Augmented Ops
Augmented Ops is a podcast for industrial leaders, shop floor operators, citizen developers, and anyone else that cares about what the future of frontline operations will look like across industries. We equip our listeners with the knowledge to understand the latest advancements at the intersection of manufacturing and technology, as well as actionable insights that they can implement in their own operations. This show is presented by Tulip, the Frontline Operations Platform.
Episodes
August 14, 2025 • 22 mins
In this bonus episode, our guest is Liz Reynolds, manufacturing and workforce expert at MIT and strategic advisor to Tulip..
Fresh from Detroit's Reindustrialize (https://www.reindustrialize.com) conference, Liz and Natan share key insights on America's urgent push to bring manufacturing back home. They explore the "Spring of momentum" in reindustrialization efforts, from AI moving beyond hype to real implementation on the shop flo...
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June 18, 2025 • 18 mins
This week marks the final episode of Season 5 of Augmented Ops! Natan and Erik look back and share their biggest takeaways from conversations with CEOs, frontline engineers, and operations leaders.
They unpack marketing hype vs. the current state of AI on the shop floor, the rise of citizen developers, and why “digital transformation” needs a serious rebrand.
They also dive deep into the demise of traditional MES, explore the shift...
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June 4, 2025 • 28 mins
This week’s guest is Bob Buhlmann (https://www.linkedin.com/in/bob-buhlmann-4182244/), Head of Quality Digital and Computer Strategy at AstraZeneca.
Bob shares how technology has evolved over the course of his 35+ years in the pharma industry, the hurdles pharma companies often face when adopting emerging technology, and the future of quality management.
He also takes a deep dive into validation, the challenges associated with val...
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May 21, 2025 • 34 mins
This week’s guests are Ryan Infantozi (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-infantozzi-202ab723b/) of VEKA, Esmeralda Gonzalez (https://www.linkedin.com/in/esmeralda-gonzalez-m/) of Stanley Black & Decker, and Cuyler Monahan (https://www.linkedin.com/in/cuylermonahan/) of Agility EMS.
The three represent a new generation of frontline engineers—dedicated shop floor problem solvers applying digital technology to tackle the diverse set of...
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This week’s guest is Jim Fox (https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-s-fox/), SVP of Americas Supply Operations at AstraZeneca.
Jim explains how digital manufacturing in pharma has evolved over his nearly 3 decades in the industry, from basic automation and data collection to advanced predictive modeling and integrated digital ecosystems—and why having humans in-the-loop continues to be critical despite these advancements in autonomy.
H...
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April 23, 2025 • 29 mins
This week’s guest is Joel Fidalgo (https://www.linkedin.com/in/joel-fidalgo-7b6347121/), CIO of NextPharma.
Joel shares how NextPharma is bridging IT and operations to lead digital transformation across a decentralized CDMO network, and taking a modular, app-based approach to MES and eBR.
He also explores the changing role of the CIO in driving innovation on the shop floor, the importance of cross-functional collaboration, and the...
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April 9, 2025 • 23 mins
This week, Natan Linder (https://www.linkedin.com/in/linder/), Co-Founder and CEO of Tulip (https://tulip.co/) sits down with Madilynn Castillo (https://www.linkedin.com/in/madilynncastillo/), Tulip’s CMO for a recap of their experiences at this year’s Hannover Messe—the world’s largest industrial trade fair.
They explore the overwhelming AI hype at the fair, the confusion it creates for manufacturers, and the persistent gap betwee...
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April 2, 2025 • 1 min
This week, we're at Hannover Messe, the world’s largest industrial trade show.
We’re foregoing our usual episode this week, but, we’ll be recording our annual on-site episode at the show later this week covering the state of the industry, analyzing the trends we’re seeing, and cutting through the hype to figure out which of the latest technologies on display here at Hannover will have real impact on the shop floor.
We’ll be back ...
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March 19, 2025 • 42 mins
This week’s guest is Audrey Van de Castle (https://www.linkedin.com/in/audrey-van-de-castle/), Senior Director of Operational Excellence Technology at Stanley Black & Decker.
Audrey breaks down the challenges of scaling digital initiatives across 100+ manufacturing sites, how to balance governance with citizen development, and the need to move past the buzzwords and invest in technology that can make a difference on the shop floor ...
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March 5, 2025 • 25 mins
This week’s guest is Erik Udstuen (https://www.linkedin.com/in/erik-udstuen-00000), Co-founder and CEO of TwinThread.
