Hardware Podcasts

A Digital Backbone for Factories of the Future w/ Ryan Kuhlenbeck

The Manufacturing Executive · 10 Oct 2023 · 31m · Episode 174

What this episode covers

Ryan Kuhlenbeck, Co-Founder and CEO of Pico MES, discusses the critical need for a digital backbone in small to mid-sized manufacturing supply chains. Drawing on his experience at General Motors, Tesla, and Ultimotors, he explains how disconnected data creates bottlenecks and quality issues that large OEMs struggle to resolve. Kuhlenbeck outlines how Pico MES provides a flexible Manufacturing Execution System (MES) that integrates shop-floor tools with ERP systems to enable real-time traceability and continuous improvement. He argues that this digital connectivity is essential for suppliers to de-risk new EV component production and retain skilled labor by reducing operator anxiety.

Most relevant to

companies scaling up

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
General Motors, Tesla, Ultimotors, Ingersoll Rand, Gorilla 76
Products
Pico MES

Related episodes from other shows

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • EMS@C-LEVEL · 8m

    What Happens When Every Action Becomes A Data Point: EMS@C-Level with FermionX MD Will Patrick

    Will Patrick, Managing Director of FermionX, explains how he transformed his family's electronics manufacturing business from flat revenue to scalable growth by replacing tribal knowledge with a data-first operation. He details the implementation of a fully traceable MES (Luminovo), Power BI dashboards, and quality tools like Koh Young's KSMART to create a single source of truth for customers. Patrick highlights that this infrastructure allows the company to grow from £10M to £25M without proportional overhead increases, while laying the groundwork for future AI-driven exception reporting and agentic systems.

    Manufacturing partners & offshoringScaling production
    5 chapters

  • Being an Engineer · 45m

    S5E33 Devon Copeland | Working for Apple & Tesla, Building a Better MFG Execution System (MES)

    Devon Copeland, Co-founder and CTO of Serial, discusses his journey from student solar car competitions to engineering roles at Apple and Tesla, and his current work building a traceability-first Manufacturing Execution System (MES). He explains how Serial’s Grid Builder and Graph Builder tools help manufacturers aggregate sub-assembly data to perform commonality analysis and root cause failure analysis. Copeland emphasizes that engineering decision-making is an art and science, advocating for side projects and visual storytelling to accelerate engineering speed and career growth.

    Manufacturing partners & offshoringCareers & education
    10 chapters

  • EMS@C-LEVEL · 10m

    BONUS - What's the SCOOP - 2022 Trends with Cogiscan's Michael Ho

    Michael Ho, Director of Business Development at Cogiscan (recently acquired by Dürr Group/iTAC Software AG), discusses the acceleration of factory digitalization in the electronics manufacturing industry. He explains how the pandemic exposed supply chain vulnerabilities, driving OEMs and EMS providers to prioritize visibility, risk mitigation, and automation to address labor shortages. Ho predicts a proliferation of digitalization across companies of all sizes in 2022, requiring scalable software solutions to manage data and process control.

    Factory operations & automationSourcing & supply chain
    6 chapters

  • Over the Air · 24m

    Connected Manufacturing: Insights from WESTEC 2023

    Host Ryan Prosser interviews five companies at WESTEC 2023, including Pico MES, Renishaw, Faro, Lindy, Fastems, and Fuji Automation, discussing their approaches to smart manufacturing. Pico’s Brian explains digitizing work instructions and tool integration, while Renishaw’s Brandon details overcoming legacy equipment connectivity. Fastems’ Robert highlights their MMS software for robot cell management and predictive scheduling, and Fuji’s Eric discusses Japanese automation for exotic alloys.

    Connected products & IoTManufacturing partners & offshoring
    7 chapters

  • EMS@C-LEVEL · 11m

    Electronica 24: Harnessing AI for Digital Transformation in Electronics and Semiconductors

    Augusto Vilarinho from Critical Manufacturing explains that achieving a digital dividend in electronics and semiconductors requires a holistic integration of execution, connectivity, and data analysis rather than siloed investments. He argues that legacy MES systems often fail to deliver ROI because they lack the bidirectional connectivity and contextualized data infrastructure necessary to feed AI algorithms effectively. Vilarinho highlights Critical Manufacturing's Data Platform and common data model as solutions that unify these pillars, enabling machine learning applications that improve efficiency and performance without requiring new capacity. The discussion emphasizes the strategic convergence of the electronics and semiconductor supply chains, where unified visibility is becoming essential for competitiveness.

    AI & machine learningFactory operations & automation
    5 chapters

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