AI readiness, labor shortages, and aging assets

    05:39 The next workforce’s digital expectations

    06:38 Jetsons equipment and Flintstones workflows

    07:21 Adoption, interoperability, and open APIs

    09:02 Why digital adoption must start on the frontline

    10:19 How one MaintainX deployment expanded to six plants

    11:41 Maintenance management and SAP integration

    12:36 Connecting technicians, finance, and systems of record

    13:41 Ignition, MQTT, and event-based maintenance

    14:56 Moving beyond calendar-based maintenance

    16:03 Recovering 2.5 hours in a 12-hour shift

    18:07 MaintainX’s industrial AI vision

    19:53 Why industrial AI must use trusted data

    20:37 Turning a two-hour investigation into a 15-minute fix

    21:19 MaintainX’s agentic workflow roadmap

    23:24 MaintainX, Ignition, and the Autodesk opportunity

    24:18 Closing thoughts from ICC 2026


    WEBSITES & RESOURCES

    MaintainX: [https://www.getmaintainx.com/](https://www.getmaintainx.com)



    Ignition Community Conference: (https://inductiveautomation.com/ignition)

    MaintainX API documentation: (https://www.epidemicsound.com/](https://www.epidemicsound.com)


    #IndustrialAI #MaintainX #MaintenanceManagement

    26 min
  • Ignition 2027: AI Agents, 10× Faster Historians and What Comes Next - Ep 110

    What does Ignition 2027 mean for industrial AI, SCADA teams, and large-scale operations? Kevin McClusky, Chief Technology Architect at Inductive Automation, joins Jeff Perry and Mike Flores at the OpSite Energy Control Center in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, to break down the major announcements from ICC 2026.


    Kevin explains the Inductive Automation and Tiger Data partnership, the new Enterprise Historian Module for TimescaleDB, and benchmark targets that could reshape how large industrial systems store and retrieve time-series data. The conversation explores how greater historian scale can support richer analysis and help organizations prepare operational data for AI.


    They also examine Ignition Catalyst, including Catalyst Core, AI-assisted development, diagnostics, and the Catalyst Agent Module. Kevin shares practical examples for custom agents, alarm analysis, operator questions, drilling and completions, exploration, leak detection, and well optimization.


    The discussion goes beyond tools. Kevin explains why normalized data, trustworthy context, technical infrastructure, and organizational willingness all determine whether a promising demonstration becomes a sustainable production deployment. They also discuss why MQTT Sparkplug and OPC UA serve different roles—and why Ignition intends to support both.


    IN THIS EPISODE

    ⚡ Major announcements from ICC 2026 and Ignition 2027

    ⚡ The Tiger Data partnership and TimescaleDB for Ignition

    ⚡ Enterprise historian scale, retrieval speed, and compression

    ⚡ Why more data can create a higher-fidelity operational picture

    ⚡ Catalyst Core, AI-assisted development, and diagnostics

    ⚡ Building custom agents with the Catalyst Agent Module

    ⚡ Alarm analysis and plain-language operational insights

    ⚡ AI opportunities in drilling, completions, exploration, and production

    ⚡ Trustworthy context, normalized data, and AI readiness

    ⚡ Why MQTT Sparkplug and OPC UA are complementary

    ⚡ The technology and organizational gaps that derail production deployments

    ⚡ Leak detection, well optimization, and the next wave of industrial AI


    Which Ignition 2027 capability could create the most value for your operation: AI-assisted engineering, enterprise historian scale, or custom operational agents? Tell us in the comments.


    Subscribe to the Energy Tech Podcast, presented by OpSite Energy, for practical conversations about industrial technology, AI, automation, and digital transformation across energy and critical infrastructure.


