Hardware Podcasts

The Role of IIoT Tech in Employee Training and Retention w/ Arjun Chandar

The Manufacturing Executive · 31 Oct 2023 · 35m · Episode 177

What this episode covers

Arjun Chandar, Founder and CEO of IndustrialML, discusses how his company uses IIoT data integration to solve the critical problem of workforce training and retention in manufacturing. He explains that while data is often collected, it rarely reaches the shop floor in real-time, leading to inefficiencies and knowledge loss as experienced workers retire. Chandar argues that real-time alerts and digital work instructions can accelerate on-the-job training, making new hires productive faster and helping companies cope with high turnover rates. He also touches on his side project, the Midhouse Group, which explores using large-scale 3D printing to build affordable homes for the homeless.

Most relevant to

companies scaling up

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
IndustrialML, Megat, New Valence Robotics, Cincinnati Incorporated, Gorilla 76, Midhouse Group
Also
MIT, Caltech

Related episodes from other shows

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • Over the Air · 33m

    The Connected Factory Floor: L2L and Data Management

    Eric Whitley, Director of Industrial Transformation at L2L, explains how their connected workforce platform bridges the gap between enterprise ERP systems and shop-floor PLC data to provide real-time visibility into manufacturing operations. He details how L2L captures five key metrics—demand, build, scrap, labor, and downtime—to calculate Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) and other critical KPIs for discrete manufacturers in automotive, food and beverage, and packaging. Whitley highlights the severe labor shortage in manufacturing, noting that 80% of surveyed firms report it impacts throughput, and describes how L2L’s AI tools and digital workflows help upskill workers by providing immediate, context-aware guidance on the shop floor. He also discusses the company's evolution from an in-house Excel tool at Autoleave to a global software provider, emphasizing the importance of practical AI applications that reduce wasted time and motion for mechanics and operators.

    Factory operations & automationAI & machine learning
    9 chapters

  • IoT For All Podcast · 27m

    Connected Workers and the Evolution of the Industrial Workforce | SensorUp's Steve Liang

    Steve Liang, Founder and CTO of SensorUp, explains how his company evolved from academic research on IoT interoperability to building a platform that connects siloed industrial systems for better data visibility and prediction. He details SensorUp's pivot into the 'connected worker' space, driven by the need to empower frontline employees in dangerous environments like methane leak detection, and discusses the critical importance of standardizing data exchange for climate tech applications. Liang also shares his 'AI and IoT Canvas' framework, advising companies to prioritize prediction tasks that offer competitive advantage over simple monitoring.

    Connected products & IoTAI & machine learning
    6 chapters

  • EMS@C-LEVEL · 5m

    Unlocking The Power of Data in Manufacturing with Critical Manufacturing's Michaela Wagner

    Michaela Wagner, Sales Manager for SMT at Critical Manufacturing (an MES sector of ASMPT), discusses the company's integration and data strategy five years after its acquisition. She explains how Critical Manufacturing uses an integrated IoT data platform to contextualize machine data for advanced analytics and machine learning, enabling real-time influence on the physical manufacturing world. Wagner highlights the importance of low-code solutions and containerized deployments to address the industry's talent crunch and scalability challenges across diverse customer sizes.

    Connected products & IoTFactory operations & automation
    4 chapters

  • Manufacturing Happy Hour · 1h 08m

    164: How to Cut Turnover in Half by Leveraging Data and Empowering Frontline Leaders with Mike White, Founder & President of Secchi

    Mike White, Founder and President of Secchi, explains how his company uses data-driven employee relationship management to cut manufacturing turnover in half. Drawing on his experience at Johns Manville and Caterpillar, White details the origin of Secchi as a tool to document performance and remove bad actors, which evolved into a platform for recognition and retention. He argues that the 'age of the frontline worker' is here, with skilled trades becoming more valuable than traditional degrees, and discusses how Secchi empowers supervisors with transparent data to make fair, defensible decisions.

    Leadership, teams & cultureDirect-to-consumer & e-commerce
    6 chapters

  • Manufacturing Happy Hour · 50m

    206: How Maintenance Leaders and Frontline Workers Can Drive Digital Transformation with Nick Haase, Co-Founder of MaintainX

    Nick Haase, Co-Founder of MaintainX, explains how his non-traditional background in medical device sales and B2C startups like Startup Drugs informed the design of his CMMS and EAM platform. He argues that digitizing maintenance is critical for digital transformation because it captures tribal knowledge from an aging workforce and provides the high-quality, contextual data required for effective AI implementation. Haase emphasizes that software must be hyper-intuitive for frontline workers to ensure adoption, bridging the gap between high-tech equipment and analog processes on the plant floor.

    Connected products & IoTAI & machine learning
    8 chapters

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