Hexagon's Shop Floor Social Tempe | Honest Problems, Uncomfortable Solutions

Hexagon's Shop Floor Social Tempe | Honest Problems, Uncomfortable Solutions

From Manufacturing Culture Podcast by Jim Mayer

March 23, 2026 · 59 min

About this episode

The episode discusses the real changes and challenges in manufacturing after technology implementation, emphasizing leadership and accountability over tools and software.

Live from Tempe, this Shop Floor Social brings together manufacturing leaders for a straight conversation about what actually changes after technology hits the shop floor. This isn’t about hype or digital buzzwords. It’s about reality. Better data doesn’t fix broken systems. It exposes them. It changes how people make decisions, how teams communicate, and how work actually gets done. The panel digs into real issues shops deal with every day. Incomplete RFQs, shifting demand, inspection headaches, and the constant pull between production and process improvement. Then they get into what it really takes to solve them. Not more tools. Not more software. Better leadership, clearer systems, and people who are aligned and accountable. They also break down what modernization actually looks like inside a shop, how data reshapes how employees are evaluated, and why automation isn’t replacing people. It’s changing their role. This is a conversation about the gap between knowing the problem and actually doing something about it. Key Topics What actually changes after tech is implemented Why data alone doesn’t improve outcomes The real friction in manufacturing: RFQs, inspections, volatility…

People in this episode

Host: Jim Mayer

Topics covered

  • technology implementation
  • manufacturing challenges
  • leadership in manufacturing
  • data utilization
  • automation impact
  • process improvement

Keywords

  • shop floor
  • manufacturing leaders
  • data
  • RFQs
  • inspections
  • automation
  • leadership
  • process improvement

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Hexagon

Places: Tempe

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