Hardware Podcasts

BONUS: Factory Orchestration: The Next Frontier of Manufacturing Operations with Harmoni Co-Founder David Caputo

Manufacturing Happy Hour · 12 Jun 2026 · 1h 00m

AI in practice: 2 real uses of AI described

What this episode covers

David Caputo, Co-Founder of Harmoni, explains how his experience acquiring four aerospace and defense manufacturers revealed critical inefficiencies, such as $18,000 in scrap from wrong work instructions and lost tribal knowledge when a machinist retired. He describes Harmoni’s factory orchestration system, which addresses the ISA-95 SCADA gap by unifying machines, people, and data through three pillars: labor automation, process control, and observability. Caputo details how Harmoni’s device, HAL (Harmoni AI Lieutenant), delivers context-rich AI to the shop floor to prevent errors and optimize operations, while also outlining his company’s unique no-titles, pod-based organizational structure.

AI in practice

Where this conversation describes AI being used to build or deliver a product. Part of the AI in practice tracker.

Engineering & simulationHarmony AI Lieutenant (Hal)

The AI agent analyzes real-time context including G-code, part standards, and historical problem resolutions to suggest specific G-code changes to frontline workers when issues like tool chattering occur.

“you know, you could ask Frontline Hal to suggest some G code changes, right? I mean, uh, one thing that agents happen to be very good at is generating code, whether it's G code or, you know, software development code.”

Speaker 1 · Hear it at 47:23

Engineering & simulationHarmony AI Lieutenant (Hal)

The system uses AI to provide frontline workers with contextual answers to operational questions by aggregating data from ERP, engineering, and machine sensors, eliminating the need to manually feed context to an agent.

“And so when you ask how, frontline how, a question, hey, my tools chattering, can you help? It has all, it knows what program we're running. It knows exactly what line of G code you're at.”

Speaker 1 · Hear it at 42:48

Most relevant to

early-stage companies

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Harmoni, WPAC Crow forgings, Eminem manufacturing
Products
HAL
Also
ISA-95, ADP

Related episodes from other shows

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • The Robot Report Podcast · 1h 07m

    How software-defined manufacturing fits into real factory operation

    Roby Lynn, founder and CEO of R2 Labs, explains how his company’s R2 Autonomy Controller bridges the gap between legacy OT systems (PLCs, robots) and modern IT tools (MES, ERP) in industrial manufacturing. He details the product's ability to orchestrate production assets, integrate AI-based vision inspection, and run models locally on GPU-accelerated hardware to avoid cloud dependencies. Lynn also shares lessons from building the company, emphasizing the importance of customer feedback, pragmatic design over 'cool' technology, and addressing the workforce talent crunch in legacy automation.

    Connected products & IoTAI & machine learning
    8 chapters

  • The Manufacturing Executive · 44m

    The Real Threat to Tribal Knowledge Isn't Just Retirement w/ Jamie Marzilli

    Jamie Marzilli, founder of Marzilli Machine Company and host of the Raw Material podcast, explains that the loss of tribal knowledge is an ongoing daily issue, not just a result of retiring veterans. He details how his shop transitioned from a garage startup to an advanced Industry 4.0 operation using ProShop ERP to eliminate paper and capture data. Marzilli also discusses his new venture, Warp Core AI, which uses large language models and edge agents to automate tasks like certificate inspection and machine debugging, arguing that AI will create rather than destroy manufacturing jobs.

    AI & machine learningLeadership, teams & culture
    6 chapters

  • Over the Air · 33m

    The Connected Factory Floor: L2L and Data Management

    Eric Whitley, Director of Industrial Transformation at L2L, explains how their connected workforce platform bridges the gap between enterprise ERP systems and shop-floor PLC data to provide real-time visibility into manufacturing operations. He details how L2L captures five key metrics—demand, build, scrap, labor, and downtime—to calculate Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) and other critical KPIs for discrete manufacturers in automotive, food and beverage, and packaging. Whitley highlights the severe labor shortage in manufacturing, noting that 80% of surveyed firms report it impacts throughput, and describes how L2L’s AI tools and digital workflows help upskill workers by providing immediate, context-aware guidance on the shop floor. He also discusses the company's evolution from an in-house Excel tool at Autoleave to a global software provider, emphasizing the importance of practical AI applications that reduce wasted time and motion for mechanics and operators.

    Factory operations & automationAI & machine learning
    9 chapters

  • The Manufacturing Executive

    Industrial DataOps and Rise of AI Agents w/ Aron Semle

    Aron Semle, Chief Technology Officer of HighByte, explains Industrial DataOps as the engineering discipline required to contextualize heterogeneous data from factory floor equipment for IT systems. He discusses the challenges of scaling solutions across facilities with different machinery, using autonomous guided vehicles (AGVs) as a key example of where standardized data models prevent redundant integration work. Semle also details the rise of AI agents in manufacturing, describing how they can automate monitoring tasks and capture tribal knowledge to assist operators with aging workforces.

    Connected products & IoTAI & machine learning
    7 chapters

  • The Manufacturing Executive · 32m

    Six Facilities, Three Countries, One Culture w/ Darragh de Stonndún

    Darragh de Stonndún, CEO of Automated Industrial Robotics (AIR), explains how he scaled the company across six facilities in the US, UK, and Ireland by prioritizing cultural alignment over technology in acquisitions. He details AIR's 'wall-less' operating model, where subject matter experts are assembled globally to solve customer problems rather than assigning work to the nearest facility. De Stonndún also discusses his philosophy on AI in manufacturing, viewing it as a tool to optimize efficiency and augment human engineers rather than replace them, and defines success as building a self-sustaining culture.

    Leadership, teams & cultureScaling production
    8 chapters

The summary, chapters and topics are generated from the episode’s audio by this directory, not written by Manufacturing Happy Hour. The episode itself belongs to its publisher.