Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast

The Nuts and Bolts of a Successful Failure Mode and Effects Analysis

Brian Hronchek is a principal trainer and consultant at Eruditio. Over the years, Brian has worked as a maintenance manager, reliability engineer, and planning manager, and his background includes stints in the U.S. Marine Core and Purdue Aerospace Engineering. Brian recently spoke with Plant Services editor in chief Thomas Wilk about how to fill out the FMEA (click here for example template), and then use it to build robust equipment maintenance plans. 

Reshoring and Nearshoring in 2024

The relocation of manufacturing capabilities is a true phenomenon, making supply chains shorter and more sustainable, and reducing business's carbon footprints. The Reshoring Institute's executive director explains what's happening and what to expect.

How Maintenance Managers Fail [Ask a Plant Manager]

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 offers insight into how maintenance managers are failing their businesses and their direct reports.

Baltimore Bridge Collapse: Supply Chain, Safety, Trucking Impacts (Production Pulse)

The March 26 collapse of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge resulted the losses of six lives, one of the busiest land routes on the East Coast and the temporary halt of shipping traffic through the No. 1 port for automotive imports and exports in the United States. Throughout the past week, editors at several IndustryWeek parent company Endeavor Business Media publications have been writing about the catastrophe, none more so than Roads & Bridges magazine. 
For our bi-weekly Production Pulse livestream video series, we invited several of those editors to talk about the loss of the bridge, what that will do to shipping, how it could impact worker safety, how other reports will respond to the snarls and what's next for Baltimore. Speakers were:
Ryan Curtiss, digital editor of Roads & Bridges.
Anna Smith, news and supply chain editor of IndustryWeek.
Rod Sutton, editor of Construction Equipment.
Nicole Stempak, managing editor of EHS Today.
Josh Fischer, editor-in-chief of FleetOwner.
Robert Schoenberger, editor-in-chief of IndustryWeek.

Enhancing Efficiency With Advanced Bearing and Sealing Solutions

In today's industrial world, keeping the gears turning smoothly is a big deal. Checking on those bearings and staying ahead with maintenance is key to avoiding those dreaded moments of downtime and equipment meltdowns. In a world where everyone's scrambling for efficiency, these new solutions for taking care of bearings and sealing things up tight are like secret weapons for staying ahead. They're making it a whole lot easier for manufacturers to stay on top in this ever-changing landscape. Listen as Laura Davis, Editor-in-Chief discusses six new products and solutions that are making maintenance and optimization easier in the world of bearings and seals.
If you would like to read more of Sheila's work and learn about new advancements in the industry, visit: https://www.plantservices.com/home/contact/11394358/sheila-kennedy.
About the Article
Advancements in industrial bearings and seals help improve longevity and functionalityWritten by Sheila Kennedy Read by Laura DavisRead the article

FMEA 101 – How To Conduct a Failure Modes and Effects Analysis at Your Plant

What is an FMEA? When should you use it? Why is it an important step in helping maintenance teams move from a break-fix maintenance state to one that is more proactive? In this episode of Great Queston: A Manufacturing Podcast, Plant Services editor in chief Thomas Wilk spoke with a specialist in the reliability field, Brian Hronchek, to start answering these questions and more about failure modes and effects analyses. Brian draws from his former experience as reliability engineer for U.S. Steel, maintenance manager for Exxon Mobil, and a 16-year veteran of the Marine Corps, in addition to his current work as a principal trainer and consultant at Eruditio.

Taming Data: No-Nonsense Ways to Overcome Information Overload and Drive Your Digital Transformation

Marcel van Helten of Red Lion Controls and Craig Resnick of ARC Advisory Group help Smart Industry address common challenges business owners face when their teams access data platforms and the easiest way to navigate the overwhelming amount of information that the platforms provide.

What Does a Biden-Trump Rematch Mean for Manufacturers? [Production Pulse]

There are still a few more primaries to be held, but Joe Biden and Donald Trump have locked up Democratic and Republican nominations for November's election. So, what does that mean for the manufacturing world? 
International trade, regulations, immigration, national security and taxation will all be part of the big national debate this year, and all of those topics touch on manufacturing in one way or another. Discussing those topics during the March 21, 2024, recording of Production Pulse, IndustryWeek's bi-weekly livestream program, were:
Laura Putre, senior editor at IndustryWeek
Bob Vavra, senior content director at Machine Design
Karen Langhauser, chief content director at Pharma Manufacturing
Andy Hanacek, senior editor of plant operations of Food Processing 
Due to some technical difficulties, IndustryWeek Editor-in-Chief Robert Schoenberger, who produced this episode, occasionally pops up on screen and disappears. Sorry about that.

AI Meets the Supply Chain: Highlights from MODEX 2024 [Supply Chain Insider]

Hear from MH&L’s editors about the impact that AI, robots, automation and other technologies are having on warehousing and the supply chain, in this review of the MODEX 2024 trade show.

Manufacturing Technology and the Manufacturing Economy

“Manufacturing technology” means machinery, and investments in machinery are a leading indicator of future manufacturing conditions. An economist spells out what is shaping the manufacturing economy right now.