Shows
Digital Transformation ViewpointsIndustrial Systems Engineering in the Era of AI Ep. 3: The Rise of the Domain Specific InnovatorsWelcome to the third installment of our ongoing conversation on Industrial Systems Engineering in the Era of AI. In this series, I’m joined by my good friend and serial entrepreneur Rick Bullotta to unpack the profound shifts AI is driving in the industrial world. Our journey began in Episode 1, where we explored the historical evolution and foundational data challenges that have long constrained industrial operations. In Episode 2, we moved from problems to potential solutions, diving deep into the concept of the Industrial Data Fabric as the critical enabler for this new era. We laid the groundwork, dis...
2025-08-2546 minDigital Transformation ViewpointsIndustrial Systems Engineering in the Era of AI: Kicking Off a Conversation with Rick BullottaFor those who may not know him, Rick is a true titan in the industrial technology landscape. As a co-founder of Lighthammer (which evolved into SAP Manufacturing Integration and Intelligence) and ThingWorx (later acquired by PTC), Rick has consistently been at the forefront of innovation. His pivotal work has shaped connected systems, driven digital transformation, and advanced intelligent automation. I consider Rick a serial entrepreneur, a valued advisor to startups and investors, and a leading expert in industrial AI, particularly in advanced manufacturing and the crucial intersection of data-driven insights with industrial operations.In our first discussion...
2025-05-1242 min
The Connected Factory | Manufacturing Industry PodcastBuilding Industrial Software - and Companies | EP04 - The Connected Factory podcastGuest: Rick Bullotta, Advisor and Co-Founder of ThingWorxIn this episode of The Connected Factory Podcast, Rick, a seasoned entrepreneur and advisor in the industrial software landscape, joins Alexander Krüger, Co-Founder of United Manufacturing Hub, to share insights from barely graduating college to founding and scaling multiple successful software companies. During the podcast they cover:Mastering go-to-market strategies: Building a great product is only part of the equation; selling it effectively is key.Embracing extensibility: How enabling customization opens up broader markets and makes your product indispensable.Adapting to legacy systems: Integrate instead o...
2024-12-1730 min
Augmented OpsThe Past, Present, and Future of Industrial Software with Rick BullottaThis week’s guest is Rick Bullotta, longtime veteran of the industrial software space and co-founder of Lighthammer and Thingworx.
Rick and Natan explore the history of MES solutions, how Frontline Operations Platforms are democratizing the development of industrial software, and what this means for the future architecture of the manufacturing tech stack. They also break down the hype vs. reality in industrial AI, and discuss which use cases continue to require a human-in-the-loop.
Augmented Ops is a podcast for industrial leaders, citizen developers, shop floor operators, and anyone else that cares about what the fu...
2024-09-2536 min
Advanced Manufacturing NowGrowing Importance of Time Series DataIn this episode, Evan Kaplan, CEO of InfluxData, and Rick Bullotta, CTO and co-founder of ThingWorx, discuss the growing importance of time series data in the industrial sector with Contributing Lead Editor, Amy Bryson. They highlight the emerging trends and technologies enabling better data management and storage. They cover topics such as the role of time series data in AI and machine learning, the impact of edge data management and storage, recent technological advancements in IIoT analytics and operations, and the future outlook for time series data in the industrial sector.
2024-08-1335 min
Smart Manufacturing Mindset™Smart Manufacturing Mindset™ | SM Executive Council PoV on U.S. ManufacturingDiscover how the Smart Manufacturing Executive Council is setting a strategic course to rejuvenate U.S. manufacturing and regain global competitiveness. This council, comprised entirely of manufacturers, recently documented their point-of-view on the promises Smart Manufacturing holds for each manufacturer and their collective impact on the U.S. economy.Our panelists will dive into the industry-wide playbook being developed by the Council, explore the critical need for an inclusive approach that makes Smart Manufacturing accessible to all, and discuss the role of AI, cybersecurity, and other advanced technologies in shaping a resilient and prosperous manufacturing future.
