Manufacturing Talks

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Entytle co-founder and CEO Vivek Joshi joined us for Episode 137 to talk about how his company can help you use big data and AI to do all the above.

Here are the highlights:

Chapters
00:00 - Intro
03:30 - Why he founded Entytle
07:00 - The Installed Base Intelligence Platform
07:45 - Where equipment data comes from: ERP and CRM
10:00 - Baby boomer retirements and the tribal knowledge challenge
11:30 - Massively mixed equipment fleets
13:30 - How generative AI helps
16:45 - The problem of being caught up in firefighting
17:30 - The IT challenge: no new systems
20:30 - Benefits: gaining market and wallet share
22:00 - Future opportunities for Entytle: asset action plans and streaming data directly from assets

And much, much more! Tune in to the whole thing and learn all about it.

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Today's manufacturers have to tackle a lot of challenges: lack of skilled labor (or any labor, for that matter!), product differentiation, business direction, where to invest capital, and on and on.

It's been a while since we had a thorough dive into all things manufacturing, so it was great fun to have Chuck Coxhead join us to offer his views. Chuck is General Manager at Koaxis, a maker of coaxial RF cable assemblies. Plus he has decades of frontline manufacturing experience, so he's just the guy to help folks navigate all those thorny industrial challenges. Here are the highlights:

Chapters
00:00 - Intro
04:30 - what manufacturing workers do is cool!
09:30 - the general state of manufacturing - it varies by sector
12:45 - the Boeing example
14:45 - Men in Black paraphrase: "A person is smart... but people are stupid, nervous, etc."
15:45 - Lucent - "too big to fail"
23:45 - how to differentiate
25:45 - advice for US manufacturers
21:30 - automation and robotics
30:30 - some things can't be automated
32:00 - autonomous mobile robots
32:45 - reshoring
34:45 - brainstorm with beer!

Tune in and check out the whole thing - it will be worth your while!

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#manufacturing erp #erp software #best erp for manufacturing

She's back! Joining us once again for Episode 135 is Kerrie Jordan from Epicor. She gives us all the latest on ERP software custom-built for manufacturers, along with some big news for the Epicor business. Here are the highlights:

Chapters:
0:00 - show intro
2:15 - Kerrie's start in manufacturing at Oakley
5:00 - "Manufacturing the Future" podcast
8:45 - worker engagement
12:45 - worker-management gap
16:00 - ideas portal
18:30 - fitting upskilling into a busy day
20:30 - addressing turnover
25:00 - set your plant up for success with new tech and modern tools

And there's so much more! Tune in and check out the whole thing. Share it with your like-minded friends, offer your comments and questions in the comments section, and subscribe!

Voice of the Manufacturing Manager report: https://assets.epicor.com/m/35c5d217e82f89ba/original/Voice-of-the-Manufacturing-Manager.pdf

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It's a Manufacturing Talks first: two family members on successive episodes! Last week we had nuclear expert Dan Malburg, and this week we've got his nephew Mark Malburg to tell us all about measuring surfaces.

Mark is President at Digital Metrology Solutions, and he's here to explain why a total geek-o-rama subject like surface metrology is actually vitally important for everyone. Here are some highlights:

3:30 - recognizing the business opportunity
4:30 - advice: keep your employer as your first customer
6:00 - what metrology is
9:30 - what surface attributes are needed for various applications
11:00 - ball bearing example
13:00 - the various measurement technologies
13:30  - why not frickin' lasers?
14;15 - 3D measuring
15:45 - how technology can be a thorn
17:00 - how numbers don't describe enough for surface measures
20:30 - the challenge of "seeing" beneath the surface
23:30 - a new challenge: 3D printing
25:30 - a coming challenge: getting data connected to what matters
28:30 - surfaces are art, not science

Yes, this one is a geek-fest for engineers like me. But it's also got very practical advice and education for anybody. Tune in and check out the whole thing!

Be sure to add your comments and questions, and like and subscribe here for more great shows - plus go follow us on Linkedin too! Tell a friend!

Don't forget to vote on which Malburg was the winner!

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It's pretty clear we need to change course when it comes to our energy policy. Dan Malburg, who has worked in the nuclear energy field for a good long time, and who now serves as Senior Maintenance Instructor for nuclear power plants, joined us to explain why nuclear is our answer. Here are some highlights:
3:00 - reasons nuclear is important: reliability, availability, and footprint
7:30 - addressing safety concerns
11:45 - an update on the restart of Michigan's Palisades nuclear power plant
15:45 - modern upgrades for operations and safety
17:30 - where things stand with Palisades - power generation once again in about a year
19:45 - the potential addition of small modular reactors at Palisades - transmission is the key
21:45 - emergency response
23:15 - spent fuel handling and the need to educate the public

Dan is a true wealth of knowledge, so tune in for the whole thing!

As a Michigan Tech grad, he also requests that you check out Huskies for Common Sense, and we're happy to support their mission: https://huskiesforcommonsense.org/

Please be sure to subscribe here and follow us on LinkedIn, and share this with your friends!

