Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast

CT Scanning Plus AI is a QA Breakthrough (American Machinist) 30.06.2026 19min

Computed tomography (CT) has a parallel life beyond its service in diagnostic medicine. From aerospace and automotive to defense and electronics, it’s one of manufacturing's most powerful quality assurance technologies. By creating detailed three-dimensional views of both external and internal part features without destructive testing, CT allows manufacturers to detect defects, verify dimensions, and improve product performance. Now, artificial intelligence and machine learning are accelerating those capabilities even further, making inspections faster, more accurate, and increasingly practical for production environments. In this episode of the Great Question Podcast, Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence Technical Sales Engineer Roger Wende details how AI-enhanced CT scanning is reshaping non-destructive testing, metrology, defect analysis, and the future of digital manufacturing.

How Smart Manufacturers Use 5G, Robots and MES (IndustryWeek) 25.06.2026 17min

For IndustryWeek’s Smart Manufacturers video series, Senior Editor for Technology Dennis Scimeca visited four different plants to inquire about a specific technology deployment at each. He spoke 5G with John Deere, talked MES development with Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence, discussed brownfield sites and corporate responsibility with battery manufacturer Viridi and dodged a fleet of robots on the shop floor of an LG plant. This week's podcast episode looks at the series as a whole, and shares key insights gleaned from each video.

Editor's Product Picks: 4 New Machining and Metalworking Products (New Equipment Digest) 23.06.2026 8min

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

Managing Worker Fatigue in High-Heat Industrial Environments (Plant Services) 18.06.2026 21min

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.

Don't Depend on Technology to Keep Your Warehouse Safe (Supply Chain Insider) 16.06.2026 15min

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.

Firefighting Is Not A Maintenance Strategy (Plant Services) 13.06.2026 20min

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.

A Glimpse Inside the 2026 USMCA Review Process (IndustryWeek) 11.06.2026 16min

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.

OT and IT Convergence Success Stories (Smart Industry) 09.06.2026 19min

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.

The Warning Signs of a Broken Reliability Culture and How Plant Leaders Can Fix It (Ask A Plant Manager) 04.06.2026 21min

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.

What Safety Issues Should Businesses Be Most Concerned About? (Talking EHS) 02.06.2026 32min

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.

How Jabil Drives Revenue with Procurement and Supply Chain (IndustryWeek) 28.05.2026 33min

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.

Editor's Product Picks: 5 New Additive Manufacturing Solutions (New Equipment Digest) 26.05.2026 8min

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

Why Industrial AI Is Moving Closer to the Edge in Energy Operations (Plant Services) 21.05.2026 22min

In this episode of Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast, Plant Services chief editor Thomas Wilk speaks with Andy Foster, Chief Product Officer at IOTech, about the growing use of edge AI across discrete manufacturing, process manufacturing, and energy operations. The conversation explores how manufacturers are using AI for predictive maintenance, anomaly detection, production optimization, and distributed energy resource management. They also discuss why organizations are moving AI closer to the edge to improve latency, reliability, and data security in mission-critical environments. In addition, the episode examines the evolving governance, lifecycle management, and workforce responsibilities required to safely scale industrial AI systems.

What Does AI Mean for Your Robot? (American Machinist) 20.05.2026 14min

Small and medium-sized manufacturers have a skilled labor shortage - and the last solution proposed to address that (automation and robotics) is about to encounter the next proposed solution: agentic artificial intelligence. A recent article introduces they interesting possibility that “Agentic AI Could Make Robots Affordable for Small Businesses.” In this episode of Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast, American Machinist's Robert Brooks talks with IndustryWeek's Dennis Scimeca about whether this new approach to programming change how manufacturers program their robots and cobots. Will AI reduce the complexity of implementation, or introduce new risks to their organizations?

A Psychologist’s Reflections on Workplace Safety (Talking EHS) 19.05.2026 34min

Virginia Tech’s E. Scott Geller muses on how workplace safety has improved—and worsened—over his 50-plus year career.

How Manufacturers Can Navigate the New CBP Tariff Refund Portal (IndustryWeek) 14.05.2026 16min

In this episode of Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast, IndustryWeek's Anna Smith speaks with Ben Johnston, COO at Kapitus, about the new tariff refund portal launched by U.S. Customs and Border Protection following the Supreme Court’s ruling on IEEPA-related tariffs. They discuss how manufacturers, importers, and customs brokers can navigate the refund application process, including key documentation requirements and common filing mistakes to avoid. The conversation also explores the potential financial impact of tariff refunds across the supply chain and the continued uncertainty surrounding U.S. trade policy and future tariff enforcement.

How Manufacturers Are Managing Risk in an Era of Global Volatility (Plant Services) 12.05.2026 24min

In this episode of Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast, Thomas Wilk meets up with Rosemary Coates of the Reshoring Institute to catch up on how current events are impacting manufacturers who were already shifting their reshoring strategies. Despite geopolitical conflict and energy shortages, Coates identifies are few sectors that are thriving (semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, and plastics) and emphasizes the importance of community colleges in preparing workers for a new, more volatile manufacturing normal.

How to Bridge the Gap Between Shop Floor Reality and AI Strategy in Manufacturing (Plant Services) 09.05.2026 20min

In this episode of Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast, Nick Haase of MaintainX explores the challenges manufacturers face as workforce retirements and labor shortages collide with the push for AI adoption. He discusses how disconnects between leadership and the shop floor can lead to ineffective technology and stalled implementation. The conversation highlights the importance of capturing tribal knowledge, improving system interoperability, and prioritizing frontline-friendly tools. He also outlines practical steps for building a digital foundation that enables successful AI use in industrial operations. This episode is sponsored by MaintainX

Why More PMs and High Wrench Time Don’t Guarantee Reliability (Ask A Plant Manager) 07.05.2026 13min

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, Joe considers five different common maintenance scenarios, and he decides: fact or fiction.

Weathering the Storm... or Hurricane, or Tornado, or Heat Wave (Talking EHS) 05.05.2026 33min

Jason Moreland of AlertMedia explores how changing weather patterns and climate trends increase risks for workers and organizations, and explains why proactive planning, communication and training are vital to mitigate impacts of extreme weather events across seasons.