The Today in Manufacturing Podcast is brought to you by the editors of Manufacturing.net and Industrial Equipment News (IEN).

This week's sponsor is Epicor. If you ask any technology expert, they’ll say the opportunities for AI are vast, but many manufacturers feel they are still out of reach. Meanwhile, other manufacturers are already using it to cut waste and boost design & production efficiency, sharpening their competitive edge.

Our latest video podcast, AI in Manufacturing: Handle with Care, answers the questions holding businesses -- like yours -- back: Where does AI deliver the most value? Which applications carry the highest – and lowest – risk? And what will it really cost? Download the podcast right now.

Every week, we cover the three biggest stories in manufacturing, and the implications they have on the industry moving forward. This week:

- Ford Factory Hires Hawk to Fight Off Pigeons

- New Drone Falls From Sky Like Maple Seed, Then Sails Like Boat

- Figure Trained Its Humanoid Robots to Jump Into Molten Steel

In Case You Missed It

- Your Next Vulnerability May Be an Exhausted Employee

- Kawasaki Made a Robot Cat to Care for the Elderly

- Your Home’s Foundation Could Soon Power the Entire Building

Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. And to email the podcast, you can reach any of us at Anna, Jeff or David@ien.com, with “Email the Podcast” in the subject line. Subscribe to our daily and weekly newsletters.

Editor's note: Download and listen to the audio version below and click here to subscribe to the Today in Manufacturing podcast.

The Today in Manufacturing Podcast is brought to you by the editors of Manufacturing.net and Industrial Equipment News (IEN).

This week's episode is brought to you by GAINS Systems.

Digital transformation is more than simply upgrading your IT systems and hoping for the best. Manufacturers are being tasked to use the latest and greatest AI solutions — a toolkit proven to improve the efficiency of existing processes and procedures.

And while this emerging field requires a little experimentation, experts say there are ways to implement AI that are more trial and less error.

In this video, "Practical AI for Real Results," you’ll learn how to build the momentum you need to move forward faster with AI: which choices drive the biggest results and how each decision has ripple effects across your business. Watch it right now.

Every week, we cover the three biggest stories in manufacturing, and the implications they have on the industry moving forward. This week:

- Workers Hospitalized After Chemical Leak at Purina Dog Food Plant

- It Took At Least 16 Fire Departments and 2 Million Gallons of Water to Put Out Plastics Plant Blaze in Michigan

- Pentagon Investigates 'Shipment Issue' After China Obtains Parts From F-35 Stealth Fighter Jet

In Case You Missed It

- World’s First Self-Balancing Exoskeleton Lets Wheelchair Users Walk Upright

- Caterpillar Commits $1B to Expand Compact Machine Manufacturing

-Criminal Conspiracy To Steal Used Cooking Oil Shows How Trash Can Become Treasure

Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. And to email the podcast, you can reach any of us at Anna, Jeff or David@ien.com, with “Email the Podcast” in the subject line. Subscribe to our daily and weekly newsletters.

Editor's note: Download and listen to the audio version below and click here to subscribe to the Today in Manufacturing podcast.

The Today in Manufacturing Podcast is brought to you by the editors of Manufacturing.net and Industrial Equipment News (IEN).

This episode is brought to you by Siemens. Small and medium-sized manufacturers encounter the same industry-wide pressures as large manufacturers: rising costs, labor shortages, and growing operational complexity. But conventional digital transformation programs are often out of reach for smaller manufacturers due to budget, time, and skills constraints.

This paper from ARC Advisory Group, "How Siemens Is Positioning Xcelerator for Small-Medium Manufacturers," outlines a more practical way for these manufacturers to do more with less and see results faster.

Download "How Siemens Is Positioning Xcelerator for Small-Medium Manufacturers" right now.

Every week, we cover the three biggest stories in manufacturing, and the implications they have on the industry moving forward. This week:

- America's Transformer Crisis Is a Sign of What's Coming

- F-150 Gas Tanks Could Detach in Latest Ford Recall Filing

- Police Bust $3.5M Underground Plant With 70-Year-Old Vinyl Presses

In Case You Missed It

- Pirelli Bets $1.2B to Expand U.S. Plant With Autonomous Modular Robotics

- Bacteria Evolved to Survive and Eat Industrial Pollution

- Manufacturers Are Moving Past Pilots and Scaling AI Deployments

Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. And to email the podcast, you can reach any of us at Anna, Jeff or David@ien.com, with “Email the Podcast” in the subject line. Subscribe to our daily and weekly newsletters.