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Advanced Manufacturing Now

Welcome to the podcast for manufacturing professionals, powered by SME. Featuring a variety of guests from leading manufacturing companies, the Advanced Manufacturing Now podcast drives the conversation about making manufacturing smarter. SME Media is a leading source for news and in-depth technical information about advanced manufacturing in North America. To learn more about SME Media, visit us at AdvancedManufacturing.org.
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Episodes

Using Manufacturing Analytics to Drive Decision Making

Manufacturing analytics allows companies to use data to drive more effective decision making. In this podcast, Alan Rooks, editor in chief of Manufacturing Engineering, talks with Eric Fogg, chief operating officer of MachineMetrics, about the role of the Industrial Internet of Things and Industry 4.0 in manufacturing analytics; key new apps from MachineMetrics (MachineMetrics Health and MachineMetrics Service); the results MachineMetrics is seeing with customers, including machine builders and ...

Dec 17, 201817 min

Tackling Overall Equipment Effectiveness: Cutting Downtime, Boosting Returns

Do you know the exact amount of downtime for each of your machines? Jim Finnerty, Product Manager, Wintriss Controls Group, sits down with Chris Mahar, Associate Editor of Manufacturing Magazine, to talk about the value of automating data collection on the shop floor. Finnerty discusses the benefits over manual data collection and how businesses can capture data’s low hanging fruit – getting the most return for the investment made. Learn how focusing on Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) can ...

Dec 07, 201811 min

Strengthening Your Operations, and Workforce, with Robotics

Think you know robots? Learn the facts in this podcast, when Chris Mahar, Associate Editor of Manufacturing Engineering magazine, talks robotics with Pete Rogers, Vice President, Operations for Acieta. Rogers talks about the challenges manufacturers large and small are facing and how robotics can address these macro issues. You’ll learn how robots improve opportunities and utilization of workers, help companies solve their workforce challenges and what impact labor shortages are having on manufa...

Dec 03, 201816 min

SME President Reflects on 2018 and Manufacturing’s Future

Growing up attending SME chapter meetings with his dad, 2018 SME President Thomas Kurfess, PhD, FSME, PE, talks with Chris Mahar, Associate Editor of Manufacturing Engineering magazine, about his 35 years as an SME member and his year as SME President. Looking to the future, Kurfess shares his thoughts on how manufacturing can better engage and attract the next generation of professionals and what is next for the industry in 2019 and beyond.

Nov 29, 201829 min

The Growing Skills Gap and How Manufacturers Can Close It

The Skills Gap in the U.S is real and growing. In this podcast, Alan Rooks, Editor in Chief of Manufacturing Engineering magazine, talks with Jeannine Kunz, vice president of Tooling U-SME and vice president, director of training and development, about why manufacturers should be worried about the skills gap; factors contributing to the skills gap; and what manufacturers can do about it. They also discuss the Industry Pulse: 2018 Manufacturing Workforce Report; reasons why manufacturers should t...

Nov 19, 201824 min

The Ins and Outs of Robotic Machine Tool Tending

The trend to robotic machine tool tending is picking up speed (as well as parts). In this podcast, Alan Rooks, Editor in Chief of Manufacturing Engineering magazine, talks with Stefan Drakensjo, Vice President, Robots & Applications - Global Business Line Manager – Handling & Machining for ABB. The discussion includes how to define robotic machine tool tending; the benefits robotic automation provides for machine tool material handling applications; the benefits of vision systems; and ho...

Nov 19, 201815 min

Making Sense of Job Shop Automation

Automation doesn’t have to be difficult. With the right strategy, job shops can install and use automation that keeps their companies competitive with larger firms. In this podcast, Alan Rooks, Editor in Chief of Manufacturing Engineering magazine, talks with Amanda Rosenblatt, marketing coordinator for Shop Floor Automation about her company’s approach to automating machines; how easy it is for someone new to automation to pick up on this technology and start using it; and how Job Shop Automati...

Nov 12, 201814 min

The Cloud Brings Data, People and Machines Together

Sanjay Thakore, business strategy manager for Autodesk, talks with Candace Roulo, managing editor, about how the cloud brings data, people and machines together, and the challenges often seen in manufacturing environments and how they are solved by the cloud during IMTS 2018 in Chicago.

