Whether it's a global pandemic, inclement weather conditions, or other unforeseen challenges, being a good leader is key to making it through difficult times. In this episode, Jay Richards, a member of the founding team and senior consultant at Denison Consulting, returns to the show to discuss a little bit about leadership in a post-pandemic world and going forward.

Learn more about Denison Consulting: https://www.denisonconsulting.com/

Read the transcript: https://www.controlglobal.com/podcasts/manufacturing-tomorrows-workforce/leadership-and-the-future-of-work 

For the past year or so, many manufacturers have struggled to keep up and running, maintain staff, and adjust to the digital changes the pandemic required. Making these changes or funding a new project, like a digitalization effort, for example, can be expensive, but there are grants and funding available to help. Micki Vandeloo, president of Lakeview Consulting, returns to keep us up-to-date on the changing grant landscape for manufacturers.

Read the transcript: https://www.controlglobal.com/podcasts/manufacturing-tomorrows-workforce/navigating-the-changing-grant-landscape 

The COVID-19 pandemic forced many employers to reduce their staffs, but having workers who have the know-how and nurturing their growth is still important. Amanda Del Buono and Tom Strong, director of employer action for the National Fund for Workforce Solutions, discuss the importance of investing in and training employees for the long haul.

Read the transcript: https://www.controlglobal.com/podcasts/manufacturing-tomorrows-workforce/how-a-training-program-can-solve-many-of-your-workforce-problems 

With the change that 2020 brought, it might be time for us to get used to change. Business Enterprise Mapping's Donald James speaks with Amanda Del Buono to help us understand how manufacturers can manage that change in their organizations going forward.

Learn more about Business Enterprise Mapping: https://www.businessmapping.com/

Read the full transcript: https://www.controlglobal.com/podcasts/manufacturing-tomorrows-workforce/how-to-better-manage-change-in-your-organization

With vaccines rolling out, some workers are returning to their normal duties. Some manufacturers, however, may find themselves short-staffed and back in search of employees, a difficult endeavor prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. With more people out of work, can manufacturers more easily recruit from a larger pool of potential workers?

In this episode, Amanda Del Buono discusses how manufacturers can recruit in a post-pandemic environment with Tom Moriarty, professional engineer, certified maintenance and reliability professional, certified asset reliability practitioner, MBA in business administration, President of Alidade M.E.R. Inc., and columnist for Putman Media’s Plant Services magazine.

Read the full transcript at https://www.controlglobal.com/podcasts/manufacturing-tomorrows-workforce/how-can-manufacturers-recover-their-workforces-post-pandemic

Amanda Del Buono is joined by Deanna Nord, Principal of Nord Strategy Group, speaker and contributing writer to plant services in the journal magazines, as well as other publications, to discuss how the industry was impacted by 2020, and what 2021 has in store. 

Read the full transcript: https://www.controlglobal.com/podcasts/manufacturing-tomorrows-workforce/a-look-ahead-what-does-the-next-year-hold-for-u-s-manufacturers

Putman Media social and digital media coordinator, Alexandra Ditoro, spoke with Greg Paulsen, director of application engineering at Xometry, and Tressa Gardner, associate vice president of Southeastern Institute of Manufacturing Technology (SIMT), which is a manufacturing trade school that has partnered with Xometry for both training and revenue and is dedicated to help funding university operations.

In this podcast, Amanda Del Buono interviews Dirck Schou, CEO of Taqtile (https://taqtile.com/), about the use of augmented and virtual reality for training in the manufacturing industry.

Read the full transcript here: https://www.controlglobal.com/podcasts/manufacturing-tomorrows-workforce/augmented-and-virtual-reality-training-in-industry 

Dean Steadman, CNC Education program manager for FANUC, joins Amanda Del Buono and Thomas Wilk, editor in chief of Putman Media’s Plant Services magazine, to share how the company built its training program to help manufacturers throughout the United States find the trained CNC machinists they need.

Learn more about FANUC education programs: www.fanucamerica.com/education/cnc-robodrill 

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, employee health and safety has come to the forefront of many leaders’ minds. To help those leaders put thought into action, Amanda Del Buono interviews Kylene Zenk, director of manufacturing practice at Kronos, about how digital technologies can help manufacturers be more attentive to their employees’ overall well-being.

Read Kronos U.S. Workforce Activity Report: www.kronos.com/about-us/newsroom/update-us-workforce-activity

Learn about Kronos' employee contact tracing capability: https://www.kronos.com/about-us/newsroom/kronos-introduces-employee-contact-tracing-capability-support-covid-19-response

Read the full transcript of this episode: https://www.controlglobal.com/podcasts/manufacturing-tomorrows-workforce/prioritizing-employee-mental-and-physical-health-and-safety/