ASSEMBLY Audible

Epizódok

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  Scout Motors Spurs Supplier Growth Across South Carolina 07.10.2026 16p

  When Scout Motors announced plans to build a new electric vehicle plant in South Carolina, the story quickly became bigger than the factory itself. In this episode of ASSEMBLY Audible, Annie Caggiano of the Central South Carolina Alliance explains how OEM investments attract suppliers, drive workforce development and create long-term manufacturing growth across an entire region. The conversation explores EV supply chains, site selection, technical training and what it takes to build a thriving manufacturing ecosystem.
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  The New Rules of Lean Manufacturing 30.09.2026 16p

  Manufacturers have spent decades optimizing for efficiency, but Steve Ilmrud, vice president of operations at Hexagon, says today's environment demands a greater focus on resilience. In this episode, he discusses practical strategies for preparing for supply chain disruptions, strengthening supplier relationships and building operational flexibility before problems arise. Ilmrud also explains why lean manufacturing and just-in-time principles haven't disappeared—they've evolved to help manufacturers balance efficiency with resilience.
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  Why Supplier Trust Takes Decades to Rebuild in Automotive Manufacturing 23.09.2026 17p

  Supplier trust in automotive manufacturing can take decades to build — and decades to lose. Dr. Angela Johnson explains why organizational memory, purchasing culture and historical supplier relationships still shape the industry today.
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  Manufacturing Automation, Cobots and the Future of Industrial Robotics 17.09.2026 20p

  Manufacturing automation is evolving beyond simple robot deployment toward more flexible, intelligent and adaptable production systems. In this second episode of our two-part ASSEMBLY Audible special, you'll hear how collaborative robots equipped with magnetic bases are already welding ships, illustrating how automation is expanding into applications that were once considered impractical. In addition, Keith Fox of Universal Robots and Moises Furlanetto of Flex discuss design for automation, collaborative robots, product life cycles, manufacturing repeatability and how new robot designs and software are helping manufacturers improve cycle time while reducing engineering effort. The conversation also explores physical AI, automation scalability and the future of industrial robotics on the factory floor.
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  Designing Manufacturing Automation for Long-Term Success 09.09.2026 20p

  Automation projects rarely fail because of the robots themselves. In this special two-part episode of ASSEMBLY Audible, Moises Furlanetto of Flex and Keith Fox of Universal Robots explain why successful automation begins with product design, repeatable manufacturing processes and collaboration between engineering and production teams. The conversation explores design for automation, flexible manufacturing and how manufacturers can build automation systems that adapt as products evolve.
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  Why Simulation Could Unlock the Next Generation of Industrial Robotics 04.09.2026 21p

  Training robots in the real world is slow, expensive and often impractical for modern manufacturing. In this episode of ASSEMBLY Audible, Bill O'Farrell and Yunzhu Li, co-founders of SceniX, explain how simulation-first workflows can dramatically accelerate robot training while improving reliability for warehouse automation, electronics assembly and other industrial applications. The conversation explores digital twins, edge cases and why simulation may become one of the most important tools driving physical AI.
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  Pallets and Crates Should be Recycled & Create Revenue 03.09.2026 17p

  Brad and Jake Boulware describe how their company has an alternative solution to the landfill for wooden Pallets and Crates. Details the current problem manufactures and assemblers face when disposing of crates and boxes and how to recover usable wood fiber and metal. Turnkey solution for companies to take ownership of their wood waste, create a new revenue stream, and achieve key environment benchmarks.Sponsored by: Boulware Equipment
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  Defense Supply Chain Has a Confidence Problem, Not a Capacity Problem 27.08.2026 25p

  Many assume the defense industrial base can't increase production because manufacturers lack capacity, but Boston Consulting Group's Justin Rodriguez argues the real challenge is supplier confidence. Drawing on research from hundreds of suppliers, he explains how inconsistent demand, changing designs and procurement practices discourage companies from hiring workers and investing in production. Rodriguez discusses why stable demand signals are essential for unlocking existing manufacturing capacity and what the defense industry can learn from automotive and aerospace supply chains. He also shares practical advice for manufacturers seeking to prepare for long-term growth.
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  AI Helped Cut Lead Times 77% at a Global Lighthouse Factory 19.08.2026 15p