2024-07-3047 min
Manufacturing Happy HourBONUS: Exploring the Characteristics of Smart Manufacturing Leaders, Live from the 2023 Smart Manufacturing ExperienceThere’s no doubt that Smart Manufacturing has a plethora of benefits for manufacturing organizations. It can help speed up your processes, improve your product quality and reduce your costs.But effective Smart Manufacturing adoption lies with the leader. That’s why host Chris Luecke asked seven industry leaders for their Smart Manufacturing tips and tricks on our latest bonus episode of Manufacturing Happy Hour, recorded at the Smart Manufacturing Experience at SOUTHTEC.They discuss how leaders can cultivate a Smart Manufacturing mindset through their organization, why it’s OK to start with small changes and wh...
2023-12-051h 12
The IoT ShowIoT Myths and realitiesLet's play a little game of Myth or Reality with IoT.
To debunk some statements about IOT such as "IoT is Dead", "There is no Industrial AI without IoT" or "There will be 10 gazillion devices connected by 2050", Rick Bullotta accepted to join me on this new episode of the IoT Show. Rick knows IoT well. He started his journey in Industrial IoT and went through several companies and products creation. You might know him as the co-creator of ThingWorx. Bottom line is: Rick is the right person to help me debunk IoT myths and realities.
2023-10-2723 min
ML Soul of DetroitWeed Greed - April 11, 2023Lawbreaker lawmakers high on bribes from Michigan’s new marijuana market dominate this week’s discussion as an investigative reporter and former federal prosecutor join ML and Shawn while Marc is whacked out on vacation wondering what Joe put in those brownies he sent for the road trip.STRAIGHT DOPEML finds a way to get Shawn engaged in the show right away by making an ill-advised crack about an underperforming Detroit Tiger – since that doesn’t narrow it down much, you’ll have to listen to learn what all the fuss is about.ML’s old reportin...
2023-04-111h 23
Augmented OpsEpisode 87: A Brief History of Manufacturing SoftwareIn episode 10 of the podcast (@AugmentedPod), the topic is “A Brief History of Manufacturing Software.” Our guest is Rick Bullotta, Partner, TwinThread, and co-founder, ThingWorx.
In this conversation, we talk about how Rick has shaped manufacturing software history and the lessons learned from being an early employee of Wonderware, the famous precursor to manufacturing automation, back in 1993, a company first sold to British engineering giant Siebe in 1998, which merged with BTR to form Invensys, which, in turn, merged with French multinational Schneider Electric, and later the CTO. Rick Bullotta was also the co-founder of Lighthammer Software which was...
2022-07-0654 min
Innovation NationInnovation Through Teamwork & Collaboration w/ Rick BullottaInnovation only happens with a strong foundation built from collaboration and a drive for success. Creating that drive is where the challenge lies. But can it be acquired? In this episode, I speak with Rick Bullota, Advisor an d Mentor for various companies - Founder of ThingWorx , about how working with founders and making a difference in a company to set it up for success. Join us as we discuss:The importance of the customer Advising founders and the importance of teams Real world examples of success and failure in startups Tune in...
2022-05-0433 min
4.0 Solutions PodcastThe Story Behind Rick BullottaThank you Canary Labs for sponsoring this podcast. Learn more about the Canary Enterprise-Class Historian at https://www.canarylabs.comThank you Rick Bullotta for coming on the podcast!
Connect with Rick on LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/rickbullotta/
Watch the IIoT Shootout Video Here: https://youtu.be/kiU9GuCWWeo
Thanks for watching!
Subscribe! 👉 http://bit.ly/SubToIntellic
Follow us on LinkedIn! 👉 http://bit.ly/IntellicLinkedIn
Want to learn more?
Join our community Discord Server 👉 https://www.iiot.univ...
2021-10-221h 25
Gary On Manufacturing - Gary Mintchell232 The Future of Industrial Software BusinessRick Bullotta posted a provocative comment on LinkedIn predicting a shakeup in the industrial software business with the hyperscaler cloud companies acquiring a chunk of those now owned by OEMs or the few independent ones. I've thought about this for a long time. What do you think?
