Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast

Smart Industry content chief Scott Achelpohl wraps up the annual prediction series with highlights from SI's roster of subject-matter experts, who had a lot to say about how AI was moving well beyond the hype and coming to a production line near you.

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 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 explores practical reliability leadership lessons for maintenance and operations teams in 2026. Bonus: The psychology behind New Year's resolutions?

Fall protection violations remain the most cited OSHA issue, emphasizing the need for continued focus despite some recent decreases in violations. In this interview with Phil Jacklin, continuing education program manager with Diversified Fall Protection, you'll hear that progress is being made through increased awareness, proactive safety practices and better data tracking, but challenges persist, particularly in the construction industry.

This year-end wrapup episode collects clips from three of the most popular Plant Services episodes from the past 12 months. In these clips, Plant Services chief editor Thomas Wilk talks about:

In our monthly podcast miniseries, Ask a Plant Manager, Joe Kuhn, CMRP (former plant manager, engineer, and global reliability consultant) considers commonplace scenarios facing the industry and offers his advice, as well as actions that you can take to get on track tomorrow. This episode collects three of our favorite moments with Joe over the past year:

In this episode of Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast, Plant Services chief editor Thomas Wilk and UL Solutions Senior VP of Industrial Testing, Inspection, and Certification Jeff Smidt explore the growing role of independent sustainability certification in the industrial sector. Their discussion centers on ECOLOGO and how it evaluates materials, manufacturing practices, and full product lifecycles. The conversation also highlights the connection between reliability, risk reduction, and transparent environmental performance. Together, they examine how rigorous standards like UL 2711 may shape future expectations for industrial products.

Could a dual-layer metallic coating be an innovation in jet-engine design?

There is a line of innovation from product design to metallurgy, to production, and to product performance. For aerospace and defense systems, precision parts that operate under intense heat and high pressure are critical to performance and reliability. In this episode of Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast, American Machinist chief editor Robert Brooks explains how researchers are proposing a new coating process that will make alternative, high-entropy alloys perform at significantly higher temperatures – which could mean greater fuel efficiency and lower maintenance costs for jet engines.

Industrial exoskeletons are gaining traction in manufacturing and logistics, but misconceptions still overshadow what they actually do. New Equipment Digest chief editor Laura Davis breaks down the biggest myths with insights from HeroWear’s Matthew Yandell, PhD, to reveal the truth behind this fast-growing technology. To learn more, visit: https://www.newequipment.com/55325220

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 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 explores how to celebrate and reflect at the end of the year, while maintaining operations and planning for the next year. Bonus: Is Santa's workshop the ultimate factory?

Caroline Johnson shares some of the lessons she learned about leadership from her time in the U.S. Navy and how her fellow officers continue to inspire her as an executive advisor and coach with DEKRA.