Diving Deep Into Supply Chain Disruptions, and Let's Get Serious About Supervisor Selection: IndustryWeek's Weekly Review
Welcome to the March 27 edition of IndustryWeek's Weekly Reads, where we review and share with you the most-consumed content on IndustryWeek.com over the past seven days. A diverse range of topics captured the attention of the IW manufacturing community, as you will note below. Our advice: Take a moment to catch up with what you may have missed and, if time permits, delve into the deep library of manufacturing content available for your reading, listening and viewing pleasure.
The Supply Chain Impacts of the Iran War: Explore the profound impact of Middle East conflicts on global supply chains, highlighting disruptions in air and sea transportation, rising costs, and strategic considerations for resilience.
Trainer Hiring Is Structured. Why Does Supervisor Selection Seem So Random? Too many manufacturers treat supervisory roles as a backfill decision when they should be a pipeline decision.
Toyota Announces $1 Billion Investment in Kentucky and Indiana Manufacturing: In addition, Toyota Kentucky has announced over $4 million in STEM workforce development and manufacturing education initiatives.
Del Monte(s) Reunite and Manufacturer Dauch Talks Diversification: So That Happened: IndustryWeek editors look into those stories as well as a machining training milestone, the state of factory automation and onboarding with a side of garlic.
The Progress Paradox: Do We Really Believe in Respect for People? (Podcast): While 'respect for people' is a tenet many organizations claim, podcast hosts Mohamed Saleh and John Dyer delve into the truth of that statement. Does your leadership always show 'respect for people' or does respect erode when the pressure is on? Here are some telltale signs that leaders are failing to show 'respect for people' and the potential negative consequences of their actions.
Robert Chapman, Barry-Wehmiller Chairman and Advocate of People-centric Leadership, Dies at 80: Chapman led the company as CEO for 50 years, taking it from a struggling supplier to global player. He championed a leadership philosophy that business success is rooted in valuing employees.
EV Notes: Uber Commits to Rivian Robotaxi Investments: Also: Lucid executives cut U.S. jobs, eye ‘secret sauce’ as part of continued efficiency push.
4 Ways to Streamline Supply-Chain Localization: With the help of industrial AI, manufacturers can smooth out bumps in the road to efficiency.
The Big Productivity Gains Will Come from Cross-Functional AI: The interaction of generative AI, agentic AI and machine learning across different areas of an organization holds the greatest promise for optimizing talent.
Cobots Handle Furniture-Making Drudgery, People Focus on Company Growth: Furniture manufacturer Foliot scales a cobot deployment to multiple plants for higher throughput, better operator retention and fewer accidents.
Editor’s Note:
Enter the 2026 IndustryWeek Best Plants Awards Competition: We have launched our annual search for the best manufacturing plants in North America. If your facility is an example of operational excellence, apply today! April 3 is the deadline to return completed entries.