Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast

Dave Blanchard, editor-in-chief of Material Handling & Logistics, presents MH&L's annual list of the 10 largest global manufacturers of forklifts, and offers some analysis of current market conditions and trends.

Manufacturers have spent decades refining continuous improvement and the next evolution isn’t about replacing those proven methods with AI. It’s about making them dramatically more effective.

In this sponsored episode of Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast, IndustryWeek senior editor for technology Dennis Scimeca talks with Fabriq co-founder Octave Lapeyronie about the emergence of Agentic Continuous Improvement: putting AI inside the daily management rituals manufacturers already rely on, while keeping frontline teams firmly in control.

The episode is sponsored by Fabriq. Go to www.fabriq.tech to learn more.

In this episode of Great Question: a Manufacturing Podcast, Mitch Twardosky, CEO of Fidelity Manufacturing, discusses the manufacturing company's very recent ownership transition—the owners sold the company to an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) as a succession plan—while in the midst of significant company growth driven by increasing demand for backup generation. Twardosky shares with IndustryWeek's Jill Jusko how the ESOP almost immediately had employees taking an ownership mindset about what does and does not add value to the company. He also talks about workforce development related to the manufacturer's expansion into Texas, where a 200,000 square-foot plant is about to open.

In this episode of Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast, ARC Advisory Group research lead Inderpreet Shoker brings the data and follows up her recent three-part Smart Industry series on connected worker platforms with more advice on making the most of these promising solutions that involve many variables to succeed in smart factories.

Joe Kuhn, CMRP, former plant manager, engineer and global reliability consultant, is now president of Lean Driven Reliability LLC. He is the author of the book “Zero to Hero: How to Jumpstart Your Reliability Journey Given Today’s Business Challenges” and the creator of the Joe Kuhn YouTube Channel, which offers content on starting your reliability journey and achieving financial independence.

In the monthly podcast miniseries Ask a Plant Manager, Joe and Plant Services editor in chief Anna Townshend consider a commonplace scenario facing the industry and Joe offers advice, as well as actions that you can take to get on track tomorrow. This episode explores maintenance and operator ownership and the problems with blurred accountability.

In this episode of Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast, Shaun Carvalho, chief safety officer at Shawmut Design and Construction, discusses how organizations can develop comprehensive safety and wellbeing programs that go beyond traditional PPE, emphasizing mental health, substance abuse, and inclusive communication strategies.

Manufacturing leaders face a hidden cost: fragmented data. This sponsored podcast episode, recorded with guest Keith Dunnell, VP, Global Head of Manufacturing Industry GTM at ServiceNow, is for operations leaders, security teams, and plant managers who know fragmentation is slowing them down but aren't sure how to fix it.

This podcast is sponsored by ServiceNow.

In a few weeks, the 2026 IndustryWeek Operations Leadership Summit brings together manufacturing leaders responsible for turning strategy into measurable performance. The Summit, held in Spartanburg SC from Oct. 20-22, will deliver practical, real-world insights on the challenges that matter most, from building stronger teams and sustaining continuous improvement to adopting AI and emerging technologies, strengthening safety cultures, and achieving operational excellence.

In this episode of Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast, IndustryWeek editors Thomas Wilk and Jill Jusko as well as Smart Industry's Scott Achelpohl preview the highlights, including plant tours at BMW and Spartanburg Steel, and the presentation of the 2026 Best Plants Awards. 

Recently, over 91,000 manufacturing professionals roamed vast exhibit halls in pursuit of technologies to make their enterprises more efficient, productive, competitive, or connected. Whether they realized it or not - all of them were looking for “manufacturing technology.”

Why is this label so elastic? At IMTS 2026, 1,788 exhibitors filled 1.17 million square feet of floor space with new applications in machining, programming, software, toolmaking, automation, plus networking, product design, market development, and more.

In this episode of Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast, American Machinist's Robert Brooks talks with IndustryWeek's Thomas Wilk about the insights collected by our visit to IMTS 2026, and what our impressions indicate about new technology and manufacturing trends. 

The yard is no longer just the space between transportation and warehousing. It's where safety, execution, and business performance intersect. In this episode, YMX Logistics' Adam Buttgenbach discusses why yard operations are becoming an increasing focus for EHS leaders and how companies can move from reactive risk management to a more coordinated, proactive approach.

This podcast is sponsored by YMX Logistics.