Advanced Manufacturing Now

Which U.S. cities have the most market potential for the aerospace and defense industry? In a recent report, Global Location Strategies (GLS) highlights the locations positioned to lead the next generation of manufacturing—and the top spots might surprise you. GLS President and Founder Didi Caldwell shares insights from the comprehensive report, which ranks 387 U.S. metropolitan areas based on long-term competitiveness.

The editorial team discusses the Aerospace & Defense Industry Report and features on giving production data context, high-mix/low-volume production, why smart manufacturing fails and how AI weaves islands of info into a comprehensive digital thread.

Passenger air travel, defense contracts and the emerging space market are all booming. But production, supplier and workforce constraints threaten to create bottlenecks. PwC's Scott Thompson helps make sense of the consulting firm's inaugural A&D Sector Outlook.

In the second episode of Advancing the Line: AI in Manufacturing, SME's Tim Wilson sit down with Dr. Bijan Sayyar-Rodsari, Director of the AI Center of Excellence at Rockwell Automation, to examine how edge computing and generative AI are transforming real-world plant operations. With more than two decades of experience designing data-driven industrial control systems, Dr. Sayyar-Rodsari discusses how manufacturers can shift AI from experimental pilot projects into dependable, daily production environments.

On this special Manufacturing Day edition of Advanced Manufacturing Live, SME Senior Editor Michael McConnell speaks with Macomb County (Mich.) Executive Mark Hackel. The former county sheriff will explain why he's a big proponent of advanced manufacturing and why Macomb County is one of Michigan's premier locations for it.

Join SME Chief Editor Steve Plumb, Editor Rachael Thomas and Associate Editor Nicole Franzese-Damron for a discussion of the sights and sounds—and how tired their feet were—at this year's IMTS.

In the premiere episode of Advancing the Line: AI in Manufacturing, SME's Tim Wilson sit down with Adam Marsh, CEO of Ledge Inc., to explore how artificial intelligence is moving beyond corporate hype to deliver practical value on the machine shop floor. Marsh, a Penn State industrial engineer and quality systems specialist, explains why small and medium manufacturers should look at AI not as a job-replacing disruption, but as an operational calculator that relieves lean teams from administrative bottlenecks, complex compliance documentation, and quoting backlogs.

Key opportunities include advanced manufacturing, maintenance and repair, and quality and lab technicians. Steve Shepley and Victoria Bloom discuss these and other findings from a new report from Deloitte and the National Association of Manufacturers.

If your organization struggles to prioritize the right issues - or continues to face the same problems repeatedly - this webinar is designed for you.

In this one-hour session, you'll learn a proven framework for identifying waste, uncovering the true root causes of problems, and implementing sustainable solutions that last. From defining the problem clearly to controlling results over time, this webinar will help your team move beyond "firefighting" and build a structured approach to problem-solving.

Because most poor decisions are not made by bad leaders - they're made by rushed leaders.

Brett Pichla, Founder and Managing Director of CI Strategies, Inc.

Presented by Tooling U-SME

Visit https://toolingu.com/webinars for more webinars and an interactive experience with visuals.

On this pre-recorded episode of Advanced Manufacturing Live, Kent Savage, founder and executive chairman of the Velocity Group in Ohio, explains why he's a strong believer in U.S.-based manufacturing.