The Robot Industry Podcast

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May 2026

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Podcast for the Automation Industry

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May 20, 202634 min

Test Systems and Automation with Averna's Hugo Lessnick

Hello everyone and welcome to The Robot Industry Podcast, edition #161. I welcome Hugo Lessnick from Averna in Montreal to the podcast. Hugo is the Engineering Manager at Averna, we are going to talk about test, automation, test software and well, all things test. Hi Hugo, welcome to the podcast. Can you tell me about Averna, the company? What kind of systems do you build: integrated, standalone? How did you get into this industry? What is "testing" to you? Are there some big overall trends in automated test? In our warm-up, we talked about budgeting for test equipment, and it seems that people or companies tend to underestimate the costs for testing equipment. How do you work with customers? Test specification documents, can they be better? Lets talk about machine vision and AI. Do you ever work with companies to make their test specifications better, even though it might be harder for you? You work with automation integrators and machine builders, because machine builders really dont have a specialty around precision testing? When you are working in some industries like for medical devices it’s tricky because a company is trying to concurrently build the automation for the device and the test system at the same time, what happens then when you have to build in flexibility to your test or fixturing? Do you have some projects that you can talk about? Is there a really difficult test project that sticks out in your mind? Are cycle times getting faster or slower? Is there an ROI for the test solution? What about GUIs and ergonomics, does that come into play a lot? Safety? You have to commission automation around the world, different cultures, languages that is difficult, correct? When you are recruiting for new people, what makes a good hire? Curiosity? What is the future of test equipment and automation? How can people get a hold of you? https://www.linkedin.com/in/hugo-lessnick-eng-86b039115 https://www.averna.com/en/home? Thanks for listening. Special thanks also to Amy Share the Content Marketing Team Lead at Averna for making this podcast easy, peasy. Today’s podcast was produced by Customer Attraction Industrial Marketing and I would like to thank my team: Chris Gray for the music, Geoffrey Bremner for audio production, and my business partner Janet. And I would like to thank my Senior Audio Software Engineer, Geoff Bremner and you can find more information on his Linketree, linktr.ee/gbaudio Be safe out there! Jim Jim Beretta Customer Attraction & The Robot Industry Podcast London, ON

May 7, 202628 min

Advanced quality manufacturing analytics with Greta Cutulenco from Acerta

For this session (#160) of The Robot Industry Podcast I welcome KW's own Greta Cutulenco from Acerta Analytics (aka Acerta). According to Acerta's website: Manufacturing generates terabytes of data every day—yet most of it goes unused. The real opportunity isn’t more technology, but building a data-driven culture on the shop floor, where insights guide decisions in real time. She co-founded Acerta in 2017 to help manufacturers move from reactive problem-solving to predictive operations. We’ve built an AI-powered analytics platform for discrete manufacturers, especially in automotive, that improves line performance, reduces the cost of poor quality, and enables better decisions directly at the point of production. She is passionate about Industrial AI that works in production environments—AI that scales across plants, integrates with real manufacturing systems, and delivers value to the people running the line. There’s nothing more rewarding than seeing a defect detected before it cascades or a team empowered with insights they can act on immediately. Along the way, she has been honoured as a Forbes 30 Under 30 in Manufacturing, an Industry All-Star, and a Canadian to Watch by Automotive News Canada. Greta also serves on the APMA board, contributing to the future of automotive manufacturing in Canada. Here are some of the questions that I used in our interview: There are lots of implementers of AI - How are you different?  You have lots of interesting conversations, what are your prospects and customers concerned about. Are there any big trends? What does a project look like, is there such a thing as typical? Who do you deal with at a manufacturing company? Plant Manager, Owner, CEO, Manufacturing Engineer? What is the ROI for your customers? What are keeping engineers up at night? You have been very successful with over 400 production lines online, how is that going? Do you have any favourite Use Cases Where does AI fit into all of this? Let’s talk about time to market and speed to market. I know that this is like asking how long a piece of string is, but how long does it take to do a project? Can you tell our audience about your software? Do you work with automation integrators? AI enabled platform > workflows data and AI More data driven culture at scale? What happens when something changes (in the plant), update and maintain Do you have a bulls eye customer? How do you engage with a new customer? How can a manufacturer benefit from LinePulse when they have more than one location?  Have we forgotten to talk about anything? When you are not knee deep in projects and data, what do you like to do, do you have hobbies? How can people get a hold of you? Thanks for listening. Today’s podcast was produced by Customer Attraction Industrial Marketing and I would like to thank my team Chris Gray for the music, Geoffy Bremner for audio production, my business partner Janet. And I would like to thank my Senior Audio Software Engineer, Geoff Bremner and you can find more information on his Linketree, linktr.ee/gbaudio Be safe out there! Jim Jim Beretta Customer Attraction & The Robot Industry Podcast London, ON

