Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast

Keeping Employees Safe and the Lights on When It's So Darned Hot Outside (Production Pulse)

26 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Eastern half of the United States is experiencing record high temperatures. It's summer and all, so some heat is to be expected, but that doesn't ...

Texas Pride Trailers: A Prime Example of Digital Transformation Success

24 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The company’s chief engineer and transformation leader Bradly Walker joins Smart Industry’s Scott Achelpohl and IndustryWeek’s Dennis Scimeca to...

How PM Optimization Improves Reliability and Reduces Unplanned Downtime

19 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast, Thomas Wilk, chief editor of Plant Services, is joined by Brian Hronchek, principal traine...

The Convergence of Neurodiversity and Workplace Safety (Talking EHS)

13 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

John Dony, CEO and co-founder of What Works Institute, explains why policies, procedures and other accommodations for neurodivergent workers can make ...

Digital Transformation Coming from Computer Hardware, Not Just AI Chatbots

12 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Large language model (LLM) AIs have captured the world's attention with their ability to interpret plain-language and convert simple queries into mach...

Boosting Equipment Reliability With Smart Maintenance Scheduling Strategies

05 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Joe Kuhn, CMRP, former plant manager, engineer, and global reliability consultant, is now president of Lean Driven Reliability LLC. He is the author o...

Sustainability in Plastics Manufacturing

04 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, listeners will gain insights into how air seal technology is revolutionizing the plastics film industry to reduce waste, save money, ...

Facing the Power (Price) Surge: What It Means for Manufacturing Costs

03 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Electricity demand is soaring around the world, and in the U.S. electric supply is dwindling. Manufacturers may not have realized this – but they wi...

Mental Health in Manufacturing (Production Pulse)

29 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) at Work for Manufacturing, launched by the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, is a series of four courses designed ...

Eye-tracking Powers the Next Generation of Workforce Training

27 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

For this episode, Tobii’s director of products and solutions, Keith Bartels joins Smart Industry’s Scott Achelpohl for a conversation about how v...

Best Practices for Implementing AI Agents in Manufacturing Workflows

22 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast, Thomas Wilk, chief editor of Plant Services, is joined by Christine Nishimoto, director of...

How to Adjust Your Supply Chain to a Quickly Changing Economy

20 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Suketu Gandhi, partner and chair of strategic operations with Kearney, offers advice on how to deal with supply chain disruptions in this new era of t...

AI Taking Over Automation? What Editors Saw at the Big Automate Show

15 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Hey, have you heard that this AI thing is a big deal? That companies are slapping AI labels on every product they sell? That our benevolent robot over...

Mastering Advanced Vibration Techniques—From Modal Analysis to Motion Amplification

14 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Glen Powell is a senior engineering analyst with Hydro, Inc.’s Global Engineering division. He has nine years of experience in centrifugal pumps, vi...

Recession-Proofing Your Manufacturing Business with Automation

13 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Laura Davis explores how automation can help manufacturers navigate econom...

Building a Culture of Candor and Constructive Conflict on the Plant Floor

08 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Joe Kuhn, CMRP, former plant manager, engineer, and global reliability consultant, is now president of Lean Driven Reliability LLC. He is the author o...

Can Manufacturers Actually Achieve Carbon-Neutrality?

06 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The clock is running toward 2035 – the deadline for businesses to neutralize their carbon liabilities, whether or not the technology or resources ar...

Managing Supply Chains in the Age of Tariffs (Production Pulse)

01 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The size and scope of upcoming and existing tariffs on imported goods and components is changing rapidly as President Donald Trump's administration ma...

Has Additive Peaked or Is the Market for the Manufacturing Process Simply Shifting?

29 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Mahdi Jamshid, director of market intelligence for leading AM observer Wohlers Associates, joins Smart Industry's Scott Achelpohl to detail Wohlers' b...

Exploring the Evolving Role of System Integrators in Modern Manufacturing

24 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast, Tom Wilk, the chief editor of Plant Services, talks with Jose Rivera, the CEO of the Contr...

Empowering Frontline Workers With Industrial AI Tools That Actually Work

22 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This sponsored episode of Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast focuses on building AI that works for manufacturing teams, and features two key thou...