    CHAPTERS

    00:00 Kevin McClusky joins the Energy Tech Podcast

    01:03 ICC 2026 takeaways

    03:18 The Ignition community and ecosystem

    05:07 Why Inductive Automation partnered with Tiger Data

    07:32 Enterprise Historian performance and compression

    09:04 Data quantity, quality, and AI readiness

    11:28 Choosing the right historian tier

    13:49 Why Inductive Automation built Catalyst

    15:20 Catalyst Core, diagnostics, and agents

    16:41 AI-assisted development inside Ignition

    18:47 Why Catalyst Core is included with Ignition

    20:34 Communicating AI value to industrial customers

    23:17 Building custom agents inside Ignition

    24:30 Alarm analysis and operator insights

    26:27 AI agents for drilling, completions, and exploration

    30:32 Trustworthy context and normalized industrial data

    33:47 MQTT, OPC UA, legacy assets, and the UNS

    40:00 Why impressive demos fail in production

    41:33 Technology barriers and organizational politics

    45:56 Consensus without agreement

    47:20 Ignition as a technology tipping point

    48:34 The next two years of industrial AI

    50:08 Leak detection and well optimization

    52:15 Closing thoughts


    WEBSITES AND RESOURCES\

    Inductive Automation: [https://inductiveautomation.com/](https://inductiveautomation.com/)


    Ignition 2027 preview: [https://pages.inductiveautomation.com/ignition-2027](https://pages.inductiveautomation.com/ignition-2027)


    Ignition Catalyst: [https://links.inductiveautomation.com/blog/ignition-catalyst-our-safetyfirst-approach-to-ai-in-ignition-2027](https://links.inductiveautomation.com/blog/ignition-catalyst-our-safetyfirst-approach-to-ai-in-ignition-2027)


    Tiger Data: [https://www.tigerdata.com/](https://www.tigerdata.com)


    OpSite Energy: [https://opsiteenergy.com/](https://opsiteenergy.com)


    Listen to the EnergyTech Podcast: [https://opsiteenergy.podbean.com](https://opsiteenergy.podbean.com)


    MUSIC

    “Fast Life” by Uygar Duzgun

    Courtesy of Epidemic Sound

    [https://www.epidemicsound.com](https://www.epidemicsound.com)


    #IndustrialAI #IgnitionSCADA #EnergyTechPodcast

    54 min
  • SCADA, Edge AI & Low-Bandwidth Video | Videosoft Global - Ep109

    Live video can overwhelm the same low-bandwidth networks that carry SCADA data. Stewart McCone, CEO of Videosoft Global, joins host Mike Flores to explain how video compression and efficient transmission can make remote video monitoring practical for oil and gas operators.


    Recorded at the 2026 ENTELEC Fall Seminar in Odessa, Texas, this conversation explores getting useful live video from remote facilities while managing limited network capacity. Stewart describes a 30,000-camera project for a major U.S. midstream company and shares what has changed since his last appearance on the Energy Tech Podcast.


    They also discuss integrating with existing cameras and video management systems (VMS), securing video feeds, and expanding remote visibility through drones and mobile devices. Stewart outlines Videosoft’s plans to develop AI features with partners and explores where edge processing could help.


    IN THIS EPISODE


    ⚡ Video compression for constrained SCADA and satellite networks

    ⚡ Managing latency, buffering, and unreliable connections

    ⚡ Video security, encryption, and certificate management

    ⚡ Integration with existing cameras and legacy VMS platforms

    ⚡ Potential edge AI and optical gas imaging applications

    ⚡ BVLOS drones, mobile video, and site-based proofs of concept


    What’s the biggest obstacle to live video at your remote sites: bandwidth, reliability, security, or legacy integration? Tell us in the comments.


    Subscribe to the Energy Tech Podcast, presented by OpSite Energy, for conversations with the people building and using technology across oil and gas, energy, and critical infrastructure.