April 26, 202630 min

Bryan Madden - Leading the Mushroom Growing Industry with Automation, Robotics and Mycionics

Bryan Madden is the Farms Director at Champ's Fresh Farms Inc. in Langley BC Welcome to podcast # 159. I caught up with Bryan, who is a customer of Mycionics, my client. I spent the last few days at #Mushroomdays or #Mushroom Days in the Netherlands. Here are some of my questions: How did you get into mushroom farming? Can you tell me about Apex / South Mill Champs? What is the output of the farm? How many employees? What is a Drawer farm, what is that and why is it important to the conversation? 1.5 million pounds weekly , production in winnipeg lot to gain  Drawer farm, Europe is (now) learning from us NO ONE WANT to pick mushrooms, it is a really tough job. Canada's Temporary foreign workers program? Labour is a complex variable on the farm. Why automation?  Beyond the labor challenge, you are going to get a lot of data? What are some of the challenges? You are positioning your farm to be one of the most technologically advanced automated mushroom growing operations in North America.  That must be challenging and exciting. How did you learn about Mycionics? Tell me about your project.  What is the ROI of automation, from your perspective? How do you roll out automation in a farm? Is it by room? You have purchased the Mycionics Crop Scout and robotic harvester picker. Can you tell our audience what they do Your workers have to make thousands of picks (decisions) a day, how does (adding) this automation make them feel? You have committed to rolling out Crop Scouts product and you have tested others, so you believe in the technology approach from Mycionics What about the data that you are collecting? How is that going to change your operation? You are also considering robotic picking automation, a multi arm robot on order. I know that you have had some initial success with a prototype unit? How is that experience going? What have you had to do to get ready for automation? How has Mycionics been to work with? Are they responsive? What about remote support? So you are a big believer in the Mycionics approach and the Mycionics team? You know the team from Mycionics, Ryan and Stefan, are they open to your feedback? You deal with lots of automation vendors when it comes to mushroom harvesting, what has been the difference between suppliers? You are piloting technology all the time, do you have a message for these evolving suppliers? You are pretty excited about the data? Mushroom farming in Canada, why and why now? Future of mushroom farming is automated, would you agree? Is there anything that separates mycionics, have they done anything special  innovation Robotics and automation are not perfected in the lab, it is in the barn. It needs people like you open to fail and to iterate. Thanks for coming onto the podcast. Thanks for all you do for the industry! Did we forget to talk about anything? If you would like to get in touch with Bryan here is his LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryan-madden-b12a9329/ https://www.mycionics.com Stefan Glibetic is president of Mycionics based out of Kitchener/Waterloo, ON My friend is in charge of sales and growth at Mycionics is Ryan McCartney: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryandoesdeals/ If you would like to get in touch with us at THE robot industry podcast, you can find me, Jim Beretta on LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimberetta/ Today’s podcast was produced by Customer Attraction Industrial Marketing and I would like to thank my team: Chris Gray for the music, Geoffrey Bremner for audio production and my business partner Janet. And I would like to thank my Senior Audio Software Engineer, Geoff Bremner and you can find more information on his Linketree, linktr.ee/gbaudio Be safe out there! Jim Jim Beretta Customer Attraction & The Robot Industry Podcast London, ON