Private 5G Networking at Deere for Plants, Not Phones (Production Pulse)

17 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

IndustryWeek Editor-in-Chief Robert Schoenberger and Senior Technology Editor Dennis Scimeca talk 5G in this episode, taken from our Production Pulse ...

A Holistic Approach to Safety Training

15 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Maria DeLorenzis Reyes, CEO of Training Innovations/MDR Brands, explains why a workplace culture is most successful when it encourages interactive fee...

The Future of Reliability — What’s Next at the 2025 Leading Reliability Conference

11 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast, Plant Services chief editor Tom Wilk is joined by Maureen Gribble, the sales enablement le...

How Plant Managers Fail as Leaders, Mentors, and Mentees

10 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Joe Kuhn, CMRP, former plant manager, engineer, and global reliability consultant, is now president of Lean Driven Reliability LLC. He is the author o...

What Do Generative and Agentic AI Mean for Your Factory?

08 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Discover the differences between AI types, explore real-world applications, understand the challenges around adoption, and get actionable insight on s...

Manufacturers Face Tariffs: Fear and Opportunity (Production Pulse)

03 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

President Donald Trump's 10% tariffs on all imports to the United States, rising to as high as 49% for some countries, promise to upend the manufactur...

Improving Ladder Safety, One Step at a Time [Talking EHS]

31 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Falling from heights is a recurring safety problem at workplaces. Mike Van Bree, president of the American Ladder Institute, explains why training, ed...

Are Manufacturers Achieving Real Transformation, or Are They Just Covering up Existing Inefficiencies?

28 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast, Francisco Almada Lobo, CEO of Critical Manufacturing and an Industry 4.0 evangelist, educa...

From Frontline Worker to Plant Manager: Leadership Lessons in Manufacturing

27 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

James Lane is a plant manager with Trivium Packaging. He works out of their Youngstown plant, which is the largest of many plants that Trivium operate...

The Untapped Opportunity in B2B Digital Commerce for Mid-Market Manufacturers

25 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This podcast discusses the opportunity around digital commerce for mid-market manufacturers. It explores how digital commerce can drive growth, how AI...

Reduce Labor Costs, Speed Training, Go Vertical: Things that I Learned at ProMat 2025

20 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

ProMat 2025 continues this week, bringing tens of thousands and supply chain and material handling professionals to Chicago to see what's ...

The Business Case for DEI

18 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Christie Smith, former VP of Diversity & Inclusion with Apple and founder of The Humanity Studio, explains why US companies will lose their compet...

Maintenance vs. Reliability Engineers — Key Differences and How They Work Together

13 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Joe Kuhn, CMRP, former plant manager, engineer, and global reliability consultant, is now president of Lean Driven Reliability LLC. He is the author o...

What Does IP67 Really Mean for Your Industrial Network?

11 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Facing network challenges in dusty or wet conditions Explore the importance of IP67 ratings for industrial networking, gaining practical guidance for ...

AI Meets Kaizen, Technology and Continuous Improvement (Production Pulse)

06 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Stop pretending to know it all if you want to be a great manufacturing leader, and AI tools could help you do that. Those were a few of the insights f...

Easier-To-Accomplish Automation Projects That Bring Real ROI

05 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Steve Strong of Concept Systems and Benjamin Kurth of Applied Manufacturing Technologies join the podcast and Smart Industry's Scott Achelpohl to talk...

The State of Data Security for Manufacturers

04 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The number one concern for US manufacturers continues to be the shortage of available labor – which has prompted their steady progress toward automa...

Oil Analysis Can Boost Equipment Reliability, But Only If You Use the Data

27 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast, chief editor Thomas Wilk talkes with Mike Holloway, president of 5th Order Industry, about...

The Art of the Practical: Turning Digital Transformation Dreams into Tangible Outcomes

25 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

From their (R)Evolutionizing Manufacturing program, Smart Industry's Scott Achelpohl and Industry 4.0 enthusiast Jeff Winter get back into what's prac...

America Needs More Electricity: Production Pulse

20 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

America is hungry for electricity. Between the rising number of data centers that power AI chatbots and cloud computing systems to electric vehicles t...

