AI Across The Product Lifecycle Podcast
by Michael Finocchiaro
AI Across The Product Lifecycle explores how artificial intelligence is reshaping engineering, manufacturing, and product development—from early design to production, service, and the digital thread that connects it all. Hosted by Michael Finocchiaro (DemystifyingPLM), the podcast brings together founders, engineers, analysts, and technology leaders building the next generation of engineering software and industrial AI. Each episode focuses on practical implementation rather than hype: How startups and established vendors are embedding AI into CAD, simulation, PLM, and manufacturing systems What real digital thread architectures look like in practice How engineering organizations are adapting their data, workflows, and tools to work with AI Where the biggest opportunities—and bottlenecks—are emerging across the product lifecycle Conversations often feature founders of cutting-edge startup
Episodes
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How NASA Uses AI for Engineering — Ryan McClelland at IMTS 2026
Ryan McClelland, AI Infusion Lead at NASA Goddard, joins Michael Finocchiaro at IMTS 2026 to discuss practical uses of AI in engineering, CAD, simulation and space missions. The conversation explores how engineers evaluate AI-generated designs and turn promising capabilities into useful…
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Why Generic AI Fails Engineering: PTC’s 60% to 93% Answer
John Haller and Steve Dertien of PTC join Michael Finocchiaro to discuss why engineering AI needs domain context. Topics include requirements accuracy, change-impact analysis, legacy systems and the role of AI across the product lifecycle. This non-sponsored edition opens with Steve’s explanation...
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The Hidden Infrastructure Behind Engineering Software: Tech Soft 3D, HOOPS AI and the Future of 3D
Tech Soft 3D has spent nearly 30 years quietly powering much of the engineering software industry. Its SDKs sit beneath hundreds of CAD, CAM, CAE, additive manufacturing, construction and PLM applications. Now the company is betting that the next competitive frontier will be built around…
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The Claude Code Moment for Factories? Cognyx + Oplit
What happens when the “Claude Code moment” reaches hardware engineering, supply chain, and the factory floor? In this episode of AI Across the Product Lifecycle, Michael Finocchiaro speaks with two French industrial AI founders building directly into that shift: Matthias Berahya-Lazarus, CEO &...
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AI for Engineering Is Leaving the Demo Phase
Text-to-CAD. Autonomous simulation. Agentic workflows. AI copilots for PLM. Engineering teams “10x faster.” Most of it still sounds like science fiction. But what happens when you put two founders building real AI-native engineering software in the same conversation? In this episode of AI Across...
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Who really owns the Bill of Materials?
BOM Wars, Part 2: Why Engineering, Manufacturing, ERP, MES, Service, and AI Still Can’t Agree The BOM debate is back. And somehow, it got even more dangerous. In this Future of PLM panel, Michael Finocchiaro brings together Christine Longwell, Gus Quade, Brion Carroll, Pat Hillberg, David…
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Aras enters the Leader's Quadrant!
🚨 PLM just had a major market signal. For the first time since 2008, Gartner has published a Magic Quadrant for PLM — and Aras is now positioned alongside the traditional PLM giants. In this breaking-news episode of AI Across the Product Lifecycle, I sit down with Josh Epstein, CMO of Aras, to...
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The Future of PLM Is Human? AI, Trust, Community & the Share PLM Summit 2026 Debate
What happens when some of the most respected voices in PLM gather in a Spanish vineyard to discuss AI, digital transformation, trust, community, and the future of engineering? In this special Share PLM Summit 2026 edition of The Future of PLM Podcast, host Michael Finocchiaro is joined by Jos...
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When AI Meets Sales, Support & Supply Chain: Omnae & Bardin AI
AI in manufacturing does not fail because the demo is bad. It fails when the answer cannot be trusted. In this episode of AI Across the Product Lifecycle, Michael Finocchiaro speaks with Fay Goldstein, Co-Founder and CEO of Bardin AI, and Scott Lionello, Co-Founder and CPO of Omnae Technologies,...
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CAD, BIM, and the AI Leap: Qonic & Raven!
What happens when AI moves beyond chatbots and starts reshaping the actual tools engineers, architects, and designers use every day? In this episode of AI Across the Product Lifecycle, Michael Finocchiaro speaks with Chloë Guidi of Qonic and Moritz Rietschel of Raven about the AI-native future of...
