The Downtime | Episode 33: Won't You Be Our Neighbor?

This week on The Downtime podcast, co-hosts Sarah Wynn and Sheri Kasprzak reflect on the year in this flashback episode!

Courtesy: WTWH Media

As 2025 winds down, The Downtime podcast is closing the year with a look back at the moments, stories, and industry insights that defined the past twelve months. Co-hosts Sheri Kasprzak and Lauren Wynn dive right in, kicking off the episode with their signature blend of energy and humor. By 01:05, the two are already deep into their retrospective, reminiscing about their favorite interviews, events, and unexpected highlights from a year packed with innovation across manufacturing and automation.

The conversation shifts to Pack Expo Southeast in Atlanta — Wynn’s very first trade show. She reflects on the excitement, the energy on the floor, and the overwhelming sense of community found among OEMs, integrators, and plant engineers. But one story stands above the rest: the unforgettable moment when Kasprzak beat Wynn in Morrison Container Handling Solutions’ changeover challenge. It’s a moment Wynn won’t soon forget — and Kasprzak won’t let her forget, either.

Wynn recalls the editorial team’s trip to ProMat in Chicago, setting up Kasprzak for her own confession: the reason she refused to wear high heels at the massive material-handling show. (Spoiler: concrete floors and 20,000 steps a day do not mix.)

As the episode moves along, the hosts take a moment to explain the wide range of topics The Downtime covers — “anything from PLCs to PSLs,” as Wynn puts it. Moments later, Kasprzak encourages listeners to stay connected through The Downtime’s LinkedIn and Instagram pages for more behind-the-scenes content.

A special guest joins: Gary Cohen, senior editor for Control Engineering and host of the CTRL+ALT+MFG Podcast. Cohen highlights this year’s System Integrators of the Year award winners, sparking a round of congratulations from the co-hosts.

Wynn shares a lighthearted story about traveling with her Wynn Hot Wheels van — because no year-end episode would be complete without some road-trip comedy. Kasprzak recalls her visit to Epicor Insights and the unforgettable experience of seeing Pitbull live in concert.

The hosts discuss what it takes to produce original videos at events, giving listeners a peek into the creative process behind the show’s multimedia coverage. Kasprzak reflects on standout interviews from the year, particularly Memphis Record Pressing’s automated packaging line and her conversation with Aaron Prather of ASTM International.

Wynn shares her own favorites at 26:30, including the story of Coal’d Water Distilling Company’s co-packing line and her OEM profile on Morrison Container Handling Solutions. Both hosts are reflecting on their most memorable podcast interviews, highlighting leaders from Nord, Neugart, LinMot USA, and Fanuc America.

To wrap up the year with some fun, the duo launches into an impromptu holiday game before officially closing out the episode at with heartfelt thanks to WTWH Media’s Stephanie Neil and Patrick Lynch.

If this episode proves anything, it’s that 2025 was a milestone year — and 2026 is shaping up to be even bigger.

Timestamps for Episode 33

00:17 – The co-hosts begin the show

01:05 – Wynn and Kasprzak kick off the episode by recapping the year, including their favorite moments and interviews from 2025

01:40 – The co-hosts reflect on Pack Expo Southeast in Atlanta, Wynn’s first trade show

06:30 – Kasprzak recounts how she beat Wynn in Morrison Container Handling Solution’s changeover challenge

08:05 – Wynn brings up the editor’s trip to ProMat in Chicago

10:15 – Kasprzak discusses why she didn’t wear high heels at ProMat

13:25 – Wynn describes how The Downtime covers anything from PLCs to PSLs

13:42 – Kasprzak encourages listeners to follow The Downtime on LinkedIn and Instagram

14:25 – Gary Cohen, senior editor for Control Engineering and host of CTRL+ALT+MFG Podcast, joins the show to highlight the winners of the System Integrators of the Year award

15:45 – The co-hosts congratulate the System Integrator of the Year winners

16:33 – Wynn recounts a humorous story about traveling with her Wynn Hotwheels van

18:55 – Kasprzak talks about her trip to Epicor Insights and seeing Pitbull in concert

22:30 – The co-hosts discuss producing original videos at events

24:10 – Kasprzak highlights some of her favorite interviews of the year, including Memphis Record Pressing’s automated packaging line and the conversation with Aaron Prather, director, robotics & autonomous systems program at ASTM International

26:30 – Wynn spotlights her favorite stories she worked on this year, including Coal’d Water Distilling Company’s co-packing line funding the venture’s distilling dreams and the OEM profile on Morrison Container Handling Solutions

29:10 – The co-hosts reflect on episodes from the past year, with Wynn emphasizing interviews with Nord’s Mark Arisman, Neugart’s Luke Rein and Joey Suprick, LinMot USA’s Zarren Zafiro, and Fanuc America’s Stacey Harimoto

30:10 – The co-hosts play an impromptu holiday game

37:00 – The co-hosts wrap up the episode, thanking WTWH Media’s Stephanie Neil and Patrick Lynch