How AI Can Improve Workplace Safety

18 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Benchmark Gensuite’s Natasha Porter explains creative applications for AI in the workplace and how AI-based tools can help move the needle on occupa...

Smart Strategies for Training Your Maintenance Team, No Matter Your Budget

13 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Joe Kuhn, CMRP, former plant manager, engineer, and global reliability consultant, is now president of Lean Driven Reliability LLC. He is the author o...

Time to Choose: Robot or CNC Grinding for Your Metal Casting Production

12 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The scarcity of labor and the need to remain competitive means that producers of cast parts must embrace automated grinding. Jeff Antonic of Stratecas...

How to Successfully Integrate Time-Sensitive Networking in Your Facility

11 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Time-sensitive networking (TSN) has emerged in the industry, promising to change industrial communication networks for the better through guaranteed d...

Manufacturing Cybersecurity in 2025: Getting the Shop Floor Involved [Production Pulse]

06 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Education and training remain the best ways for manufacturers to protect themselves against hackers, but that can be a challenge when you're talking a...

Crystal Ball Series Shows All the Advancements in Store for 2025—and More

31 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

From AI, to cybersecurity, to decentralizing utility grids, Smart Industry's Scott Achelpohl breaks down highlights from the monthlong web series that...

Will Trump's Tariffs Impact North American Reshoring Initiatives?

30 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Rosemary Coates is the executive director of the Reshoring Institute, as well as the President of Blue Silk Consulting. She has more than 30 years of...

How Trump Could 'Win' with the Panama Canal

27 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

U.S. troops are not likely to invade Panama to retake the Panama Canal, but U.S. influence over the trade zone could expand greatly in the next few ye...

Microgrids Power Manufacturing [Production Pulse]

23 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Many modern manufacturing plants generate some amount of electricity, either from solar panels on the roof or diesel generators or natural gas turbine...

Four Keys to a Safer Workplace [Talking EHS]

21 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Phillip Russell, a partner with Ogletree Deakins, offers his insights into what OSHA under a new Trump administration will be like, and offers suggest...

Why process management is key to reducing drift and improving operational efficiency [Ask a Plant Manager]

16 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Joe Kuhn, CMRP, former plant manager, engineer, and global reliability consultant, is now president of Lean Driven Reliability LLC. He is the author o...

Tech Advancements That Could Reshape Our Daily Lives

14 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Get an inside look at four game-changing technological developments poised to change multiple industries.

What’s Next for Manufacturing? Key Tech and Trends to Watch in 2025

09 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

2024 was been a year of remarkable growth and innovation for the manufacturing sector, with global supply chain challenges and innovations in smart ma...

The 2025 Economic Outlook for Manufacturing Technology

07 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Interest rates help determine when and how much manufacturers and machine shops invest in new machinery, systems, and consumables. Now that the Federa...

How 2024 Transformed the Manufacturing Industry: Key Trends and Insights

02 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

2024 has been a year of remarkable growth and innovation for the manufacturing sector, with key trends making lasting impressions on the industry. Aut...

Improving Inaccurate Emissions Data with New Technology

19 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Anna Townshend is managing editor of Plant Services and has been a journalist and editor for almost 20 years. In addition to writing and editing thous...

What Manufacturing Technologies Provide a Quick ROI, Especially for Small Manufacturers (Production Pulse)

12 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

IndustryWeek Senior Technology Editor Dennis Scimeca discusses which plant technologies are cool and fun to discuss, and which ones offered the best...

Understanding Machine Vision

10 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Learn everything you need to know about machine vision, its components, and its use in industrial applications.  About the Article What Is Machine...

Why One Size Doesn’t Fit All — Determining Employee Ratios and Organizational Structures at Your Plant

07 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Joe Kuhn, CMRP, former plant manager, engineer, and global reliability consultant, is now president of Lean Driven Reliability LLC. He is the author o...

CPQ and Order-to-Cash: Redefining Workflow Automation for Industrial Teams

06 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, we break down how Doss has streamlined Configure, Price, Quote (CPQ) and Order-to-Cash workflows to meet the needs of machinery and i...