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Engineering’s Spatial AI Moment - Campfire & Gravity Sketch
What happens when AI, virtual reality, and spatial computing move beyond demos and start reshaping real engineering work? In this episode of AI Across the Product Lifecycle, Michael Finocchiaro speaks with Jay Wright, Co-Founder and CEO of Campfire, and Oluwaseyi “Shay” Sosanya, Co-Founder and…
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Physics has a ChatGPT Moment - Vinci 4D Special Edition!
Riverside Event Title Physics Has a ChatGPT Moment: AI, Simulation, and the Future of Engineering What happens when AI stops guessing and starts solving physics? In this episode of AI Across The Product Lifecycle, I’m joined by Hardik Kabaria, co-founder and CFO of Vinci, and Andy Fine of the…
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FoPLM: Introducing Product Memory! w/Special Guests!
Riverside Event Title Product Memory: The Missing Layer Between PLM, Digital Thread, and AI Agents Riverside Event Description Everyone talks about the single source of truth. Then the real product decision happens in a meeting, spreadsheet, email, Teams chat, supplier exchange, or inside…
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Bananaz and Jiga - Design Faster. Source Smarter. Ship Sooner!
What happens when AI hits both sides of the engineering equation: design and sourcing? In this episode of AI Across the Product Lifecycle, Michael Finocchiaro sits down with Adar Hey, CEO and co-founder of Jiga, and Or Israel, CEO and co-founder of Bananaz, for a grounded discussion on where AI…
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Threaded Miami: Daan Goossens of CoLab!
What happens when engineering teams suddenly have the equivalent of 10,000 new AI coworkers? In this Day 2 Threaded Miami session, Daan Goossens of CoLab lays out a sharp version of the problem: AI can massively increase productivity, but if companies do not have the right collaboration, context,...
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Threaded Miami: Lucy Hoag of Violet Labs!
What if the missing piece in industrial AI is not another copilot, but the underlying knowledge and orchestration layer that physical product companies still do not have? In this Day 2 Threaded Miami session, Lucy Hoag of Violet Labs makes that case from a hardware-first perspective. Her argument...
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Threaded Miami: Addy First of Quarter20
What if the real weak point in the digital thread is not the software stack, but the documents people keep creating to survive around it? In this Day 2 Threaded Miami session, Addy First of Quarter20 makes that argument directly. She points out that while everyone talks about connected systems…
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Threaded Miami: Masha Petrova of Nullspace!
What if the real problem in electromagnetic simulation is not user workflow, but the solver itself? In this Day 2 Threaded Miami session, Masha Petrova of Nullspace makes exactly that argument. Her claim is blunt: the core electromagnetic solvers most of industry still relies on were built…
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Threaded Miami: John Zinn of CognaSIM
What if the real problem with engineering simulation is not physics, but the fact that the tools are still too complex, too fragmented, and too dependent on a handful of experts? In this Day 1 Threaded Miami session, John Zinn of CognaSIM lays out that case clearly. He argues that simulation…
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Threaded Miami: Rut Lineswala of BQP!
In this Day 2 Threaded Miami session, Rut Lineswala of BQP makes that case head-on. He argues that the weakest link in the digital thread is often the simulation layer itself, where engineers still face huge compute demands, long runtimes, and practical limits that force them to make design...
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Threaded Miami: Mayank Makwana of Reeva!
What if the biggest bottleneck in manufacturing is not engineering itself, but all the manual work that happens after the design is done and before the business can actually move? In this Day 1 Threaded Miami session, Mayank Makwana of Reeva makes that case directly. He argues that speed is the...
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Threaded Miami: Jeff Tao of TDengine!
What if factory data worked less like a pile of dashboards and more like Instagram or TikTok — surfacing the right operational insight at the right moment without forcing people to hunt for it? In this Day 1 Threaded Miami session, Jeff Tao of TDengine makes exactly that argument. He explains why...
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Threaded Miami: Dan and Scott Lionello and Omnae
What if the real problem in supply chains is not visibility at the top, but the broken collaboration happening lower down the stack where the real work still runs on emails, spreadsheets, and mismatched systems? In this Day 1 Threaded Miami session, Scott and Dan Linonello of Omnae deliver one of...
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Threaded Miami: Jonathan Girror of Tech Soft 3D!
What if one of the fastest ways to build a breakthrough engineering product is to stop reinventing infrastructure and start building on the right components? In this Day 1 Threaded Miami session, Jonathan Girroir of Tech Soft 3D gives a practical overview of the SDK and component technology...