    CHAPTERS


    00:00 Welcome from ENTELEC in Odessa

    01:16 What Videosoft does for low-bandwidth video

    02:11 Video as operational information

    04:24 Growth after a 30,000-camera deployment

    06:25 Avoiding video bottlenecks on SCADA networks

    08:09 Unstable links, buffering, and packet loss

    09:52 Video security, encryption, and certificates

    11:51 Edge AI and Videosoft’s development plans

    13:19 Optical gas imaging and edge processing

    14:23 Integrating with legacy cameras and VMS

    16:09 BVLOS drones and mobile video

    18:06 Starting a proof of concept

    19:20 What’s next for Videosoft in 2027

    20:16 Upstream applications and closing thoughts


    WEBSITES & RESOURCES


    Videosoft Global: https://www.videosoftglobal.com/

    Videosoft for energy and oil & gas: https://www.videosoftglobal.com/industries/energy/

    How Videosoft works: https://www.videosoftglobal.com/solutions/how-does-it-work/

    ENTELEC: https://www.entelec.org/

    OpSite Energy: https://opsiteenergy.com/

    Listen to the Energy Tech Podcast: https://opsiteenergy.podbean.com/


    MUSIC


    “Fast Life” by Uygar Duzgun

    Courtesy of Epidemic Sound

    https://www.epidemicsound.com/


    #SCADA #OilAndGas #EnergyTechPodcast

    22 min
  • CSIA Certification: What It Means for System Integrators - Ep 108

    CSIA helps system integrators build stronger businesses and earn lasting customer trust. At ICC 2026 in Sacramento, Adrienne Meyer, CEO of the Control System Integrators Association, joins host Mike Flores to discuss the business practices behind a dependable industrial automation partner.


    From project management and customer relationships to third-party audits and certification, Adrienne explains how CSIA supports integration companies as they grow. She also shares why experienced firms continue getting recertified, how integrators learn from each other’s mistakes, and where AI fits into improving their businesses and helping customers.


    In this conversation:


    ⚡ CSIA’s mission to help system integrators run better businesses

    ⚡ Best practices for project management, finance, cybersecurity, and growth

    ⚡ What CSIA certification means for integrators and their customers

    ⚡ Training, special interest groups, and collaboration across the automation industry

    ⚡ Lessons from costly automation mistakes

    ⚡ Exploring AI for business efficiency and customer applications


    Whether you run a system integration company or choose partners for SCADA and industrial automation projects, this episode explores what supports a strong working relationship over the long haul.


    The Energy Tech Podcast is presented by OpSite Energy. Subscribe for practical conversations with the people building and using industrial technology.


    What matters most when you choose a system integrator? Share your experience in the comments.


    WEBSITES & RESOURCES


    CSIA — Control System Integrators Association:

    [https://controlsys.org/](https://controlsys.org/)


    CSIA Membership:

    [https://controlsys.org/join/](https://controlsys.org/join/)


    CSIA 2027 Conference — April 27–30, Nashville:

    [https://controlsys.org/upcoming-events/2027-csia-conference-home/](https://controlsys.org/upcoming-events/2027-csia-conference-home/)


    OpSite Energy:

    [https://opsiteenergy.com/](https://opsiteenergy.com/)


    Ignition by Inductive Automation:

    [https://inductiveautomation.com/](https://inductiveautomation.com/)


    CHAPTERS


    00:00 Welcome to ICC 2026 and Adrienne Meyer

    01:02 First impressions of ICC and the Ignition community

    03:22 CSIA’s mission: Helping integrators run better businesses

    06:12 CSIA Best Practices and Benchmarks

    07:36 CSIA certification, audits, and customer trust

    10:43 Why experienced integrators keep getting recertified

    11:47 Training, special interest groups, and partner support

    12:52 The CSIA conference and integrator collaboration

    14:45 Learning from costly automation mistakes

    16:24 AI for integrator efficiency and customer value

    17:22 How to get involved with CSIA


    Music: Uygar Duzgun / “Fast Life” courtesy of [www.epidemicsound.com](https://www.epidemicsound.com)


    #CSIA #SystemIntegration #IndustrialAutomation #Ignition #EnergyTechPodcast

    19 min
  • Why Smart Companies Make Bad Technology Decisions | Rich Tarity - Ep 107

    Why do smart companies still make bad technology decisions? Richard “Rich” Tarity, founder and CEO of truCX and author of The Intelligence Within, joins Jeff Perry and Mike Flores to discuss digital transformation, AI, and the costly gap between assumptions and evidence.


