Heavy Hitters: The Digital Industrial Podcast

We discuss why North America’s largest construction trade show, CONEXPO, is launching a new “Ground Breakers Stage” specifically aimed at spotlighting future innovation ahead, how industry leading trade associations like AEM and ABC took a ‘mixed fleet’ outlook to collaborate on their respective innovation trends and efforts to bolster CONEXPO 2026, how AI-enabled heavy machinery autonomy specifically will be a major point of focus this year (and why that only further emphasizes the critical human element involved in all of this!), and finally why the broader set of digital tools permeating these sectors has moved from optional to a near must-do in your operations.

Mark outlines why the Trimble Dimensions conference last November was the right time to make such a big AI splash in the AECO sectors, details where the company is headed with its expansion of the Trimble Marketplace to create a more open and integrated ecosystem, looks back on lessons from his prior Chief Digital Officer role as to what it has taken both technically and culturally inside Trimble to reach this level of digital maturity (and ultimately AI readiness), and finally gets out the crystal ball for where we’re headed in 2026.   

John walks us through the story on both the ‘Why’ and the ‘How’ a 101 year old general contractor built a single common data environment underneath every business unit (a foundation that has been laid for over a decade now!), shares the cultural alignment required to execute a technology strategy like that, outlines how that common data environment now enables their internal Citizen Technology effort to empower citizen developers embedded within their business units who are closest to their customers pain points, and finally what it all means for JE Dunn’s AI strategy and ability to meet the current AI infrastructure build out underway.

Joe shares the why, who, and how Holman Robotics was launched within a 100+ year old global automotive services business, what it takes to scale robotic automation solutions from pilots to scaled deployments, how Holman succeeded internally with their own robotic automation deployments before launching Holman Robotics externally, and finally how Holman is approaching AI internally and within its robotics solutions externally. 

Alice shares why the firm launched the first AEC-focused accelerator, Formwork Labs, and what the ecosystem gap was it wanted to fill for founders, how her construction operating experience informs her outlook as an AEC investor and what she looks for in founders (hint, industry experience can be a “double edged sword”), details a then and now lookback on the key drivers behind all the current investment and talent momentum entering construction tech, and finally where she views the intersection of construction and supply chain headed.