Manufacturing Matters

“Technologies like AI, cobots, and digital twins are making automation more accessible and making the deployment of robots more agile and much faster. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to engage with a robot.” 

In this episode of Manufacturing Matters, TECH B2B Marketing’s Jimmy Carroll is joined by Geoff Dawson, Director of Sales at FANUC, to discuss the different technologies shaping the future of automation and manufacturin...

“If we can simulate 70% of a system before it ever hits the factory floor, that reduces time and cost for automation deployment.” 

Advances in machine vision, AI-enabled software, and simulation technologies continue to reshape the way companies in manufacturing and warehousing design, deploy, and benefit from automation systems. In this episode of the Manufacturing Matters podcast, TECH B2B Marketing’s Jimmy Carroll is joined by Ji...

“We’re at a perfect storm, finally, of being able to see automation really grow again.”  

Automation is more approachable than ever before, with more experts in the field — even for very specific applications — available to help walk you through the process of understanding whether certain applications can or should be automated. If you don’t have much experience, start simple and take a crawl, walk, run approach to implem...

“When it comes to the monumental new tax law changes, every company should understand what this means for them. Are there provisions like the R&D tax credit, depreciation for qualified production property or the opportunity zones that your company could take advantage of? If you haven’t heard from your adviser, reach out and ask.” 

In this episode of the Manufacturing Matters podcast, TECH B2B Marketing’s Jimmy Carroll...

“After a year defined by uncertainty — largely from tariffs — automation companies should be entering 2026 with renewed confidence and optimism.” 

Uncertainty in 2025 created headwinds, but as the tariff hangover lifts and companies begin adapting to challenges, 2026 is expected to be a year of momentum and growth, according to Association for Advancing Automation (A3) executive vice president Alex Shikany. Growth in autom...

 “What I’m most excited about right now is what’s new in machine vision. ... This combination of new sensors, advanced processing, and sophisticated algorithms will unlock new spaces for vision.”  

While robots and AI may steal some of the spotlight from other technologies in industrial automation, machine vision technologies are being used more than ever before, providing eyes for the machines and actionable data for busi...

“If AI is overhyped, automation is completely underhyped. As automation advances and becomes more precise and durable and solves new challenges, AI is augmenting these systems by adding flexibility and autonomy.” 

While we’ve not quite moved past the hype curve, AI technology today is quickly reshaping how factories and warehouses operate. In this special episode of the Manufacturing Matters podcast, TECH B2B Marketing’s J...

“The whole dialogue has shifted from what can it do to when it will and how do we scale it?” 

Humanoid robotics technology is slowly but surely moving into real-world deployment. The excitement behind humanoids is just one of several hot topics in robotics discussed on this special episode of the Manufacturing Matters podcast. 

In this episode, TECH B2B Marketing’s Jimmy Carroll sits down with a powerhouse panel of robotics and techn...

The world has seen its fair share of supply chain challenges for several years now. Where historically supply chain management has been all too reactive, artificial intelligence (AI) is enabling a more proactive approach. “AI’s role in supply chain resilience is really about turning uncertainty into intelligence,” says Vaidy Raghavan, chief product and technology officer for Xometry. 

Providing an on-demand manufacturing marketplac...

Inspired by self-driving cars, Ati Motors’ autonomous mobile robots not only break free of the magnetic tape of older-generation AGVs but also break free of the straight lines and predictable grids of warehouse work. Combining tires and suspensions that can handle mechanical challenges with 3D lidar, high-precision mapping, and artificial intelligence to provide autonomy, these AMRs are venturing into real-world manufacturing envir...

Discover how decoupling hardware and software is revolutionizing all industries, including manufacturing, and how powerful digital twin technology and AI are playing their parts. Live from the Schneider Electric Innovation Summit, Hany Fouda, Schneider’s senior vice president of process automation, explains the shift toward automated processes, which is driving efficiency and predictability in continuous and hybrid manufacturing. B...

Dive into the cutting edge of manufacturing with Greg Magdanz, VP of OEM and robotics at Schneider Electric. In a discussion recorded live at the Innovation Summit, Magdanz reveals how the convergence of IT and operational technology is fueling the next industrial revolution.

Discover how digital twin software can save OEMs time and money by enabling program design and prototyping before a single physical build. Learn abou...

Learn how even small companies can strengthen supply chains through analytics and automation in this talk with Agustin Lopez Diaz, Schneider Electric’s North American supply chain officer. Lopez Diaz illustrates this point by discussing Schneider’s $100 million–plus plan to reshore production in the U.S. The project includes the company’s new Nebraska facility, which uses sustainable water sources for production, resulting in sever...

“AI will be disruptive, but our job, not only as manufacturers but also policymakers, is to make sure that that disruption is good for society, it’s good for our country, it’s good for promoting our values.” 

For hundreds of years, emerging technologies — from the automated loom to the PC — have elicited fears or doubts from naysayers. Today, AI is a lightning rod for discussions both within manufacturing and beyond, but t...

“We were talking about AI assistants a year ago. Now we are deploying advanced AI agents on the factory floor, and that shift is transforming how manufacturers approach automation, data, and solving some of their biggest challenges.” 

In this episode of the Manufacturing Matters podcast, Ozgur Tohumcu, General Manager for Automotive and Manufacturing at Amazon Web Services (AWS), joins TECH B2B Marketing’s Winn Hardin and Jimmy Carr...

When you walk into a data center and see thousands of cables connecting endless rows of servers, you're only viewing the tip of the bandwidth iceberg. The real bandwidth revolution is happening inside the semiconductor chip packages driving those connections. 

Wolfgang Sauter, Senior Distinguished Engineer at Marvell Technology, takes us deeper into the world of advanced semiconductor packaging, where the future of AI and data ...

In this episode of Manufacturing Matters, podcast host Winn Hardin speaks with Debra Phillips from NEMA and Tom Lawton of TESCO Metering about the impacts of tariffs on American markets. Winn’s guests share how both large and small enterprises are dealing with new complexities and supply chain management issues that started during the pandemic and continue during new tariff negotiations between global markets. They also discuss a n...

The National Association of Manufacturers reports that there were more than 400,000 manufacturing jobs open in June 2025. The labor shortage has been an ongoing challenge, but like many other challenges manufacturers face, some of the best minds are tackling the issue, with industry leaders like ABB leading the way. In this episode of Manufacturing Matters, co-hosts Jimmy Carroll and Amanda Del Buono Lilley talk to ABB Robotics’ Ch...

If you’re a first-time climber trying to tackle Mount Everest, the only way you’ll make it to the top and come back alive is if you’ve got a great set of Sherpas to carry your stuff and show you the way. That’s how Ted Larson, CEO and co-founder of OLogic, views his company’s role as it helps startup companies navigate their way from lab to volume production. 

Building a good working prototype in an academic setting can be a far cry...