ASSEMBLY Audible

AI is changing machine vision, but not in the way many manufacturers expect. Matt Moschner, CEO of Cognex, explains where AI vision systems outperform traditional tools, where they don’t and why most real-world applications rely on a hybrid approach.

Patrick Lozada, Senior Director of Global Policy at the National Electrical Manufacturers Association, explains how the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA, supports manufacturing, regional supply chains, standards alignment and long-term investment certainty. The conversation covers tariffs, reshoring, AI data center demand, grid infrastructure, electrical codes, trade uncertainty and what manufacturers need before committing to new capacity in the United States.Sponsored By:

Despite tariffs, EV disruption and supply chain pressure, supplier relationships improved across all six major North American OEMs for the first time in 26 years. Dr. Angela Johnson explains what changed — and why communication and trust are becoming critical competitive advantages.

Manufacturers need skilled workers now—but traditional training pathways often fall short. In this episode, Justin Brooks explains how short-duration programs are helping people enter manufacturing faster, build confidence on the shop floor and connect directly with employers.

Tariffs aren’t impacting every manufacturer the same way. Eddy Azad, founder and CEO of Parsec Automation, explains why some companies gain an advantage while others struggle—and why preparation ultimately determines the outcome.

AI isn’t failing because of the technology—it’s failing because of how people use it. In this episode, Chris Draper, CEO and co-founder of morriganAI and author of Safe AI Basics and co-author of Governing Artificial Intelligence, challenges the way we think about AI and explains why the real risk—and opportunity—lies in human behavior. Sponsored By:

Manufacturers aren’t just losing workers — they’re losing decades of institutional knowledge. Nick Haase, co-founder of MaintainX, explains how the “silver tsunami” is exposing gaps in maintenance data and why companies that fail to capture that knowledge now risk falling behind.

Disruptions are inevitable—but being unprepared isn’t. Eddy Azad, founder and CEO of Parsec Automation, explains how manufacturers can build resilience through continuous improvement, visibility and long-term thinking to stay competitive.

Mark Woeppel explains why many plants fall into a cycle of expediting and reactive decision-making. Drawing on decades of experience, he shares examples of assembly operations overwhelmed by incomplete builds, conflicting priorities and systems that cannot keep pace with real-world conditions.He also introduces the Theory of Constraints as a way to restore stability. By identifying the true constraint and aligning production around it, manufacturers can improve throughput, reduce chaos and regain control of delivery performance.To learn more, join Woeppel for a live webinar on May 20 at 2 p.m. ET, where he will discuss how to right-size inventory levels and prevent assembly line stoppages in modern manufacturing environments.

As manufacturers push deeper into artificial intelligence, a new challenge is emerging: most factory networks weren’t built to support the speed, scale and reliability that modern AI systems require. From robotics to real-time analytics, connectivity is becoming a critical constraint on how far manufacturers can take automation.One of the biggest forces behind that shift is the rise of physical AI: systems that interact with the real world, continuously learning from sensors and feeding data back into models. These applications depend on constant, high-performance communication between machines and centralized systems, placing new demands on factory infrastructure.In this episode, Tamer Kadous explains how evolving connectivity requirements are reshaping private 5G, what manufacturers are learning from early automation deployments and why physical AI could redefine how data, robotics and production systems operate on the plant floor.