Manufacturing

Ready or Not, Here AI Come (to the Manufacturing Frontline)

AEM's 2026 outlook calls the human-machine handoff manufacturing's defining workforce priority, then names the constraint: value depends on human capability. The technology and capability plans are one program in that framing. In most companies they are two, on two clocks.

Robotics ROI: the Human Metrics Your CFO Isn't Tracking

Ok, Computer: Reducing the risk of a cybersecurity attack on the manufacturing floor.

Here Comes the Smoke: How Wildfires Affect the Frontline.

Workforce Management Has a Definition Problem. What Is It?

What AI Can't Fix: The Human Factors Still Driving Frontline Failure

1 in 3 manufacturing employees have mental health challenges: How HR can help break the stigma on the frontline.

Sweet Frontline, Alabama: Google is investing $1.5bn in Data Centers

Google has announced a new, $1.5 billion investment across 2026 and 2027 in Jackson County to expand its data center campus, alongside new energy affordability and community education initiatives.

Do it Yourself, Frontline: Why AI Self-service is the Future of HR Support

Manufacturers in 2026 are increasingly adopting AI-self-service chatbots to help with routine HR queries. Is this a good thing, and how do leaders embrace this shift while keeping the human in HR?

Industrial Robots Are Reaching Record Sales, But No One Knows How To Run Them. That's a Big Problem.

The simple truth is that a robot, no matter how advanced, is only as good as the humans who support it. Neglecting this crucial human element transforms a strategic asset into a significant operational vulnerability.

Why Your $10m Automation Investment is Failing: the Frontline Competency Gap

Manufacturing leaders are investing millions in automation and wondering why the returns aren't materializing. Learn why the problem usually isn't the technology.

Energy Volatility and Tribal Knowledge: the Hidden Risk in Your Manufacturing Production Line

When energy markets turn volatile due to international conflict, manufacturers reach for leaner operations and tighter margins. But the risk that tends to bite hardest isn't on the energy desk: it's standing at the machine.

Machines Aren’t the Constraint, the Manufacturing Labor Shortage Is.

U.S. manufacturing output is experiencing a boom in the early part of 2026, with the Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) consistently signaling growth and new orders on the rise. But will shortages in labor block this growth?

Managing technical debt in manufacturing before it manages you

When experienced operators leave, they take decades of tribal knowledge with them. Here's how to diagnose and fix the technical debt they leave behind, before it disrupts your production floor.

The Compliance Trap: Safety Theater Is Killing Engagement in Manufacturing

Are you tickboxing safety compliance? When safety programs become checkbox exercises, employee engagement suffers. Learn how leading companies are moving beyond performative compliance to build cultures where workers actively protect each other.