Computers and software are becoming paramount to the future of industry, whether to automate automation engineering or expand the available design space for operational needs. Co-host Mark Hindsbo sat down to talk to the later and explain the transition happening in the world of production and manufacturing.There are so many interesting topics in the realm of operations software, but to start off it’d be best to understand exactly what that encompasses as well as some of the advantages to deploying a software-first plan. Going virtual first, means more trials with fewer costs and less capital investment – just like the gains automotive companies have made with virtual crash-testing.In this episode you’ll learn about:(00:00) Who is Mark Hindsbo(04:41) Integrating automation and operations(08:58) Defining operations softwareAbout the voices:Mark Hindsbo joined Siemens in 2025 as Head of Operations Software. He is leading a team to build an integrated and modular industrial operations software suite that allows customers to design, engineer, and operate their factories, data centers, or plants – powered by agentic AI and digital twins. His extensive career includes leadership roles at Ansys, Parallels, and Microsoft, alongside experiences at The Boston Consulting Group, Novo Nordisk, and CERN. Mark is also an Adjunct Professor at Carnegie Mellon University. Born and educated in Denmark, he holds an M.S. in Applied Physics & Mathematics from the Technical University of Denmark.Nick Finberg is a technical marketing writer and coordinator for Software-Defined Everything, with a background in Nuclear Engineering. He has worked with experts to cover many industries and topics including Automotive, Battery, sustainability, and systems engineering.