Oct 25, 201810 min

THE VALUE OF PARTNERSHIPS IN CAD/CAM SOFTWARE AND THE METALWORKING INDUSTRY

One of the key aspects of business that is sometimes overlooked is the partnerships that develop between independent companies. In this podcast, Alan Rooks, Editor in Chief of Manufacturing Engineering magazine, talks with Ben Mund, Senior Market Analyst for CNC Software, the developer of Mastercam CAM software about CNC Software’s take on the value of business partnerships, how the company partners with developers and hardware and tooling manufacturers as well as other software companies, and t...

Oct 24, 201811 min

HAIMER DISCUSSES ISSUES RELATED TO INDUSTRY 4.0

Steve Baier, national sales manager of Haimer USA, talks about Industry 4.0 issues that job shops should consider. He spoke during at the 2018 edition of IMTS in Chicago.

Oct 19, 201813 min

NC3 Promotes Manufacturing Training, Educational Partnerships

Training in advanced manufacturing technology is a hot topic as companies grapple with the skills gap. In this episode, Alan Rooks, Editor in Chief of Manufacturing Engineering magazine, interviews Roger Tadajewski, Executive Director and CEO of NC3. Tadajewski explores the need for training in advanced manufacturing technology; how the industry can ensure that new workers are properly trained; how current workers can stay current with new technology; and how training will evolve and change in t...

Oct 19, 201813 min

TAPMATIC DISCUSSES TAPPING INDUSTRY, TAP HOLDERS

Mark Johnson, president of Tapmatic, talks to Senior Editor Bill Koenig about the tapping industry and tap holders made by his company. Johnson talks about Tapmatic products that were on display at the 2018 edition of IMTS. The executive also talks about the economy and how it has helped Tapmatic.

Oct 15, 20189 min

Italian Manufacturers Connect with North America via the Italian Trade Agency

Italian manufacturers have a lot to offer, both in their home country and in North America. At IMTS 2018, Alan Rooks, Editor in Chief of Manufacturing Engineering magazine talks with Marco Saladini, Trade Commissioner, and Bart Pascoli, Project Manager North America for Machines Italia and the Italian Trade Agency in Chicago. Saladini and Pascoli explain the role of the Italian Trade Agency and its role in the manufacturing industry; trends in the in the Italian manufacturing industry; how the I...

Oct 10, 201818 min

Not Just for Phones: Bluetooth Drives Industrial Productivity

When you think of Bluetooth you might think about your phone, your car or that sleek pair of headphones and speaker you have. In this episode, Chris Mahar, Associate Editor of Manufacturing Engineering magazine, talks with Chuck Sabin, Senior Director, Business Strategy and Planning at Bluetooth SIG. Sabin explains how Bluetooth is used in the manufacturing and industrial sector; what Bluetooth mesh means for manufacturers; and what they found in their 2018 Bluetooth Market Update report. You’ll...

Oct 05, 201814 min

How Manufacturing Companies Can Benefit from Helping Employees Get a Grip on Financial Issues

Would you be surprised to learn that manufacturing workers are particularly vulnerable to personal financial problems? You’ll learn about that and more in this podcast, in which Alan Rooks, Editor in Chief of Manufacturing Engineering magazine, talks with Mike Domingos, Vice President, National Corporate Strategy and Distribution for Prudential Financial. Domingos explains why Prudential is concentrating on the manufacturing industry; key trends impacting manufacturers; and the correlation betwe...

Oct 02, 201814 min

One way Industry 4.0 is gaining traction in Michigan

Kevin Kerrigan, senior VP in the automotive office at the Michigan Economic Development Corp., discusses how MEDC is helping Industry 4.0 gain traction in Michigan. He gets into how Michigan supports Automation Alley, which works to demystify new technology for smaller manufacturers, as well as LIFT and IACMI. The crux of the smart factory is being able to make, better, faster decisions, he notes as he describes the value the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) brings to Michigan factories. Ado...

Sep 18, 201812 min

SME Rundown at IMTS, Day One: Sandi Bouckley, SME

SME CEO and Executive Director Sandi Bouckley on day one of IMTS. Among the topics: the future of manufacturing is increasingly digital; workforce development and training as a cultural imperative; and attracting and training the next generation in manufacturing.

Sep 11, 201813 min

How AI, Computer Programs Like Watson Will Advance Manufacturers Forward

Dean Phillips, founder and owner of Longevity Industries, an International Director for SME, and a Production Enhancement Engineer at LINK Systems, dives into how artificial intelligence (AI) and computer programs like Watson will help manufacturers achieve five-year goals. Watson, he notes, is helping manufacturers avoid the “garbage in, garbage out” phenomena that happens when people ask the wrong questions. He also describes standout opportunities for AI program applications. “We’re trying to...

