Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast

Is Automation Right for Me? The Answer Is Yes.

20 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast, Laura Davis, editor-in-chief of New Equipment Digest discusses five reasons automation can...

Safety Is More Than Paperwork and PPE — How Manufacturers Can Build a Better Safety Culture

15 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Shawn Galloway is the CEO of ProAct Safety, a global consultancy firm that works with hundreds of clients across all major industries. He is also a pr...

Getting Started with Digital Transformation [(R)Evolutionizing Manufacturing]

13 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In the first episode of their (R)Evolutionizing Manufacturing video series, Smart Industry's Scott Achelpohl and Industry 4.0 guru and evangelist Jeff...

3 Tips for a Successful Maintenance Turnaround

10 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

With plant turnarounds requiring significant resources to plan and execute, there are many factors to take into consideration. The pandemic magnified ...

Building and Maintaining Continuous Improvement Cultures

08 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As its name implies, continuous improvement is a journey with no fixed destination. Getting better every day means there's always more to do. Staying ...

The Greatest Safety Leadership Show on Earth [Talking EHS]

06 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this “Talking EHS” podcast, we offer a sneak preview of Safety Leadership Conference 2024, highlighting the speakers, the special events and th...

Why Motion Amplification Is a Game Changer for Equipment Reliability

05 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Dave Aebischer is a senior data analyst for Cintel. Throughout his career, Dave has focused on improving Army weapon system sustainment outcomes and d...

Operators Performing Maintenance. Good or Bad? [Ask a Plant Manager]

03 Aug 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...

A Data-Driven Guide to Improving EHS Management

02 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Today’s EHS professionals are at the nexus of some of the most critical priorities in manufacturing. Competitive pressures and continued automation ...

Improving the Reliability of the Patriot Missile Defense System With Vibration Analysis

01 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Dave Aebischer is a senior data analyst for Cintel. Throughout his career, Dave has focused on improving Army weapon system sustainment outcomes and d...

The Changing Nature of Recycling and Its Impact on Manufacturing

30 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The rising volume of aluminum in automotive production is changing the requirements for - and the means by which - those raw materials are sourced, an...

Recruiting Middle and High School Students into STEM and Manufacturing Careers [Production Pulse]

27 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Manufacturers have known for more than 20 years that they needed more engineers and science/engineering/math-oriented students to work in their shops....

Lean Manufacturing: It's Still All About People, Darnit!

25 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

No one will ever accuse Dave Rizzardo, associate director of the Maryland World Class Consortia of being shy or dispassionate about lean manufacturing...

The Myths of Fiber Optic Cables

23 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Bust your misconceptions of fiber optic cables by learning about their construction, types, terminations, costs, and advantages when used for the indu...

How To Identify and Eliminate Production Bottlenecks

18 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It’s a story so familiar that it is also a children’s proverb: “for want of a nail, the kingdom was lost.” In this new podcast episode we cove...

AI’s Potential in Manufacturing? The ‘Use Cases’ Keep Growing

16 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Sean O’Meara is CIO of Monticello, Indiana-based heavy-duty generator and power enclosure maker Girtz Industries, and Jason Ryska is director of man...

Reshoring Manufacturing: Pharma, Trucking, Plastics Insights [Production Pulse]

11 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Reshoring Initiative's 2023 report shows jobs continuing to flow into the United States from Asia as companies look to shorten supply chains and p...

The Psychology Behind Safer Workplaces [Talking EHS]

09 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this “Talking EHS” podcast episode, you’ll learn about the new tools and strategies companies are using to foster psychologically safer workp...

Why Everyone Is Faking Their KPIs (But Shouldn’t Be) [Ask a Plant Manager]

06 Jul 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...

Best Practices Are Boring. Hop on the Fad Bandwagon to Make Your Facility More Exciting.

04 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Captain Unreliability is a satire of the state of the manufacturing industry in ’Merica today and is written by an industry professional known for u...

Reviewing the Mid-Year Manufacturing Reviews

02 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

2024 has reached its midpoint, and in businesses that is a good time for evaluation. There is uncertainty everywhere in manufacturing – with slow de...

Our Top New Product Picks From This Month

29 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Join Alexis Gajewski, who is filling in for Laura Davis, Editor in Chief of New Equipment Digest, as she talks about her choices for the latest new pr...

The Intersection of Maintenance and Microbrews

20 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Corey Dickens, CMRP, is a senior solutions consultant at Brightly, and describes himself as a maintenance practitioner and CMMS super user. Hs career ...

How Smart Metering Helps Manufacturers Save Big, Helps Preserve the Planet

18 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Satish Saini, who is utility industries specialist for HEXstream and head of the United Nations Transmission & Distribution Energy Efficiency Work...