  Artificial intelligence is transforming manufacturing, but successful implementation starts with solving real business problems — not deploying technology for its own sake. In this episode, Tena Coppedge, vice president of manufacturing at Hitachi Vantara, explains how her team used AI to eliminate siloed data, improve inventory visibility and reduce order-to-shipment lead time by 77%. She also shares practical advice on avoiding "pilot purgatory," scaling AI initiatives and building the data foundation needed for lasting results. 
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  Manufacturers Know When a Machine Fails. They Often Don’t Know What Happened Next 17.08.2026 15p

  Manufacturers have become exceptionally good at collecting machine data. But what happens to the human knowledge generated when something goes wrong? In this episode, Nikhil Arora, Director of Business Development at Relay, discusses one of manufacturing's biggest information gaps: the operational context that often exists between a machine failure and its resolution. The conversation explores shift handoffs, downtime, troubleshooting, workforce knowledge transfer and how manufacturers are beginning to capture frontline insights that have traditionally lived in operator memory, handwritten notes and informal conversations.
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  What Manufacturers Need to Know About Humanoid Robot Deployment 13.08.2026 14p

  Humanoid robots are moving closer to real factory deployment, but manufacturers still face major challenges around safety, testing, repeatability and workforce integration. Bruce Richard of Jabil explains what manufacturers need to understand before humanoids can scale across industrial operations.
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  How Detroit’s Auto Manufacturing Expertise Is Helping Build America’s Drone Industry 05.08.2026 22p

  Keith Miao, CEO and founder of Birdstop, explains why the Detroit-based company is building autonomous drones around the automotive supply base and why domestic production has become increasingly important. The conversation explores drone supply chains, automotive suppliers, automation, and quality testing. 
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  Can American Manufacturing Compete? The Impacts of “Made in America” Production 30.07.2026 19p

  DECKED committed to U.S. manufacturing long before reshoring became a major trend. CEO Bill Banta explains how automation, supply chain control and rapid product iteration are helping the company compete while manufacturing in America.
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  ASSEMBLY Audible: Why Lean Manufacturing Fails—and How to Make It Work 23.07.2026 19p

  Lean manufacturing doesn’t fail because of the tools—it fails when leaders lose touch with the plant floor. Dr. Terra Vanzant-Stern, author of Leaner Manufacturing: How to Make the Lean Production Process Easier, Faster, and More Cost-Effective, explains why trust, engagement and collective intelligence are critical to making lean work.
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  Manufacturing Leadership Advice That Actually Works on the Plant Floor 16.07.2026 12p

  Manufacturing leadership advice often sounds great — until the line goes down at 2 a.m. Julian M. Allen, Jr., manufacturing veteran and author of Operational Leadership Uncensored: Real Talk for Burgeoning Manufacturing Leaders, explains why so many new leaders struggle on the plant floor and what actually earns trust from frontline crews. 
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  ASSEMBLY Audible: Inside the Self-Driving Factory Lab 13.07.2026 16p

  Georgia Tech’s Advanced Manufacturing Pilot Facility is using AI, robotics and autonomous experimentation to accelerate manufacturing development. Dr. Tom Kurfess explains how the self-driving lab is helping manufacturers test and de-risk new technologies before they reach production. 
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  Why AI in Manufacturing Depends on Fixing Factory Data 02.07.2026 16p

  Manufacturers are investing heavily in AI and automation, but many still can’t access or organize the data needed to make those systems useful. Aron Semle, CTO of HighByte, explains how fragmented factory systems and proprietary data structures are limiting smart manufacturing—and why initiatives such as i3X are becoming critical to making industrial AI practical on the plant floor. 
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  Why Manufacturers Are Choosing Flexibility Instead of Reshoring 24.06.2026 18p

  Tariffs have reduced direct imports from China, but that doesn't mean manufacturing is coming back to the United States. Patrick Van den Bossche of Kearney explains why companies are building supply chain flexibility instead of committing to reshoring — and why much of the production leaving China is simply moving somewhere else.
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  Why AI Adoption in Manufacturing Is Stuck in Pilot Mode 17.06.2026 21p

  Manufacturers are rapidly adopting AI, but most deployments remain limited to small-scale pilots. In this episode, Mike Sabin, CEO of Revalize, explains why scaling AI across the enterprise is proving far more difficult than expected. The conversation explores the key barriers, including fragmented data, legacy systems and the need to shift from viewing AI as a technology project to treating it as an operational transformation.
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  A New Chapter for the Advanced Manufacturing Expo 16.06.2026 19p

  Joe Teague discusses AME’s new independent chapter, including this year’s metalworking hall, humanoids and expanded manufacturing focus.Sponsored By: