This Week on Speaking of Service
Episode 22: Industrial Machinery for Packaging—Moving the Needle in the IoT Customer Journey & Business Model
In this episode of Speaking of Service, Chris Wolff, VP of Strategic Partnerships at PTC, and Martina Stefanon, Business Development Manager IMA Digital at IMA Group, discuss IMA Group’s IoT customer journey and business model—a state-of-the-art predictive maintenance and real-time monitoring service.
IMA Group, a key player in the packaging industry's IoT sector, uses PTC's Service Optimization Solutions to bring about a significant change in the IoT customer journey and business model. Chris talks with Martina about her visionary marketplace for algorithms.
Key Questions:
- How did IMA Group build its platform with ThingWorx?
- What kind of data platform does IMA use to deliver digital services?
- What were some of the challenges IMA faced in bringing its digital vision to fruition?
This episode's speakers
Discover more about how IMA builds new value for themselves and their customers using IIoT
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Meet this season's hosts and guests
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Haroon Abbu - Vice President, Digital, Data and Analytics, Bell and Howell
Haroon Abbu is an accomplished leader with over 20 years of industry experience in leading technology enabled business transformation using digital technologies and advanced data analytics. He is currently leading a team of data scientists and solution architects to build next-generation analytics products and service capabilities powered by IoT, machine learning, and advanced analytics to drive service efficiencies and data monetization. He is a frequent keynote speaker and a panelist at various industry events and has published his work in business magazines and scholarly journals. He recently co-authored a book titled, Trust: The Winning Formula for Digital Leaders, a Practical Guide for Digital Transformation.
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Brian Allred - Global Director, Data Analytics and Digital Technologies, Autoliv
Brian Allred is a global technology leader with over 20 years of experience delivering technical strategies and data-driven solutions. In his current role, he is responsible for Autoliv’s data analytics and digitalization technologies, focusing on big data, data sciences, data transformation, advanced analytics, and business intelligence. Brian works closely with executive management to deliver strategic digitalization initiatives and is committed to driving digital change.
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Pete Barrie - Product Management Director, Sani-Matic
Pete oversees all product direction for the food, beverage, personal care, nutraceutical, and bio-pharm industries. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical and Biological Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, leading him to engineering roles in product development, technical writing, and project management. More recently, Pete has moved into Product Management roles where he now manages the marketing, product development, and product management teams and activities for Sani-Matic systems, components, and services.
Pete continuously develops his hygienic design and process technical knowledge through participation in ASME Bioprocessing Equipment (BPE) Committee Meetings as a committee member and task group leader, and 3-A Work Group Member Meetings. Pete is also a Preventive Controls Qualified Individual (PCQI) and is Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HAACP) certified.
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Joe Biron - General Manager, Azure Strategic Missions Product Marketing, Microsoft
Joe Biron leads Azure Product Marketing for Strategic Missions products at Microsoft. The Strategic Missions portfolio focused on recent and emerging innovations to power the next generation of cloud computing including Azure IoT, Azure for Operators, Azure Space, and Azure Quantum.
Joe has spent his career in advanced technology, serving as a software engineer, systems architect, CTO and General Manager, always with an emphasis on forming product and market strategies to match technological breakthroughs to business value.
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Jim Brown - President, Tech-Clarity Inc
Jim Brown founded Tech-Clarity in 2002 and has over 30 years of experience in the manufacturing and software industries. Jim is an experienced researcher, author, and speaker and enjoys engaging with people with a passion to improve business performance through digital enterprise strategies and supporting software technology. Jim is actively researching the impact of digital transformation and technology convergence in the manufacturing industries.
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John Carroll - Founder and CEO, Service Council™
John Carroll has authored hundreds of case studies, articles and benchmark reports and has delivered speeches around the world on topics ranging from field service and labor strategies to emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Augmented Reality, IoT and more.
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Lora Estey - Product Manager, PTC
Lora focuses on the solutions for Smart Connected Products within the IIoT ThingWorx Platform. She previously worked at the PTC Center of Excellence for IIOT where she collaborated closely with customers using the ThingWorx Platform for their own Smart Connected Product applications. Before PTC, Lora worked as a Release Engineer, Development Tools Lead, and DevOps Engineer for various enterprise systems.
She holds a Bachelor of Science of Engineering with an Electrical Emphasis from Grand Valley State University.
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Mohan Gatta - Managing Partner, Customer Experience Transformation and Service Lifecycle Management Growth and Transformation, Manufacturing, Energy and Resources Unit Tata Consultancy Services
Mohan leads advisory and transformation services focused on Customer Experience and Service Lifecycle Management in Manufacturing, Energy and Resources unit of TCS. In this role Mohan provides strategy, roadmap and business value realization for business transformations. He has 30 years of experience in consulting and various business roles across manufacturing value chain in automotive, industrial, construction and mining equipment, aerospace and defence industries.
