Manufacturing Happy Hour

Manufacturers know that automation is table stakes in 2025, and yet it’s still a bit of an afterthought for some. You'd think something that can make or break a facility would be everyone’s number one priority. And as you'll hear in this episode, overlooking automation can sometimes have disastrous consequences.   In t

Manufacturers (not just the guys on the shop floor, but the C-suite behind them) are on a race to the finish line when it comes to automation. Most of us by now are pretty familiar with how AI and automation can play a role in manufacturing. But it looks like we’re heading to the next stage… In this episode, we hear fr

We just can’t stay away from Pittsburgh’s robotics scene! So we’re back, this time turning the spotlight on the business and startup angle with Premier Labs. Premier Labs is a corporate venture studio, a relatively new model that changes how technology comes to market. President Joel Reed joins the episode to give real

As manufacturers are under pressure to do more with less and somehow fill roles in an increasingly smaller talent pool, unlocking your “hidden factory” could be the solution. To celebrate episode 250, Chris Luecke returns home to St. Louis to meet with some of his early career mentors from Rockwell Automation – now hea

What happens when you put five podcasters in a room together at one of the biggest events of the year for innovative industrial tech? A super broad view of what’s happening in the industry and what we’ve got to look forward to. Recorded live from Hexagon’s 2025 event, we welcomed four friends of Manufacturing Happy Hou

Pittsburgh’s success in the robotics space didn’t happen overnight. It’s been over 40 years in the making, with education, business, and new innovations all coming together to make the city one of the big robotics hubs alongside Boston and San Francisco. The Pittsburgh Robotics Network has been a key player in that suc