The Downtime | Episode 14: Taking a Bite Out of Manufacturing

This week, The Downtime podcast celebrates Shark Week by diving into summertime hazards on the plant floor and more!

Courtesy: WTWH Media

On the latest episode of The Downtime, co-hosts Sheri Kasprzak and Sarah Wynn dig into summer’s impact on industrial operations — from soaring heat and air quality challenges to smart tech innovations fresh from the ProMat 2025 show floor.

The episode kicks off with a nod to Shark Week and quickly dives into real-world effects of extreme temperatures on manufacturing facilities. At 1:30, Sheri explains how prolonged summer heat can wreak havoc on plant operations, stressing cooling systems, overworking equipment and raising energy costs.

By 2:15, listeners hear from Matthew Diener of Bee Clean Specialties, who shares insight into how poor air quality — often amplified in hotter months — can clog filters, corrode components and reduce machine life.

Celebrating Three Months of The Downtime

The episode also marks The Downtime’s three-month milestone, celebrated at 3:40 with gratitude to loyal listeners and industry voices who’ve joined the show so far.

Throwback Thursday at ProMat 2025

In a new segment called Throwback Thursday, Sheri and Sarah revisit standout moments from ProMat 2025 in Chicago. At 5:40, Sarah introduces two product demos from Schneider Electric: the TeSys Deca Advanced contactor and the Modicon Edge I/O NTS automation platform.

At 6:35, Tiffany Moore, director of product management at Schneider Electric, joins the show to demonstrate how the TeSys Deca simplifies load management with energy efficiency built in. Later, at 8:55, Grant Van Hemert, senior offer manager, walks through the Modicon’s role in modernizing plant control systems with greater flexibility and diagnostics.

Chillers, Trivia and Staying Cool

By 14:35, Sheri explores how absorption chillers — which use heat instead of electricity to drive cooling — can make practical sense for plants looking to reduce electrical loads during summer peaks.

Then, in a lighter moment, the duo plays a round of summertime engineering trivia at 16:35, testing each other’s knowledge on thermal expansion, HVAC loads, and more.

The episode wraps at 23:25 with a reminder to follow The Downtime on LinkedIn, Instagram, SoundCloud, Spotify and YouTube to stay connected to the latest in plant operations, automation and tech trends.

Timestamps for The Downtime Episode 14

00:15 – Sheri and Sarah introduce the episode.

01:00 – Shark Week!

01:30 – Sheri talks about how the heat impacts the manufacturing sector.

02:15 – Air quality’s impact on manufacturing equipment from Matthew Diener of Bee Clean Specialties.

03:40 – The Downtime’s three-month milestone!

05:10 – Sheri and Sarah introduce Throwback Thursday.

05:40 – Sarah introduces two product demos from ProMat 2025 in Chicago from Schneider Electric, including the TeSys Deca contactor and the Modicon.

06:35 – ProMat 2025 interview with Tiffany Moore, director of product management for Schneider Electric’s load management offer in which she demonstrates the TeSys Deca contactor.

08:55 – ProMat 2025 interview with Grant Van Hemert, senior offer manager at Schneider Electric, who chats about the Modicon.

14:00 – Sheri encourages everyone to follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, SoundCloud, Spotify and YouTube.

14:35 – Absorption chillers and how they make sense in the summer.

16:35 – Sheri and Sarah play a game of summertime engineering trivia.

23:25 – Sheri and Sarah sign off.