Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast

In this episode of Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast, IndustryWeek's Anna Smith speaks with Scott Gromer, CEO of Mesa Power Solutions, about how manufacturers can address skilled trades shortages by recruiting and retaining military veterans. Gromer explains how Mesa Power Solutions built a workforce strategy around veteran hiring, emphasizing military-developed leadership, character and teamwork. He also discusses how the Department of Defense's SkillBridge program helps service members transition into civilian manufacturing careers, and how the company has achieved 100% retention among its SkillBridge participants.

In this episode of Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast, Smart Industry's Scott Achelpohl speaks with E Tech Group CEO Matt Wise about the evolving role of system integration in modern manufacturing. They explore how AI adoption is increasing the need for seamless connectivity between operational technology, equipment and production data. Wise also explains why manufacturers should move beyond project-by-project engagements and treat system integrators as long-term strategic partners who preserve institutional knowledge and support continuous improvement.

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 the monthly podcast miniseries, Ask a Plant Manager, Joe talks with Plant Services editor in chief Anna Townshend and 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 explores how to make the most of a holiday shutdown.

EHS Today's podcast review of the NSC 2026 Safety Congress & Expo, including a countdown of OSHA's Top 10 Most Frequent Violations.

In this episode of Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast, Dennis Scimeca and Scott Achelpohl discuss key announcements and emerging trends from the IFS Unleashed Conference, where industrial AI dominated the conversation. They explore new partnerships between IFS, Siemens and Aveva, the evolution of agentic AI and digital workers, and how manufacturers are using AI to automate workflows and improve operations. The conversation also examines growing concerns about AI governance, cybersecurity and the gap between factory-floor adoption and executive oversight.

In this episode of Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast, Laura Davis of New Equipment Digest breaks down the five most popular products on New Equipment Digest in October. Learn what each one does, the specs that matter, and which operations stand to benefit most: Chicago Pneumatic’s THS and THL/TR hydraulic torque wrenches Enerpac’s Armor Stack modular tool cases ABB Robotics’ IRB 1700 and IRB 1700ID industrial robots, Epson’s AX6 collaborative robot Exair’s redesigned EFC Electronic Flow Control.   

In the wide universe of artificial intelligence, Physical AI is a confluence of perception, reasoning, and execution - as Michael Kenworthy, CTO of VulcanForms helpfully explains. Physical AI builds on foundations like large language models (LLMs) and vision-language-action frameworks - and bridges internet text intelligence with physical robotics. Now Physical AI is spreading out from the realm of automation and into more pragmatic applications. In this episode of Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast, Kenworthy uses his insights in metal additive manufacturing to describe the potential for Physical AI, how it is maturing, how to prepare to apply it, and where to watch for its impact.

Dave Blanchard, editor-in-chief of Material Handling & Logistics, presents MH&L's annual list of the 10 largest global manufacturers of forklifts, and offers some analysis of current market conditions and trends.

Manufacturers have spent decades refining continuous improvement and the next evolution isn’t about replacing those proven methods with AI. It’s about making them dramatically more effective. In this sponsored episode of Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast, IndustryWeek senior editor for technology Dennis Scimeca talks with Fabriq co-founder Octave Lapeyronie about the emergence of Agentic Continuous Improvement: putting AI inside the daily management rituals manufacturers already rely on, while keeping frontline teams firmly in control. The episode is sponsored by Fabriq. Go to www.fabriq.tech to learn more.

In this episode of Great Question: a Manufacturing Podcast, Mitch Twardosky, CEO of Fidelity Manufacturing, discusses the manufacturing company's very recent ownership transition—the owners sold the company to an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) as a succession plan—while in the midst of significant company growth driven by increasing demand for backup generation. Twardosky shares with IndustryWeek's Jill Jusko how the ESOP almost immediately had employees taking an ownership mindset about what does and does not add value to the company. He also talks about workforce development related to the manufacturer's expansion into Texas, where a 200,000 square-foot plant is about to open.