Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast
Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast offers news and information for the people who make, store and move things and those who manage and maintain the facilities where that work gets done. Manufacturers can listen for critical insights into the technologies, economic conditions and best practices that can influence how to best run facilities to reach operational excellence.
Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast offers news and information for the people who make, store and move things and those who manage and maintain the facilities where that work gets done. Manufacturers can listen for critical insights into the technologies, economic conditions and best practices that can influence how to best run facilities to reach operational excellence.

Meet the Manufacturing Group
Contributing to the podcast are seasoned manufacturing journalists from Endeavor Business Media’s Manufacturing Group:
- Robert Brooks, editor in chief, American Machinist
- Dave Blanchard, editor in chief, EHS Today
- Robert Brooks, editor in chief, Foundry Management & Technology
- Thomas Wilk, editor in chief, IndustryWeek
- Dave Blanchard, editor in chief, Material Handling & Logistics
- Laura Davis, editor in chief, New Equipment Digest
- Anna Townshend, managing editor, Plant Services
- Scott Achelpohl, managing editor, Smart Industry
Episodes

Jun 23, 2026
Jun 23, 2026
8 min
NED Editor-in-Chief Laura Davis breaks down four machining and metalworking products from the latest issue, covering 3D laser cutting for job shops, solid carbide taps for high-volume threading, multi-operation precision grinding, and high-pressure coolant toolholding for difficult-to-machine materials.
Laser Next Core 3D Laser Cutting Machine
TC180 Supreme & TC280 Supreme Solid Carbide Taps
Landis TTG 3000 Twin-Turret Grinder
Jetstream Tooling M-Clamp Toolholder System

Jun 18, 2026
Jun 18, 2026
21 min
In this episode of Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast, Thomas Wilk speaks with Tito Warren of Red Wing about the challenges industrial facilities face in protecting workers from heat stress during the summer months. Their conversation explores the role of hydration, environmental controls, PPE, and emerging wearable technologies in supporting worker health and safety. They also discuss how footwear affects fatigue, endurance, and overall physical performance, while highlighting the importance of training, teamwork, and proactive safety cultures. The episode offers practical insights for manufacturers seeking to improve worker well-being and operational performance in demanding environments.

Jun 16, 2026
Jun 16, 2026
15 min
In this special National Forklift Safety Day podcast, hear what OSHA's David Keeling and Logisnext Americas' Carl Modesette have to say about the need for situational awareness from everybody who comes near a forklift, not just the operators. And ENEROC USA's Max Khabur explains why standardized forklift battery testing is essential for safety.

Jun 13, 2026
Jun 13, 2026
20 min
In this episode of Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast, sponsored by Hydro Inc., Thomas Wilk speaks with Ares Panagoulias and Robert McCowan about building effective condition monitoring programs that reduce maintenance firefighting and improve asset reliability. The discussion explores the foundational steps organizations should take before deploying sensors, including defining goals, assigning responsibilities, and focusing on critical assets. They also examine the role of AI and machine learning in condition monitoring, and finish with practical advice on managing alerts, driving action from insights, and maximizing ROI from predictive maintenance investments.
This episode is sponsored by Hydro, Inc.

Jun 11, 2026
Jun 11, 2026
16 min
In this episode of Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast, Patrick Childress, an international trade and disputes attorney at Holland & Knight, shares an update on how negotiations are proceeding with USMCA—also known as the United States, Mexico, Canada agreement—a trilateral trade agreement that comes up for its required six-year joint review on July 1. It's an agreement that has significant implications for manufacturers, particularly in the automotive industry.

Jun 9, 2026
Jun 9, 2026
19 min
In this episode of Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast, every OT and IT journey is different, but two SMEs from Lincoln Nebraska-based Huffman Engineering join the podcast with some tips and to share some positive summer vibes from their clients.

Jun 4, 2026
Jun 4, 2026
21 min
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.
In this episode of Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast, Joe Kuhn of Ask a Plant Manager discusses leadership habits that strengthen maintenance and reliability.

Jun 2, 2026
Jun 2, 2026
32 min
Lorraine Martin, CEO of the National Safety Council, explains why the NSC first developed National Safety Month in 1996—and what workplace safety issues they’re focusing on this year.

May 28, 2026
May 28, 2026
33 min
In this episode of Great Question, IndustryWeek Senior Editor Laura Putre talks with Frank McKay and Graham Scott, Supply Chain Officer and Chief Procurement Officer at Jabil respectively, about how they transformed procurement to a cost driver at the global contract manufacturer—offering their own optimized supply-chain technology to customers as a service. They also discuss how they’ve tackled recent procurement challenges—such as tariffs and memory constraints in the AI market—and built a pipeline to develop procurement talent.

May 26, 2026
May 26, 2026
8 min
New Equipment Digest (NED) Editor-in-Chief Laura Davis breaks down five additive manufacturing products from the June issue, spanning multimaterial prototyping, magnesium-capable metal AM, continuous FFF production, ultra-large-format powder bed fusion, and high-performance polymer printing for aerospace.
J850 Core PolyJet 3D Printer
PA-300 LPBF Metal Printer
Funmat Pro 310 Apollo FFF Printer
EP-M3050 Metal 3D Printer
Argo 500 Hyperspeed Mission Ready 3D Printer