    Recorded from the OpSite Energy Control Center in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, with Rich joining remotely, this conversation explores why technology selection should begin with understanding the business. Rich explains how structured discovery, frontline knowledge, and stakeholder alignment can help teams define the right problem before choosing a platform.


    For leaders in oil and gas, utilities, and industrial operations, the discussion connects these ideas to technology projects, procurement, change management, and the pressure to deliver value faster. Rich also shares his vision for using AI and connected business data to uncover friction points while keeping human judgment central.


    IN THIS EPISODE

    ⚡ Why digital transformation projects struggle before implementation

    ⚡ The hidden cost of treating assumptions as requirements

    ⚡ Tapping into frontline expertise and tribal knowledge

    ⚡ Why meetings and consensus do not always create alignment

    ⚡ Using structured discovery to build clearer technology requirements

    ⚡ Lessons from a utility company’s discovery and procurement process

    ⚡ AI as an amplifier of human thinking and decision-making

    ⚡ Continuous improvement and the demand for faster results


    What slows technology decisions down most in your organization: unclear requirements, internal alignment, or vendor selection? Tell us in the comments.


    Subscribe to the Energy Tech Podcast for practical conversations about technology, AI, and digital transformation across energy and industrial operations.


    CHAPTERS

    00:00 Welcome and introduction to Richard Tarity

    02:02 Rich’s background and The Intelligence Within

    03:54 Why digital transformation projects fail

    06:33 Who should be involved in technology decisions?

    11:37 Assumptions, frontline expertise, and tribal knowledge

    16:52 Why meetings do not guarantee alignment

    19:48 Anonymous feedback and employee buy-in

    22:52 Flawed discovery and connecting business data

    25:17 The truCX discovery framework and AI roadmap

    30:28 Applying discovery to energy and industrial projects

    37:06 Speed, AI, and adapting to change

    39:26 Turning business data into actionable signals

    42:25 Discover first, decide second

    43:54 Continuous improvement and future benchmarking

    46:47 AI as an amplifier of human intelligence

    49:15 A new generation of technology buyers

    53:40 Where to find Rich, truCX, and the book


    WEBSITES & RESOURCES


    truCX: https://trucx.net/

    Richard Tarity: https://richardtarity.com/

    The Intelligence Within on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Intelligence-Within-Organizations-Breaking-Complex/dp/B0FCCRD3H2

    Richard Tarity on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rtarity/

    OpSite Energy: https://opsiteenergy.com/

    Listen to the EnergyTech Podcast: https://opsiteenergy.podbean.com/


    MUSIC

    “Fast Life” by Uygar Duzgun

    Courtesy of Epidemic Sound

    https://www.epidemicsound.com/


    #DigitalTransformation #ArtificialIntelligence #EnergyTechPodcast

    57 min
  • Claude Code for SCADA: Ignition, MCP & Industrial AI - Ep 106

    Claude Code, Ignition SCADA, and industrial AI are changing how automation projects get built. Jonathan Hottell of Proton Automation joins host Mike Flores at ENTELEC to discuss his experience building SCADA systems with Claude Code and developing an MCP server for Ignition.


    They explore why MQTT, open standards, and a unified namespace matter for bringing context to industrial data—and why that foundation matters for AI readiness in oil and gas. Jonathan also shares what changed his mind about AI and why faster development still requires engineering judgment and production testing.


    The conversation covers:

    • Using Claude Code and MCP with Ignition

    • MQTT adoption, legacy RTUs, and vendor lock-in

    • Unified namespace and contextualized SCADA data

    • AI’s role in supporting SCADA developers

    • The gap between a fast prototype and a production-ready system

    • Potential applications in alarm management and production forecasting

    • Local AI models, data security, and edge computing

    • A preview of Jonathan’s Ignition Oil and Gas Collective presentation


    Subscribe to the Energy Tech Podcast for conversations with the people building and using technology across oil and gas.


    Where would AI make the biggest difference in your SCADA workflow: development, alarm management, or data analysis? Let us know in the comments.


