Peggy Smedley Show

Peggy and Devraj Bardhan, CTO, SAP managed services, IBM Consulting, and Nathan Weaver, senior director, SAP business unit, Microsoft, talk about a new strategic partnership. They discuss what listeners should know about how IBM and Microsoft are working together and why it matters. They also discuss: The power in historical knowledge about companies. The top three industries where there is a lot...

Peggy Smedley and Bruce Schneier, chief of security architecture, Inrupt, talk all about cybersecurity. He says the state of cybersecurity is complicated—and it might not be as bad as most people thinks it is. They also discuss: How data is being bought and sold all the time. If the research on cybercrime rates are true. How a company can protect itself from cybercrime. schneier.com   (11/29/22 -...

Peggy talks about the importance of partnerships, people, and technology on our journey to net zero. She defines net zero, the ambitious deadlines to reach it, and the progress that is being made, saying for countries and cities to go net zero this will require significant changes to lifestyles and businesses. She also discusses: A new partnership for net zero that is dedicated to helping countrie...

Peggy and Birdie Carpenter, senior researcher, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, talk about the circular economy. She defines the circular economy, saying there are something like 10 Rs now, explaining it is important: to refuse, to rethink, and to reduce. Another category is to think about how to keep products in the economy if possible. The last category is recycle or recover. They also disc...

Peggy and Joshua Peschel, assistant professor, Iowa State University, talk about water usage and shortages. He says certainly we can all do things that impact our water footprint, but that we all must do it together to make a larger impact. They also discuss: How legislation might help—and hinder—the water shortages. How technology can help with water shortages, both with the end consumer and busi...

Peggy offers two big solutions to the worker shortage and the way forward. She prefaces the conversation by saying businesses do need competitive benefits in order to attract a younger generation to the workplace. She also discusses: The importance of mentorship and how to help young workers understand that manufacturing is a great career. Examples of apprenticeship programs. How digital transform...

Peggy Smedley and Adam Feinberg, cofounder and CTO, Fluidform and professor, Carnegie Mellon University, talk about the research that is done at his lab. He says what they are trying to do is understand how to engineer or build human tissue to treat disease. They also discuss: How engineers can develop technologies that can develop tissue. A 3D bioprinted heart tube like a conduit with valves that...

Peggy and Joshua Gans, professor of strategic management, University of Toronto, Rotman School of Management, joins the show to talk about his book Power and Prediction. He shares how long it took for electricity to have rapid adoption—and compares it to AI (artificial intelligence). They also discuss: Three stages of really innovative technology. Why the human is going to be a critical part of ar...

Peggy talks about the worker shortage and the state of manufacturing. She poses the question: Have we as parents and a society failed millennials and generations even young than them when it comes to exposing them to all the opportunities that manufacturing has to offer? She also discusses: Research that points to the current state of manufacturing. The crisis we are currently facing with the work...

Peggy and Tony Schmitz, professor, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and joint faculty, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, talk about the ACE (America's Cutting Edge) program and what brought him to the University of Tennessee. He explains that East Tennessee is an exploding ecosystem right now. They also discuss: Why it has the ACE program and the importance of machine tools for defense and our eco...

Peggy and Harry Glorikian, general partner, Scientia Ventures, talk about his book The Future You, how AI (artificial intelligence) can help you get healthier, stress less, and live longer. He says he wrote the book because he felt technology had reached a level that really made healthcare more accessible to the average person—and he wanted them to be able to experience this and bring this into th...

Peggy Smedley talks about what businesses need to do to keep vacant jobs filled. She narrows in on one vertical segment—construction—but the strategies and trends that she suggests apply to nearly every vertical market today. She also discusses: How many workers will need to be attracted to construction this year and next. How many contractors believe training the next generation is the industry's...

Peggy Smedley and Teresa Domenech Aparisi, associate professor in industrial ecology and the circular economy, University College London, talk about the basics of the circular economy. She says to define the circular economy we need to step backwards and define our current economy and how it looks from a material point of view. They also discuss: If our current system is sustainable. Why we aren't...

