Augmented Ops - Episodes Tagged with “Citizen Development”

AI, Agility, and Enterprise Architecture – Reflections on Season 5 of Augmented Ops

Tulip — Wed, 18 Jun 2025 06:00:00 -0400

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 toward composable, platform-driven architectures, and offer predictions on how adaptability will define manufacturing success in the year of the “composable operations.”

Augmented Ops is a podcast for industrial leaders, citizen developers, shop floor operators, and anyone else that cares about what the future of frontline operations will look like across industries. This show is presented by Tulip, the Frontline Operations Platform. You can find more from us at Tulip.co/podcast or by following the show on LinkedIn.

The Rise of the Frontline Engineer: Driving Digital Transformation on the Shop Floor

Tulip — Wed, 21 May 2025 06:45:00 -0400

This week’s guests are Ryan Infantozi of VEKA, Esmeralda Gonzalez of Stanley Black & Decker, and Cuyler Monahan 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 challenges each of their operations face on a daily basis.

The three share best practices and lessons learned on the shop floor, how manufacturers can attract the next generation of engineers and operators, and their take on the pros and cons of a citizen development approach to digital transformation.

Special Guests: Cuyler Monahan, Esmeralda Gonzalez, and Ryan Infantozzi.

Operational Excellence at Enterprise Scale with Stanley Black & Decker’s Audrey Van de Castle

Tulip — Wed, 19 Mar 2025 00:30:00 -0400

This week’s guest is 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 today.

She also shares insights into her unconventional career path from running a makerspace to becoming a digital transformation leader, best practices for working with IT, and her passion for building fighting robots.

Special Guest: Audrey Van de Castle.

Augmenting Craftmanship with Digital Technology at a Luxury Jeweler with Nicolette Naya

Tulip — Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:30:00 -0500

This week’s guest is Nicolette Naya, 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 developers, sheds light on her own career path from intern to digital transformation leader, and shares advice for others looking to follow in her footsteps.

Special Guest: Nicolette Naya.

Frontline Operations in NASCAR with RFK Racing's Kevin Kidd

Tulip — Wed, 20 Nov 2024 00:30:00 -0500

This week’s guest is Kevin Kidd, 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 Excel to building the custom software they need, as well as the key role that data governance and advanced analytics play in putting a car that’s ready to win out on the track every week.

Special Guest: Kevin Kidd.

A New Approach to Pharma Manufacturing with Roche’s Daniele Iacovelli

Tulip — Wed, 09 Oct 2024 00:30:00 -0400

This week’s guest is Daniele Iacovelli, 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 on a composable, future-proof architecture. He also lays out how rapid solution development enabled by new software platforms and a citizen developer approach is enabling people across the company to solve their own problems, while also laying the groundwork for rethinking the traditional software validation approach that dominates regulated industries. Plus, what the role of GenAI should be in a GxP environment, and more.

Special Guest: Daniele Iacovelli.