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Episode Summary
Ben Bleiman—electrical engineer turned innovation leader—walks us through his journey from Bose (automotive audio tuning) to IBM (7–10 nm semiconductors) and Crane Currency (micro-optics on the $100 note), where years in R&D and production quality led him to MODocs.ai. We dig into why documentation is painful, how tribal knowledge gets lost when veterans retire, and how Voice-to-SOP plus dynamic document control, digital checklists, and human-in-the-loop reviews can turn know-how into repeatable, auditable execution on the shop floor.

What You’ll Learn

• Why documentation fails in the real world: People will gladly explain a process, but hate writing it—so the knowledge never makes it into usable SOPs. MODocs captures the spoken explanation and structures it automatically.
  
  
• Voice-to-SOP in practice: Hit record, talk through the job, and get a structured, editable SOP—complete with warnings/safety notes, “why” context, tools/materials, and photos. Approve, reorder, or condense steps with simple feedback; a person always reviews before publishing.
  
  
• Dynamic document control: Versioning highlights what changed since the last run so operators don’t run on autopilot; training happens in-line as changes roll out.
  
  From SOPs to execution: Every SOP becomes a digital checklist that can capture measurements, lot numbers, photos, timestamps, and operator notes—creating proof for audits and data for continuous improvement.
  
  Process analytics & certification: Track cycle times and variation by step/person, spot skipped steps vs. actual expertise, and certify users with quizzes and role-based access.
  
  
• Business impact: Cut downtime and training cost, reduce defects, keep knowledge when experts retire, and make audits simple with full traceability.
  
  See it live: MODocs.ai demo at SPS Atlanta (Sept 16–18, GWCC)—Ben joins us Thursday at the DigitalituM Booth #1027 for hands-on trials and a 30-day access offer.
  
  

Guest
Ben Bleiman — Founder, MODocs.ai
LinkedIn: (Ben) linkedin.com/in/ben-bleiman
LinkedIn

Company
MODocs.ai (MO Docs AI) — Voice-to-SOP, dynamic document control, digital checklists, and process analytics for manufacturing teams.
Website: modocs.ai
MO Docs AI
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/modocsai (company updates/examples)
LinkedIn

Call to Action

• Meet Ben and try Voice-to-SOP at SPS Atlanta—Booth #1027 (Sept 16–18, GWCC).
• Interested in capturing your team’s know-how? Book a demo via modocs.ai.
• Interested in more Digital Tools for Manufacturing: Contact DigitalituM

Stay tuned for more inspiring conversations about manufacturing and digital transformation. Also, remember to follow and subscribe to the DigitalituM Podcast for exclusive insights from industry leaders and innovators.

We appreciate your likes and comments. If you feel you can add value to this podcast series and want to be our guest, send an email to Sales@DigitalituM.com

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In this episode, I sit down with my longtime friend and partner, Mark Eferdinger (Sales, Card Monroe Automation). We discuss the very real pressures U.S. manufacturers face—labor shortages, reshoring, tariffs, and the need to automate more quickly—and how a hands-on, customer-driven approach outperforms one-size-fits-all “modularity” every time.

About our guest
Austrian-born and U.S.-based for 15+ years, Mark came up through mechanical engineering and project management (Schaeffler, pharma packaging, custom machinery). He’s now helping Card Monroe design, build, commission, and support custom automation solutions across various industries, including automotive, food & beverage, chemical, aerospace, construction, and more.

What we cover

• Why custom beats catalog: Real-world cases where customers need tailored cells (palletizing, drilling, assembly, packing, vision-guided inspection) instead of off-the-shelf machines.
• Digital Twin & Virtual Commissioning: Simulate, emulate, and debug code before steel is cut—shrinking on-site commissioning and de-risking retrofits years later.
• Reshoring reality: Tariffs, supply risk, and floor-space constraints are pushing production stateside—while labor scarcity makes automation non-negotiable.
• Service that sticks: Why local, responsive support wins (time zones, language, standards) and how service packages can turn downtime into pit stops.
• The Digitalitum “toolbox”: Picking the right digital tools (AR/VR, IoT, PM/PdM analytics, AI/vision) to cut through the digital fog—and actually get adoption on the shop floor.
• AI, practically: Where AI already helps (PLC assist, machine monitoring, vision analytics, planning) and where it won’t (turning a wrench).