April 8, 202631 min

AgRobotics, Agriculture, and Automation with Chuck Baresich

Welcome to podcast # 158. Chuck Baresich is the Founder and President of Haggerty Creek farming operation. He is a farmer and an expert in AgRobotics. The farming operation is part of Haggerty Creek Ltd. owned & operated by Chuck & Justin Baresich and AGRIS Cooperative since 2001 www.haggertycreek.com. He has been researching and testing various automated technologies. Haggerty AgRobotics is actively developing relationships with leading ag-technology companies to commercialize new innovations and bring them to farmers in Eastern Canada. Here are some of my questions to Chuck: Who is the Ontario AgRobotics Working Group? Ag robotics adoption in Canada? What’s holding users back? What motivates them? What is digital agriculture? How did you get into automation….and what automation are you using? Laser Zapper? Standard equipment? What countries do they come from? Service and support question (what is plan B?) Resistant weeds and speed Data question: Cameras and computers in every machine quality of images, etc. Canadians are typically slow to install automation in factories…are farmers the same? Let's talk about autonomous farming vehicles (AMRs, AGVs and logistics) Is broadband a problem? Remote processing. What is your advice to farmers who are thinking about automation? Where can farmers see demonstrations? How do we get better at putting more automation into farm? Too complicated? Waterloo company startup example. How can people get a hold of you? AgRobotics Working Group The AgRobotics Working Group comprises a diverse membership, including representatives from various levels of government, academic institutions, industry associations, and many more stakeholders in the agriculture sector. Since our establishment in March 2021, we have been dedicated to on-farm demonstrations, fostering networks, facilitating collaboration, and brainstorming innovative technology solutions. Our weekly meetings serve as a platform for discussing ideas, reviewing new technologies, applying for funding opportunities, and developing priorities for Ontario Agriculture. Show Notes: https://www.agroboticswg.com/memberships https://www.agroboticswg.com/events ‍London, ON – March 23, 2026 – The future of farming will be on display at the inaugural Canadian AgRobotics & AI Summit on March 26, 2026, at The Grove, Western Fair District. As Canada’s largest agrobotics conference, the one-day event will bring together farmers, innovators, researchers, funders and industry leaders from across North America to explore the rapidly evolving role of robotics and artificial intelligence in agriculture. If you would like to get in touch with us at THE robot industry podcast, you can find me, Jim Beretta on LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimberetta/ Today’s podcast was produced by Customer Attraction Industrial Marketing and I would like to thank my team: Chris Gray for the music, Geoffrey Bremner for audio production and my business partner Janet. And I would like to thank my Senior Audio Software Engineer, Geoff Bremner and you can find more information on his Linketree, linktr.ee/gbaudio Be safe out there! Jim Jim Beretta Customer Attraction & The Robot Industry Podcast London, ON

March 28, 202619 min

AVL Battery and Test Systems with Matthew Hortop, PE

Welcome to #157 of TRIP, The Robot Industry Podcast. I met up with Matt in Windsor during the Windsor-Essex' Emerging Technologies in Automation & Mobility Transformation Conference & Trade Show. Matthew Hortop, P.E. is a Technical Specialist for all Things Electrification. AVL is his employer and they are a 12,000-person company focused on powertrains. They don't make engines or inverters, they help customers doing the technology development. Batteries have become an important part of the automotive industry, including the drivetrain. AVL https://www.avl.com/en/engineering/e-mobility-engineering/battery-development-electric-vehicles Some of the questions that I asked Matt: How did you get into the industry? What do you do? What do you have for an automotive OEM? The speed of the battery industry? How do you support your customers? You can find out more about the organizers (Invest Windsor Essex) at https://www.emergingtechnologies.ca/ or at https://www.investwindsoressex.com/. If you would like to get in touch with us at THE robot industry podcast, you can find me, Jim Beretta on LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimberetta/ Today’s podcast was produced by Customer Attraction Industrial Marketing and I would like to thank my team: Chris Gray for the music, Geoffrey Bremner for audio production and my business partner Janet. And I would like to thank my Senior Audio Software Engineer, Geoff Bremner and you can find more information on his Linketree, linktr.ee/gbaudio Be safe out there! Jim Jim Beretta Customer Attraction & The Robot Industry Podcast London, ON

