The Art of the Impossible

In December 2024, Joe Zak acquired Fonda Flexible Manufacturing, a precision sheet-metal fabrication and component manufacturing company. Now leading both Fonda and Zentrypoint, he’s driving both businesses to stay at the cutting edge of design and manufacturing technology. A key focus for Joe is sustainability. He’s positioning Fonda for B Corp certification, exploring opportunities in climate te...

Meng Zhu, former blue-chip consultant with IBM, Accenture, and Deloitte, has driven digital transformation for global leaders including Meta, Pfizer, PVH, Hilton, and aerospace innovator Blue Origin. She reveals how Organizational Change Management (OCM), AI, and a people-first strategy can turn ambitious visions into measurable results – from boosting adoption and streamlining processes to signif...

Tom Jarvis, Head of Industrial Design at Kingfisher plc, is exploring how generative AI can reshape product design. Leading a small team of seven UK-based designers, he discovered that pairing AI with CGI creates rapid prototypes for stakeholder feedback – streamlining decisions and accelerating the production of hundreds of products each year. By iterating designs in Photoshop, Tom’s team has pro...

As Head of Design at IBM, Phil Gilbert helped over 400,000 employees adopt new workflows by introducing design thinking – shifting focus from products to customers. The result? Faster time to market, reduced costs, and higher employee engagement. Now Founder of Gilbert Workshop and Managing Partner at Ten X Labs, Phil has spent his career – from start-ups to global enterprises – proving how lastin...

Joanna Cooper, General Manager at Daimler Truck North America, is proving that people-led leadership drives measurable results. Her approach has already delivered more than $13 million in operational efficiency improvements across the organization. Starting as a Procurement Specialist, Joanna rose through the ranks by embracing digital transformation and leading change with her teams. She grounds...

Digital transformation is reshaping the design and manufacturing industry, no matter the speciality. Few know this better than Emma Alexander, Chief of Staff (Engineering) at Relativity Space.  After starting her career at John Deere, Emma has leveraged her expertise from farm vehicles to aerospace, demonstrating that innovation can be applied across diverse industries. Emma champions iterati...

Space exploration is in a constant state of innovation and development. As we advance understanding of it, astronauts are able to go further, and stay longer, in space. An inevitable step in this evolution is to explore how human habitats can exist in space and beyond.  Sebastian Aristotelis is doing just this. As founder of SAGA, an architectural firm specialising in space architecture, he u...

The automotive industry thrives on the pursuit of innovation—newer, bigger, and better. Vayve Mobility approaches this demand with a unique vision, focusing on agility and sustainability at the core of its vehicle designs. With two models currently on the market, Vayve Mobility creates next-generation cars powered by electric charging and solar energy, aligning performance with environmental respo...

Digital transformation is a constantly evolving process, with new technology rapidly entering the fray. Currently, the biggest buzz centres around artificial intelligence (AI), which offers several opportunities – although some can be controversial.  Riddhi Karambelkar is Head of Manufacturing Engineering at Brompton Bicycle and strives to make AI and humans work together. With the belief tha...

Druck has taken a very manual industry and turned it into something very digital. The company specialises in highly-configured pressure sensors developed for a range of applications–from nuclear engineering to aerospace.  Claire Aitchison is Druck’s Executive Operations Leader. During her time at the company, she noticed that many customers needed Druck’s products, but didn’t have the resourc...

Yunex Traffic is a global leader in intelligent traffic solutions. The company creates digital options for a previously practical industry, working with highway authorities to improve the function of roads. Its solutions transform cities into places where people can live, work, and move more freely with a better quality of life. The company maintains a strong focus on sustainability, aiming to red...

As consumer products become more plentiful and accessible, it is increasingly difficult to get noticed. However, product consultancies like Zentry Point take away this challenge and provide production advice as well as design expertise.   Zentrypoint Co-founder, Joe Zak, shares insights from his journey in product design and consultancy, discussing how embracing digital transformation ha...