2021-09-1413 minGary On Manufacturing - Gary Mintchell232 The Future of Industrial Software BusinessRick Bullotta posted a provocative comment on LinkedIn predicting a shakeup in the industrial software business with the hyperscaler cloud companies acquiring a chunk of those now owned by OEMs or the few independent ones. I've thought about this for a long time. What do you think?
2021-09-1413 min
Augmented OpsEpisode 10: A Brief History of Manufacturing SoftwareIn episode 10 of the podcast (@AugmentedPod), the topic is: A Brief History of Manufacturing Software. Our guest is Rick Bullotta, Partner, TwinThread and co-founder, ThingWorxIn this conversation, we talk about how Rick has shaped manufacturing software history, and the lessons learned from being an early employee of Wonderware, the famous precursor to manufacturing automation, back in 1993, a company first sold to British engineering giant Siebe in 1998 which merged with BTR to form Inventsys, which, in turn merged with French multinational Schneider Electric, and later the CTO. Rick Bullotta was also the co-founder of Lighthammer Software which...
2021-03-1754 min
Industry40.tvEp 02 : Principles of IIoT Architecture - Rick Bullota (Co-Founder, Thingworx)Having a solid understanding of the key components of an IIoT architecture and how to integrate them is the most important aspect of building an IIoT application, both as an in-house solution and as a service offering
So, to help shed light on the principles of IIoT architecture design, I had a discussion with one person who is best positioned to speak on the subject, Rick Bullotta
Rick Co-Founded Thingworx, which is one of the first and arguably the most successful IIoT platform to date
Here's what we discussed
✔️ IIoT Architectural Patter...
2021-01-1942 min
Heavy Hitters: The Digital Industrial Podcast1. Rick Bullotta, IIoT Pioneer - An Introduction to Digital IndustrialTo kick off the Heavy Hitters podcast series, Rick Bullota joins us to discuss all aspects of past and present digital industrial innovation. Having spent his entire career focused on industrials, Rick provides a rare outlook on the topic as both an experienced operator and proven venture investor. His vantage point comes both from starting and exiting a number of successful industrial software companies, most notably Lighthammer and Thingworx, and from holding senior roles at companies such as SAP, Wonderware/Aveva, PTC, and Microsoft.
We could not be more fortunate to have Rick share his lessons learned...
2020-10-2737 min
emPOWERUP Podcast10. Advanced Industrial Analytics with Rick BullottaGrayMatter talks with Rick Bullotta, founder of IoT companies Lighthammer and ThingWorx, about how IoT has evolved during his career and how a new project he's working on with GrayMatter partner Erik Udstuen of TwinThread is solving downtime, quality and energy consumption problems at major manufacturing companies.
2020-04-0826 min
Momenta I Digital Thread#45 From Genesis to IoT Big Bang: - Rick BulottaRick Bullotta founded two companies that have been pivotal in the development of connected industry: Lighthammer (acquired by SAP in 2005) and Thingworx (acquired by PTC in 2014) and he is now an adviser to Microsoft Azure IoT. He’s a passionate advocate of new technologies and innovation, and enjoys the disclaimer that “80% is fact and 20% is BS - and I don’t know which is which”. Our conversation explores his personal background in industrial technology, and how the insights gained from his experiences at Wonderware helped shape the vision for the companies he started. Exploring the genesis of Lighthammer and Thingworx, the disc...
2019-02-0659 min
The Internet of Things IoT Heroes show with Tom RafteryEpisode 22 - The Internet of Things, the Industrial Internet of Things, Smart HomesI had a great chat with Rick Bullotta today. Rick is an active mentor, advisor, and investor with startups in areas as diverse as the IoT, autonomous vehicles, AI, digital and additive manufacturing, and others. He is a frequent speaker and recognized expert on the internet of things and advanced manufacturing. Rick was the co-founder and CTO of ThingWorx, the world’s first platform for creating connected applications to enable the ‘Internet of Things”. ThingWorx was acquired by PTC in December 2013. Previously, Rick was CTO and co-founder of Lighthammer Software Development, where he identified and create...
2017-03-2600 min