Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast

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.

Episodes

January 15, 2026 11 mins

We've all heard someone say it recently: Nobody wants to work these days. It's the refrain of a stressed manager who's short-staffed and losing production capacity because the company can't recruit people. 

Even if it's true (and really, has anyone ever really wanted to work? Isn't that why we pay them?), complaining won't fill your plant vacancies. Blaming other industries won't help either as they're saying the same things. Think...

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Smart Industry content chief Scott Achelpohl wraps up the annual prediction series with highlights from SI's roster of subject-matter experts, who had a lot to say about how AI was moving well beyond the hype and coming to a production line near you.

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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, As...

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Fall protection violations remain the most cited OSHA issue, emphasizing the need for continued focus despite some recent decreases in violations. In this interview with Phil Jacklin, continuing education program manager with Diversified Fall Protection, you'll hear that progress is being made through increased awareness, proactive safety practices and better data tracking, but challenges persist, particularly in the construction i...

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This year-end wrapup episode collects clips from three of the most popular Plant Services episodes from the past 12 months. In these clips, Plant Services chief editor Thomas Wilk talks about:

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In our monthly podcast miniseries, Ask a Plant Manager, Joe Kuhn, CMRP (former plant manager, engineer, and global reliability consultant) considers commonplace scenarios facing the industry and offers his advice, as well as actions that you can take to get on track tomorrow. This episode collects three of our favorite moments with Joe over the past year:

  • Maintenance vs. reliability engineers — key differences and how they wor...
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In this episode of Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast, Plant Services chief editor Thomas Wilk and UL Solutions Senior VP of Industrial Testing, Inspection, and Certification Jeff Smidt explore the growing role of independent sustainability certification in the industrial sector. Their discussion centers on ECOLOGO and how it evaluates materials, manufacturing practices, and full product lifecycles. The conversation also highl...

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Could a dual-layer metallic coating be an innovation in jet-engine design?

There is a line of innovation from product design to metallurgy, to production, and to product performance. For aerospace and defense systems, precision parts that operate under intense heat and high pressure are critical to performance and reliability. In this episode of Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast, American Machinist chief editor Robert Brooks ...

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Industrial exoskeletons are gaining traction in manufacturing and logistics, but misconceptions still overshadow what they actually do. New Equipment Digest chief editor Laura Davis breaks down the biggest myths with insights from HeroWear’s Matthew Yandell, PhD, to reveal the truth behind this fast-growing technology. To learn more, visit: https://www.newequipment.com/55325220

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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, As...

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Caroline Johnson shares some of the lessons she learned about leadership from her time in the U.S. Navy and how her fellow officers continue to inspire her as an executive advisor and coach with DEKRA.

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Mike Payne, president and owner of Hill Manufacturing & Fabrication loves data and metrics. If he can pull information from a machine, he's doing it. Mike talked with IndustryWeek's Dennis Scimeca about why he collects all of that data, what he does with it and why, despite all of this technology, succeeding in manufacturing is still all about relationships and performance, not technology.

Payne noted that before data collectio...

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Ben Wynne of Intrepid Automation helps Smart Industry's Scott Achelpohl veer from the M&A soap opera and get into the weeds about what industrial 3D printing is doing for aerospace, defense, automotive, health care and semiconductor production.

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Industrial AI software heavyweight IFS chose its New York show to debut virtual agents equipped with 50 skills that autonomously manage high-volume tasks. For this episode of the Great Question podcast, Smart Industry's Scott Achelpohl and Plant Services' Tom Wilk were there to chat about the product, IFS Loops, with its CEO, Somya Kapoor.

 

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Discussion around mental health is still rare among industrial workers. It's a cultural issue that needs to be re-examined and made a workplace priority, says podcast guest Stephen Dummit, founder of Tradewinds Leadership.

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Join Matthew Dixon, Swagelok’s global technical lead for grab sampling, as he talks about the complexities of gas grab sampling—a critical, yet often misunderstood process in industrial operations. From the science behind phase changes to the design of safe and accurate sampling systems, Matt will share insights that help demystify the challenges of capturing representative gas samples. Whether you're in operations, engineering, or...

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In this episode of Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast, Plant Services editor in chief Thomas Wilk speaks with ICML CEO Bryan Coggins and ICML Marketing Director Paul Hiller about the evolving culture of reliability and maintenance within industry. The conversation explores how ICML is strengthening its role through training, certification, and real-world case studies that demonstrate measurable ROI in lubrication management. B...

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Typically, Big Tech and software aren't manufacturing topics. The latest data products don't generally come out of a factory in a box or barrel. However, the rapid growth of AI is having a domino effect that's benefitting large manufacturers. 

AI needs lots of computing power, creating opportunities for semiconductor makers to boost U.S. production. Construction companies are building data center facilities all over the country, cr...

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Manufacturers understand the skills gap: every day they recognize that do not have enough people or enough of the right people to execute the difficult and sometimes dirty, often dangerous tasks like pouring and forming molten materials, grinding or machining parts, treating and handling those parts, welding and finishing components and systems, etc. It’s more than a practical problem. It’s an economic and institutional crisis.

The...

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Supply chain managers are employing a number of strategies to address the almost constant changes due to disruptions in the supply chain. Michelle Comerford, practice leader for the Industrial & Supply Chain practice at Biggins, Lacy, Shapiro & Company, explains what actions companies across the country need to be taking to stay on a steady course to supply chain proficiency.

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