193 - Innovation, Specs, Technology with Mike Crowe

People of Packaging · 11 May 2023 · 26m

What this episode covers

Mike Crowe, former CIO of Colgate-Palmolive and current board member of Specright, discusses the critical role of specification data management in modern packaging and product development. He explains how his 34-year IT career, including his time as CIO, led him to recognize the value of Specright's platform for saving money, speeding processes, and ensuring data accuracy across engineering, formula, and supply chain teams. Crowe highlights the importance of sustainability reporting and Extender Producer Responsibility (EPR) laws, noting that accurate data is essential for compliance and innovation. He advises young professionals to focus on doing their jobs well, building networks, and understanding the broader organizational impact of their technical work.

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • The Manufacturing Executive · 24m

    Adapting to New Manufacturing Technology w/ Matthew Wright

    Matthew Wright, founder and CEO of Specright, discusses the critical need for digitization in manufacturing, specifically through product and packaging specification management. Drawing on his 25-year career in the packaging industry, including leadership roles at International Paper and Temple-Inland, Wright explains how legacy processes create waste and inefficiency. He argues that adopting consumer-grade technology is essential for retaining the next generation of the workforce and driving profitability through better data management.

  • The Amp Hour · 1h 04m

    An Interview with Scott Miller (2nd)

    Scott Miller of Dragon Innovation, now a subsidiary of Avnet, discusses the company's evolution from a startup to an enterprise-level 'product as a service' provider. He details how Dragon helps non-traditional customers, such as avocado growers, navigate hardware development by leveraging Avnet's global resources and supply chain data. Miller emphasizes the importance of early BOM health assessments to mitigate risks like long lead times for components like multi-layer ceramic capacitors, and explains how the 'fish on the plate' model shifts financial responsibility for obsolescence to the provider.

  • Embedded.fm · 1h 13m

    509: Swarmed by Engineers

    Steve Hinch, a former executive at Hewlett-Packard and Agilent Technologies, discusses his book 'Winning through Innovation' and his 35-year career in high-tech. He contrasts the long-term, employee-centric culture of early HP under Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard with the short-term investor focus of modern public companies. Hinch outlines four types of innovation (incremental, disruptive, product, process) and argues that process innovation often yields greater value than product innovation, citing Amazon's marketplace expansion. He also provides advice on management transitions, defining the distinct roles of CTO, engineering manager, and team lead based on their strategic time horizons.

  • Product Startup · 18m

    189: The Power of Your Team in Building Hardware Innovations

    Paul McEnroe, the creator of the UPC barcode standard while at IBM, discusses the critical importance of team composition and communication in building hardware innovations. He explains how he assembled a diverse group of senior experts to develop the barcode system, emphasizing the need for complementary technical skills and a shared goal. McEnroe highlights specific leadership strategies, such as using debate skills to simplify complex technical concepts for executives and actively soliciting input from quieter team members to ensure all insights are captured.

  • EMS@C-LEVEL · 15m

    BONUS - What's the SCOOP - 2022 Trends with Aegis Software's Michael Ford

    Michael Ford, Senior Director of Emerging Industry Strategy at Aegis Software, outlines three key trends for 2022: smart, secure, and sustainable manufacturing. He argues that the industry is moving past the 'gold rush' of data collection toward using IPC-CFX standards and AI-driven MES platforms to create actual business value and adaptive control. Ford highlights the critical need for secure data exchange to prevent counterfeiting and IP theft, proposing verifiable credentials and blockchain to protect supply chain privacy. Finally, he discusses how sustainability is driving localization and recycling innovations, supported by energy management messages within CFX to reduce waste and costs.

The summary, chapters and topics are generated from the episode’s audio by this directory, not written by People of Packaging. The episode itself belongs to its publisher.