"By doing these things, you will improve across the board." In the second part of John Broadbent's interview with SensrTrx's Founder and CEO, Bryan Sapot, the two discuss getting started with Industry 4.0 and why it doesn't need to be hard or expensive.

According to John, you may need to enact Industry 3.0 first, and that's ok, but at least you're starting somewhere. The concept of a connected, smart manufacturer isn't going anywhere. It's a proven idea. But, if you get on the horse, you're entering the race and working towards that idea.

"We've got a decade of information and experience to show this stuff does work."

John mentions a book during this episode which can be found at the link below: 

If you'd like to talk to John about industry 4.0, he can be contacted via LinkedIn.

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Industry 4.0 has been around for years. Surprised? You shouldn't be. Industry greats like John Broadbent, Founder of Realise Potential, have been exploring the benefits of a new era of manufacturing technology since the early '90s.

Part 1 of Zen and the Art of Manufacturing, features Bryan Sapot, SensrTrx CEO and John Broadbent exploring the history of industry 4.0, how it's expanded throughout the years, why there's a certain role essential to executing industry 4.0 initiatives, and tips for implementing it at your own plant.

Don't miss this exceptional episode discussing the past, present, and future of industry 4.0 and John's name for the role key to encouraging industry 4.0 growth - stewardship.

If you'd like to talk to John about industry 4.0, he can be contacted via LinkedIn.

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Part 2 of Stuart's podcast episode dives into the maintenance metrics that you need to care about, getting operators onboard with maintenance goals, daily meetings involving the entire plant, and working together as a team. 

"We're all in this together, and how are we going to get back up and running?," Stuart asks. Essentially, the main idea behind the 2nd half of a "Healthy Maintenance Culture" is communication. If a machine goes down, it's affecting both production and maintenance, and as such, what can be done to get that machine back up and running? 

Dive into the details of a healthy culture in the plant, going beyond just maintenance in this episode. 

Stuart Fergusson is the Director of Solutions Engineering at Fiix Software, a Rockwell Automation company. If you would like to get in touch with Stuart, he can be contacted through his LinkedIn. 

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What is a healthy maintenance culture? Surprisingly, it doesn't include just maintenance. In this episode of Zen and the Art of Manufacturing, Bryan Sapot sits down with Stuart Fergusson, Director of Solutions Engineering at Fiix Software to talk about measuring the right metrics, involving everyone in the plant with maintenance activities, and listening to your people. 

No, not everyone is doing the maintenance, but everyone in the plant should care and understand what is going on. Stuart Fergusson explains how an innovative approach to maintenance is simply, a good culture. 

"The first step is the embodiment of the idea that maintenance is everybody's problem. People care about maintenance activity and they care about what's happening. What are you celebrating? What are your wins? Instead of the 'us versus them' mentality."

In examples of unhealthy cultures, the first thing to stop is finger-pointing. But, how? Where does a healthy maintenance culture start? Tune in to find out. 

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In part 2, we talk about the specific steps needed to become a better leader while simultaneously improving the plant. Learn why listening skills can be the number one influence of exceptional culture, why good leadership needs to start at the top in order to improve culture, and how both of these things can help improve the performance and processes of the company as a whole.

"When a leader can understand that a good idea and improvements can come from anywhere and anybody, that's a great skill because that can take an organization to the next level."

Mike Leigh is the President of OpX Solutions, a performance improvement company that helps manufacturers remove the barriers that prevent them from achieving their goals by developing leaders and improving processes. 

During this episode, Mike mentions two books and a leadership organization he belongs to which can be found with the links below:

If you would like to chat with Mike, he can be contacted on LinkedIn or through his company website, OpX Solutions.

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Mike Leigh is the President of OpX Solutions, a performance improvement company that helps manufacturers remove the barriers that prevent them from achieving their goals by developing leaders and improving processes. As such, Mike knows a lot about what makes a good leader. 

In this episode of Zen and the Art of Manufacturing, Byran Sapot asks Mike, "What makes a good leader in manufacturing?" You'll hear the key qualities of a leader, as well as how those qualities transfer to running a manufacturing plant. Learn how leadership and continuous improvement work hand-in-hand to create a great culture. "Leadership behaviors and culture in the organization are the biggest factors that impact the success of your continuous improvements efforts"

Mike started OpX Solutions because to help manufacturers and other organizations be more successful, and in this podcast, he'll impart that same knowledge so you, as a listener, can improve your leadership and create success in your own organization. 

If you would like to chat with Mike, he can be contacted on LinkedIn or through his company website, OpX Solutions.

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As the VP of Corporate Strategy at Tacony, Nick Hinman's focus is on maximizing the customer experience while ensuring the business continually improves. Over the years, he has become an expert in all things lean, culture, and value.

In this episode of Zen and the Art of Manufacturing, Bryan Sapot and Nick sit down to talk about building the house. What does that mean exactly? Well, to build an exemplary company, you need to start by creating a road map and then begin laying the foundation. Using data to improve, a great culture, transparency, are all things to be established for the company upfront. 

Listen in as Nick share's his experience with firefighting and how manufacturers can transition from constant firefighting to something more sustainable. And, finally, Bryan and Nick discuss focusing on the small wins, building trust throughout the organization, and daily morning meetings, all contributing to the success of your improvement efforts.

Nick mentioned a few books at the end of his episode that have laid a foundation for his expertise in lean and one that he was currently learning to get insight into effective leadership, all of which can be found below:

If you would like to talk to Nick about any of the topics discussed in today's episode, you can reach out to him via LinkedIn. For more information regarding the improvements Tacony has made in their plants, read how Tacony increased efficiency from production to the supply chain, increasing lead time by 150%.

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For a full description of this episode of Zen and the Art of Manufacturing featuring Nick Hinman, read "The Foundations of Lean with Nick Hinman".

As the Ambassador of Manufacturing at Cambridge Air, Tony Spielberg builds relationships, guiding business development for the company. With his extensive knowledge and expertise on the subject, Tony sits down with SensrTrx CEO, Bryan Sapot, to talk about workforce development. Why is it important and how do you start?

In his previous role as CEO of BCI Packaging, Tony took a special interest in workforce development because of the unique workforce he managed - adults with disabilities. He was able to transform the organization, learning lessons, and providing guidance along the way.

A couple of takeaways on how Tony built a lean culture when he was CEO of BCI:

At the end, learn what Tony believes will change in manufacturing as a direct result of Covid-19.

During this episode, Tony mentions a number of books and publications which can be found through the links below:

If you would like to talk with Tony (or learn more about daily meetings), he can be contacted by email on LinkedIn or through the Cambridge Air website.

Enjoy this podcast? Hit the share button, subscribe for free if you're not already a regular listener, and give us a quick review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Help us create calm and improve flow in manufacturing!

Create calm in the manufacturing environment. Stop the fire fighting. Sound farfetched? It’s not. In this podcast, we’ll talk with manufacturing industry professionals about how they create calm in the plant.

We’re bringing together the manufacturing and continuous improvement communities to spread the knowledge.

Until now, there hasn’t been anything focused on putting the pieces of the puzzle together – people, culture, lean, continuous improvement, theory of constraints, manufacturing, and tech. How do all of these pieces come together to create the optimal manufacturer? This podcast focuses on the intersection of these topics so commonly talked about in manufacturing, but rarely explaining how to get it done.