Prior to TCS, Mohan led supply chain integration of a large portfolio for leading aviation engine manufacturer. He has led national aftermarket parts business, managed dump trucks, wheeled equipments manufacturing, sales and service operations for leading global heavy equipment manufacturer.
Mohan has published number of thought leadership articles on Digital Customer Experience, Servitization, Service, Parts and warranty management.
Mohan is Graduate in Mechanical Engineering and holds Post Graduate Diploma in Management
He lives in Troy with his wife and two sons
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Andy Hay - President and Chief Executive Officer, Sysmex America, Inc
Andy Hay is driven by a passion for laboratory efficiency and improving healthcare. He sets the strategic direction for business growth and to advance market leadership for Sysmex across a region which includes all the Americas. Andy is also part of the global leadership and steering committee for the company, helping to design the strategies and build the relationships which are essential for Sysmex to be successful around the world.
Andy holds a fellowship in medical laboratory sciences, specializing in hematology and blood group serology, from John Moore’s University in Liverpool, UK as well as an advanced management program degree from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Prior to joining Sysmex in 1989, Andy had a decade-long career in hospital laboratories and working as a medical technologist.
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Howard Heppelmann - Divisional Vice President and General Manager, ThingWorx IoT Solutions
Howard Heppelmann is Divisional Vice President and General Manager of PTC’s ThingWorx IoT Solutions business segment. In this role he is responsible for bringing to market solutions that harness today’s most disruptive technologies into a continuous digital thread that enables industrial companies to improve operational efficiency, differentiate products and service offerings and transform business models.
ExperienceHoward most recently served as Vice President and General Manager, ThingWorx IoT Solutions. In this role he was responsible for bringing to market solutions to help manufacturing leaders improve efficiency, agility, quality and workforce safety in discrete manufacturing, oil & gas and process manufacturing market segments. Howard’s previous roles at PTC include General Manager, Connected Product Management and General Manager, Service Lifecycle Management.
Howard has worked in the manufacturing industry since 1990 and has extensive experience working with businesses to apply Industrie 4.0, Smart Connected Operations and Smart Connected Product technologies and process innovation in order to transform how industrial companies design, manufacture, sell, operate and deliver service in a today’s Internet of Things (IoT) powered world.
Howard is a regular participant at industry seminars where he has presented on important topics such as Industrie 4.0, Service Lifecycle Management (SLM), Smart, connected Products and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), and product development best practices in both discrete manufacturing and retail. He has been published and quoted in the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and numerous other business and trade publications.
EducationHoward attended Macalester College in St. Paul Minnesota, where he earned degrees in Economics and International Studies.
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Yuri Hovanski - Associate Professor, Manufacturing Engineering, Brigham Young University
Dr. Yuri Hovanski earned his B.S. Degree in Mechanical Engineering at Brigham Young University, and then completed his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees at Washington State University. Dr. Hovanski worked as a lead mechanical systems engineer for Bechtel National, Inc. prior to joining Pacific Northwest National Laboratory where he worked as a senior research engineer for more than a decade.
Dr. Yuri Hovanski earned his B.S. Degree in Mechanical Engineering at Brigham Young University, and then completed his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees at Washington State University. Dr. Hovanski worked as a lead mechanical systems engineer for Bechtel National, Inc. prior to joining Pacific Northwest National Laboratory where he worked as a senior research engineer for more than a decade.
In 2016, Dr. Hovanski joined the faculty of Brigham Young University as an associate professor of manufacturing engineering. He actively participates in numerous professional societies (SME, AWS, ASM, TMS, and SAE), as well as serving on various organizational committees and in division leadership roles. Having applied two decades of research, Dr. Hovanski has focused on the development of low-cost solutions to facilitate industrial application of friction stir welding.
His collaborative research efforts globally have led to numerous advancements in closed-loop control and real-time defect detection. The merger of these efforts in intelligent manufacturing processes with the smart factory has been the focus of his most recent research. As a developer of university curriculum focused on Industry 4.0, he was recognized as one of the top 20 academics in smart manufacturing in 2021 by the Society of Manufacturing Engineers.
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Nathan Hoyt - Internet of Things Software Developer, Bell and Howell
Nathan Hoyt recently graduated from Brigham Young University where he spent six years completing his BS and MS, both in manufacturing engineering. He spent his last three years at BYU working in the Smart Manufacturing research lab, led by Dr. Yuri Hovanski. During this time, Nathan contributed significantly to the development of university curriculum focused on Industry 4.0. In addition, he conducted Industry 4.0 research using various lab-scale factories and has recently submitted an article to the journal of Engineering Applications of Artificial Intelligence.
