Gary Mintchell talks with Keith Updike, managing director of BBK--a manufacturing consulting firm--about Lean Thinking. The discussion includes ideas of implementing Lean and a vision of what a Lean Lifestyle entails.

Gary takes a look back at 2008 and ahead to 2009. Changes in automation supplier leadership are noted, and he exhorts listeners to promote the economic need for manufacturing to regain prominence in the United States.

Joe Grove, vice president of engineering at OSSID, a Pro Mach company, joins Gary for this discussion of how a packaging industry equipment manufacturer can use new technology along with in depth customer research to redesign machinery to achieve a competitive advantage and give customers added value.

Gary reports from Pack Expo. Thoughts on automation suppliers competing for OEM business, the recent spate of government bailouts and the upcoming Safety Automation Forum.

The HTML of process control. Gary interviews Jonas Berge, Director of PlantWeb Consulting for Emerson Process Management in Singapore. He discusses EDDL (electronic device description language), describing what it is, how it is used and the overall system from intelligent instruments to how the information is displayed in a client computer. More information is available at www.eddl.org.

Gary reviews trips to the Emerson Global Users Exchange and WonderWorld conferences. He offers thoughts on changes at Rockwell Automation.

Gary interviews Geoff Wickens, systems solutions manager for Endress + Hauser and a member of the marketing committee of the FDT Group. Wickens explains what FDT does and why it is of value for users of instrumentation and asset management systems.

Gary resumes his interview series with Paul Wacker on Ethernet. Paul is a product manager at Advantech and discusses technology and application of Power over Ethernet. This interview will also be the subject of an email newsletter sponsored by Advantech. Paul's previous interviews on Ethernet have been well regarded in the industry.

Recording in the mobile studio, Gary reflects on leadership and energy issues from his trip to Las Vegas to attend the Schneider Electric customer conference. That's two straight weeks of record attendance at conferences in a supposedly down economy. He also discusses the latest Rockwell Automation Integrated Architecture release. He concludes with a discussion of the Packaging Automation Forum.

Recording in the mobile studio Gary catches up with a few weeks of travels including the Siemens ExiderDome, ideas from meetings at Emerson and NI Week. He takes a look at marketing, the automation system, need for accurate information from field devices, green automation, education and selling your ideas.