Unplugged: An IIoT Podcast

Most industrial data projects fail before they start. The data is clean, the tools are connected, and the dashboards look great. But nobody can explain why the production line dropped 12% last Tuesday. The missing piece is human context.
Bob van de Kuilen, CEO and co-founder of Thred, joins Phil Seboa to explain why knowledge graphs fill the gap that the Unified Namespace leaves open, and how pairing them with AI turns weeks of troubleshooting into minutes.
Key topics in this episode:
Why machine context alone cannot make industrial data meaningful
How knowledge graphs go beyond UNS to connect cross-functional perspectives
A hydraulic failure diagnosed in three minutes instead of two weeks
The knowing-doing gap that keeps factories stuck despite having the right tools
Why throwing an LLM over raw data without a knowledge graph causes hallucinations

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This episode is proudly made possible by PLCnext Technology
PLCnext Technology is the ecosystem for industrial automation consisting of open hardware, modular engineering software, a global community, and a digital software marketplace.

Learn more at:
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.plcnext-community.net/news/synergy-edge-cloud/⁠⁠

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Connect with Bob on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bob-van-de-kuilen-a531403/

Connect with Phil on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philseboa/

Connect with Ed on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edfuentes/

Learn more about Thred: https://thredcloud.com

Containerization is quietly reshaping how factories deploy and manage software, but most OT teams never asked for it. In this episode powered by PLCnext Technology, we explore why containers matter for manufacturing and how to adopt them without the complexity.
Neil Cresswell, Founder and CEO of Portainer, joins Phil Seboa and Ed Fuentes to discuss how his platform went from an IT tool to a factory floor essential, and why the technology behind it should be invisible to the people using it.
Key topics in this episode:
How Portainer evolved from an IT tool to an industrial platform
Why containers and Kubernetes are reshaping factory software deployment
The global manufacturing competition driving modernization
Real-world use cases from John Deere, precision agriculture, and quality control
A bottom-up strategy for adopting new technology in your plant

This episode is proudly made possible by PLCnext Technology
PLCnext Technology is the ecosystem for industrial automation consisting of open hardware, modular engineering software, a global community, and a digital software marketplace.

Learn more at:
⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.plcnext-community.net/news/synergy-edge-cloud/⁠

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FlowFuse at Hannover Messe 2026
Discover how FlowFuse empowers you to build, deploy, and scale industrial automation -- your way. Visit FlowFuse at Hall 014, Stand K26 during Hannover Messe (April 20-24, 2026) and experience live demonstrations of FlowFuse connecting the entire industrial stack -- from PLCs on the shop floor to MES, ERP, and cloud services -- enabling real-time industrial connectivity, data integration, and AI-powered operations.
Let's transform industrial data together -- live, integrated, and in real time.

Claim your free pass and learn more: https://flowfuse.com/events/hannover-messe-2026/

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Connect with Neil on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ncresswell/
Connect with Phil on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philseboa/
Connect with Ed on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edfuentes/
Learn more about Portainer: https://www.portainer.io
Episode Recap Article: https://unpluggediiot.com/episodes/ep-48-containers-without-complexity-it-tools-factory-floor

Carl Gould, CTO and co-founder of Inductive Automation, joins hosts Phil Seboa and Ed Fuentes for an in-person conversation recorded in Australia ahead of the Ignition Everywhere event in Brisbane.
Carl traces Ignition's journey from FactorySQL in 2003 to the 8.3 release, which introduces file-based configuration, Git and GitOps compatibility, Perspective offline mode, and a new architecture for managing distributed OT systems at scale. He breaks down the three design principles that have guided the platform from day one (cost, convenience, and capability), shares his evolving take on AI in industrial automation, and explains why he calls the IT/OT divide "a fictional line."
In this episode, we discuss:
The 8.3 release: file-based config, GitOps, deployment modes, and Perspective offline
Scaling from thousands of tags to millions with distributed, decoupled architectures
Why AI in industrial automation is a means to an end, not a product in itself
The community and culture behind Ignition's worldwide growth

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This episode is proudly made possible by PLCnext Technology

PLCnext Technology is the ecosystem for industrial automation consisting of open hardware, modular engineering software, a global community, and a digital software marketplace.