What's New in Industrial Safety [Production Pulse]

13 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Keeping workers safe on the job should be the top priority for every business, so how is industrial America doing? Join IndustryWeek's Robert Schoenbe...

Supply Chain Basics: Outsourcing Logistics

11 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this Supply Chain 101 “explainer” podcast, you’ll learn how outsourcing logistics allows companies to free up resources and focus on their co...

Is AI Changing the Role of ERP?

08 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Enterprise technology expert Stu Johnson reports on the results or Rootstock Software’s recent survey of manufacturers – their expectations for ge...

RCA 101 – When, How, and How Often You Should Conduct Root Cause Analysis

06 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Root cause analysis helps engineers analyze asset performance and identify the source of machine failure. But how many RCAs are enough for your mainte...

Why Everyone on the Plant Floor Is Drawn to a Dumpster Fire [Ask a Plant Manager]

01 Jun 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...

Manufacturers Don't Use Generative AI, IIoT is Meaningless

30 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

For all of the hype and fear about ChatGPT and Google's Gemini, manufacturers say they're not really using generative AI, says IndustryWeek Senior Edi...

Editor's Choice: 10 New Products That Caught Our Attention

28 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Join Laura Davis, EIC of New Equipment Digest as she talks about her choices for 10 of the latest new products to hit the manufacturing industry. Lear...

How Mayor Glenn Jacobs Is Driving Manufacturing Growth and Innovation in Knox County, Tennessee

23 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Glenn Jacobs is the Mayor of Knox County, TN. Heavy industry in the State of Tennessee is booming, especially automotive, and Knox County has added m...

Cybersecurity Action Steps and the Dilemma of Guarding Private Data

21 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Kiteworks CISO Frank Balonis, a 20-year veteran of IT support and protecting manufacturing data, joins Smart Industry’s Scott Achelpohl as a follow-...

How's the Manufacturing Sector Doing: An Industry Overview Based on the 500 Largest U.S. Companies

16 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

IndustryWeek's annual IW U.S. 500 list of the largest publicly traded manufacturing companies in the country offers a glimpse into the health of the o...

Prevention Planning for Workplace Violence [Talking EHS]

14 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Matt Doherty, managing director of workplace management with Sikich, discusses what California bill 533 could mean for all employers in terms of provi...

When Did Soft Skills in Industry Become Hard Skills?

09 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

You know the stereotype of frontline industrial workers when it comes to soft skills: they're poor communicators with great ideas and a lot of rough e...

Electric Grids' Hyper-Complex Risk Environment

07 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Environmental phenomena, regulatory standards, expanding consumer demand - and disappearing generating capacity have combined to create an impossible ...

The One Meeting Every Plant Can’t Afford To Miss [Ask a Plant Manager]

04 May 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...

Get Continuous Improvement Insight at IndustryWeek’s Operations Leadership Summit [Production Pulse]

03 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The IndustryWeek Operations Leadership Summit is approaching quickly. The inaugural event, slated for June 26-28, in Indianapolis, will address import...

How Tech Is Reshaping Medicine: From 3D-Printed Bandages to Robot Hair Transplants

30 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

From personalized 3D-printed bandages to robotic hair restoration, discover how cutting-edge technology is revolutionizing healthcare. Dive into the w...

Regulators Target Chemical Producers in April [Production Pulse]

27 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

So far in April, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has issued three major rulings on chemical producers that could have far-reaching impacts fo...

Why Younger Generations Aren’t Pursuing a Career in Manufacturing

25 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Jake Hall is best known as the Manufacturing Millennial. A true industrial influencer, Jake talks about the latest technologies in the automation and ...

High-Tech Solutions to Repurpose ‘Robot Wranglers’

23 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Michael Bearman is the chief customer and administrative officer and general counsel at Vecna Robotics. For the Waltham, Massachusetts-based company h...

Factors To Consider When Choosing a Compressed Air Service Provider

20 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Whether you're a small business or a large industrial operation, choosing a compressed air service provider can significantly impact your efficiency, ...

Will AI Support or Control Manufacturing? [Production Pulse]

19 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

For our bi-weekly Production Pulse series, Smart Industry managing editor Scott Achelpohl spoke with Dale Tutt, VP of Industry Strategy at Siemens, an...

Workplace Stress, Robot Safety and the Baltimore Bridge Collapse [Talking EHS]

16 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

EHS Today’s editors analyze current workplace safety trends and developments, including a review of the 2024 Ohio Safety Congress, robot safety, and...

The Nuts and Bolts of a Successful Failure Mode and Effects Analysis

11 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Brian Hronchek is a principal trainer and consultant at Eruditio. Over the years, Brian has worked as a maintenance manager, reliability engineer, and...

Reshoring and Nearshoring in 2024

09 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The relocation of manufacturing capabilities is a true phenomenon, making supply chains shorter and more sustainable, and reducing business's carbon f...