Preparing for 2025: What’s Next for the Manufacturing Industry?

05 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

If 2024 was the year when the hype cycle for industrial AI hit its peak, what is in store for industry in 2025? Plant Services recently sat down with ...

What OSHA Data Reveals About Fall Protection Safety [Talking EHS]

26 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A discussion with Diversified Fall Protection’s Philip Jacklin on what OSHA’s Top 10 most common violations of FY2024 reveals about the safety of ...

From Log Books to Dashboards — How Digitalization Drives Proactive Maintenance

21 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Chris van den Belt is the head of product management at IFS Ultimo, and his colleague Berend Booms is the head of EAM Insights. Chris and Berend recen...

The Future of Computer-Aided Manufacturing (CAM)

19 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

For a very long time, computer-aided manufacturing – CAM – was contingent with CAD, computer-aided design. The parts and the programmer defined th...

Preparing for Trump Tariffs: What Not to Do (Production Pulse)

14 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

With last week’s election of Donald J. Trump to a second term in the White House, the big question for the manufacturing community is what to expect...

7 Steps for an Efficient Plant Turnaround

12 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Plant turnarounds are tricky, overwhelming, and daunting. But they don’t have to be. Here are seven actionable steps you can take to ensure a plant ...

How to Operate Smarter and Leaner, Thanks to Little’s Law

07 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Anna Townshend is managing editor of Plant Services and has been a journalist and editor for almost 20 years. In addition to writing and editing thous...

The Art of the Possible and the Art of the Practical in Digital Transformation [(R)Evolutionizing Manufacturing]

05 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Smart Industry's Scott Achelpohl and Industry 4.0 thought leader Jeff Winter delve into a two-part chat on imagination in digital transformation ... h...

How to Challenge Problem Employees with Reliability Excellence [Ask a Plant Manager]

02 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Joe Kuhn, CMRP, is a former plant manager, engineer, and global reliability consultant, and he is now president of Lean Driven Reliability. He is the ...

Making the Candy, Manufacturing for Halloween [Production Pulse]

31 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Even if you're listening to this after Halloween, please enjoy this special treat of a group discussion around all things candy. Where does our candy ...

The Evolving Role of Technology in Workplace Safety [Talking EHS]

29 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ryan Magee, newly appointed CEO of Cority, shares his thoughts on the impact that technology, particularly AI, is having on workplace safety, and what...

How Major Tech Players Are Transforming Manufacturing Software Solutions

24 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Greg Martin is founder at Equip LLC Automation Consulting, a software and electrical service provider in South Bend, Indiana, that works specifically ...

Translating AI for Small and Medium-Size Manufacturers: Live from IFS Unleashed

23 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Editors Scott Achelpohl, Tom Wilk, and Dennis Scimeca sit down with Andrew Burton, the enterprise cloud software vendor's global industry director of ...

Re-Evaluating the Value of AI for Manufacturing

22 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Nevermind machine learning … Andrew Halonen, founder of Amatrium and the AmatriumGPT tool, argues that LLMs offer multiple paths for manufacturers t...

Fighting Cynicism in Operations: How Lean Works in Spite of Organizational Change

17 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Almost everyone's seen some version of this: You've got a great system in place that's producing measurable improvements, but your company gets a new ...

What You Need to Know About Exosuits

15 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast, Laura Davis, editor-in-chief of New Equipment Digest, sits down with Mark Harris, CEO of H...

How Electrification Is Helping Manufacturers Meet Their Net Zero Goals

10 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Trevor Joelson is an energy and decarbonization service account executive at Trane. Over the past ten years, Trevor has held various roles in corporat...

Keeping Cybersecurity Simple With Up-To-Date Password Practices

09 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Not only is it Manufacturing Month, but October also is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month. To mark the occasion, Smart Industry Managing Editor S...

Overwhelmed by the DX Challenge? Start Small to Win Big

07 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

CMMS. Digital Twins. IIOT. IOT. When it comes to the landscape of technology in manufacturing, it can be hard to know how to start your own transforma...