February 25, 202630 min

TetraGen Robotics AI welding automation and robotics with Matt Khoshdarregi

Welcome to #156 of TRIP, The Robot Industry Podcast. Matt Khoshdarregi is the CEO of TetraGen Robotics. He holds a P.Eng. and Ph.D. They, TetraGen, are a Manitoba-based developer of adaptive robotic manufacturing systems for high-mix, high-variability applications. Their current focus is on welding and trimming processes. Enjoy the podcast! Some of my questions to him: Matt, How did you get into the industry? Tell me (and our audience) about TetraGen. Who are your bullseye customers? Why did you choose robotic welding? How big is the labour challenge? How does AI come into welding? Tell me about your partners? Have you had any surprises in starting TetraGen? Data? How important is this to your customers? How does a customer get started with you? What does the future look like for automated - AI - welding? What are some Frequently Asked Questions? How can people get a hold of you? https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-khoshdarregi-561b8631 https://www.linkedin.com/company/tetragen-robotics If you would like to get in touch with us at THE robot industry podcast, you can find me, Jim Beretta on LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimberetta/ Today’s podcast was produced by Customer Attraction Industrial Marketing and I would like to thank my team: Chris Gray for the music, Geoffrey Bremner for audio production and my business partner Janet. And I would like to thank my Senior Audio Software Engineer, Geoff Bremner and you can find more information on his Linketree, linktr.ee/gbaudio Be safe out there! Jim Jim Beretta Customer Attraction & The Robot Industry Podcast London, ON

February 18, 202630 min

Automation Matters Podcast CRM for Automators with Stephen Slothuber

Welcome to #158, I have known Stephen Slothuber for a long time; in fact, I worked with him and his father at ATS Automation. The Slothubers were an institution at ATS for accuracy, dependability and getting things done. I was happy to have Steve on the podcast to talk about CRM for automation integrators and machine builders. Enjoy the podcast and if you are thinking about a CRM for your machine building company, or are thinking about a Zoho implementation, I highly recommend him and his company https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenslothouber Emberops is his company name. I would like to thank my team and our Senior Audio Software Engineer, Geoff Bremner, and you can find more information on his Linketree, linktr.ee/gbaudio Thanks for listening! Jim Jim Beretta Customer Attraction Industrial Marketing & The Robot Industry Podcast London, ON jim@customerattraction.com