Aug 28, 201818 min

Smoothing the Transition From 3-Axis to 5-Axis Machining

Inside today’s machine shops, having 5-axis capability is no longer a luxury; it’s a must-have. To price parts competitively, and to make a good profit, shops need to have the efficiencies 5-axis provides. Many shops are planning to make this move, so Advanced Manufacturing Now engaged Errol Burrell and Wade Anderson, product specialists at Okuma America, to discuss exactly how to make the transition from 3-axis to 5-axis machining in a painless way. In a highly entertaining exchange—it even inc...

Jul 06, 201828 min

Africa as the ‘Next Growth Miracle’

Eyeing what he says will soon become the world’s largest workforce, "Motoring Africa" author Edward Hightower details how manufacturers can more profitably serve the growing African market by producing in six countries: South Africa, Morocco, Kenya, Ghana, Ethiopia, and Nigeria.

Jun 28, 201822 min

‘Edge Computing’ Has Manufacturers on the Verge of Something Big

Manufacturers are living more on the edge these days—as in “edge computing” and “intelligence at the edge.” In this podcast, Alan Rooks, Editor in Chief of Manufacturing Engineering magazine, talks with Diego Tamburini, Principal Industry Lead – Manufacturing Industry Experiences for the Cloud + Enterprise Division of Microsoft, about the definitions of edge computing and intelligence at the edge, why manufacturers need intelligence at the edge, the technologies involved, and the connection betw...

Jun 22, 201817 min

New 5ME software targets unplanned downtime, OEE

Manufacturers around the world are struggling to combat $50 billion of unplanned downtime per year. And so 5ME wants to give them the data “at their fingertips” needed for continuous improvement programs. The software 5ME is promoting for this is called Freedom. 5ME Executive Vice President Jeff Price gives a scenario of how a company can use Freedom, which he said is appropriate for anyone—“from the shop floor to the top floor.” And he explains how companies can use the software with new or leg...

Jun 04, 201814 min

The Role of Simulation in Smart Manufacturing

There are many aspects of smart manufacturing that are evolving quickly, and simulation is one of them. In this podcast, Alan Rooks, Editor in Chief of Manufacturing Engineering magazine, talks with Christopher Parker, NCSIMUL Applications Engineer for SPRING Technologies, about the role of machine simulation and the role it plays in manufacturing, the industries where simulation is vital, and what the future of simulation looks like.

May 31, 201810 min

Paying Attention to Financial Wellness Pays Benefits for Both Employers and Their Employees

On the rare occasion that Manufacturing Engineering Editor Emeritus Jim Sawyer thinks about the intersection of insurance and manufacturing, it is usually in terms of fire, theft, personal injury and the like. However, in this conversation with Mike Domingos, VP of national corporate strategy and distribution at Prudential Financial, he learns of other challenges impacting people’s financial wellness and how that impacts the manufacturing industry. Domingos explains what tools and programs are a...

May 29, 201821 min

The Future of Additive Manufacturing

Additive manufacturing has made tremendous strides in recent years and has advantages over traditional manufacturing processes in many applications. However, AM still faces significant barriers. In this podcast, Alan Rooks, Editor in Chief of Manufacturing Engineering magazine, talks with Matt Wise, CEO of Fisher Unitech about AM’s current and future role in manufacturing, including innovative new applications.

May 24, 201812 min

Smart Technologies Change How Parts are Designed, Programmed and Manufactured

Smart manufacturing, Industry 4.0, and the Industrial Internet of Things are all fast-evolving concepts that are changing how manufacturing processes are designed and implemented. In this podcast, Alan Rooks, Editor in Chief of Manufacturing Engineering magazine, talks with Ben Mund, Senior Market Analyst for CNC Software Inc., the developer of Mastercam CAD/CAM Software, about how companies are addressing these changes, including how parts are designed, programmed and manufactured. The discussi...

May 22, 201820 min

ACIETA EXECUTIVE DISCUSSES ‘WELDING LABOR CRISIS’

Pete Rogers, a vice president of Acieta, discusses an impending "welding labor crisis" of a shortage of skilled welders. He talks about automated welding systems can take the load of repetitive welding tasks.

May 11, 201813 min
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