    CHAPTERS

    00:00 Welcome and Jonathan Hottell introduction

    01:13 MQTT adoption and legacy RTUs

    03:08 Open standards and vendor lock-in

    04:28 Unified namespace and AI-ready data

    06:53 AI agents and the pace of change

    07:42 Ignition MCP and building SCADA with Claude Code

    09:06 Will AI replace SCADA developers?

    12:20 From AI prototype to production-ready software

    12:58 Ignition Oil and Gas Collective preview

    15:40 Industrial AI use cases and sandbox testing

    17:52 Local AI models and data security

    20:41 Data orchestration, FlowFuse, and Node-RED

    22:04 Edge computing and smaller AI models

    23:47 OpSite alarm management and closing thoughts


    Music: “Fast Life” by Uygar Duzgun

    Courtesy of Epidemic Sound

    https://www.epidemicsound.com


    #SCADA #Ignition #IndustrialAI

    26 min
  • Coreflux + Ignition: Industrial Data Integration with MQTT - Ep 105

    How can industrial data move from PLCs and SCADA into business systems, cloud platforms, and AI workflows? Coreflux co-founder and CEO Hugo Vaz joins the Energy Tech Podcast to discuss MQTT, Ignition integration, and the Language of Things.

    Recorded at ICC 2026 in Sacramento, this conversation explores how Coreflux grew out of the frustrations of hands-on systems integration—and how its approach helps teams connect equipment, transform data, and build repeatable workflows.

    Host Mike Flores and Hugo discuss practical examples involving legacy systems, oil and gas operations, SAP, Snowflake, and Kafka. They also explore data governance and controlling what connected devices, applications, and AI agents can access or write.

    IN THIS EPISODE

    • Why Hugo helped build Coreflux after working as an integrator

    • MQTT, Sparkplug B, and unified namespace concepts

    • The Language of Things: actions, models, rules, and routes

    • Connecting legacy equipment and adding context to industrial data

    • Potential applications for drilling, completions, and distributed energy operations

    • Repeatable deployments using LoT Notebooks, VS Code, and Cursor

    • Connecting Ignition SCADA with SAP and other enterprise systems

    • Streaming data to Snowflake, Kafka, and cloud services

    • Reducing repetitive integration work while maintaining customization

    • Data governance and access controls for devices, applications, and AI agents

    If you work in SCADA, industrial automation, OT, systems integration, or energy operations, this episode offers a practical look at connecting field data with the rest of the business.

    CHAPTERS

    00:00 Welcome to the Energy Tech Podcast

    01:02 Hugo’s First ICC: Collaboration and the Ignition Ecosystem

    04:03 Why Coreflux Was Built: An Integrator’s Frustration

    06:42 MQTT Integration and the Language of Things

    09:33 Actions, Models, Rules, and Data Governance

    12:17 Routes, Legacy Systems, and Sparkplug B

    15:05 Oil and Gas Applications: Drilling, Completions, and Edge Data

    18:33 LoT Notebooks and Repeatable Deployments

    19:15 Coreflux Hub and Developer Tools

    21:24 Connecting Coreflux, Ignition, and SAP

    23:36 Snowflake, Kafka, Cloud Connectivity, and Scaling

    25:21 REST APIs and AI-Assisted Connector Development

    26:27 Reducing ETL Work and Time to Value

    28:15 Final Takeaways and Closing

    GUEST

    Hugo Vaz — Co-Founder & CEO, Coreflux

    HOST

    Mike Flores

    PRODUCTION

    Jeff Perry

    PRESENTED BY

    OpSite Energy — Insight Driven Remote Optimization

    EXPLORE MORE

    Coreflux: https://www.coreflux.org/

    Coreflux LoT Templates: https://templates.coreflux.org/

    OpSite Energy: https://www.opsiteenergy.com/

    Subscribe to the Energy Tech Podcast for conversations about industrial automation, modern SCADA, operational data, and technology in the energy industry.

    What is the hardest integration in your operation today? Tell us in the comments.

    #MQTT #IgnitionSCADA #IndustrialAutomation

    29 min

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Energy Innovation meets Industrial Technology: There is finally a podcast that balances technical depth with real-world applicability for field teams, operations groups, and senior leaders who want to…