Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast

Discover how President Trump's tariffs are reshaping the manufacturing landscape. Experts discuss the urgent need for strategic adaptation and communication among suppliers. Explore the crucial role of continuous improvement and innovation in navigating these challenges. A case study reveals how a Pennsylvania tool manufacturer is committed to local production despite economic uncertainties. Additionally, insights into the complexities of technology, automation, and corporate strategies shine a light on potential opportunities amidst rising costs.

Falling from heights is a recurring safety problem at workplaces. Mike Van Bree, president of the American Ladder Institute, explains why training, education and efforts like National Ladder Safety month are helping to reduce the number of reported ladder accidents.

In this episode of Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast, Francisco Almada Lobo, CEO of Critical Manufacturing and an Industry 4.0 evangelist, educator, and author, joins Smart Industry's Scott Achelpohl to chat about what real transformation looks like, which steps to use, and how not to leave outdated processes still in place.

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 operates, and he's skilled in operations management, continuous improvement, and business process improvement. James is also a strong media and communications professional, having earned a J.D. degree focused on corporate law from Capital University Law School, which has informed his leadership in union environments and contract negotiations. James recently spoke with Plant Services editor in chief Thomas Wilk about his journey from military service to manufacturing leadership in the packaging industry.

Vera Newland, Director of Digital Transformation Services at Kauffman-Rawson, dives into the transformative potential of digital commerce for mid-market manufacturers. She highlights how embracing digital strategies is crucial for keeping pace with evolving buyer expectations, particularly among millennial and Gen Z consumers. Vera also discusses the innovative use of AI agents in customer service, which enhances customer interactions and reduces workload. By implementing these digital commerce practices, manufacturers can create seamless buying experiences and drive significant growth.

ProMat 2025 continues this week, bringing tens of thousands and supply chain and material handling professionals to Chicago to see what's new and innovative. Several major themes were apparent in talking to exhibitors and show attendees: Labor reduction. Most distribution center operators say they're struggling to find enough people to do the daily work, and finding seasonal help when they want twice as many people. Exhibitors presented dozens of technologies that minimize training, simplify work or automate functions. Going up. Vertical systems are everywhere at the show. New facilities are building higher and higher roofs to be able to stack material vertically and minimize real estate costs. OEM-backed startups. IndustryWeek's Dennis Scimeca has been writing about this trend for a few years—major companies starting in-house incubators or venture capital operations to capture new ideas and product innovations. At ProMat, I talked to companies backed by Toyota, Nokia, Piaggio and several others.  Cool technology. Well, not exactly a trend, but something I definitely noticed. Whether it was robots that charge themselves while moving through a facility, AI-driven picking systems that automatically re-sorted misplaced goods or drones running inspection, there were just a bunch of cool, nifty ideas on display.

Christie Smith, former VP of Diversity & Inclusion with Apple and founder of The Humanity Studio, explains why US companies will lose their competitive advantage if they don’t build DEI into their culture.

Joe Kuhn, CMRP, former plant manager, engineer, and global reliability consultant, is now president of Lean Driven Reliability LLC. 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 understanding the difference between maintenance and reliability engineers and how to best use their strengths.

Facing network challenges in dusty or wet conditions Explore the importance of IP67 ratings for industrial networking, gaining practical guidance for choosing the right devices to prevent failures. About the Article Understanding the IP67 Rating for Industrial Networking Devices Learn how IP67-rated enclosures protect your critical industrial networking devices from dust and water damage, ensuring reliable performance in harsh manufacturing environments. Written by Henry Martel Read by Laura Davis Read the article

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 from an experts panel discussion on the proper uses of kaizen, lean and other continuous improvement strategies in the modern factory. Responding to an audience question, AI took center stage and some of the brightest minds in operational excellence detailed how these tools could improve managers' abilities to empower workforces and drive improvements. The panel for the livestream was: Katie Anderson, leadership consultant, speaker, and learning enthusiast, author of "Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn" as well as a regular IndustryWeek contributor John Dyer, author of "The Façade of Excellence: Defining a New Normal of Leadership," as well as a frequent speaker on topics of leadership, continuous improvement, teamwork and culture change Michael Bremer, author of "How to Do a Gemba Walk" and "Learn to See the Invisible" Jill Jusko, executive editor and continuous improvement guru at IndustryWeek