Control Amplified: The process automation podcast

Tariffs, inflation and process control

While uncertainty over tariffs and inflation confuses the industrial sector, we wondered how the industrial processing market is affected. To get answers, Control editor in chief Len Vermillion talked with Connor Lokar, senior forecaster for ITR Economics, to try to make heads or tails of the situation.

While some processing business might be fretting over the escalating trade war the U.S. has engaged in with Canada, Mexico and China, others are may have reasons to be more hopeful. But many are still awaiting leading indicators to catch up to the whirlwinds of activity from the government before deciding how to react. In the meantime, we check in with ITR Economics to get their thoughts on the outlook for 2025 as it pertains to industrial processing, instrumentation and more.

Increasing the power of real-time data analysis

The only constant in today's industrial landscape is the rapid evolution fueled by digital transformation and artificial intelligence (AI). It is estimated that more than 90% of businesses engage in some form of digital activity. While innovation and adaptability are keys to staying ahead, the digital transformation journey for industrial organizations is by no means an easy one, particularly in water and wastewater. Control talked with Alejandro Trejo, Offer Manager for Digital Services, and James Redmond, Global Offer Manager for SCADA and Telemetry, of Schneider Electric to get further insight into the challenges and solutions for operators.

AI, APL highlight ARC Forum

Control Editor-in-Chief Len Vermillion recaps his thoughts from ARC Forum 2025 in Orlando. While winning with artificial intelligence (AI) dominated the conversation, the migration of Foundation Fieldbus to Ethernet APL is also on the minds of CEOs these days. 

How to get the most out of your AI journey

In this episode of Control Amplified, Editor in Chief Len Vermillion looks at the journey of artificial intelligence (AI) in industrial operations. He gets help from the words of Dustin Johnson, chief technology officer at Seeq; Tathagata Basu, global head and general of sustainable fuels and chemicals at Honeywell; and John Rezabek, process controls specialist, Ashland Inc.

Among the topics:

• Strategic planning for generative AI (GenAI)
• Efficient data analytics
• Human-AI interaction
• Technical training challenges

Cybersecurity expertise from Joe Weiss

Control editor in chief Len Vermillion and Joe Weiss - managing partner of Applied Control Solutions Inc., ISA99 ICS cybersecurity pioneer, 2024 Process Automation Hall of Fame honoree and Unfettered blog author - sit down for a discussion on cybersecurity. What should everyone know about cybersecurity? And what can we do to represent cybersecurity appropriately?

Exploring wireless advances in industrial process

In the first Control Amplified podcast of 2025, wireless technology expert Ian Verhappen joins Len Vermillion for a discussion on the past, present and future of wireless technology for industrial operations.
Among their topics are the fast advances and usage of wireless in industrial plants, why Wi-Fi advancement enables more efficient operations, the growing influence of Bluetooth Low Energy on the plant floor, and the need for cybersecurity to advance in lock step with these technologies.
In addition, they look at the process for adopting new technologies in industry and why software will be the focus of development over the next decade.

The role flowmeters play in the renewable energy space

In this final episode of 2024, Control’s editor in chief, Len Vermillion and Jesse Yoder discuss the future of flowmeters in renewable energy application. Climate change is almost universally recognized by governments worldwide, and many large corporations make combating climate change a priority. Reducing reliance on fossil fuels and substituting renewable energy in their place is chief among these efforts, and flowmeters are in the middle of growing those technologies.

How system integrators are embracing OT cybersecurity

Editor in chief Len Vermillion calls upon executive editor Jim Montague, who wrote a very informative cover story for the November issue of Control on cybersecurity with a series featuring seven systems integrators, now on Control Global.

Len will read the first of that series to get a taste for where Jim’s reporting is going and what engineers can learn about the ever-important topic of OT cybersecurity in process control.

One of those stories is a tale of system integrator Eosys Group, which helped a Tier 1 automotive parts manufacturer protect its plant and enterprise networks.

News updates from process control industry events

In this episode of Control Amplified, editor in chief Len Vermillion runs down highlights from the Safety and Risk Conference at the Mary Kay O’Connor Process Safety Center at Texas A&M University and Aveva World 2024 in Paris.

5 key takeaways from YNOW2024

Len Vermillion and the rest of the Control team was in Houston for Yokogawa’s YNOW users’ conference during the week of Oct. 28. He came away with five key points that were made throughout the conference, topics that found their way into several sessions that were on the tops of people’s minds.