Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast

In this episode of Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast, Chuck Orzechowski and Josh Renicker of the COO Forum discuss how operations leaders are navigating AI-driven disruption and workforce change. They explore the importance of human-centric leadership, strong teams, and culture as new technologies reshape manufacturing. The conversation also examines how closing gaps between engineering and production can support operational excellence at a moment where the post-AI age is on the horizon.

By focusing on the fundamentals, workplaces can build a safer environment from the ground up, says Kevin Weaver of U.S. Compliance, and author of Building a Strong Safety Culture: The 5 C’s of Workplace Safety, 2nd edition.

In this episode of Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast, Anna Smith explores the growing skilled labor shortage facing U.S. manufacturing. She examines data on the 1.3 million-worker talent gap, an aging workforce and rising demand driven by reshoring and data centers. Smith also looks at how upskilling, education partnerships, apprenticeships and AI can help manufacturers expand their talent pools. The discussion highlights strategies for developing the skilled workforce needed to support continued domestic production growth.

On this episode of Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast, New Equipment Digest Editor-in-Chief Laura Davis rounds up four products worth knowing about — a coupling and brake system built for e-mobility test stands, an AI-powered platform for warehouse data capture, a connected AI forklift platform, and a pair of high-output rechargeable flashlights. Whether you're chasing measurement accuracy on the test bench or trying to close visibility gaps on the warehouse floor, this episode has something worth your time.
Products Featured:
ROBA-DS 9120
Peak Automation Intelligence
NobleOne AI Forklift Platform
LEO 10000 FLEX and Nebo LEO 12000 FLEX

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 is our rapid-fire series where Joe tackles five diferent scenarios and provides five quick fixes. Listen to Joe discuss the traps of too much data and too weak a culture. First, I make him laugh, but tune in to see which scenario gets Joe all riled up!

In this episode of Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast, EHS Today's Adrienne Selko talk with safety expert Camille Oakes, who says improving emotional intelligence skills for safety managers helps create stronger outcomes in complex workplaces.

In this episode of Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast, IndustryWeek technology editor Dennis Scimeca and Smart Industry head of content Scott Achelpohl discuss the evolving cybersecurity challenges facing manufacturers. They examine recent attacks targeting PTC product lifecycle management software and Siemens S7 PLCs, highlighting the complexities of patching vulnerabilities across industrial environments. The conversation also explores how AI is accelerating cyberattacks and shortening the time available for organizations to respond.

IMTS 2026 is just weeks away, and the show floor will be packed with new equipment worth tracking down. In this episode, Laura Davis highlights four machines making their case at McCormick Place this September. Here's where to find each one, and what makes it worth the walk.
A 5-axis mill-turn center built for aerospace engine components
A compact CNC turning center for small high-volume parts
A flexible cylindrical grinder
A high-torque 5-axis horizontal machining center for large structural parts. 

In this episode of Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast, chief editor Robert Brooks takes a look at how manufacturers that implement supply-chain management technology frequently face the “go-live gap”. It’s what separates a technically successful implementation from an operation that is truly prepared to use the new platform, follow the new processes, make the right decisions, measure and capture the value that justified the investment in the first place.

In this episode of Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast, McKenna Schutty, safety, health and environmental manager at TDIndustries, a Texas-based facilities services and mechanical construction company, discusses how her company brought AI into its safety organization.