Peggy welcomes Loren McDonald, CEO, EVAdoption, back to the show to talk about plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and if it will have an impact on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. He talks about BEVs (battery electric vehicles) vs. PHEVs (plug-in hybrid electric vehicles) and says the beauty of plug-in hybrids is several fold including the battery is much smaller. They also discuss: The people who...

Peggy talks all about how businesses can create a roadmap for sustainability. She dives into the topic of sustainability in business and talks about how the results of three new reports reveal a disconnect between intent and action. She also discusses: The biggest challenges we face with regards to sustainability in our businesses today. Two steps we can take to create a more sustainable business....

Peggy and John Dyck, CEO, CESMII, and Jeannine Kunz, chief workforce development officer, SME, join the show to talk about the Smart Manufacturing Executive Council. He says we have been working for a while now to pull together a think tank of manufacturing leaders that we believe will help us advance the cause of smart manufacturing. She says both organizations are built on members and mutual int...

Peggy Smedley talks all about manufacturing and distribution and one of the greatest concerns in the industry—hiring. She cites statistics from a recent report and determines how to appeal to a younger generation of workers. She also discusses: Reasons why Generation Z is not interested in manufacturing—and what they are interested in. The two-fold solution to the labor shortage in manufacturing....

Peggy Smedley and Harald Haas, professor, University of Strathclyde, talk all about what LiFi is and why it is important. He says it is wireless communications like we have with Wi-Fi and with cellular, but we don't use the radio spectrum, we use the ordinary light bulb in your home for high-speed data connection. They also discuss: The spectrum crunch and why we need enormous amounts of data. Vul...

Peggy and Guillaume Le Gouic, senior vice president of power systems, Schneider Electric, talk about the recipe for a more sustainable and resilient world. He says we are trying to solve two challenges: availability of energy and sustainability of this energy that is being purchased and consumed. The solution is two-fold: electric and digital. They also discuss: How digital makes what is not visib...

Technology continues to advance—and new innovations continue to become available to help both businesses and consumers do better at both work and life. Peggy looks at one specific example of innovation—hand tracking and gesture recognition. She also discusses: How the technology works alongside AR (augmented reality) and VR (virtual reality). Potential use cases at the enterprise. How to avoid shi...

Peggy Smedley and Glenn Daehn, Mars G. Fontana professor of Metallurgical Engineering, Ohio State University, discuss HAMMER (hybrid autonomous manufacturing moving from evolution to revolution). He says hybrid uses multiple processes and explains how this will help create a new future. They also discuss: The supply chain, sustainability, and the bottomline. The importance of local production and...

Peggy Smedley and Marysue Couturier, research director, GCP Applied Technologies, talk about VYCOR enV-S and how it can help in homes. She says it is an air barrier that is designed for residential construction and provides energy savings and improves durability and air quality in a residential house. They also discuss: What VYCOR enV-S actually does in a residential house. How to stop outside air...

To kick off the beginning of Cybersecurity Awareness Month, Peggy talks all about how to secure data in a business. She shares the history of the month and how we can raise awareness about digital security. She also discusses: The importance of empowering everyone to protect their personal data from cybercrime. A research report of historic security control failures and how to improve security pro...

Peggy and Denis Cormier, Earl W. Brinkman professor of industrial and systems engineering, Rochester Institute of Technology, discuss 3D printing, what it is, how it works, how it is used, and how it should be used. He says everyone is familiar with printing—3D printing builds up thickness, which is the third dimension. They also discuss: How 3D printing is used to make prototypes and the differen...

Peggy and Rich Humphrey, vice president of construction product management, Bentley Systems, talk about some of the biggest project challenges in the infrastructure space today, including increased demand, complexity of projects, safety, supply chain problems, and resource scarcity, among others. They also discuss: How technology can help manage all the data and keep project costs in control. Exam...