February 12, 202628 min

Mass Timber and Element5 with Chris Latour

Chris Latour and I have known each other for many years, from our days at ATS Automation, and it was my pleasure to reach out to him to arrange a tour of Element5 in St. Thomas, Ontario. So if you have never heard of Mass Timber, it is structurally efficient wood that is bonded together and used to form small and large buildings: walls, ceilings, floors and is engineered to be easy to use, to look beautiful and be functional. Think of a wall that needs a plumbing stack cutout, but it is actually cut at the factory using 3D CAD model files. Elegant and purposeful. St. Thomas is just South of London, ON and North of Port Stanley, which is where I grew up in the summer, so the opportunity to have a tour and record a podcast was very exciting to me. Chris is a manufacturing professional who has worked with The Cakerie, Armo Tools, Convergix Automation (JMP Automation), and ATS Automation ~ so we have a lot in common, as many of these companies have been my clients before, and we have a lot in common, living nearby. St. Thomas (aka Railway City) is also the "Rail Capital" of Canada. At one time, St. Thomas had around 25 different railroads that came into the city, and it was, and still is, a major hub of manufacturing. For the large amount of wood that is required, being connected to CP and CN rail line is a game-changer for Element5. Chris is now the CEO of Element5 (a member of the HASSLACHER group) and oversees the entire operation, including a 350-square-foot facility with sanding, pressing, CNC cutting, RF pressing, gluing, laminating, X-ray, vision inspection, material handling, and staff and sales. The build of the operation took place during covid. The facility was recently expanded substantially in September of 2025 from 137,000 square feet to over 350,000 square feet, adding in a full Glulam production line, and a two-storey mass timber front office. This expansion also doubled the production of the facility from 50,000 cubic meters to 100,000 cubic meters annually of cross-laminated timber (CLT) and glued-laminated timber (Glulam) products.. Keywords: Dimensional lumber, Engineered lumber, Mass Timber, Element5, St. Thomas, Messenger Freight, Artificial Intelligence. CLT Cross Laminated Timber, Glue Lamination, Build Canada, Canadian Wood Council. For background information here, see: Element5 Mass Timber Celebrates Grand Opening of Expanded Manufacturing Plant in St. Thomas, Ontario - Element5 Thanks to Diana Tamblyn, Mira Grkavac, and my friends at MPI who did the early connect. Element5 is located at 70 Dennis Road, St. Thomas, Ontario N5P 0B6 https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-latour-5a5a044 www.Element5.co for some wonderful pictures! 1 888-670-7713 info@elementfive.co If you would like to get in touch with us at THE robot industry podcast, you can find me, Jim Beretta on LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimberetta/ Today’s podcast was produced by Customer Attraction Industrial Marketing and I would like to thank my team: Chris Gray for the music, Geoffrey Bremner for audio production and my business partner Janet. Be safe out there! Jim Jim Beretta Customer Attraction & The Robot Industry Podcast London, ON

January 28, 202624 min

Mecademic Industrial Robotics - Micro Automation in Action Powered by Integrators

I had the pleasure of recording an episode with Stan Gleizer, Director of Strategic Partnerships, Integrators and OEMs. He works for Mecademic Industrial Robotics and is based in Montreal. With a background in mechatronics and over a decade of experience in aerospace and automotive robotics, Stan has spent his career working on high-precision systems involving vision, force feedback, and micron-level motion. That path led him to Mecademic, a Montreal-based robot manufacturer purpose-built for microautomation. Together, they explore how Mecademic is rethinking industrial robotics for applications where space, precision, and system simplicity matter more than brute force. From electronics and medical devices to optics and photonics, Mecademic robots are enabling automation in environments traditional robots were never designed to handle. You’ll hear about: Why Mecademic robots are designed specifically for microautomation What makes ultra-compact six-axis robots viable in space-constrained systems How embedded controllers and no external teach pendants simplify cell architecture The difference between precision, repeatability, resolution, and accuracy, and why it matters How some manufacturers treat robots as swap-and-go spare parts to minimize downtime Where Mecademic robots overlap with, and go beyond, hexapods in high-precision applications How system integrators use Mecademic to access medical, photonics, and electronics markets What the Mecademic Approved Integrator Program offers and who it’s built for Stan also shares insights on Mecademic’s North American manufacturing, global expansion, and what makes a strong integrator partnership in high-precision automation. I would like to mention A3: the Association for Advancing Automation. they are the leading automation trade association for robotics, vision and imaging, motion control and motors and the industrial artificial intelligence technologies.  Visit Automate dot org to learn more. If you would like to get in touch with us at THE robot industry podcast, you can find me, Jim Beretta on LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimberetta/ Today’s podcast was produced by Customer Attraction Industrial Marketing and I would like to thank my team: Chris Gray for the music, Geoffrey Bremner for audio production and my business partner Janet. Be safe out there! Jim Jim Beretta Customer Attraction & The Robot Industry Podcast London, ON

January 22, 202629 min

Automation Matters #1 with Geoffrey Bremner

If you have been a listener to The Robot Industry Podcast, then you already know Geoffrey Bremner. His fingerprints are all over our podcast. He is my audio engineer, but he is more than that; he is a friend, a supplier, and a neighbour. Geoff is a true geek, loves recording music and podcasts. Welcome to Automation Matters Podcast with me, Jim Beretta. Have a listen. Jim Notes: https://www.linkedin.com/in/geoffreybremner https://linktr.ee/gbaudio