In this episode of the AI in Manufacturing Podcast, I speak with Van Tucker, VP of Harbor Lockers by Luxer One, a company that develops and manufactures smart public lockers.

We discuss the challenges and strategies for building effective innovation teams in manufacturing.

Here are some of the  insights that Van shared:

𝐂𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

Innovation thrives when people, from the boardroom to the factory floor, believe in the mission. Core values must be lived daily, not just written on posters.

𝐀𝐠𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

Instead of waiting months for a polished rollout, start simple. Test small ideas quickly, gather feedback, and iterate. Even in hardware manufacturing, lightweight R&D “sandboxes” allow experimentation without disrupting core production.

𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐭

Burnout shows up in declining quality and disengagement. The best leaders don’t wait, they stay close to their teams, recognize early warning signs, and act before problems escalate.

𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈𝐓 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐎𝐓

The old silos are gone. Effective leaders create environments where engineers from IT and OT collaborate, not compete. Quick collaborative wins build trust and momentum across functions.