Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast

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 this episode of Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast, Scott Achelpohl is joined by Nick Hasselbeck and Matt Martin of E Tech Group to discuss the challenges legacy OT systems create for digital transformation and AI adoption. The conversation explores why siloed data, limited network visibility, and outdated equipment remain major obstacles for manufacturers. They also examine practical stra...

Employers have an obligation to protect workers from all jobsite hazards, including the summer heat and humidity. In this episode of Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast, learn the current regulations, signs of heat stress and what you can do to help workers be comfortable—and safe—this summer from Corey Stringer Institute’s Maggie Morrissey.

Computed tomography (CT) has a parallel life beyond its service in diagnostic medicine. From aerospace and automotive to defense and electronics, it’s one of manufacturing's most powerful quality assurance technologies. By creating detailed three-dimensional views of both external and internal part features without destructive testing, CT allows manufacturers to detect defects, verify dimensions,...

For IndustryWeek’s Smart Manufacturers video series, Senior Editor for Technology Dennis Scimeca visited four different plants to inquire about a specific technology deployment at each. He spoke 5G with John Deere , talked MES development with Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence, discussed brownfield sites and corporate responsibility with battery manufacturer Viridi and dodged a fleet of robots on...

NED Editor-in-Chief Laura Davis breaks down four machining and metalworking products from the latest issue, covering 3D laser cutting for job shops, solid carbide taps for high-volume threading, multi-operation precision grinding, and high-pressure coolant toolholding for difficult-to-machine materials. Laser Next Core 3D Laser Cutting Machine TC180 Supreme & TC280 Supreme Solid Carbide Taps L...

In this episode of Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast, Thomas Wilk speaks with Tito Warren of Red Wing about the challenges industrial facilities face in protecting workers from heat stress during the summer months. Their conversation explores the role of hydration, environmental controls, PPE, and emerging wearable technologies in supporting worker health and safety. They also discuss how fo...

In this special National Forklift Safety Day podcast, hear what OSHA's David Keeling and Logisnext Americas' Carl Modesette have to say about the need for situational awareness from everybody who comes near a forklift, not just the operators. And ENEROC USA's Max Khabur explains why standardized forklift battery testing is essential for safety.

In this episode of Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast, sponsored by Hydro Inc., Thomas Wilk speaks with Ares Panagoulias and Robert McCowan about building effective condition monitoring programs that reduce maintenance firefighting and improve asset reliability. The discussion explores the foundational steps organizations should take before deploying sensors, including defining goals, assigni...

In this episode of Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast, Patrick Childress, an international trade and disputes attorney at Holland & Knight, shares an update on how negotiations are proceeding with USMCA—also known as the United States, Mexico, Canada agreement—a trilateral trade agreement that comes up for its required six-year joint review on July 1. It's an agreement that has significan...

In this episode of Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast, every OT and IT journey is different, but two SMEs from Lincoln Nebraska-based Huffman Engineering join the podcast with some tips and to share some positive summer vibes from their clients.

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....

Lorraine Martin, CEO of the National Safety Council , explains why the NSC first developed National Safety Month in 1996—and what workplace safety issues they’re focusing on this year. 

In this episode of Great Question, IndustryWeek Senior Editor Laura Putre talks with Frank McKay and Graham Scott, Supply Chain Officer and Chief Procurement Officer at Jabil respectively, about how they transformed procurement to a cost driver at the global contract manufacturer—offering their own optimized supply-chain technology to customers as a service. They also discuss how they’ve tackled r...

New Equipment Digest (NED) Editor-in-Chief Laura Davis breaks down five additive manufacturing products from the June issue, spanning multimaterial prototyping, magnesium-capable metal AM, continuous FFF production, ultra-large-format powder bed fusion, and high-performance polymer printing for aerospace. J850 Core PolyJet 3D Printer PA-300 LPBF Metal Printer Funmat Pro 310 Apollo FFF Printer EP-M...

In this episode of Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast, Plant Services chief editor Thomas Wilk speaks with Andy Foster , Chief Product Officer at IOTech , about the growing use of edge AI across discrete manufacturing, process manufacturing, and energy operations. The conversation explores how manufacturers are using AI for predictive maintenance, anomaly detection, production optimization, a...

Small and medium-sized manufacturers have a skilled labor shortage - and the last solution proposed to address that (automation and robotics) is about to encounter the next proposed solution: agentic artificial intelligence.  A recent article introduces they interesting possibility that “Agentic AI Could Make Robots Affordable for Small Businesses.” In this episode of Great Question: A Manufacturi...

In this episode of Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast,  Virginia Tech's E. Scott Geller muses on how workplace safety has improved—and worsened—over his 50-plus year career.

In this episode of Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast, IndustryWeek's Anna Smith speaks with Ben Johnston , COO at Kapitus , about the new tariff refund portal launched by U.S. Customs and Border Protection following the Supreme Court’s ruling on IEEPA-related tariffs. They discuss how manufacturers, importers, and customs brokers can navigate the refund application process, including key doc...

In this episode of Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast, Thomas Wilk meets up with Rosemary Coates of the Reshoring Institute to catch up on how current events are impacting manufacturers who were already shifting their reshoring strategies. Despite geopolitical conflict and energy shortages, Coates identifies are few sectors that are thriving (semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, and plastics) and...

In this episode of Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast, Nick Haase  of  MaintainX  explores the challenges manufacturers face as workforce retirements and labor shortages collide with the push for AI adoption. He discusses how disconnects between leadership and the shop floor can lead to ineffective technology and stalled implementation. The conversation highlights the importance of capturing...

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 this episode of Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast, Jason Moreland of AlertMedia explores how changing weather patterns and climate trends increase risks for workers and organizations, and explains why proactive planning, communication and training are vital to mitigate impacts of extreme weather events across seasons.

In this episode of Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast, IndustryWeek's Dennis Scimeca and Machine Design's Rehana Begg talk all of the walking robots at Hannover Messe, the massive trade show that took place in Germany in late April. Amongst the automation equipment, software, machines and controllers were a lot of upright, humanoid robots. In nearly every hall at the show, robots walked aroun...

"Local manufacturing marketplaces" are regional networks in which value is created and retained - as opposed to being distributed outside the local economy. In this episode of Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast, management consultant Chris Bassett explains that manufacturers’ drive for efficiency in their decision-making causes them to pass by opportunities that involve less time and fewer co...