One of the cornerstones of digital transformation is integration. Making systems work together efficiently so no data is lost is a challenge that all companies face in their journeys. How do you manage it internally and how does it affect other parts of the business? From recruitment to clients and the product itself, we explore how Alexander Bradfisch, Senior Vice President of EntriWorX at dormak...

From technical drawings to visual walkthroughs, 3D in design has been a game changer on all levels. 3D visualisation enables more iterative and agile workflows, leading to more straightforward communication with internal and external stakeholders. In the third episode of season three, we explore the move from 2D to 3D with Ted Page, Head of Digital Design at Nijhuis Saur Industries We delve into t...

Most people would assume that a transition to 3D and digital design is more about productivity and efficiency but for some businesses, the added objective of achieving greater sustainability triumphs profit.  Sustainability through innovation is at the core of the Swedish battery manufacturer Northvolt. They have taken digital transformation a step further by innovating across the entire busi...

Change can seem daunting even to the most experienced of managers. Anticipation and effective communication is key to ensuring the successful delivery of a digital transformation project. From leveraging efficiencies to mediating resistance, having a solid plan and a change management strategy can mark the difference between success and failure.  Jude McCann, Innovation Manager at Rathbane Gr...

Artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming the next frontier of digital transformation. From automating processes to writing code and increasing productivity, the use cases for AI are as versatile as the companies that utilise them. But it’s also one of the most hotly contested topics: how can companies in the D&M sector harness its power? Which processes lend themselves best to automation? H...

Like much of the technological jargon, the term Smart Factory seems to be used in a variety of ways with multiple meanings to it. Asif unpacks how one famous brand, Bridgestone Tyres defines a Smart Factory and what it has been doing to spearhead digital transformation from the factory up. Andy Warren, Senior Engineering Services Support Manager at Bridgestone Tyres Americas, discusses the potenti...

In recent years, we’ve had to deal with rapid and unpredictable changes both personally and professionally. How can companies maintain their agility, and make changes part of the ‘business as usual’ mindset? Join Autodesk’s Asif Moghal as he discusses what agile change means to people and processes in a D&M business, with Karim Sekkat, CEO of Oxford Engineering Group, and Dr Sally Eaves, CEO o...

With the complete overhaul in product design and manufacturing processes in recent years, there has never been a greater need to implement innovative thinking within the Design and Manufacturing industry. In this episode, Asif Moghal – Director of D&M Market & Industry Development at Autodesk – speaks to Ben Maddock, Design Engineer at Steller Engineering, and Sam Rogers, Test Pilot and Ad...

Digital transformation is one of the most important enablers of innovation, but it’s not enough to create a lasting impact. The willingness and awareness to innovate and keep learning have to be ingrained in the company culture in order for businesses to keep thriving and evolving with the times. In this episode, we are joined by Kim Dabbs, Global VP of Social Innovation at Steelcase, and Dylan Ho...

As a society, one of the biggest challenges of our age is tackling climate change by finding long-term sustainable business solutions across industries. But how can digital transformation facilitate sustainability? We are exploring innovative technologies that can pave the way for a greener future with Alec Anderson, co-founder of Koolmill Systems, and Dr. Taryn Foster, founder of Coral Maker. Hos...

The strategic importance of data is well-known across the D&M industry. But while many companies collect huge amounts of data, it can be hard to know how to process it effectively. In this episode, Asif Moghal speaks with Rob Marchant, CEO of MarchantCain Design Ltd., and Tom Jones, Senior Solution Architect Manager at Amazon Web Services, to explore how data can be collected and used to enact...

Virtual reality is no longer a science-fiction fantasy, and recently, it’s been growing in use in professional and industrial settings. But how are architecture and design firms taking advantage of this technology? In this episode, Asif Moghal speaks with Brendan Mullins, Associate & Architect at Stantec, and Craig Bunyan, Associate Director at Seymourpowell, to find out how Extended Reality (...

The past 12 months have shown us, beyond all doubt, that being more collaborative can result in phenomenal outcomes. In this episode, Asif Moghal talks to Tony Cox, owner and co-founder of Great British Outdoor Fires and John Grimshaw, Product Manager at Elcometer about what collaboration is and why it’s the only way to succeed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.