Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast

In this episode of Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast, Jennifer Szkatulski of Immersive Labs talks with Smart Industry's Sarah Mattalian about why manufacturers are prime targets for cyberattacks, particularly ransomware, and the far-reaching impact on operations and supply chains. She breaks down how attacks occur—from phishing and credential theft to system infiltration—and how even IT breaches can disrupt production environments. The conversation also highlights emerging risks tied to AI, insider vulnerabilities, and interconnected supplier networks.

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 spot a fake reliability program.

Kay Yoder of Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits describes the evolution of EHS into a people-centered, technology-enabled discipline, emphasizing inclusive leadership, employee engagement, sustainability, and continuous learning as key drivers of safer, more proactive workplace cultures.

In this episode of Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast, Laura Putre speaks with Richard Demirjian of heavy-truck components manufacturer TCCI about the impact of Section 232 tariffs and the USMCA on his business. They explore how Section 232 tariff rebates are influencing sourcing decisions, sometimes favoring overseas production over domestic manufacturing. The conversation also examines supply chain localization challenges, uncertainty around USMCA, and the evolving mix of ICE, electric, and hybrid vehicles. Additionally, they discuss innovation investments, workforce development, and the impact of refrigerant regulations on future product design.

In this episode of Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast, Thomas Wilk speaks with Tony Peterson and Jeff Shiver about a three-phase approach to preventive maintenance optimization and its impact on manufacturing performance. The conversation explores how improving PM accuracy, leveraging tools like P&IDs and CMMS data, and engaging technicians can shift operations from reactive to proactive maintenance. They also discuss common pitfalls in PM programs, including low-value tasks and scheduling challenges, along with strategies to improve compliance and efficiency.

Most grownup professionals are smart people, but that doesn't mean we don't do some really stupid things from time to time. Think about your last expense report. Between filling out the forms, supervisors checking them, accounting reviewing them again (and sending them back five times because you used the wrong code for the rental car company), companies spend vast sums of money every year in hopes of preventing someone charging a bottle of cold medication back to their employer.

Procurement in manufacturing is similarly penny wise and pound foolish. At the Grainger Show in Florida in March, one poster showed how the average company uses seven people and $100 in approvals and management time to buy a $17 hammer. Sound familiar?

In a series of wide ranging conversations at the show, IndustryWeek's Robert Schoenberger and New Equipment Digest's Laura Davis spoke with:

Full disclosure, Grainger did not sponsor this episode, but the company did cover travel costs for editors to attend their customer event.

In this episode of Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast, Plant Services chief editor Thomas Wilk and Eruditio principal trainer and consultant Brian Hronchek discuss how many organizations underutilize their CMMS systems and miss opportunities for efficiency. They explore practical strategies to unlock more value, including standardizing preventive maintenance activities and leveraging built-in functionality for corrective work. The conversation also highlights how better resource planning can improve outage execution and reduce costly conflicts.

Smart Manufacturing is the label that has emerged to describe production systems that incorporate digital technologies, real-time data, and interconnected systems to make manufacturing processes more automated, adaptive, and efficient. It involves sensors, data analytics, artificial intelligence, and connected machines that monitor, optimize, and automate manufacturing processes in real time.

In this episode of Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast, and prompted by the developer’s recent State of Smart Manufacturing report, we asked Evan Kaiser, Rockwell Automation vice president for Global OEM and Emerging Industries to tailor the insights there for small and midsized manufacturers, to help them understand the smart manufacturing investments, practices, and strategies, that will help them get connected and stay competitive.

Connected procurement integrates all stages of the source-to-pay process, providing real-time visibility and enhancing organizational agility. In this "In Case You Missed It" podcast, based on an article from two Accenture procurement experts, you'll hear how organizations are shifting from reactive procurement processes to connected, data-driven workflows that enhance agility, resilience and strategic value amid global disruptions.

Delve into why organizational visions often fail and learn tactics to develop a vision your workforce can embrace.