Are Excuses and Negativity Killing Your Plant’s Reliability Program? [Ask a Plant Manager]

05 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Joe Kuhn, CMRP, former plant manager, engineer, and global reliability consultant, is now president of Lean Driven Reliability LLC. He is the author o...

MFG Day: Getting Young People Interested in Manufacturing (Production Pulse)

03 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In advance of MFG Day on Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, a panel of manufacturing publication editors and a representative of The Manufacturing Institute discus...

How to Attract and Retain Warehouse Workers [Supply Chain Insider]

01 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this podcast, you’ll hear gain key insights from Newcastle Systems’ CEO John O’Kelly on why warehouses struggle to retain workers, and some o...

Smaller Manufacturers Talk Economics: How Are You Faring in 2024 [Production Pulse]

26 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Between presidential election politics, declining orders in manufacturing and rate cuts, the economy has been unpredictable and difficult for most man...

What Happened to Big Data in Manufacturing?

24 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Manufacturers have been collecting and analyzing data for decades – using that data to inform design work and draft simulation programs, and to anal...

Moving the Shop Floor Toward Digital Manufacturing

20 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Pico MES CEO Ryan Kuhlenbeck and MORryde Process Improvement Engineer Greg Whitt joined Smart Industry's Scott Achelpohl for a discussion on how small...

What Goes Into Reliable Flooring for EV Battery Manufacturing Plants?

19 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Vikki Young is the global research and development group leader for Sherwin-Williams high performance floor coatings. Vikki received her bachelor's d...

What's New in the World of Robotics?

17 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast, Laura Davis, editor-in-chief of New Equipment Digest dives deep into the world of robotics...

What’s Up with the New Worker Walkaround Rule? [Talking EHS]

12 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this “Talking EHS” podcast, Katie McLaughlin, manager-HSE RAVS with ISN, shares her insights on the implications of OSHA’s new worker-walkaro...

IMTS 2024: Is No Theme the Theme?

10 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

IMTS 2024, the International Manufacturing Technology Show, is back, and companies are talking about a little bit of everything. Typically, two days i...

All About AI and Its Uses in Manufacturing It and OT [(R)Evolutionizing Manufacturing]

10 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast, Industry 4.0 influencer Jeff Winter and Smart Industry's Scott Achelpohl take on an issue ...

Maintenance Micromanager — Are You a Hero or a Leader at Your Manufacturing Plant? [Ask a Plant Manager]

07 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Joe Kuhn, CMRP, former plant manager, engineer, and global reliability consultant, is now president of Lean Driven Reliability LLC. He is the author o...

What to Expect at the International Manufacturing Technology Show [Production Pulse]

05 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The International Manufacturing Technology Show starts up Monday, Sept. 9, bringing every type of machine and technology that might be useful in a pla...

Reversing the Manufacturing “Brain Drain”

03 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It's no secret there is a labor shortage problem in manufacturing, with many more jobs available today than people to fill those jobs, and a growing c...

How Compressed Air Innovations Over the Last 10 Years Have Shaped Industrial Maintenance

29 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

For a long time, compressed air systems were a massive time drain on stretched maintenance personnel, with plants reluctantly willing to make a tradeo...

People Before Technology: Digital, Connected Workers Require a Human-Centric Focus

28 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

At the IndustryWeek Operations Leadership Summit in June in Indianapolis, IT and OT experts discussed how to connect people with technology to make di...

Find the Right Person for You: Addressing the Manufacturing Talent Gap

27 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

There is a chronic problem limiting U.S. manufacturing productivity – and the growth potential for individual manufacturers. One study claims manufa...

Achieving Automation With “Made in America”

24 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast, Laura Davis, editor-in-chief of New Equipment Digest talks with Shalab “Shalli” Kumar,...

It's ALL about your data: How manufacturers can capture and extract value from data [(R)Evolutionizing Manufacturing]

23 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Industry 4.0 enthusiast and thought leader Jeff Winter teamed up with Smart Industry's Scott Achelpohl for “the sequel” to their debut of SI's mon...

Why Bother Connecting Workers with Technology? [Production Pulse]

22 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Connecting frontline workers with back-end manufacturing technology can give them the context and information to do their jobs better. But, how does i...