Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast

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 turnaround for a chemical plant or refinery goes as smoothly as possible which include working with your vendor and setting clear requirements. About the Article How to Make Your Plant Turnaround Smooth and Effective These 7 tips will help make your chemical plant or refinery turnaround much easier to execute. Written by Mike Aughenbaugh Read by Laura Davis Read the article

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 thousands of articles in her career, she has been an active speaker on industry panels and presentations. In this episode of Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast, Anna reads a piece that is part of our new Maintenance Mindset feature, where each week one of the Plant Services editors highlights important and interesting nuggets in the news about manufacturing and asset management. About the Article Maintenance Mindset: Little’s Law and lean manufacturing — A formula for operational excellence This week, the PS team remembers the life and work of the theorem’s namesake John D.C. Little and its influence on lean manufacturing. Written and read by Anna Townshend Read the article

Smart Industry's Scott Achelpohl and Industry 4.0 thought leader Jeff Winter delve into a two-part chat on imagination in digital transformation ... how to dream about what's possible but also be mindful of what's practical. An intriguing discussion about mindset in manufacturing technology.

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 author of the book “Zero to Hero: How to Jumpstart Your Reliability Journey Given Today’s Business Challenges” and the creator of the Joe Kuhn YouTube Channel, which offers content on starting your reliability journey and achieving financial independence. In our monthly podcast miniseries, Ask a Plant Manager, Joe considers a commonplace scenario facing the industry and offers his advice, as well as actions that you can take to get on track tomorrow. This episode offers insight into how managers deal with employees’ bad attitudes.

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 come from? What are people eating these days? Why do kids like gummy candy instead of recognizing that chocolate is the only thing worth eating?  Most importantly, what's coming up from food manufacturers in the future? What great product will add inches to our waistlines in 2025? The ask and answer some of these questions are: Linda Becker, editor-in-chief of Automatic Merchandizer and Vending Market Watch, titles that send her to vending machine and convenience store trade shows every year, candy-centric events at which companies share what's coming up in the world of sugar Andy Hanacek, senior editor of Food Processing, a title that covers food manufacturers Robert Schoenberger, editor-in-chief of IndustryWeek who does consider peanut M&Ms to be a salad

Ryan Magee, the newly appointed CEO of Cority, discusses how technology, especially AI, is reshaping workplace safety. He highlights the need for a unified data repository to enhance EHS visibility. Magee addresses the challenges EHS professionals face with resource allocation and the emerging risks in modern environments. He shares insights on how AI and predictive analytics can streamline safety efforts and bolster sustainability initiatives. The conversation emphasizes the renewed focus on integrated safety solutions in the wake of the pandemic.

Greg Martin, founder of Equip LLC Automation Consulting, dives into the transformative role major tech companies are playing in manufacturing. He shares insights from the IMTS 2024 trade show, highlighting advancements in robotic compatibility and the flexibility of Robotics as a Service. Greg discusses how AI and better work order management are revolutionizing maintenance processes. He addresses the skills gap in manufacturing and the importance of mentoring future talent, reflecting on the evolving collaboration between industry and educational institutions.

Andrew Burton, Global Industry Director of Manufacturing at IFS, dives into the transformative impact of AI on small and medium-sized manufacturers. He discusses IFS's ambition to lead in industrial software and how AI is set to revolutionize workflows. Insights on sustainability and predictive maintenance shine in the conversation, along with practical applications that help shop floor workers enhance communication. Burton also addresses the integration of automation to maximize efficiency and tackle challenges faced by traditional maintenance teams in the evolving landscape.

Nevermind machine learning … Andrew Halonen, founder of Amatrium and the AmatriumGPT tool, argues that LLMs offer multiple paths for manufacturers to expand their capabilities and extend their market reach.

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 division head or president or CEO, and some new shiny object becomes the focus.  Ever wanted to ask an implementation person how they handle that? At the IndustryWeek Operations Leadership Summit this summer, an audience member put the question that bluntly to Marty Hallman, director of bearing operations at The Timken Co. Like most of us, Hallman's been through that sort of turmoil, and he explained how Timken keeps going with lean management principles, even when leadership changes. Joining Hallman was Sam McPherson, president of the Lean Leadership Academy. In addition to talking leadership change, they discussed how to develop leaders internally, how to implement production-improving strategies and how to get the most of the training time they spend with up-and-coming leaders.