Smart Manufacturing Mindset™

Hosted by CESMII - The Smart Manufacturing Institute

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Latest episode

Mar 2026

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About the show

Smart Manufacturing Mindset™, presented by CESMII - The Smart Manufacturing Institute & SME, is a monthly webinar where we challenge guests to think differently about manufacturing. We'll explore the nuances that hide in plain sight – behind the acronyms, techno-jargon and misinformation – to get to the truths that hold real value for real people in the industry. In partnership with the Department of Energy, CESMII was established as a primary advocate and resource for Smart Manufacturing, including networking, education and workforce development, funded research projects and a Smart Manufacturing Innovation Platform to enable your digital transformation.

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23 recent

March 31, 2026Episode 2354 min

Smart Manufacturing Mindset™: i3X™ Explained

Finally! A Path to Manufacturing Interoperability and OT/IT ConvergenceWhat if manufacturing applications could finally speak the same language?The i3X™ initiative is tackling one of the biggest challenges in smart manufacturing today: the explosion of incompatible APIs across platforms, historians, and industrial software. And clearly, this is a conversation the industry has been waiting for.In the next Smart Manufacturing Mindset™ LinkedIn Live, we’re sitting down with three core members of the i3X™ working group to talk about:What is i3X™What problems does i3X address?How will i3X transform manufacturing architectures?Whether your roots are in OT or IT, if you’re a manufacturer, systems integrator, application developer, or technology provider trying to make sense of industrial data architecture, this one is for you!🎙️ Aron Semle – Chief Technology Officer at HighByte🎙️ Matthew Parris – Director of Quality Test Systems, GE Appliances, a Haier company🎙️ Jonathan Wise – Chief Technology Architect at CESMII🎙️ Jeff Winter, Host and Smart Manufacturing Advisor at CESMII© 2026 CESMII - The Smart Manufacturing Institute, A Program in UCLA, 520 Portola Plaza, MS 5308 – Box 95155, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1557, USA, (888) 720-8096

December 2, 2025Episode 536 min

Smart Manufacturing Mindset™: WEF Lighthouses — Lessons from the Leaders (Part 2)

Part 1 of this special two-part series explored the journey of the Lighthouse factories. We looked at how global leaders from Foxconn, Johnson & Johnson, Schneider Electric, Unilever, and Western Digital navigated culture, scale, technology, and legacy challenges to reach world-class digital maturity.Now, in Part 2, we go deeper.This episode shifts from the “what happened” to the “what it takes.” Our Lighthouse guests share their most important lessons learned, the mistakes that shaped their thinking, and the practical advice they would give any manufacturer beginning or accelerating a digital transformation journey.From building trust and changing culture to defining business value and scaling what works, Part 2 delivers the insight behind the outcomes. These are the patterns that drive real progress and the guidance that can help any organization build its own path toward Lighthouse-level performance.Part 1 showed the destination (Catch up here: https://lnkd.in/gsmDcBYv)Part 2 gives you the playbook (Register here: https://lnkd.in/ggYEDZmw)Tune in to hear what the world’s most advanced factories wish they had known sooner and how their experience can accelerate yours. 🎙️Bart Talloen – Executive Fellow at World Economic Forum & Former Johnson & Johnson Executive🎙️Anthony Loy – VP Industrial Digital Transformation Consulting Schneider Electric🎙️Biswaranjan Sen – Global Chief Product Supply Chain Officer at Unilever🎙️Jackie Jung – VP of Global Operations Strategy at Western Digital🎙️Zongchang Liu – Rotating CEO at Foxconn© 2026 CESMII - The Smart Manufacturing Institute, A Program in UCLA, 520 Portola Plaza, MS 5308 – Box 95155, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1557, USA, (888) 720-8096

October 28, 2025Episode 438 min

Smart Manufacturing Mindset™: WEF Lighthouses — Lessons from the Leaders (Part 1)