Learn more at:
⁠⁠⁠https://www.plcnext-community.net/news/synergy-edge-cloud/
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FlowFuse at Hannover Messe 2026
Discover how FlowFuse empowers you to build, deploy, and scale industrial automation -- your way. Visit FlowFuse at Hall 014, Stand K26 during Hannover Messe (April 20-24, 2026) and experience live demonstrations of FlowFuse connecting the entire industrial stack -- from PLCs on the shop floor to MES, ERP, and cloud services -- enabling real-time industrial connectivity, data integration, and AI-powered operations.

Let's transform industrial data together -- live, integrated, and in real time.

Claim your free pass and learn more: https://flowfuse.com/events/hannover-messe-2026/

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Carl Gould is the CTO and co-founder of Inductive Automation. He has been building and guiding the Ignition platform since 2003. Under his leadership, Ignition has grown from a SQL connectivity tool into a comprehensive platform used across industries worldwide for SCADA, HMI, MES, and IIoT applications.

Connect with Carl Gould on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carl-gould

Learn more about Inductive Automation: https://inductiveautomation.com

Connect with Phil on LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/philseboa/⁠

Connect with Ed on LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/edfuentes/

What happens when a controls engineer raised in coal mines starts turning chicken manure into renewable energy? In this episode, made possible by PLCnext Technology, we get a masterclass in practical automation, functional safety, and building systems that work in the real world.
Jason Watts, Owner and Founder of Alpha Industrial Technologies, joins Phil Seboa and Ed Fuentes to discuss building an automation company around passionate engineers, using AI as an adversary in the design process, and why improperly applied safety functions can be more dangerous than no safety at all.

In this episode, we explore:
Building an automation company with a flexible, passion-driven workforce model
Using AI as an adversary to stress-test engineering designs and find failure modes
Cross-industry technology transfer from mining and automotive to agriculture
Why Safe Torque Off (STO) is often implemented incorrectly and the case for risk assessments
Converting poultry manure into renewable natural gas and fertilizer using bio digesters and IIoT
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This episode is proudly made possible by PLCnext Technology

PLCnext Technology is the ecosystem for industrial automation consisting of open hardware, modular engineering software, a global community, and a digital software marketplace.

Learn more at:
⁠⁠https://www.plcnext-community.net/news/synergy-edge-cloud/

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Connect with Jason on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonwattsae/
Connect with Phil on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philseboa/
Connect with Ed on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edfuentes/
Learn more about Alpha Industrial Technologies: http://www.alphaindustrial.us

Join host Ed and Phil as they explore how PLCnext Technology is redefining what industrial controllers can do, and why openness in automation is both a massive opportunity and a serious responsibility. Martin Boers, Technical Specialist at PLCnext Technology with Phoenix Contact, joins to discuss the origins of the PLCnext ecosystem, what IT/OT convergence really looks like on the plant floor, and how partnerships with companies like Festo and Yaskawa are shaping the future of automation platforms.

Key topics in this episode:
- The four pillars of PLCnext Technology: Control, Engineer, Store, and Community
- IT/OT convergence: LDAP, firewalls, certificates, and the EU Cyber Resilience Act
- Docker containers and the PLCnext Store app ecosystem
- PLCnext Technology partnerships and the all-electric society

----------------------------------
This episode is proudly made possible by PLCnext Technology

PLCnext Technology is the ecosystem for industrial automation consisting of open hardware, modular engineering software, a global community, and a digital software marketplace.

Learn more at:
⁠https://www.plcnext-community.net/news/synergy-edge-cloud/

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Connect with Martin on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mboers/

Connect with Phil on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/philseboa/

Connect with Ed on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/edfuentes/

Learn more about PLCnext Technology:
https://www.plcnext-community.net/