Everyone is talking about industrial AI—but few are talking about the foundation it depends on.

In this episode of The Wrench Factor, host Nick Haase, Co-Founder of MaintainX, sits down with Ryan Kelly, Vice President of Technology at AMT, to explore why interoperability, shared data standards, and machine context are becoming critical building blocks for the next generation of manufacturing.

As AI adoption accelerates, manufacturers are discovering that collecting data isn't enough. Systems need to understand what that data means before AI can generate reliable insights.

Nick and Ryan discuss:

• Why AI in manufacturing is creating renewed interest in interoperability and standards like MTConnect
• What it means for machines and software to "speak the same language"
• Why context—not just data—is the key to trustworthy AI
• How manufacturers can build a stronger foundation before scaling AI across the enterprise
• Why interoperability is becoming a business priority, not just an engineering problem

The conversation also looks ahead to IMTS 2026 (September 14-19 in Chicago), where AI is set to be one of the biggest themes on the show floor—and why manufacturers with a solid data foundation will be best positioned to take advantage of it.

Whether you're leading maintenance, operations, or digital transformation, this episode offers a practical look at one of the most overlooked foundations of industrial AI.

AI is getting all the attention—but execution is where manufacturers win or lose.

In this episode of The Wrench Factor, host Nick Haase sits down with Vladimir Romanov, founder of Joltek and SolisPLC and co-host of Manufacturing Hub, to explore what it really takes to modernize manufacturing without losing sight of the realities of the plant floor.

Together, they unpack why AI has become an integration challenge rather than a technology challenge, how manufacturers can build the right operational foundation before chasing advanced capabilities, and why trust with frontline teams is just as important as the technology itself.

Nick and Vlad discuss:

• Why AI in manufacturing is now an execution problem—not a demo problem
• What it takes to be "AI-ready," from data foundations to modernization sequencing
• How to build trust with operators and drive lasting adoption
• The evolving skills engineers and technicians need as industrial AI advances

Whether you're leading maintenance, operations, automation, or digital transformation, this episode offers a practical roadmap for turning industrial technology into measurable operational outcomes.

Machine health is no longer just about catching failures before they happen.

In this episode of The Wrench Factor, host Nick Haase sits down with Elan Greenberg, CEO of Augury, to discuss how machine health, industrial AI, and workforce intelligence are reshaping the future of manufacturing.

Drawing from Augury's experience supporting manufacturers across 40 countries, Elan explains why the biggest challenge isn't collecting more data—it's building trust in the systems, insights, and people needed to act on it.

Nick and Elan explore:

• Why machine health is becoming a business-wide priority, not just a maintenance initiative

• What separates successful enterprise deployments from stalled pilot programs

• How manufacturers can break down data silos between machine health, operations, maintenance, and production systems

• Where AI is creating real value today—and where organizations are getting distracted by hype

• Why trust, adoption, and frontline buy-in matter more than technology alone

• How the "silver tsunami" of retirements is changing the workforce conversation

• Practical advice for leaders who feel behind on AI, predictive maintenance, and machine health

This conversation offers a practical look at what it takes to scale machine health across the enterprise—and how industrial leaders can use AI to help teams make better decisions, solve problems faster, and keep critical operations running.

Walker Reynolds, President of 4.0 Solutions, has spent 26 years in the trenches of industrial transformation — from salt mines and steel plants to tier one automotive and large-scale enterprise consulting. He's built one of the most active communities in the Industry 4.0 space with 14,000 students at IIoT.University and 8,000 members in his Discord server. And he just wrapped the second year of ProveIt!, the conference where vendors don't just pitch — they have to prove their technology works.

In this episode of The Wrench Factor, Walker lays out why so many digital transformation efforts are failing, what manufacturers need to change about how they think, and how to actually get started.

What we cover:
- What Walker observed at ProveIt! — and the massive gap between where manufacturers actually are vs. where the market is trying to take them
- Why companies keep trying to solve Industry 4.0 problems with Industry 3.0 thinking, and why that never works
- The spreadsheet question Walker asks every manufacturer he meets — and what the answer reveals about where your real problems are
- What Unified Namespace (UNS) is and why it's still the right foundation for your digital infrastructure
- The step-by-step path to becoming a digital company — from inventory to integration to iteration
- Why the manufacturers asking "where do I start?" are actually in a better position than they think

Key quote:
"Every spreadsheet is the solution to somebody's problem. One of the best places to inventory all your problems is to inventory all your spreadsheets." — Walker Reynolds

Resources mentioned:
4.0 Solutions YouTube Channel
IIoT.University — free IIoT mini course (10 videos)
IIoT.University/Discord — join 8,000+ members in the Industry 4.0 community
virtualfactory.online — see a live Unified Namespace in action

Timestamps:
00:00 — Intro & Walker's background
02:48 — What Walker observed at Prove It Year 2
06:56 — Why digital transformation efforts keep failing
10:00 — The spreadsheet question and how to inventory your problems
15:24 — What CMMS metrics like MTTR and MTBF reveal
16:00 — What is Unified Namespace (UNS)?
18:27 — How to get started: the step-by-step path to becoming a digital company

In this episode of The Wrench Factor, guest host Jake Hall (“The Manufacturing Millennial”) sits down with Audrey Van De Castle, Sr. Director of Operational Excellence Technology at Stanley Black & Decker, to explore what it actually takes to make digital transformation deliver value on the plant floor.

