Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast

Samuel Pasquier, head of product management for Cisco’s Industrial IoT Connectivity Portfolio, leads Cisco’s industrial networking and security efforts. He explains why computing power and network bandwidth are blocking AI progress. He covers wireless reliability, ultra‑reliable Wi‑Fi 7 backhaul for AMRs/AGVs, IT‑OT collaboration, security priorities, and a start‑small scaling approach.

Joe Kuhn, former plant manager and reliability consultant who runs Lean Driven Reliability, offers practical manufacturing wisdom. He discusses resolving maintenance vs operations conflict, why operations should own reliability, a 90-day truce to rebuild trust, go-and-see shop-floor practices, and how to find and formalize mentors to strengthen teams.

Donavan Hornsby, chief strategy officer with Benchmark Gensuite, shares the results of his company's "EHS Pressure Point" report on risk, readiness and the shift to AI, and offers his insights into anticipated changes and trends in workplace safety in 2026.

Pradip (Pradeep) Singh, Chief Manufacturing Officer at GlobalFoundries with decades in semiconductor operations, explains why most AI pitches miss the mark. He describes being inundated with unrealistic proposals. He stresses AI should augment operators, not replace them. He highlights the need for manufacturing domain expertise, warns against automating human management, and points to scalable, end-to-end AI as worthwhile.

Le’ora Lichtenstein, founder and CEO of Corbel with a background in structured credit and private markets. She discusses AI-powered configurators that read messy PDFs and videos. Talks about speeding quotes with unstructured data mining. Covers embedding financing and shifting competition from price to buying experience.

Chris Chuang, co-founder and CEO of Relay, builds cloud-connected, AI-enhanced voice tools for frontline workers. He discusses voice-to-data conversion, hands-free interfaces for busy workers, real-time translation and automated shift reports. Conversation also covers AI-driven safety monitoring and translating spoken work into cloud data for insights.

Justin Baucom, former U.S. Army Special Forces operator now leading Isambard's U.S. expansion, builds modular, software-driven precision factories for aerospace, defense, and energy. He shares how a modular franchise-style model speeds factory openings, what it takes to stand up a precision shop quickly, and how integrated software and procurement changes boost manufacturing capacity and resilience.

The concept of a “company GPT” is helping small and midsized manufacturers grasp the potential for artificial intelligence in their enterprises, and make real progress in their journeys. In this episode of Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast, Amatrium Inc. co-founder and president Andrew Halonen discusses his recent article "AI Is a Journey for Foundries and Equipment Builders" and why he argues that manufacturers’ difficulties in implementing AI are about change management, not technology.

In this episode of Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast, Peter Vassalo, senior counsel with the Littler legal firm, explains how OSHA has maintained its core activities despite leadership challenges, emphasizing ongoing inspections, citations, and the cautious approach to rulemaking, while exploring the impact of increased use of opinion letters for compliance assistance. 

Eric Lussier, a hands-on lean practitioner and industrial engineering professor with 30+ years in continuous improvement. He explores AI as a thought partner for lean, practical use cases like predictive maintenance and A3 review. He urges experimentation, pilot projects, and keeping respect for people central while leadership guides AI adoption.