In this monthly podcast series, join industry leaders from across ATS as they share and discuss the latest industry trends, new innovations, and more! ATS is an industry-leading automation solutions provider to many of the world's most successful companies.
Welcome to Enabling Automation! The third episode of season 5 is "Smarter Robots, Better Automation". Join our season 5 host for this episode, Ben Hope, and special guest Nathan Snider, Applications Engineer with ATS Life Sciences Systems.
Listen to all episodes on the following platforms:
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5CWIpi4Ph4CNWtqn8TILMZ?si=e2ca02387b554f20
- Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/enabling-automation/id1703651289
- iHeart: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-enabling-automation-327022512/
- Overcast: https://overcast.fm/itunes1703651289/enabling-automation
- Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.ca/podcasts/63e2da85-de40-447e-aaaf-6fca18358cec/enabling-automation
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sATqMHS_jiA&list=PL1amIhdccgLUh7TbNYEANqxd1WIXb4uDd&index=2
For more information, visit: https://atsautomation.com/podcasts
Contact us: https://atsautomation.com/
In this monthly podcast series, join industry leaders from across ATS as they share and discuss the latest industry trends, new innovations, and more! ATS is an industry-leading automation solutions provider to many of the world's most successful companies.
Timestamps
00:04 – Introduction
00:30 – Meet Nathan Snider: A look at his role as an ATS Applications Engineer and his experience with medical device assembly, life sciences, and automation projects.
01:07 – Why is assembly still one of the hardest things to automate?
01:52 – What can people do instinctively in assembly processes that robots still struggle to replicate?
02:31 – What types of assembly applications look simple but become surprisingly difficult to automate?
03:13 – Where does the complexity in assembly automation usually come from: the robot, the process, the product, or the surrounding system?
03:50 – What can manufacturers automate today that would have been difficult or impossible ten years ago?
04:20 – Is the robot still the most innovative part of an automation system?
05:23 – Has the focus shifted from repeatability to adaptability in modern automation?
06:20 – Is it better to engineer variability out of a process or teach robots to adapt?
06:49 – What was the biggest innovation behind collaborative robotics?
07:38 – Did collaborative robots change automation more through usability and deployment than through human-robot collaboration?
08:40 – When do collaborative robots make sense, and when are traditional robotic systems a better fit?
09:14 – Where does the engineering effort really go when commissioning an automation system?
09:58 – Why are customer requirements, communication, and alignment so critical to project success?
10:33 – How much of an automation system’s cost is actually tied to robotics and tooling?
11:09 – What are some of the biggest integration challenges automation teams face today?
11:41 – Why aren’t automation systems easier to build despite advances in technology?
12:35 – How can automation companies improve the way automation is deployed?
13:05 – How do standard platforms, reusable assets, and proven technologies help teams deliver automation faster?
13:54 – What parts...
5 Aug 2026
From Controls Engineer to Product Leader
Welcome to Enabling Automation! The second episode of season 5 is another Careers in Focus highlight "From Controls Engineer to Product Leader ". Join our season 5 host for this episode, Ben Hope, and special guest Javan Taylor, Staff Specialist - Technical Sales Support for SuperTrak CONVEYANCE.
Listen to all episodes on the following platforms:
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5CWIpi4Ph4CNWtqn8TILMZ?si=e2ca02387b554f20
- Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/enabling-automation/id1703651289
- Overcast: https://overcast.fm/itunes1703651289/enabling-automation
- Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.ca/podcasts/63e2da85-de40-447e-aaaf-6fca18358cec/enabling-automation
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sATqMHS_jiA&list=PL1amIhdccgLUh7TbNYEANqxd1WIXb4uDd&index=2
For more information, visit: https://atsautomation.com/podcasts
Contact us: https://atsautomation.com/
In this monthly podcast series, join industry leaders from across ATS as they share and discuss the latest industry trends, new innovations, and more! ATS is an industry-leading automation solutions provider to many of the world's most successful companies.
Timestamps
00:04 - Introduction
00:53 - Joining ATS in 1995
01:55 - What ATS was like in the early days
02:58 - Starting as a Controls Engineer
04:50 - Discovering the power of standardization
08:03 - The early days of SuperTrak
09:18 - Solving the challenges of a new technology
11:56 - When SuperTrak almost seemed impossible
13:03 - The moment SuperTrak proved it could work
14:11 - From software development to product management
16:18 - The difference between engineering and product thinking
17:26 - What separates a successful project from a successful product
18:30 - Commercialization and learning to listen to customers
18:52 - Moving into technical sales
20:00 - Why listening matters more than technical expertise
21:13 - How automation has changed over 30 years
21:33 - How experience becomes perspective
22:42 - Mistakes the industry continues to repeat
23:15 - When to push an idea—and when to let it go
23:55 - How risk changes throughout your career 24:40 - What younger engineers tend to underestimate
25:02 - What experienced engineers can learn from younger engineers
25:31 - One company, many careers
26:28 - Advice for the next generation of engineers
26:49 - Closing reflections
#enablingautomation #automation #podcast
18 Jun 2026
ATS Spotlight: SuperTrak 30th Anniversary
Welcome to Enabling Automation! The first episode of season 5 is "ATS Spotlight: SuperTrak 30th Anniversary ". Join our season 5 host for this episode, Ben Hope, as he discusses the SuperTrak anniversary, a story to inspire the next generation of innovators.
Listen to all episodes on the following platforms:
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5CWIpi4Ph4CNWtqn8TILMZ?si=e2ca02387b554f20
- Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/enabling-automation/id1703651289
- Overcast: https://overcast.fm/itunes1703651289/enabling-automation
- Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.ca/podcasts/63e2da85-de40-447e-aaaf-6fca18358cec/enabling-automation
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sATqMHS_jiA&list=PL1amIhdccgLUh7TbNYEANqxd1WIXb4uDd&index=2
For more information, visit: https://atsautomation.com/podcast/
Contact us: https://atsautomation.com/
In this monthly podcast series, join industry leaders from across ATS as they share and discuss the latest industry trends, new innovations, and more! ATS is an industry-leading automation solutions provider to many of the world's most successful companies.
Timestamps
00:04 – Introduction
00:32 – The importance of conveyance
01:31 – Lesson #1 01:48 – The start of SuperTrak
02:52 – SuperTrak team members highlight
05:13 – Cycle timing and shuttle performance
06:16 – The first version of TrakMaster
06:48 – First systems launched
07:29 – Static brush
08:11 – Lesson #2
08:17 – Lesson #3
08:25 – Gen 2
09:03 – Gen 3
13:38 – Lesson #4
14:19 – Thank you & Closing
#enablingautomation #automation #podcast
Who has been a guest on Enabling Automation
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Christian Gehrhardt
Steve Emery
Miroslav Kafedzhiev
Steve Wardell
Simon Roberts
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
86,779
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Spotify
4.3 / 5
7 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 54 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
53
Social presence
0
YouTube
85
Engagement
51
Host of Enabling Automation?
Claim your podcast to manage its listing and keep your show details accurate.
Pod Engine is an independent podcast discovery and analytics service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by this podcast. Artwork and show content belong to their owners. Full legal notice.
Explore this show Podcast research with Pod Engine
