Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast

Chris van den Belt is the head of product management at IFS Ultimo, and his colleague Berend Booms is the head of EAM Insights. Chris and Berend recently spoke with Plant Services editor in chief Thomas Wilk about how can software (CMMS and EAM) help companies move to more proactive maintenance modes, and which parts of the workday to focus on when they start making that change.

For a very long time, computer-aided manufacturing – CAM – was contingent with CAD, computer-aided design. The parts and the programmer defined the manufacturing process. Now the world of programming is venturing into a new landscape in which artificial intelligence and digital twins are defining the production process for engineered parts.

Olivier Thenoz, Product Manager for CAM with Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence, explains the current state of CAM for programmers and operators, and the future opportunities for manufacturers.

With last week’s election of Donald J. Trump to a second term in the White House, the big question for the manufacturing community is what to expect in trade policy. On the campaign trail, Trump made higher tariffs, especially in Chinese imports, a centerpiece of his agenda.

Supply chain and legal experts say companies should prepare for a different trade environment, but don’t try to be clever or overreact. Back in 2018, some companies tried to avoid the first round of Trump tariffs by trying to hide the country of origin of their goods.

It didn’t go well for them.

So, be skeptical about vendor claims that they can insulate you from trade changes.

But, at the same time, don’t expect things to change too quickly or spend wildly to build up inventory in expectations of higher prices. That strategy often leads to higher costs and rarely saves much in the long run.

Sharing these insights and others, as part of IndustryWeek’s regular Production Pulse livestream were:

Plant turnarounds are tricky, overwhelming, and daunting. But they don’t have to be. Here are seven actionable steps you can take to ensure a plant turnaround for a chemical plant or refinery goes as smoothly as possible which include working with your vendor and setting clear requirements.

About the Article

How to Make Your Plant Turnaround Smooth and Effective

Anna Townshend is managing editor of Plant Services and has been a journalist and editor for almost 20 years. In addition to writing and editing thousands of articles in her career, she has been an active speaker on industry panels and presentations. In this episode of Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast, Anna reads a piece that is part of our new Maintenance Mindset feature, where each week one of the Plant Services editors highlights important and interesting nuggets in the news about manufacturing and asset management.

About the Article

Smart Industry's Scott Achelpohl and Industry 4.0 thought leader Jeff Winter delve into a two-part chat on imagination in digital transformation ... how to dream about what's possible but also be mindful of what's practical. An intriguing discussion about mindset in manufacturing technology.

Joe Kuhn, CMRP, is a former plant manager, engineer, and global reliability consultant, and he is now president of Lean Driven Reliability. 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 our monthly podcast miniseries, Ask a Plant Manager, Joe considers a commonplace scenario facing the industry and offers his advice, as well as actions that you can take to get on track tomorrow. This episode offers insight into how managers deal with employees’ bad attitudes.

Even if you're listening to this after Halloween, please enjoy this special treat of a group discussion around all things candy. Where does our candy come from? What are people eating these days? Why do kids like gummy candy instead of recognizing that chocolate is the only thing worth eating? 

Most importantly, what's coming up from food manufacturers in the future? What great product will add inches to our waistlines in 2025?

The ask and answer some of these questions are:

• Linda Becker, editor-in-chief of Automatic Merchandizer and Vending Market Watch, titles that send her to vending machine and convenience store trade shows every year, candy-centric events at which companies share what's coming up in the world of sugar

Ryan Magee, newly appointed CEO of Cority, shares his thoughts on the impact that technology, particularly AI, is having on workplace safety, and what the future looks like for EHS professionals hoping to leverage new technology.

Greg Martin is founder at Equip LLC Automation Consulting, a software and electrical service provider in South Bend, Indiana, that works specifically with automated systems. Greg was in Chicago recently to explore the IMTS 2024 trade show, and met up with Thomas Wilk, chief editor of Plant Services, to trade their observations and reflect on the past 10 years of systems integration.