E01 Welcome
Welcome to The OT Crowd
Who are we — and why should you listen?
A COPA production
The OT Crowd
Industrial Automation, Unfiltered
Break room talk, not a briefing. Jarie asks the questions you're thinking. David tells you what's really going on. Operators, integrators, and standards people — open control, O-PAS, plant-floor problems, and how the industry markets and sells it all — worth your commute.
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The crowd
Meet the hosts
Jarie Bolander
Co-host
The one learning industrial automation in public. Jarie asks the "dumb" questions so controls engineers, managers, and IT-adjacent listeners don't have to feel dumb. He keeps episodes moving and reacts honestly — no performing the deepest OT expertise in the room, just genuine "wait, explain that."
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David DeBari
Co-host · OT veteran
The OT veteran. David's seen the field cycles, the vendor lock-in, and the migration that almost went sideways. He explains without lecturing and demos when the topic needs showing, not telling. Pushes back on hype — respectfully, with stories.
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Recent episodes
CR01 Crowd Reactions
Buzzword Red Card: "Open Architecture"
When "open" is real — and when it's just a sticker
CR02 Crowd Reactions
OPA vs DCS: When Is "Open" Actually Open?
The five-minute gut check for any "open" claim
E01 Welcome
Welcome to The OT Crowd
Who are we — and why should you listen?
E02 Mini-series
What Is OPA? (Part 1 — The Problem)
Why end users pushed for open process automation
E03 Mini-series
What Is OPA? (Part 2 — The Standard)
OPA, O-PAS, and OPAF — without the acronym soup
E04 Mini-series
What Is OPA? (Part 3 — The Ecosystem)
Who has to show up for open automation to work?