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Black Holes, Balancing Acts and How to Avoid Productivity Leakage: IndustryWeek’s Weekly Reads

June 6, 2025
Also, manufacturing index dives, gemba walks and meet the IW Best Plants finalists.

For the first time in several weeks, we have a new leader atop the latest IndustryWeek's Weekly Reads, our recurring review of the top-performing content at IndustryWeek.com over the previous seven days. And while tariff-related articles have their place in the Top 10, the topic does not dominate. Please enjoy this week's eclectic selection of topics of interest to our manufacturing audience, and then delve into the full breadth of our manufacturing library.

Without further ado, this week's Top 10 is:

From Black Hole to Break Even: How I Turned Around a Failing Division: We were hemorrhaging $750K a month. Six months later, we were back in business.

How John Deere Conquered 5G for Manufacturing: The benefits and challenges of deploying private 5G cellular networks for cutting-edge manufacturing operations.

ISM Report: Manufacturing PMI Registers 48.5% in May, Its Lowest Reading Since November 2024: Seven out of 14 manufacturing industries reported growth last month.

AI and ROI: Translating Time Saved to Business Gains: A look at metrics that prevent productivity leakage and improve organizational value.

Flex's CEO on Balancing Technology and Empathy: In this excerpt from a just-released book, Revathi Advaithi talks about protecting her global workforce while pursuing operational excellence.

Unlocking Super Performance Through Gemba Walks: True clarity comes from directly engaging with the shop floor, where value creation coexists with real challenges.

Analysts: Nippon Steel Investment Pledge Could Skew Market: Medium-term fundamentals are likely to weaken as capacity additions come online.

2025 IndustryWeek Best Plants Finalists Announced: Although the finalists differ in size, production processes deployed and technologies employed, they are united in their efforts to do great and be better.

EV Notes: Mullen Regains Control of Bollinger Motors Subsidiary: Also: Stellantis eyes extended-range EVs, Rivian looks to refinance debt and three firms team up on seamless charging.

Robotics Coming for Simple Human Tasks and Pink Gorillas: Automate 2025: What do pink gorillas have to do with robotic automation? It has something to do with simulation and AI.

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