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Threaded Miami: Andy Fine and the Fine Physics Consortium!
Why are so many AI-for-engineering projects still failing, even after all the hype? In this Day 1 Threaded Miami session, Andy Fine gives a sharp overview of the simulation landscape, the mission behind Fine Physics Consortium, and the uncomfortable reality that most engineering organizations…
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Threaded Miami: Ralph Verrilli - an investor's perspective
What actually kills most engineering software startups is not the tech. In this Day 1 Threaded Miami session, Ralph Verrilli of Next Stage Ventures delivers a blunt, highly practical talk on what it really takes to build, fund, scale, and eventually sell an engineering software company. Drawing…
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Threaded Miami: Aras Overview for Startups
What does Aras actually stand for in a PLM market still dominated by legacy architecture, painful upgrades, and disconnected data? In this episode, Josh Epstein, Rob McAveney, and John Sperling lay out the Aras view of the market, the product strategy behind Innovator and Innovator Edge, and why...
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Threaded Miami: Fino's Introductory Address
What happens when someone stops waiting for the engineering software world to create the right startup event and just builds it? In this episode, Michael Finocchiaro lays out the thinking behind Threaded, a conference series designed to give engineering and manufacturing startups something the...
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Threaded Miami: Trace.Space and introducing Space Agent!
What if requirements engineering did not feel like 1994? In this episode, Janis Vavere and Matt Maclaine explain why Trace.Space is going straight at one of the most stubborn bottlenecks in engineering: requirements, traceability, compliance, and the painful workflows that still live in the…
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Threaded Miami: Oleg Shilovitsky of OpenBOM
What if the biggest problem in product development is not CAD, not PLM, and not even ERP — but the messy handoff between them? In this episode, Oleg Shilovitsky of OpenBOM goes straight at one of the least glamorous but most expensive problems in manufacturing: engineering creates the product…
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Threaded Miami: Pradyut Paul of Bild - introducing Meru!
What if the real bottleneck in hardware development is not design itself, but the chaos of explaining design changes to everyone else? In this episode, Pradyut Paul of Bild breaks down a problem every engineering organization knows too well: design changes happen fast, but the reasoning behind...
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Threaded Miami: Jonathan Girroir of Tech Soft 3D
Jonathan Girroir explains why Tech Soft 3D’s SpinFire product line matters far beyond “just viewing CAD.” This conversation gets into one of the messiest problems in engineering: how to move complex product data across the enterprise without forcing everyone onto a full CAD seat or trapping...
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Threaded Miami: Garth Coleman of Canvas Envision
Garth Coleman, CEO of Canvas Envision breaks down one of the biggest blind spots in the digital thread: most companies connect systems, but they still do not truly connect the frontline worker. In this conversation, he explains how Envision is using AI, 3D, video, and visual work instructions to...
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From CAD Chaos to Clean Context: How Drafter and Trace.Space Are Rewiring Engineering With AI
From CAD chaos to clean engineering context. What happens when two founders attack two of hardware engineering’s most stubborn bottlenecks: manufacturing documentation and requirements management? In this episode of AI Across the Product Lifecycle, Michael Finocchiaro speaks with Chris Barton,...
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Configuration Management: Stop the BOM Chaos!
Configuration Management is still one of the hardest problems in PLM—and this panel doesn’t sugarcoat it. In this episode of the Future of PLM Podcast, Michael Finocchiaro is joined by Rob Ferrone, Brion Carroll, Jim Brown, Oleg Shilovitsky, and Eric Schrader (Propel) to break down why BOMs still...
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Next Generation Design and Engineering: Neural Concept and nTop
The conversation explores the impact of AI, particularly LLMs, on engineering design and development. It delves into the integration of AI into engineering workflows, the empowerment of engineers through AI, and the potential for AI to transform engineering disciplines. Both Neural Concept and…
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Applying Al-powered Design to Bones and Boats!
