Augury and IndustryWeek just dropped the State of Production Health 2026 report, and the findings are worth talking about. Ed and Alvaro dig into what 500+ manufacturing leaders said about their biggest challenges, where AI is actually being used, and the contradiction that sits at the heart of the whole study.

• For the first time, workforce constraints topped the list of manufacturing challenges in 2026.

• Unplanned downtime jumped 10 points to #2, putting machine reliability at the center of every pressure manufacturers face

• 57% of manufacturers are now using AI for predictive maintenance, up 22 points in a single year

• 42% have AI at scale across more than half their sites, up from 14% last year

• Poor data quality just became the #1 roadblock to AI adoption, and the most advanced adopters feel it most

The big question Ed and Alvaro tackle: if you believe in AI this much, why aren't you using it to solve the exact problems holding you back?

Mentioned in this episode: The State of Production Health 2026The State of Production Health 2025The State of Production Health 2024The State of Production Health 2023

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P&G is projecting $1.5 billion in savings from Supply Chain 3.0. PepsiCo is piloting AI and digital twins. Hershey just announced $100 million in inventory reductions. So why does McKinsey report that not a single manufacturer has fully integrated AI into operational decision-making?

Ed and Alvaro get real about:

• Why good systems stall out even when the technology is right

• What P&G actually got right that most companies miss

• How to get started if you're not a Fortune 50 company

Spoiler: the barrier to entry is lower than you think.

Mentioned in this episode: P&G shifts Supply Chain 3.0, other platforms into large-scale rollout Transforming factories: The power of continuous, connected insights

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When the pressure's on to cut costs, maintenance budgets are usually first on the chopping block. Ed and Alvaro have both been in that room, and they've got a lot to say about why that decision almost always costs more than it saves.

In this episode they break down how to actually win the budget conversation: 

• who you need in your corner before you walk in

• how to stop speaking maintenance and start speaking P&L

• why the data has never made it easier to prove your case

Mentioned in this episode: Putting off maintenance now could cost 4x more later

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Doc Palmer, author of McGraw-Hill's best-selling maintenance planning handbook, joins Ed and Alvaro to talk about why most plants are leaving enormous money on the table without knowing it.

If your team is stuck in reactive mode, this one will reframe how you think about planning, scheduling, and the metrics you're probably using wrong.

In this episode:

• Why "planner" is a bad word (and what to call it instead)

• The 35% wrench time problem that hits every plant on the planet

• What Parkinson's Law has to do with your maintenance schedule

• Why 95% schedule compliance might mean you're cheating yourself

• Real-world turnarounds from Dallas to Brunei

Mentioned in this episode: Palmer Planning

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Most plant managers think they're doing okay. Ricky Smith, CMRP, has walked enough plant floors to know better. Ed and Alvaro sit down with one of the most credentialed voices in maintenance and reliability to talk about what separates reactive plants from world-class ones.

Episode highlights:

• Reactive maintenance could be costing you 3x more than it should

• The case for scorecards, formal training, and a clear north star

• What "world-class maintenance" actually means on the plant floor

Mentioned in this episode: World Class Maintenance Learning GuidesSMRPProactive Maintenance Storeroom5 Whys Root Cause AnalysisMaintenance Planning and Scheduling Best Practices Session 1 (Video)

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Season 3 is here, and the "barbarians at the gate" brought company: $5.70 diesel, supply chain chaos, and labor gaps that won’t quit. When the pressure hits, the knee-jerk reaction is to slash the maintenance budget. But Ed and Alvaro are here to tell you why that's a trap that can lead to even costlier failures.

Episode Highlights:

• Machine Health as an Energy Lever: Why jumping from 50% to 60% efficiency is the "gift that keeps on giving" for your energy bill and your P&L.

• The 15% Fallacy: Why relying on traditional preventive maintenance misses the 85% of failure modes that aren't time-based.

• How to Speak CFO: Why pitching an 8x ROI and inventory reduction gets you the signature you need while technical talk just makes their eyes glaze over.

Mentioned in this episode: State of Production Health

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Ed and Alvaro are back with their year-end crystal ball episode…and boy, they nailed some predictions while completely whiffing on others!

In this episode, they score their 2025 predictions (spoiler: sustainability was a BIG RED failure ❌), breaking down the 20 episodes that shaped Season 2, and going out on a limb with their 2026 forecasts.

Here's what they covered:

• Prediction scorecard - the good, the bad, and the ugly

• Why everyone's talking about AI, but still fighting fires in their plants

• The "silver tsunami" that's changing everything

• Why trades are suddenly sexier than tech jobs

• Geopolitical chaos and what it means for your supply chain

• Bold (and possibly foolish) 2026 predictions

Got predictions of your own? Drop them in the comments!

Mentioned in this episode: AI and ROI: Translating Time Saved to Business GainsChain Reaction 2025: Chief Supply Chain Officer Insights

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What if your maintenance tech could pick up shifts like an Uber driver, but with the right skills and certifications guaranteed? In this game-changing episode, Ed and Alvaro speak with Rahil Siddiqui (Founder of Wilya) and Arianna Flores (former Maintenance Manager, now at Augury) to tackle manufacturing's most pressing challenge: creating flexibility for frontline workers while maintaining safety and quality standards.

Key takeaways:

• Why the "quantity equals quality" mindset is killing retention – and what actually works

• The 3-part flexibility framework: When, How Much, and What workers want control over

• How digitizing your skills matrix can eliminate 2 am panic calls and grievances

• Real success story: How one manufacturer went from zero to 100 part-time workers across six plants

• Why your best PLC tech needs more than training – they need ownership, metrics, and recognition

Mentioned in this episode: Wilya

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You know that maintenance hero who gets the 2 AM call when the line goes down? The one who always saves the day? Ed and Alvaro have a hot take—that hero culture might be killing your plant's performance.

In this episode, they break down why firefighting becomes an addiction that's hard to kick:

• The People Problem: When "Jerry" becomes your crutch, nobody else learns to walk

• The Process Trap: Chasing symptoms with water hoses instead of fixing root causes

• The Tech Solution: How predictive maintenance breaks the reactive cycle

Bottom line? You can still reward the heroes who fix problems after the fact, but you'd better start celebrating the people who prevent them from happening in the first place.

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Ever been that stellar mechanic who gets tapped for supervisor, only to realize your overtime-inflated paycheck is about to take a hit? Or maybe you're the technical wizard who wants absolutely nothing to do with managing people? Ed and Alvaro tackle manufacturing's biggest career crossroads – whether to climb the management ladder or become a technical master of your craft.

With half a million open manufacturing jobs today (and 2.5 million projected), there's never been a better time to grow your career – title or no title. We cover:

• Going from buddy to boss: Managing the awkward transition when you're suddenly supervising your break room pals

• The technical track: Why master mechanics and TPM champions earn serious respect (and paychecks) without managing anyone

• Real success stories: From Ed promoting his toughest union shop steward to Alvaro's safety champion who became a community leader

• Growth without titles: How to expand your influence and expertise regardless of which path you choose

Whether you're eyeing that supervisor role or want to stay hands-on while mastering your craft, we've got the straight talk on making either path work. Mentioned in this episode: Open Jobs Are Piling Up—Is U.S. Manufacturing Ready for the Next Surge?Manufacturing Jobs Projected To Grow By 30% Mike Rowe, Ford CEO warn America's manufacturing crisis is at a breaking point as China surges ahead

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