Erik shares insights from his 30+ years in industrial software, discussing how AI and digital twins are transforming manufacturing by standardizing data, optimizing operations, and driving operational excellence.
He also dives into the challenges of industrial data standards, the importance of empowering engineers w...
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February 19, 2025 • 33 mins
This week’s guest is Nicolette Naya (https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolettenaya/), Senior MES Engineer at a leading luxury jewelry manufacturer.
Nicolette shares insights into how she helped digitize centuries-old manufacturing processes, the challenges of introducing technology to the shop floor, and the importance of a structured governance model to successful digital transformation.
She also explores the role of citizen developer...
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February 5, 2025 • 26 mins
This week’s guest is ZJ van de Weg (https://www.linkedin.com/in/zegerjan/), CEO of FlowFuse.
ZJ shares his journey from an intern at GitLab to now leading FlowFuse, how open-source technology is transforming industrial operations, and why Node-RED has become the go-to platform for low-code manufacturing connectivity.
He also takes a deep dive into the challenges of scaling open source solutions in enterprise environments, the value...
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January 22, 2025 • 28 mins
This week’s guest is Vijay Chinnasami (https://www.linkedin.com/in/vijayan-chinnasami-6595a931/), former COO of Ultra Clean Technology.
Vijay shares an inside look into how electronics supply chains and manufacturing practices have evolved over his 35+ year career, the rise of EMS and ODM business models, and how the semiconductor industry is shifting in response to global pressures.
The discussion also explores best practices for ...
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January 8, 2025 • 31 mins
This week’s guest is John Harrington (https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-harrington-142906a/), co-founder and Chief Product Officer of HighByte.
John shares how his experiences working on Kepware at PTC led him to co-found HighByte, why Industry 4.0 requires a fundamentally different approach to interoperability, and the importance of contextualizing data in manufacturing.
He also breaks down the real value that a Unified Namespace ...
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December 18, 2024 • 34 mins
This week’s guest is Kence Anderson (https://www.linkedin.com/in/kence), CEO of Composabl.
Kence and Natan explore the role of AI agents in industrial processes, how manufacturers are using them to solve complex problems like scheduling or machine control, and the challenges of building startups in the manufacturing space. Kence also lays out how his concept of machine teaching differs from traditional machine learning techniques, ...
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December 4, 2024 • 30 mins
This week’s guest is Fabio Violante (https://www.linkedin.com/in/fabioviolante), CEO of Arduino.
Fabio and Natan explore the importance of open source technology in manufacturing and how the democratization of embedded systems development is reshaping the industry. Fabio also shares the history of Arduino, and how he led the charge to evolve their approach from focusing purely on makers and hobbyists, to supporting enterprise grade...
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November 20, 2024 • 29 mins
This week’s guest is Kevin Kidd (https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-kidd-5ab572113/), Director of Software and Analytics at RFK Racing.
While advanced manufacturing might not be the first thought that comes to mind when you hear the word NASCAR, Kevin sheds light on the complex processes and digital tools that go into building high performance race cars. He also explains how citizen development helped the team go from running on Exc...
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November 7, 2024 • 30 mins
This week’s guest is Marc Nash (https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcnash1/), SVP of Operations and R&D at Outset Medical.
In an industry dominated by legacy players, Marc explains how Outset set out to redefine what is possible when it comes to patient health, and how they leveraged an equally disruptive approach to manufacturing to give them a competitive edge. He also explains how they are taking advantage of IoT to improve their pro...
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October 23, 2024 • 21 mins
This week, Natan Linder (https://www.linkedin.com/in/linder/), Co-Founder and CEO of Tulip (https://tulip.co/) sits down with Tulip CMO Madilynn Castillo (https://www.linkedin.com/in/madilynncastillo/) to reflect on the second annual Operations Calling conference and what it means for the future of frontline operations.
Natan and Madi discuss what makes Operations Calling more than just another user conference, the importance of au...
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October 9, 2024 • 34 mins
This week’s guest is Daniele Iacovelli (https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniele-iacovelli-8684a9b2/), SVP, Global Head of Digital, Analytics (AI) & Operational Excellence at Roche.
Although regulated industries like pharmaceutical manufacturing can be slow to digitally transform their manufacturing operations, Daniele lays out how changing trends in the industry have led Roche to architect a new digital production system, with a focus ...
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