The conversation explores the impact of AI in two distinct industries: maritime vessel design and medical imaging. Both Shahroz Khan and Roger Johnston discuss the integration of AI into their respective fields, highlighting the specific challenges and opportunities they have encountered. They…
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MaintainX and MachineMetrics @ ProveIt! 2027 Live
The conversation covers the early adoption of AI in business, the impact of AI on software development, the integration of AI across business functions, the changing landscape of product development, and the role of AI in digital transformation in manufacturing. It also discusses the challenges…
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OT Protocol Legends: Arlen Nipper and Thomas Burke @ ProveIt! 2027 Live
The conversation delves into the introduction and comparison of OPC UA and MQTT, the genesis and impact of MQTT on industrial automation, the purpose and evolution of OPC, the complementarity of MQTT and OPC UA, the role of MQTT in industrial data publishing, the importance of open standards and...
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FlowFuse and Dados @ ProveIt! 2027 Live
The conversation covers the impact of AI on code development and digital maturity in manufacturing. It delves into the skepticism and adoption of AI, real-time intelligence layer in manufacturing, AI's role in Node-RED flows, its impact on software development, development processes, agile...
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Inductive Automation Joins Fuuz and Thred Cloud @ ProveIt! 2027 Live
The conversation delves into the initial skepticism of AI and its eventual impact, the integration of AI in development, the touch points of AI in Inductive Automation, the challenges and limitations of LLMs, and the digital maturity and customer adoption of AI in the industry. Takeaways Initial...
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Fuuz and ThredCloud @ ProveIt! 2027 Live
The conversation covers topics related to industry 4.0 innovation, product development and acceleration, as well as the adoption of AI technology. It also delves into the challenges and collaboration in the industry, along with impressive presentations at ICC and the importance of innovative...
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Tuilp Interfaces and Litmus @ ProveIt! 2027 Live
The conversation delves into the impact of AI on manufacturing, addressing initial skepticism, continuous transformation, and the progression of digital maturity in the industry. It also explores the role of AI in product development, code development, management, decision-making, and creativity....
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Portainer.io and Mind Device @ ProveIt! 2027 Live
The conversation covers the impact of AI on manufacturing and the digital maturity of the industry. It delves into the use of AI in development, infrastructure management, and manufacturing transformation, as well as the future of AI in industry. Additionally, it explores the concept of digital...
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ProSys and TDengine @ ProveIt! 2027 Live
The conversation covers the evolution of AI, skepticism and progress, AI adoption in industry operations, AI in software development, AI in hiring and sales operations, AI in TD Engine, AI in Process Forge, AI data analysis and prediction, the future of TD Engine, and digital maturity and…
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AI Overview with Dr Bob of Capgemini
The conversation covers the evolution of AI systems from expert systems to LLMs, the application of AI in engineering and manufacturing, and the data maturity gaps in industries adopting AI. It also delves into the challenges of AI implementation, cultural transformation for automation, and the...
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MCAD Meets AI - Power Users Power Hour!
The conversation explores the experiences of mechanical engineers in the field of CAD and AI, discussing the evolution of engineering practices, the impact of AI on design processes, and the integration of AI tools within CAD systems. The conversation also delves into the challenges and...
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Next-Gen PLM and MES: Duro & First Resonance
The conversation explores the use of AI across the product lifecycle management process, focusing on the experiences of Karan Talati and Michael Corr. They discuss their perceptions of AI, its application in product development, and its impact on the manufacturing industry. The conversation also...
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Quantum Engineering with Quanscient
The podcast features a discussion with the CEO and CTO of Quanscient, a Finnish quantum computing startup, covering topics such as quantum computing, its relationship with AI, and the future of both technologies. The conversation delves into the nature of quantum computing, its applications, the...
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AI in Software Development: Leo AI & OpenBOM
The conversation covers the integration of AI in the development process, its application in mechanical engineering, and its role in decision-making. The discussion explores the use of AI in the development of Leo AI and OpenBOM, its potential in mechanical engineering, and the impact on...
About this show
AI Across The Product Lifecycle explores how artificial intelligence is reshaping engineering, manufacturing, and product development—from early design to production, service, and the digital thread that connects it all.
Hosted by Michael Finocchiaro (DemystifyingPLM), the podcast brings together founders, engineers, analysts, and technology leaders building the next generation of engineering software and industrial AI.
Each episode focuses on practical implementation rather than hype:
How startups and established vendors are embedding AI into CAD, simulation, PLM, and manufacturing systems
What real digital thread architectures look like in practice
How engineering organizations are adapting their data, workflows, and tools to work with AI
Where the biggest opportunities—and bottlenecks—are emerging across the product lifecycle
Conversations often feature founders of cutting-edge startup
Hosted by
Michael Finocchiaro
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