What happens when a select group of World Economic Forum Lighthouse factories from Foxconn Industrial Internet, Schneider Electric, Western Digital and Unilever share the same (virtual) stage? Their leaders unpack the cultural mindset, data architecture, and change‑management moves they all swear by, then reveal how industry, scale, and legacy constraints steer each site down a unique path of technology and rollout.· Common DNA: Universal principles every Lighthouse follows· Productive Differences: Industry‑specific twists that keep innovation fresh· Transferable Takeaways: What any manufacturer can adopt today—and where adaptation is keyThese leaders brought such a wealth of information to this topic, we are releasing this in a 2-part series! Stay tuned for part 2 coming soon. © 2026 CESMII - The Smart Manufacturing Institute, A Program in UCLA, 520 Portola Plaza, MS 5308 – Box 95155, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1557, USA, (888) 720-8096

August 12, 2025Episode 352 min

Smart Manufacturing Mindset™: Technology Providers Powering Manufacturing’s Future

Explore how today’s leading technology providers are shaping the future of Smart Manufacturing. This episode brings together leaders of some of the world’s great manufacturing technology providers, aligned around one critical goal: driving openness and interoperability to strengthen the U.S.’ manufacturing competitiveness.🎙️ What to Expect:We’ll hear from three distinct categories of technology leaders, all of whom are active CESMII members:🔹 Established Market Leaders in control and information systems, with decades of experience in industrial automation.🎙️ Cyril Perducat, SVP & Chief Technology Officer, Rockwell Automation🎙️ Andre Marino, SVP Industrial Automation Business, Schneider Electric🎙️ Del Costy, President, Siemens Digital Industries🔹 Cloud Hyperscalers bringing advanced data infrastructure, AI, and scalable platforms into the manufacturing space.🎙️ Dayan Rodriguez, CVP Global Manufacturing and Mobility, Microsoft🎙️ Joseph Rosing, Worldwide Head of Smart Manufacturing, AWS🔹 Born-in-Industry 4.0 Innovators – companies built from the ground up around digital transformation, smart manufacturing, and AI-ready architectures.🎙️ John Harrington, Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer, HighByte🎙️ Colby Clegg, CEO, Inductive Automation🎙️ Doug Lawson, CEO, ThinkIQWhether you're a manufacturer, integrator, or technology provider, this is your chance to see how collaboration across these domains is accelerating Smart Manufacturing adoption – and how your organization can play a part.© 2026 CESMII - The Smart Manufacturing Institute, A Program in UCLA, 520 Portola Plaza, MS 5308 – Box 95155, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1557, USA, (888) 720-8096

May 27, 2025Episode 1950 min

Smart Manufacturing Mindset™: Running Today While Building Tomorrow

What happens when you're responsible not just for transformation, but for making the numbers—every quarter, without excuse? In this episode, we sit down with operations leaders who carry the P&L and explore how they lead transformation without sacrificing performance.Hear from: 🎙️ Courtney Andersen, Vice President of Supply Chain at General Mills🎙️ Jim Beilstein, Vice President, Global Operations & Supply Chain at Owens Corning🎙️ Audrey St.Onge, President & CEO of N.A Baking Business at Lallemand© 2026 CESMII - The Smart Manufacturing Institute, A Program in UCLA, 520 Portola Plaza, MS 5308 – Box 95155, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1557, USA, (888) 720-8096

March 25, 2025Episode 1858 min

Smart Manufacturing Mindset™: The Role of Leadership | Vision, Execution and Sustaining Success

In our first episode, we’re tackling one of the most critical factors for success: leadership—not just to set the vision, but to execute it effectively and sustain it over time. Hosted by Jeff Winter, Smart Manufacturing Advisor at CESMII, this episode features industry experts who have led real transformation, sharing their insights on what separates leaders who drive lasting change from those who struggle to move the needle.Whether you’re a seasoned executive or an emerging leader, this episode will challenge your thinking and give you the strategies you need to lead with impact. © 2026 CESMII - The Smart Manufacturing Institute, A Program in UCLA, 520 Portola Plaza, MS 5308 – Box 95155, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1557, USA, (888) 720-8096