Key takeaways

• Start small, prove value, climb the digital-transformation ladder—don’t wait for the “perfect” platform.
• Digital Twin isn’t hype: it saves time at launch and during future product changeovers.
• U.S. manufacturers value speed, clarity, and proximity—and so do their best suppliers.
• The biggest failure mode isn’t software; it’s non-adoption. Implementation and training make or break ROI.

Events & where to meet us

• SPS Atlanta — Sept 16–18, Georgia World Congress Center. Visit DigitalituM Booth #1027.
• SOUTHTEC (Greenville, SC) — Third week of October. Meet Card Monroe Automation at Booth #1439.
• SC Manufacturing Expo — November 5-6th in Greenville, SC

Connect

• Card Monroe Automation (Greenville, SC & Hixson, TN) — custom automation, vision-guided systems, turnkey projects from concept to commissioning and service.
• Guest: Mark Eferdinger (LinkedIn)
• Host: Markus Rimmele / DigitalituM — let’s talk AR/VR, IoT/OEE, AI, and the right tools fo

Stay tuned for more inspiring conversations about manufacturing and digital transformation. Also, remember to follow and subscribe to the DigitalituM Podcast for exclusive insights from industry leaders and innovators.

We appreciate your likes and comments. If you feel you can add value to this podcast series and want to be our guest, send an email to Sales@DigitalituM.com

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Episode Summary
Karen Escobedo shares her unconventional path from accounting student and fresh MBA grad to business development in industrial automation. We explore Tri-Sphyre’s work in PLC/HMI/drive integration, their rapidly growing footprint in the dredging industry, and why hands-on simulation training is essential. Karen also opens up about navigating a male-dominated field, building confidence, and practical ways teams can leverage AI (ChatGPT, Claude) for faster learning, quoting, and software work.

What You’ll Learn

• Career pivot with impact: How a first on-site visit reframed Karen’s trajectory and the value of “seeing the line” end-to-end.
• What Tri-Sphyre actually does: Industrial controls integration (PLCs, HMIs, drives), commissioning, and remote support that shortens downtime and reduces emergency trips.
• Dredging 101, simplified: What dredges are, why connectivity is hard in remote locations, and how smart controls + telemetry change support economics.
• Dredge Academy simulator: A physical, multi-screen, customizable simulator (scenarios, safety modules, reporting) that lowers onboarding/training cost and risk—moving from iPad controls to full hardware joysticks for realistic haptics.
• DredgeIQ “black-box” insight: Process rewind to review operator actions, built-in alerts/messaging for parts & maintenance, and integrated remote access for faster triage.
• Beyond dredging:
  • TS Pro Flow for consistent, energy-efficient pumping operations (wastewater & dredging).
  • Grab Max for bulk material handling with better control and reduced equipment wear.
• Service footprint & ethos: Southeast and Texas roots with nationwide support—go-anywhere response oriented around practical uptime.
• SPS Atlanta preview (Sept 16–18, GWCC): Tri-Sphyre’s first self-hosted tradeshow presence—hands-on demo of the dredge simulator and Emotron drives; target outcomes and who should stop by.
• Women in manufacturing: Bridging the technical-communication gap, staying confident amid bias, and tapping mentorship communities/panels to accelerate growth.
• AI that actually helps:
  • Using ChatGPT to build quick technical study guides/flashcards and to accelerate quoting with structured time estimates.
  • Using Claude for code help and debugging.
  • Striking a healthy balance so AI augments (not replaces) learning.

Connect & Follow

• Visit Tri-Sphyre at SPS Atlanta, Sept 16–18 (Georgia World Congress Center), and see the simulator live. https://sps-americas.us.messefrankfurt.com/usa/en.html
• Connect with Karen Escobedo on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenesc/
  
  
• Learn more about Tri-Sphyre: https://tri-sphyre.com/
  and LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tri-sphyre/
• Host: Markus Rimmele with Digita

Stay tuned for more inspiring conversations about manufacturing and digital transformation. Also, remember to follow and subscribe to the DigitalituM Podcast for exclusive insights from industry leaders and innovators.

We appreciate your likes and comments. If you feel you can add value to this podcast series and want to be our guest, send an email to Sales@DigitalituM.com