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Danny Jackson - Digital Transformation Director, Autoliv
Danny Jackson delivers the practical application of technology to improve business processes. With over 20 years of experience in Manufacturing Operations, Supply Chain Planning, and Information Technology Management, Danny brings a unique perspective on how digital technologies can be leveraged to improve efficiency throughout the entire value chain.
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Chris Joynt - AI Co-Innovation Lead, PTC
Chris Joynt began his career in a traditional sales role at IBM selling big data, BI (Business Intelligence), and data mining tools. He then took a position at a machine learning startup where he handled all functions related to revenue growth—from marketing and positioning to leading services engagements. For the startup to pursue an ML-as-infrastructure strategy, learning various software architectures to understand how ML (Machine Learning) might create value was key, as AI was still a nascent field.
PTC acquired that company to integrate those very ML capabilities into the ThingWorx Platform. With IoT and digital transformation, there has been a push to better map those data flows to real world business and operational processes which has necessitated the creation of digital assets that could be quickly reconfigured to offer maximum adaptability. Chris' previous ML learnings have been invaluable in this current landscape where sensor data, legacy operational technology, and IT systems pull together to model processes where AI is used to make practical predictions.
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Chris MacDonald - Head of AI and Analytics, PTC
Chris MacDonald joined PTC through the acquisition of Coldlight in May of 2015. Upon joining PTC, Chris led the Analytics Business Development team globally. In 2018, Chris formed and led the Global Analytics Center of Excellence with responsibility for all analytics business development, field engineering, and services for PTC’s IoT business. Most recently, Chris joined the Digital Transformation Solutions organization to ensure PTC’s solutions deliver rich insights to our customers in addition to his team’s charter to ensure customer success with AI & Analytics in the field.
Through his work at companies such as Xerox, SAP, Oracle, Coldlight, and now PTC, Chris has helped companies across every vertical harness the value of data-driven innovation. Leveraging his expertise in IoT Analytics and Machine Learning, Chris remains focused on unlocking potential opportunities in evolving data ecosystems.
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Jeff Miller - Director, Digital Performance Management, Kalypso
Jeff Miller is a Director in the Industrial High Tech Sector at Kalypso, A Rockwell Automation Company. He is responsible for Digital Performance Management solutions and services in North America. In this role, Jeff works with organizations to maximize the value of their investments in enterprise technologies, IoT and AR. He engages with customers to design and deploy digital technology solutions that derive insights from data, increase efficiencies and improve performance across manufacturing and supply chain operations.
Jeff has invested his career working with product and service organizations at the convergence of business and technology. He has helped companies achieve their strategic business and supply chain objectives through digital capability investments across extended value chains, manufacturing, logistics, service and commercial operations.
Prior to joining Rockwell Automation and Kalypso Jeff served customers through senior industry roles at PTC, Accenture, DXC and KPMG. Earlier in his career, he managed manufacturing and supply chain operations at Westinghouse’s Nuclear Fuel and Power Generation businesses.
Jeff earned an MS in Industrial Management from the Florida Institute of Technology, and a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Tennessee.
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Dr. Billy Milligan - Solutions Development Lead, Howden
Dr. Billy Milligan, BEng(Hons) MSc PhD CEng MInstMC MIET, is an experienced controls and instrumentation design engineer having worked on the design, installation and testing of instrumentation and control systems used in the oil and gas sector, the water industry, bulk solids handling, and rotating equipment since leaving school. He is a Chartered Control and Instrument Engineer and a member of the Institute of Measurement and Control, the Institution of Engineering and Technology and a Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Scientific Instrument Makers. He currently sits on the council within the Institute of Measurement and Control as Honorary Secretary and is also Chair of its Digital Transformation Special Interest Group.
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Anthony Moffa - Senior Director, SCP Sales and Strategic Initiatives
Anthony has extensive experience designing, manufacturing, and implementing diagnostic systems in a variety of industries including aerospace, nuclear power, and petrochemical. Prior to joining PTC he was responsible for the design and implementation of 2 IoT programs, one in life safety and the other in the life sciences arenas. He has been a long-time contributor to service research advisory councils managed by Aberdeen and The Service Council, holds a Mechanical Engineering Degree from Villanova University and has multiple Six Sigma certifications .
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Aly Pinder Jr. - Research Vice President, World Wide Aftermarket Services Strategies, IDC
Aly Pinder Jr. leads IDC’s research and analysis of the service and customer support markets, including topics such as field service, warranty operations, service parts management, and how these service areas impact the overall customer experience. This research extends to innovative technologies like 3D printing for service operations, augmented and virtual reality in field support, and the use of IoT and advanced analytics for remotely monitoring and managing assets. Mr. Pinder Jr. establishes a roadmap for manufacturers to better understand how technology can transform service and support functions to drive exceptional customer experiences and value, profitable revenue growth, and improved efficiency in the field.
