Rick Zabel

Mr Zabel, on the website of your open cycling community ROAAR, you describe yourself as a “jack-of-all-trades. Half ex-pro, half podcaster, half author, half human.” Could you explain exactly what you mean by that? As a professional athlete, my daily routine was highly structured: eat, sleep, train, repeat – and, of course, competitions. These days, I can be a bit more creative in my work and do things I enjoy.

Are open real-time control systems finally ready to fulfill their transformative potential and redefine industrial automation? The Open Process Automation (OPA) initiative has been a leading topic of discussion in the industrial automation community since its beginnings with the ExxonMobil announcement at the ARC Forum in 2016. Shock waves were felt throughout the industry and they continue to reverberate, most recently with ExxonMobil’s presentation at the ARC Forum earlier this year.