Reflections from the Ignition Community Conference: Building Connections and Celebrating Innovation
Attending my first Inductive Community Conference (ICC) was an incredible experience. I didn’t have any specific expectations going in, but I quickly found myself impressed by the vast knowledge of the Ignition product shared among attendees. The community’s openness in sharing ideas and creative ways to use Ignition was inspiring, creating an environment where collaboration and innovation flowed freely. Meeting so many passionate individuals within this space solidified the event as an energizing, informative experience.
The Highlight: Winning Ignition’s Firebrand Award
One of the major highlights of the conference was NeoMatrix’s Firebrand Award win for our Ignition implementation at Lucid Motors. This award was a significant accomplishment, representing years of dedicated work on the Lucid Manufacturing Information System, where each of our team members – Chris VanRemoortel, Thomas Maldonado, Michael Carpinello, and Leo Goldschmidt – played a crucial role. Receiving the Firebrand Award was a proud moment for NeoMatrix, seeing our efforts in action and celebrating the transformative impact of our project alongside other leaders in the industry.
Our Long Standing Relationship with Entegris & Ignition
I had the pleasure of traveling to the conference with our president, Danny Haskell, who took to the stage with Eileen Souliotis, Regional Senior Manager at Entegris, for their presentation, Breaking Through Limits: Igniting Transformation in Manufacturing. It was a compelling discussion on NeoMatrix’s long-standing relationship with Entegris, a customer I understood to be vital but hadn’t realized the full extent of our history with them. Hearing two experts delve into the journey we’ve shared with Entegris was enlightening and underscored Ignition’s transformative power for both organizations. A huge thank you to Eileen for joining us in sharing this story – her dedication and insights added immense value to the presentation.
Introducing Ignition 8.3
ICC also introduced some game-changing updates with Ignition 8.3, packed with features designed to enhance performance, scalability, and usability. Key highlights of this release include advancements in data visualization tools, making it easier for users to create dynamic dashboards and reports that are both intuitive and robust. Ignition 8.3 also introduces expanded support for cloud and edge environments, allowing for more flexible deployment options that help streamline integration within a range of manufacturing systems.
Additionally, the upgrade boasts improved security features and user management options, further strengthening Ignition’s reputation as a reliable, secure platform for industrial applications. These enhancements reflect the ever-evolving needs of manufacturing environments and Ignition’s commitment to staying ahead of the curve – a commitment I saw firsthand throughout the conference.
Remembering Pete Larochelle
I couldn’t write an ICC blog without talking about Pete Larochelle. When I first started as a sales engineer at NeoMatrix, Pete would always talk about the great times he had at ICC, both professionally and during downtime at the Fat Rabbit. Naturally, I imagined my first ICC experience would include traveling to Folsom with him. Sadly, Pete passed away earlier this year, and being at ICC made it clear how much everyone from NeoMatrix and Entegris missed him. The bittersweet part of the conference was hearing so many individuals from the Ignition community share their stories about Pete. Whether it was how he helped educate them, shared ideas, or simply made their day more enjoyable, his impact was undeniable.
Pete was an extremely charismatic guy, and you could see how much of an impression he left on everyone he met, even in just a few minutes. Pete wasn’t the stereotypical boss, but he was, surprisingly, a great one – a mentor and a friend. He will continue to be missed.