Ctrl+Alt+Mfg Podcast

Manufacturing may be stabilizing but its workforce is at a turning point.

In this episode of Ctrl+Alt+Mfg, Amara Rozgus, editor-in-chief of Plant Engineering, breaks down insights from the 2026 Plant Engineering Salary Survey. The data shows a highly experienced, well-paid and satisfied workforce, but one that’s rapidly nearing retirement, with too few junior engineers coming up behind t...

Digital transformation remains a top priority for manufacturers, but many initiatives still stall between strategy and execution.

In this episode of Ctrl+Alt+Mfg, Dan Furrow, senior vice president and general manager, U.S. industrial, global accounts and international markets, at Wesco, and Luis Atencio, solutions architect for Wesco’s smart manufacturing team, join the podcast to explor...

Cybersecurity threats are no longer confined to IT systems. They’re now crossing into the physical world, with real consequences for manufacturing, supply chains and critical infrastructure. In this episode of Ctrl+Alt+Mfg, hosts Gary Cohen and Stephanie Neil are joined by Ian Bramson, vice president of global industrial cybersecurity at Black & Veatch, to unpack what this shift mean...

Automation is no longer optional, but where should manufacturers invest to see real returns?

In this episode of Ctrl+Alt+Mfg, we’re joined by Mark Hoske, editor-in-chief of Control Engineering, to break down the findings of the 2026 State of Industrial Automation Report. We discuss where automation is delivering measurable ROI, why advanced process controls continue to lead, how manufact...

What if you could test changes to your manufacturing process without risking downtime, scrap or costly mistakes?

In this episode of Ctrl+Alt+Mfg, hosts Gary Cohen and Stephanie Neal are joined by Matt Wise, CEO of E Tech Group, and Cole Switzer, principal full stack developer and head of advanced software, to break down the real-world impact of digital twins in modern manufacturing.

The ...

As 2025 winds down, Ctrl+Alt+Mfg is taking stock of what actually mattered in manufacturing this year.

In this year-end special, hosts Gary Cohen and Stephanie Neil are joined by Mike Ouellette, senior editor at Engineering.com, to unpack the real state of digital transformation on the plant floor—beyond the buzzwords.

They dig into:

• Why digital transformation isn’t new, and how to...

Why do so many MES and industrial software projects fail and how can manufacturers finally fix the problem?

In this episode, Gary Cohen and Stephanie Neil talk with Ryan Crownover, director of digital plant at Vertech, about why industrial software shouldn’t be treated as special and how adopting agile, iterative development can dramatically improve ROI and user adoption.

We dig into:

• ...

Digital transformation is everywhere — but what does it really mean for manufacturers? In this episode of Ctrl+Alt+Mfg, hosts Gary Cohen and Stephanie Neil sit down with Alicia Lomas, founder of Lomas Manufacturing, to talk about the practical side of Industry 4.0. From connecting data and building smarter control rooms to bridging IT and OT teams, Alicia explains how real transformation...

Cybersecurity isn’t just an IT issue — it’s a manufacturing issue. In this episode of Ctrl+Alt+Mfg, hosts Gary Cohen and Stephanie Neil talk with Leah and Jeremy Dodson, co-founders of Piqued Solutions, about the evolving threats facing operational technology (OT) environments.

From the myth of the “air gap” to the rise of AI-driven defenses, the Dodsons explain why factories must rethin...

In this episode of Control Alt Manufacturing, hosts Gary Cohen and Stephanie Neil sit down with John Lee, senior manager of manufacturing intelligence at Matrix Technologies, to explore how manufacturers can connect data from legacy systems, automate securely and prepare for the rise of AI on the plant floor.

John shares how companies are tackling the challenge of disparate data, why dat...

Ctrl+Alt+Mfg publishes new episodes every two weeks and is available on ControlEng.com and major podcast platforms. The opening episode, “Resetting and Rethinking Manufacturing,” introduces the show’s themes and shares highlights from WTWH Media’s 2025 automation research. Hosted by Gary Cohen and Stephanie Neil. 

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If you like this podcast, get more episodes at controleng.com or ctrla...