Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast

In this episode of Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast, Jennifer Szkatulski of Immersive Labs talks with Smart Industry's Sarah Mattalian about why manufacturers are prime targets for cyberattacks, particularly ransomware, and the far-reaching impact on operations and supply chains. She breaks down how attacks occur—from phishing and credential theft to system infiltration—and how even IT breaches can disrupt production environments. The conversation also highlights emerging risks tied to AI, insider vulnerabilities, and interconnected supplier networks.

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. This episode explores how to spot a fake reliability program.

Kay Yoder of Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits describes the evolution of EHS into a people-centered, technology-enabled discipline, emphasizing inclusive leadership, employee engagement, sustainability, and continuous learning as key drivers of safer, more proactive workplace cultures.

A manufacturer explains how Section 232 tariff rebates are reshaping sourcing choices and sometimes favoring imports. They discuss the practical steps and long validation times needed for supply chain localization. Uncertainty around USMCA is altering supplier decisions. The conversation covers shifting vehicle powertrains, growing hybrid HVAC electrification, refrigerant transitions, and plans for a clean energy testing hub.

Jeff Shiver, maintenance and reliability advisor who coaches technicians and optimizes PMs. Tony Peterson, Maintenance Reliability Manager with 25 years improving food-plant maintenance. They discuss a three-phase PM optimization approach. Topics include using P&IDs and CMMS data, engaging technicians in workshops, eliminating low-value PMs, separating intrusive vs non-intrusive tasks, and shifting to condition-based triggers.

Stan Solowski, VP of Value-Added Solutions who cleans up parts data. Rick Sigler, VP of Onsite Services focused on data-driven onsite ops. Barry Greenhouse, SVP of Merchandising expanding automation and raw materials. Sam Johnson, Group VP for Customer Solutions improving productivity and procurement. They discuss hidden MRO waste, data cleanup for AI readiness, factory automation growth, vending for compliance, and securing diverse supply chains.

Brian Hronchuk, principal trainer and consultant at Eruditio who helps manufacturers optimize maintenance and CMMS use. He discusses why CMMS often becomes paperwork and how plants are shifting to full system use. He outlines three practical strategies: reusable PM activities, storing corrective job plans as activities, and modeling resources for outage planning. Short training for planners amplifies results.

Evan Kaiser, VP for Global OEM and Emerging Industries at Rockwell Automation, a smart manufacturing strategist. He discusses why smart manufacturing matters for small and midsized shops. He covers digital tools for training staff. He talks about practical analytics, reducing waste and energy costs, stepwise adoption to avoid paralysis, and cybersecurity basics.

Connected procurement integrates all stages of the source-to-pay process, providing real-time visibility and enhancing organizational agility. In this "In Case You Missed It" podcast, based on an article from two Accenture procurement experts, you'll hear how organizations are shifting from reactive procurement processes to connected, data-driven workflows that enhance agility, resilience and strategic value amid global disruptions.

Lee McClish, Director of maintenance programs at NTT with deep data-center operations experience. He talks about scaling builds, vendor diversity, obsolescence and spare-part planning. He highlights balancing cost vs reliability and keeping long-term maintenance programs intact during short-term pressures. Short, field-tested stories about practical maintenance tradeoffs and planning challenges.