Prior to his time with IDC, Mr. Pinder Jr. was an analyst researching the service and customer support market for ten years at The Service Council and the Aberdeen Group. He has established himself as a thought leader for the trends and best practices impacting manufacturers regarding field service, service parts management, and the IoT.
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John Ragsdale - Researcher and the Vice President of Technology Ecosystems for TSIA
John Ragsdale is a distinguished researcher and the vice president of technology ecosystems for TSIA. His area of expertise is in assisting enterprise technology firms with the selection and value realization of tools and platforms, with a constant focus on the customer experience. John works closely with TSIA’s partner ecosystem, identifying leading and emerging technology vendors whose products help solve the key business challenges faced by TSIA members.
Prior to joining TSIA in 2006, John spent over six years at Forrester Research as vice president and research director. During his career, he has held product management and marketing positions at various technology vendors, including Clarify, Answer Systems, Platinum Technologies, and Nortel Networks.
John published his first book, Lessons Unlearned, in 2012, and was a contributing author to How Companies Succeed in Social Business, published in 2015.
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Martina Stefanon - Business Development Manager, IMA Digital - IMA Group
Martina Stefanon is Business Development Manager IMA Digital, at IMA Group. She is responsible to support both from a technical and commercial point of view all Divisions and Companies of the Group regarding digital tools and services. Moreover, Stefanon is also Product Manager of the IMA Sentinel platform for data driven services on connected machines. With more than five years’ experience in Industrial IOT and Analytics related activities, she designed field applications of Industry 4.0 technology not only on packaging machines but also on other industrial machinery. Since 2015 through 2019 Stefanon has been a member of the Advisory Board of “Quota 8000 Service Innovation Program”, created by The European House Ambrosetti. Stefanon has more than 15 years’ experience in packaging machinery industry.
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Randy Thompson - Sr Business and Technology Architect, Transition Technologies PSC
Randy Thompson began his career doing plant floor automation, PLC and SCADA projects. This lead to more than 20 years of Internet of Things experience with manufacturing companies in the medical, technology, financial, and industrial markets. As the leader of technical presales and then customer success for Axeda (acquired by PTC) he was involved in the planning and execution of IoT projects for more than 150 companies. He also worked on IoT at Wind River (Intel), Bsquare, and Dell Technologies. While all IoT projects are different, experience has shown how they all have similar implementation needs and success factors. As a Senior Solution Architect and Business Analyst for Transition Technologies PSC, Mr. Thompson works with clients to define project requirements, reduce risk, and accelerate time to value.
Mr. Thompson has a BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Texas and an MBA from Bryant University.
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Chris Wolff - Sales VP, Strategic Partnerships, PTC Americas
Chris Wolff, “Wolffie”, joined PTC in November 2022 to establish a Field Alliance function within PTC Americas sales organization. Reporting to the DVP of Sales, Wolffie and the Field Alliance Managers help PTC sellers accelerate and expand customer value, leading complex ecosystems.
Previously Wolffie led Dell Technologies Office of Global OEM and IOT Partnerships. making Dell’s partnerships with technology, IOT, software, cloud and reseller partners simple, predictable and profitable. She chaired the Dell Technologies IOT go-to-market committee, unifying Dell EMC, VMWare and Dell’s strategically aligned businesses behind award-winning solutions. She represented Dell OEM in Dell’s Digital Cities initiative.
Wolffie spent 18 years establishing Dimension Data’s presence in the USA, and helping the Group grow from a 1000 to 30,000 employees globally. She established the Group’s solutions marketing, sales development, and talent engagement functions. She served as Dimension Data’s SVP, Group Cisco Alliance, accountable to Cisco’s Executive Leadership Team and the Dimension Data Group Executive Committee for the $4 billion partnership. In 2010 Dimension Data was acquired by NTT Holdings and now operates as NTT Limited.
Wolffie has advised Dell, Secureworks and Seagate on GTM strategy. She serves pm the boards of the MIT Enterprise Forum, Duke AIMS, and SKAEL Inc. She spends her free time mentoring women in STEM, golfing and cheering the Duke Blue Devils.
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Marco Zeller (Master of Eng.) - Director of Remote Service and Io(M)T
Marco Zeller (Master of Eng.), Director of Remote Service and Io(M)T, has an education in software engineering and business management.
He has worked for Storz for almost 16 years. He started as a software engineer and transitioned to different roles, from software architect to system engineer and finally to Directory of Remote Service and Io(M)T.
His passion is the integration of devices with business processes at the customer and the company side to digitalize the workflows with and for the products. His goal is to create a smooth and unique digital experience for the management of the products.
Season 1: Industrial Machine Builders Series
Industrial Machine Builders Podcast
"If you listen to your equipment in the field, you actually hear what your customers are saying to you, and that is the mindset change. I don’t really want to sell the piece of equipment—I want to sell the value that it delivers to that end user."
John Cote, Senior Director of Product Marketing, PTC