October 29, 2024Episode 1746 min

Smart Manufacturing Mindset: Roadmap to Building Your Digital Capabilities

Hear from local manufacturers who are taking ownership for building their digital capabilities and developing their own strategic Smart Manufacturing roadmap - with a little help from their friends.Join leaders from two northeast Ohio manufacturers and the NxGen Group as they share insights on their journeys, working within the safe space provided by Manufacturing Works, leveraging invaluable guidance from their facilitators, and learning the roadmap tools provided by CESMII, the national institute on Smart Manufacturing.Explore what they’ve learned in engaging their organization, addressing key barriers and desired outcomes, and building a successful plan everyone supports. Dig deeper into their stories as proof-points of the region’s commitment to educating the entire manufacturing ecosystem and scaling help to every manufacturerModerator: Sophia Long, Manager, Industry & Innovation, Team NEO (OH)● Mark Dawson, President, Cleveland Steel Tool (OH)● Doug Keehan, Plant Manager, Advanced Polymer Coatings (OH)● Jim Wetzel, Founder, The NxGen Group (OH) See less© 2026 CESMII - The Smart Manufacturing Institute, A Program in UCLA, 520 Portola Plaza, MS 5308 – Box 95155, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1557, USA, (888) 720-8096

August 27, 2024Episode 1642 min

Smart Manufacturing Mindset™ | Bridging OT & IT in College Industrial Labs

Smart Manufacturing and Industry 4.0 are driving the digital transformation of industrial processes. This digital transformation enables enhanced productivity, real-time data and analytics, flexibility and customization, optimized supply networks, energy efficiency and sustainability, and improved workforce development. Barriers to the realization of these goals include the legacy of lacking integration of automation operational technology (OT) and enterprise information technology (IT).Academic organizations have a key role to play in realizing the SM vision. Not only in the research and development of technology but also in the education of the workforce in digital technologies and techniques for manufacturing. However, academic organizations are experiencing similar challenges for integrating OT and IT networks and systems that have traditionally been managed and operated separately.In this podcast, we explore how academic organizations have tackled these challenges to teach SM skills and what similar organizations and manufacturers can learn from their experience.© 2026 CESMII - The Smart Manufacturing Institute, A Program in UCLA, 520 Portola Plaza, MS 5308 – Box 95155, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1557, USA, (888) 720-8096

July 30, 2024Episode 1547 min

Smart Manufacturing Mindset™ | SM Executive Council PoV on U.S. Manufacturing

Discover how the Smart Manufacturing Executive Council is setting a strategic course to rejuvenate U.S. manufacturing and regain global competitiveness. This council, comprised entirely of manufacturers, recently documented their point-of-view on the promises Smart Manufacturing holds for each manufacturer and their collective impact on the U.S. economy.Our panelists will dive into the industry-wide playbook being developed by the Council, explore the critical need for an inclusive approach that makes Smart Manufacturing accessible to all, and discuss the role of AI, cybersecurity, and other advanced technologies in shaping a resilient and prosperous manufacturing future.Join series host Mike Yost and our panelists as we explore the Council’s aims to drive the transformative potential of Smart Manufacturing across the nation and evolve U.S. manufacturing.● Chris Micena, Senior Director, Digital Transformation, Nestlé Purina● Rick Bullotta, Industry Advisor/Investor/Mentor● John Dyck, CEO, CESMII© 2026 CESMII - The Smart Manufacturing Institute, A Program in UCLA, 520 Portola Plaza, MS 5308 – Box 95155, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1557, USA, (888) 720-8096

May 28, 2024Episode 1440 min

Smart Manufacturing Mindset: CESMII Acceleration Framework for Strategic Success

Join the team from Andersen Corporation as they share insights on building a strategic Smart Manufacturing Roadmap with the CESMII Acceleration Framework. Discover how Andersen took ownership of the entire process from conception to execution and results-with tools provided by CESMII and invaluable guidance from the NxGen Group.We'll explore Andersen's journey in engaging their organization, addressing key barriers and desired outcomes, and building a successful plan everyone supports. Equally as important, we'll dig deeper into this story as a proof-point of CESMII's commitment to educating the entire manufacturing ecosystem through the Acceleration Framework methodologies. 🎙️ Ben Adamson, Vice President of Advanced Manufacturing and Strategic Supply Chain Enablement at Andersen Corporation🎙️ Chris Campbell, Vice President Information Technology at Andersen Corporation🎙️ Garren Riemenschneider, Technical Leader at Andersen Corporation🎙️ Mike Yost, Host© 2026 CESMII - The Smart Manufacturing Institute, A Program in UCLA, 520 Portola Plaza, MS 5308 – Box 95155, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1557, USA, (888) 720-8096