News and Insights
Volatile Markets Cost Fabricators Speed, Not Price
September 21, 2026Fabricators lose margin to slow repricing, not high material costs; the fix is connected pricing, sourcing, and production data. Adapting to the speed of changes driving today’s market instability is a major challenge for manufacturers. According to the National Association of Manufacturers’ Q2
Scale and Accuracy with the Buyer-Centric Smart Factory
September 15, 2026When engineering, sales and production keep separate versions of the same configurable product, complexity turns into cost, delay and risk. Today’s buyers want products built around their exact requirements, but they want to buy them with the ease of ordering something off a shelf. Manufacturers are trying to deliver on that expectation, and many are…
The Value Leak: Why Digital Wins Fade After Go-Live
September 9, 2026The technology works, but value quietly leaks through eroded trust, change fatigue and the human systems no one manages after go-live. I have stood in a lot of go-live celebrations. The line is running, the dashboards are lit, someone takes a photo with the plant leadership, and the deployment team is already thinking about the…
A Practical Approach to Physical AI in Manufacturing
September 1, 2026Measurable value from physical AI begins with existing assets, laying the foundation for autonomous operations in the future. At trade shows and conferences worldwide, humanoid robotics are taking the stage, heralding for some a new era in industrial automation. The growing availability of robotics and other physical AI-enabled machines might suggest manufacturers are poised to…
Upskilling the Manufacturing Workforce for AI
August 31, 2026To bridge labor gaps, manufacturers must upskill their workforce to transition from task execution to AI supervision and operational governance. Manufacturers are under growing pressure to do more with a constrained workforce. In June 2026, there were 481,000 manufacturing jobs open nationwide, according to the
Welcome New Members of the MLC August 2026
August 20, 2026The Manufacturing Leadership Council welcomes its newest members. Ramsey Aljahmi COO EM Dynamics
Modernizing Maintenance for Sustainable Productivity
August 20, 2026The manufacturers closing the productivity gap are augmenting automation with maintenance operations that are data-driven, predictive and connected. A pump fails on a Friday night. A technician shows up, diagnoses the problem from memory, fixes it in two hours, and goes home. No record of what he found. Limited documentation of what he did. No…
Embracing the Industrial Intelligence Era of Manufacturing
August 7, 2026The next era of manufacturing will be won by companies who strategically plan, architect, and know how to derive value from their technologies.
Survey: In Manufacturing Data We Trust—Mostly
July 30, 2026The Manufacturing Leadership Council’s latest survey reveals steady progress toward data mastery, alongside persistent gaps in verification, integration and untapped potential “In God we trust, all others must bring data.” Most commonly attributed to statistician and business theorist William Edwards Deming, those nine words make for a popular post on LinkedIn and elsewhere online. Irony…
Rethink Opening Address: The Inevitability of Autonomous Operations
July 8, 2026Autonomous operations are becoming inevitable as AI, robotics and other advanced technologies converge in manufacturing. The article argues that human oversight, guardrails and governance must remain central.
Rheem, General Motors Named Top Winners in 2026 Manufacturing Leadership Awards Competition
June 25, 2026Rheem’s Alan Machuga was named 2026 Manufacturing Leader of the Year, while General Motors won Large Enterprise Manufacturer of the Year. Pure & Gentle earned Small/Medium Enterprise Manufacturer of the Year in the Manufacturing Leadership Awards.
Managing Data Complexity with Trusted Hybrid AI
June 9, 2026A hybrid approach combining generative and symbolic AI brings control and explainability when interpreting complex, real-world data.
MLC Plant Tour: An Up-Close Look at Kohler’s OT/IT Integration
June 5, 2026MLC members toured Kohler’s new 1-million-square-foot Arizona smart factory, learning how OT/IT integration, wireless networking and automation support bathtub production and warehouse operations.
Building An AI Governance Framework for the Factory Floor
May 21, 2026AI governance doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Learn the five key pillars manufacturers need to confidently scale AI.
Dialogue: Building Rheem’s AI-Ready Future
May 18, 2026Joe Palomba shares how Rheem aligned leadership, process and data to build a connected AI-ready enterprise.
Managing Data Complexity with Trusted Hybrid AI
May 13, 2026A hybrid approach combining generative and symbolic AI brings control and explainability when interpreting complex, real-world data.
Engendering Technology Trust in Physical and Agentic AI
May 13, 2026Manufacturers adopting physical and agentic AI must build trust in reliability, security, and safety. Success depends on safe operating boundaries and preserving human accountability in AI-driven processes.
Orchestrating Material Handling with AI & Automation
May 1, 2026AI, automation, virtualization and secure IT/OT orchestration can turn material handling constraints into scalable competitive advantage. A unified digital foundation helps manufacturers reduce risk, unlock data and optimize operations across the enterprise.
Welcome New Members of the MLC May 2026
April 30, 2026Introducing the latest new members to the Manufacturing Leadership Council
MLC welcomes new members from McCain Foods, Bosch, Bloom Energy, General Mills, Abbvie, Workday, Smurfit Westrock, Pioneer Service and Standex. Learn more about the association’s newest member leaders.