As manufacturing teams become more comfortable with data and digital tools, the challenge is no longer whether to adopt technology, but how to use it effectively. Audrey shares how her team builds systems that collect, contextualize, and visualize shop-floor data for both plant teams and leadership—and why technology alone isn’t enough.

Jake and Audrey discuss how COVID accelerated the shift to digital, why digitizing broken processes doesn’t fix performance, and what it takes to drive real adoption. They also share practical strategies to avoid “pilot purgatory,” rethink processes before adding tools, and make data accessible to frontline teams.

The conversation also covers maintenance enablement and how AI use cases like mining work order notes depend on accurate, trustworthy data.

In this episode of The Wrench Factor, host Nick Haase sits down with Isabel Jardine, Manager of Solution Consulting at MaintainX, to break down the real patterns behind maintenance performance.

After working with teams at every stage of maturity, Isabel has seen what separates reactive organizations from high-performing ones — and it’s rarely what people expect.

Together, Nick and Isabel explore:

• Why most maintenance transformations fail before software even matters
• The stages of maintenance maturity — and how to recognize where you are
• The behaviors, systems, and leadership decisions that actually move the needle
• Where TPM and CMMS fit (and where they don’t)
• What a realistic 90-day reset looks like for teams trying to level up

This conversation is a practical look at what changes first, what changes next, and what never works when building a modern, high-performing maintenance organization.

In this episode of The Wrench Factor, guest host Jake Hall, The Manufacturing Millennial, sits down with John Weiler, Associate Director of Sales at Boston Dynamics, to explore where robotics truly fits inside modern maintenance operations.

Maintenance leaders today face mounting pressure: labor shortages, aging assets, increasing safety expectations, and relentless uptime demands. Traditional inspection methods—manual walkdowns, paper checklists, inconsistent reporting—are starting to break under that weight.

The conversation goes beyond the “cool robot” factor to unpack:

• Where robotics delivers measurable operational value—and where it doesn’t
• The struggle to staff, standardize, or perform inspections safely
• How more frequent, consistent data collection changes reliability outcomes
• Why collecting thermal and visual data isn’t the hard part—and what separates teams that act on insights from those that drown in them
• Common misconceptions and adoption challenges

This episode is a grounded look at how robotics can support frontline teams, improve inspection consistency, and help build a more resilient, future-ready maintenance organization.

When companies have a new product idea, the path from concept to production isn’t always clear—and the decisions made early can make or break success.

In this live episode, Jake Hall (The Manufacturing Millennial) sits down with Rush LaSelle, CEO of Fathom Digital Manufacturing, to unpack how ideas actually make it onto the manufacturing floor—and ultimately into the hands of customers.

As one of the first touchpoints for companies bringing new products to life, Fathom helps teams navigate critical decisions around manufacturing processes, speed of iteration, cost vs. quality, and scalability. Rush shares insights from working with cutting-edge technologies like humanoid robotics, fast-paced innovation cycles, and global organizations pushing the limits of what’s possible.

The maintenance and reliability landscape is evolving fast, and few people have a clearer pulse on the industry than Greg Christensen, host of CMMSradio. In this episode of The Wrench Factor, host Nick Haase sits down with Greg to unpack what’s really happening across the CMMS and maintenance technology ecosystem.

Drawing from his many conversations with vendors, practitioners, and industry leaders, Greg shares what he’s seeing from both sides of the market: where vendors are innovating, where the ecosystem feels crowded or confusing, and what maintenance teams are actually asking for on the ground. The conversation dives into real-world pain points, shifting buyer expectations, and how the CMMS space has evolved.

We also look ahead. From predictions on where maintenance technology is headed to what Greg is most excited about as we move toward 2026, this episode offers a candid perspective on the state of the industry and what reliability leaders should be paying attention to next.

Follow CMMSradio on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cmmsradio/

Predictive maintenance has changed more in the last decade than in the previous forty.

In this episode of Wrench Factor, host Nick Haase sits down with Ryan Bowman, Chief Revenue Officer at Waites, and David Porter, Director of Reliability Services at Waites, to unpack the state of vibration monitoring today—and why it’s becoming a foundational tool for modern manufacturing.

Waites provides industrial wireless condition monitoring built for harsh environments, pairing rugged vibration and temperature sensors with AI-driven analytics and human reliability experts. Together, Nick, Ryan, and David break down what every plant leader, technician, and executive should understand about today’s vibration technology:

• The shift from monthly manual checks to continuous IoT monitoring
• Early signs your operation could benefit from modern vibration monitoring
• Real-world value of hourly data collection versus legacy intervals
• What to consider when evaluating systems
• How to turn integrations into a lasting efficiency lever, not a one-time IT project

Whether you’re new to vibration analysis or looking to strengthen your predictive maintenance strategy, this conversation delivers a clear view of where the industry is headed and how to prepare your plant for the next generation of reliability.