How Maintenance Managers Fail [Ask a Plant Manager]

06 Apr 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...

Baltimore Bridge Collapse: Supply Chain, Safety, Trucking Impacts (Production Pulse)

04 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The March 26 collapse of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge resulted the losses of six lives, one of the busiest land routes on the East Coast and t...

Enhancing Efficiency With Advanced Bearing and Sealing Solutions

02 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In today's industrial world, keeping the gears turning smoothly is a big deal. Checking on those bearings and staying ahead with maintenance is key to...

FMEA 101 – How To Conduct a Failure Modes and Effects Analysis at Your Plant

28 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What is an FMEA? When should you use it? Why is it an important step in helping maintenance teams move from a break-fix maintenance state to one that ...

Taming Data: No-Nonsense Ways to Overcome Information Overload and Drive Your Digital Transformation

26 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Marcel van Helten of Red Lion Controls and Craig Resnick of ARC Advisory Group help Smart Industry address common challenges business owners face when...

What Does a Biden-Trump Rematch Mean for Manufacturers? [Production Pulse]

21 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

There are still a few more primaries to be held, but Joe Biden and Donald Trump have locked up Democratic and Republican nominations for November's el...

AI Meets the Supply Chain: Highlights from MODEX 2024 [Supply Chain Insider]

19 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Hear from MH&L’s editors about the impact that AI, robots, automation and other technologies are having on warehousing and the supply chain, in ...

Manufacturing Technology and the Manufacturing Economy

16 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

“Manufacturing technology” means machinery, and investments in machinery are a leading indicator of future manufacturing conditions. An economist ...

How AI, Cybersecurity, and Sustainability Are Affecting Industrial Asset Management

14 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Inderpreet Shoker is the directory of research as ARC Advisory Group. As a member of the asset performance management team, Inderpreet leads research ...

What Was the News in February? What'll It Be in March?

11 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Eight publications from Endeavor Business Media's Manufacturing Group contribute to Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast, and once a month, the lea...

4 Industrial Movies That Embody the Manufacturing Mindset

09 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Lights, camera, manufacturing! This weekend marks the 96th annual Academy Awards, where actors, directors, producers, and technical staff gather toget...

Women in Manufacturing: Finding Opportunities [Production Pulse]

07 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

With International Women's Day tomorrow (March 8, 2024), IndustryWeek's Anna Smith discussed data showing that women in manufacturing are very happy ...

Game-Changing Textiles: Recent Advancements and Innovations

05 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

From garments that capture carbon emissions to self-healing fabrics, 3D-printed clothing, temperature-responsive fibers, and even textiles inspired by...

How To Make Time for Planned Maintenance While Keeping Production Running

02 Mar 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...

Helping Veterans Transition From the Military To Manufacturing

29 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Bill Leahy is the Chief Executive Officer at Renaissance Reliability, a veteran-owned and operated reliability and maintainability engineering consult...

DIY Automation

27 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Smart Industry Managing Editor Scott Achelpohl discusses how smaller and midsize companies can embrace do-it-yourself automation with Etienne Lacroix,...

IT/OT Risk Management: Productivity and Security Gains

24 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Smart Industry's Robert Schoenberger spoke with Christina Hoefer, VP of global industry enterprise at Forescout, a cybersecurity company that continu...

DEI Hiring to Overcome Labor Shortages [Production Pulse]

22 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

With labor shortages mounting, manufacturing advocates say there's a ready pool of talent available within underserved minority communities in many ma...

Supply Chain Basics: What You Need to Know about Six Sigma [Supply Chain Insider]

20 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this “in case you missed it” edition of Supply Chain Insider, you’ll learn how Six Sigma methodology can optimize supply chain quality and ef...

How Are Logistics Companies Helping Plants Calculate the Carbon Cost of Their Operations?

17 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Companies around the globe are working hard to establish new systems for documenting and reporting their greenhouse gas footprints, and other data rel...

Has the Post-COVID Global Supply Chain Become More Reliable or Less?

15 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Many plants around the world have invested to some degree in Just In Time Manufacturing, where goods are created to meet demand, not created in surplu...

Executive Behavior on Social Media: Understanding the Dos and Don'ts

13 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A B2B consultant with experience in manufacturing SMBs explains the proper role for manufacturing executives on Facebook, X, LinkedIn, etc.

Entering Contests for More than Bragging Rights [Production Pulse]

10 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Awards season is here with applications open for the IndustryWeek Best Plants Award, our annual recognition of manufacturing excelllence as measured ...

Lack of PPE for Women: A Safety and Inclusion Challenge

08 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

IndustryWeek News Editor Anna Smith recently discussed how ill-fitting protective gear is a multi-faceted problem--creating potential unsafe working c...