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Here's some more excellent expert input on confronting the manufacturing workforce challenge! Jeannine Kunz, Chief Workforce Development Officer at SME (formerly the Society of Manufacturing Engineers) joined us to talk about the nature of the problem and how companies can get ahead of the game. Here are some highlights:
2:15 - SME history and focus - advancing technology and talent
8:00 - smart manufacturing guidance
9:15 - building the talent pipeline with our youth
11:45 - the labor contraction everywhere and the gig economy
13:45 - the effects of the Inflation Recovery Act and CHIPS and Science Act
14:15 - PRIME (Partnership Response In Manufacturing Education)
17:00 - companies are stepping up more now
21:45 - productivity per worker is flat - tech won't replace jobs, but will upskill for greater productivity
25:45 - without structure, companies will struggle with upskilling - talent management should be part of KPIs
31:45 - workforce attraction and retention strategy

And oh so much more! Tune in for the whole show - you'll be glad you did.

Put your questions and observations in the comments section, please, and be sure to subscribe to the show and follow us on LinkedIn!

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Unless you've been hiding under a rock for a few years, you know we're facing a big problem getting the talent we need. And industry is in a particularly dire state.

That's why it was so valuable to have Colin Dowd join us for Episode 131. He heads up strategy for manufacturing and distribution at Armanino, one of the 20 largest independent accounting and business consulting firms in the nation. He's been warning people in industry and transportation about the "silver tsunami," the giant wave of our most knowledgeable people who are retiring  en masse as we speak, and he's got some great suggestions on what we ought to be doing about it. Here are some highlights:
5:00 - Armanino: a top 20 accounting and consultancy company
6:30 - the workforce problems we're seeing now will only get worse
7:00 - next five years, almost every Baby Boomer will be retired
14:20 - time to start making succession plans for all levels and all skills
16:00 - an important part of the solution: mentorship programs
21:30 - back office opportunities
25:00 - expanded recruiting and its tie to skilled trades and second chance candidates

And there's a whole lot more too! Tune in for the whole thing.

Please subscribe here and follow us on LinkedIn and X (@MfgTalks) to get all our latest news! And sign up for our host Jim Vinoski's newsletter.

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Episode 130 features the Senior Vice President Services - Americas Hub at ABB, Pedro Robredo, who heads up all things electrification for that technology giant.

Pedro talks about new technologies to help manufacturers with electrical reliability and cost effectiveness, as well as new business models like assets as services to assist industry with needed equipment upgrades. Here are some highlights:
3:50 - the scope of ABB's electrifications services group
4:30 - ABB's purchase of GE Industrial
6:30 - the move from the break-fix mentality to advisory services focused on electrical safety and reliability (monitor assets and show up when needed)
8:15 - the asset as a service model
11:30 - the Subaru example
13:00 - electricity demand
14:30 - the SDI Heartland example
19:15 - electrical equipment shortages and supply chain constraints
21:00 - sensors on transformers and other equipment to extend life
23:45 - using technician data entry on tablets and AI to capture information and create actionable reporting
26:15 - future-proofing

There's a whole lot of enormously important content here for anyone involved in manufacturing. Check out the whole thing, and please put your thoughts in the comments section!

And don't forget to like, share, and subscribe with abandon!

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Simeon Wallis and Adam Beckerman join us once again from their advisory and accounting firm Aprio for Episode 129 to bring us up to speed on how industry and the country stand economically.

They cover all the ups and downs - interest rate changes, sentiment among their clients and in the manufacturing marketplace, the state of supply chains, and oh so much more!

Here are some highlights:

6:00 - the state of the economy

7:50 - manufacturing sentiment

10:00 - Covid and the supply chain discombobulations, and refilling the supply chain

13:00 - ISM survey vs. Aprio client input

15:00 - new orders vs. inventories

22:00 - what happens after election and Fed rates uncertainties are resolved

23:00 - the mortgage rate impact

24:00 - advice to manufacturers: look for ways to get more efficient

Tune in and get all the latest intelligence to help you navigate things in your own corner of the business world. Please make generous use of the comments section for your own observations or for any questions you might have.

And as always, please subscribe and tell your friends and colleagues to do the same!

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Ian Peterman founded his own design firm out in Los Angeles to demonstrate his philosophy of designing products and systems for sustainability (a.k.a., The Peterman Method). He joined us for Episode 128 to tell us all about that and more.

Ian is not just the CEO of Peterman Design Firm - he's also host of the Conscious Design Podcast, has a book he wrote with his wife Jessica called Conscious Design, and he's the LA Chapter Chair of the Industrial Design Society of America.

So he's pretty invested in this stuff! Here are some highlights from the episode:
3:00 - Peterman Design firm philosophy: coming in as an R&D partner
6:30 - looking at full product life cycles
11:00 - Conscious Design book - a product of the pandemic, when he lost some clients and had some extra time on his hands
16:50 - marketing sustainable products
22:30 - sustainability is efficiency
28:30 - future opportunities: clean energy, new tech platform development

Peterman Design Firm: https://www.petermanfirm.com/peterman-method/

Jessica and Ian's book: https://www.consciousdesignbook.com/