In episode 10 of the podcast (@AugmentedPod), the topic is: A Brief History of Manufacturing Software. Our guest is Rick Bullotta, Partner, TwinThread and co-founder, ThingWorx

In this conversation, we talk about how Rick has shaped manufacturing software history, and the lessons learned from being an early employee of Wonderware, the famous precursor to manufacturing automation, back in 1993, a company first sold to British engineering giant Siebe in 1998 which merged with BTR to form Inventsys, which, in turn merged with French multinational Schneider Electric, and later the CTO. Rick Bullotta was also the co-founder of Lighthammer Software which was later acquired by SAP, then in 2009 founding ThingWorx, the first complete, end-to-end technology platform designed for the industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) which was acquired by PTC in 2003. We also touch on his current advice to founders in the industrial space, his board role at Tulip, and what he sees lie ahead for the industry.

After listening to this episode, check out Thingworx as well as Rick Bullotta's social profile.

• Thingworx: https://www.ptc.com/en/resources/iiot/product-brief/thingworx-platform
• Rick Bullotta: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rickbullotta/

Trond's takeaway: Wonderware, Lighthammer, and ThingWorx are prominent parts of manufacturing software history, and there's a chance that the 4th company he now is involved with, Tulip, also will be. I do things with things, is Rick Bullotta's motto. The things he does, he does them well, and it is an internet of things, more than anything else. I, for one, am eagerly listening to what he predicts will happen next.

Thanks for listening. If you liked the show, subscribe at Augmentedpodcast.co or in your preferred podcast player, and rate us with five stars. If you liked this episode, you might also like episode 4: A Renaissance of Manufacturing, or episode 5: Plug-and-Play Industrial Tech. Augmented--the industry 4.0 podcast.

Special Guest: Rick Bullotta.