6 Top Technology Trends for 2024

06 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Join Laura Davis, editor-in-chief of New Equipment Digest as she breaks down six of the top technology trends reshaping the manufacturing industry in ...

Who Owns Reliability at a Plant? [Ask a Plant Manager]

03 Feb 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...

4 Reasons Why You Can’t Miss the 2024 Leading Reliability Conference

01 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The annual Leading Reliability Conference provides participants with the opportunity to learn more about maintenance and reliability by attending liv...

Cyberincidents and the New SEC Rules

30 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Manufacturers and tech companies have suffered severe cyber attacks in recent months, timing that coincides with new Securities and Exchange Commissio...

Supply Chain: 2023's Performance and What to Expect in 2024 [Production Pulse]

27 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Things got a lot better for manufacturers in 2023 when it came to getting raw materials into plants and finished goods to customers. But, the supply c...

What’s Ahead for Workplace Safety in 2024 [Talking EHS]

25 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Hear about the latest regulatory updates coming from OSHA, as well as current developments in mental health awareness.

Misunderstanding Foundries and the Metal Casting Industry

23 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

High-tech businesses, creative types, luxury retailers, and property developers all want something that is inherent to operations at manufacturing’s...

Maintenance & Reliability Skill Sets – What Are the Table Stakes in 2024?

18 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Luke Clark is a reliability professional and senior program manager for HECO Apollo. In his current position, Luke identifies reliability value for cl...

How EVs Fared in 2023 and What to Expect in 2024 [Production Pulse]

16 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Electric vehicle sales were flat in the fourth quarter of 2023, compared to the third quarter, but automotive experts are still calling last year the ...

Meet New Equipment Digest, Your Source for Industry Products

13 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Do you love the world of manufacturing technology? Are you always looking for news about the next cool tech invention? Do you wonder how everyone alwa...

Introducing Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast

11 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast offers news and information for the people who make, store and move things and those who manage and maintain t...

How to Prevent EV Charger Infrastructure Downtime

04 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Rue Phillips is the co-founder and president of SkillFusion, a platform that connects electric vehicle operations and maintenance service providers wi...

Smart Industry’s Crystal Ball Report 2024: A Preview

02 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Smart Industry Managing Editor Scott Achelpohl previews predictions for the new year we gathered from more than 20 experts in the are...

What’s ahead for manufacturing in 2024

26 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

As we prepare to close the books on 2023 and look ahead to the new year, IndustryWeek gathered top editors from several manufacturing media titles to...

How to reduce the likelihood of workplace injuries

21 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this “in case you missed it” edition of Talking EHS, you’ll learn from two Travelers experts about the most common causes of worker injuries,...

Don’t let compressed air problems cost your facility energy and productivity

20 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Ron Marshall is the founder of Marshall Compressed Air Consulting, a compressed air energy efficiency consulting firm, where he provides technical adv...

The key to successful AI application

14 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Future industrial professionals will look back on the year 2023 as the year that artificial intelligence truly started to scale and reshape plant oper...

Staying safe, staying SEC compliant

12 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

With SEC rules forcing disclosure of material cybersecurity incidents, it's time for all companies to assess their immediate cyber risks—so what ar...

Lessons in safety leadership

11 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this “Talking EHS” episode of The Tool Belt, Dave Blanchard and Nicole Stempak offer highlights from EHS Today’s recent Safety Leadership Con...

Moving beyond wrench time — How to improve productivity with fewer workers

07 Dec 2023

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...

The future of SMRP — Upgrading the skill sets of maintenance and reliability professionals

04 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Rick Baldrige, CMRP, CAMA, has worked at Cargill for over 40 years, most recently as the company's Global Reliability Leader. He has also served as ch...

Making the most of your oil analysis data

16 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Jim Fitch is the CEO of Noria Corporation and is the founding director and a former board member of International Council for Machinery Lubrication (I...

Cyber attacks at Boeing, Clorox raise industry awareness

14 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

With high-profile attacks on Clorox and Boeing, cybersecurity has been top-of-mind for manufacturers for the past few months, reiterating advice offer...

How to cut waste from your reliability and maintenance program

13 Nov 2023

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...

Why your plant should partner with a system integrator

03 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Karen Griffin is the Vice President at Hargrove Controls and Automation, and she's also the new chair of the Control Systems Integrator Association (C...

Why did you choose manufacturing for a career?

02 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

With October's Manufacturing Month nearing its close, IndustryWeek invited people who participated in a recent survey about why they chose careers i...

Tips and tricks to improve your plant’s oil analysis program

20 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mike Barrett is the Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Eurofins TestOil. He's currently working to help reliability practitioners maintain the h...

Manufacturing careers for young people featuring efforts in Ohio and Indiana

18 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to a special Manufacturing Month edition of Production Pulse, IndustryWeek's bi-weekly livestream show. Joining us to discuss the importance o...