Listening to podcasts is a great way to stay up to date on industry trends, new technologies, and proven best practices. Whether you're commuting in your car, eating lunch in the breakroom, or relaxing on the weekend, you can improve your skill set and boost your career prospects with the push of a button. Here are the 10 most popular episodes from The Tool Belt podcast in 2023.
Cyber attacks at Boeing, Clorox raise industry awareness
With high-profile attacks on Clorox and Boeing, cybersecurity has been top-of-mind for manufacturers for the past few months, reiterating advice offered from experts about the need to guard against attacks and be prepared for their fallout.
Staying safe, staying SEC compliant
With SEC rules forcing disclosure of material cybersecurity incidents, it's time for all companies to assess their immediate cyber risks—so what are the biggest network vulnerabilities and potential damage from a successful hack that manufactures need to worry about and what preventative measures can they take immediately?
How to reduce the likelihood of workplace injuries
In this “in case you missed it” edition, you’ll learn from two Travelers experts about the most common causes of worker injuries, and how to mitigate the risks of injuries on the job.
Lessons in safety leadership
Dave Blanchard and Nicole Stempak offer highlights from EHS Today’s recent Safety Leadership Conference, and offer their insights into the best practices companies are using to keep their workplaces safer and healthier.
What good is generative AI to manufacturing?
ChatGPT is going to change everything! OK, maybe the hype hasn't gotten that extreme, but as is typical when a technology is hot, many tech people are trying to ride the wave, adding the word "chat" to long-standing features or promoting their integration of large-language-model tools into their software. So, manufacturing technology editors are getting inundated with pitches about how software that lets people create iambic pentameter sonnets about poodle grooming will soon change how factories make things.
The changing role of control system integrators in the automation industry
The Control System Integrators Association (CSIA) is a global trade association with over 500 member companies in 35 countries that seeks to advance the industry of control system integration. Control system integrators use their engineering, technical and business skills to help manufacturers and others automate their industrial equipment and systems. For this year's System Integrator Roundtable episode, Plant Services editor in chief Thomas Wilk spoke with three veteran system integrator professionals about how the industry is changing and which new technologies are poised to make a big impact. Kurt Wakeman is the business director for Materials Handling group at E Tech Group. Bob Pusateri is director of business development at Electronic Drives and Controls. Sam Hoff is President and CEO of Patti Engineering.
Leadership lessons from Toyota
Katie Anderson recently won the Shingo Prize for publications for her book, "Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn," a collection of stories and lessons from Isao Yoshino, a longtime Toyota executive who played big roles in the development of that automaker's business culture. Anderson discusses key leadership lessons from Yoshino, offering a glimpse into Toyota's evolution from a company that only made vehicles in Japan into the global powerhouse it is today.
Rapid shift to Tesla’s charging standards challenges manufacturers
Ford, GM, Mercedes, Volvo and Rivian have all agreed to adopt Tesla's plug standards for their electric vehicles, forcing charging station manufacturers to rethink how to make the next generation of chargers.
Understanding asset criticality and assessing the value of your plant’s assets
Assets Anonymous is a 12-step podcast series designed to help you get grounded in reliability basics and create a culture of continuous improvement with your team. This series will feature interviews with George Williams and Joe Anderson of ReliabilityX. ReliabilityX aims to bridge the gap between operations and maintenance through holistic reliability focused on plant performance. In this episode, George and Joe explore how a criticality assessment can help pivot your plant from reactive to proactive work.
New technologies impacting the compressed air industry
Ron Marshall is the founder of Marshall Compressed Air Consulting, a compressed air energy efficiency consulting firm, where he provides technical advice, system auditing, and training. He first developed his skills as an industrial compressed air systems expert at Manitoba Hydro, where he worked for 38 years, supporting more than 600 energy efficiency projects. Ron is a level 2 instructor with Compressed Air Challenge and conducts training internationally. Ron recently spoke with Plant Services editor in chief Thomas Wilk about training and professional development in the compressed air industry.