Ever had a VP show up and point at something you can't explain? Ed and Alvaro have both been on the receiving (and giving) end of tough plant reviews, and this week they're breaking down how to turn that often stressful visit into your biggest opportunity.

• Why the first 10 minutes of any tour set the tone for the entire day

• The "skill, will, access" framework for reading what leadership actually wants

• Why hiding bad news always backfires (no surprises, ever)

• How to use a plant visit to get resources, not just a rating

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Augury and IndustryWeek just dropped the State of Production Health 2026 report, and the findings are worth talking about. Ed and Alvaro dig into what 500+ manufacturing leaders said about their biggest challenges, where AI is actually being used, and the contradiction that sits at the heart of the whole study.

• For the first time, workforce constraints topped the list of manufacturing challenges in 2026.

• Unplanned downtime jumped 10 points to #2, putting machine reliability at the center of every pressure manufacturers face

• 57% of manufacturers are now using AI for predictive maintenance, up 22 points in a single year

• 42% have AI at scale across more than half their sites, up from 14% last year

• Poor data quality just became the #1 roadblock to AI adoption, and the most advanced adopters feel it most

The big question Ed and Alvaro tackle: if you believe in AI this much, why aren't you using it to solve the exact problems holding you back?

Mentioned in this episode:
The State of Production Health 2026
The State of Production Health 2025
The State of Production Health 2024
The State of Production Health 2023

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P&G is projecting $1.5 billion in savings from Supply Chain 3.0. PepsiCo is piloting AI and digital twins. Hershey just announced $100 million in inventory reductions. So why does McKinsey report that not a single manufacturer has fully integrated AI into operational decision-making?

Ed and Alvaro get real about:

• Why good systems stall out even when the technology is right

• What P&G actually got right that most companies miss

• How to get started if you're not a Fortune 50 company

Spoiler: the barrier to entry is lower than you think.

Mentioned in this episode:
P&G shifts Supply Chain 3.0, other platforms into large-scale rollout
Transforming factories: The power of continuous, connected insights

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When the pressure's on to cut costs, maintenance budgets are usually first on the chopping block. Ed and Alvaro have both been in that room, and they've got a lot to say about why that decision almost always costs more than it saves.

In this episode they break down how to actually win the budget conversation:

• who you need in your corner before you walk in

• how to stop speaking maintenance and start speaking P&L

• why the data has never made it easier to prove your case

Mentioned in this episode:
Putting off maintenance now could cost 4x more later

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Doc Palmer, author of McGraw-Hill's best-selling maintenance planning handbook, joins Ed and Alvaro to talk about why most plants are leaving enormous money on the table without knowing it.

If your team is stuck in reactive mode, this one will reframe how you think about planning, scheduling, and the metrics you're probably using wrong.

In this episode:

• Why "planner" is a bad word (and what to call it instead)

• The 35% wrench time problem that hits every plant on the planet

• What Parkinson's Law has to do with your maintenance schedule

• Why 95% schedule compliance might mean you're cheating yourself

• Real-world turnarounds from Dallas to Brunei

Mentioned in this episode:
Palmer Planning

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Most plant managers think they're doing okay. Ricky Smith, CMRP, has walked enough plant floors to know better. Ed and Alvaro sit down with one of the most credentialed voices in maintenance and reliability to talk about what separates reactive plants from world-class ones.

Episode highlights:

• Reactive maintenance could be costing you 3x more than it should

• The case for scorecards, formal training, and a clear north star

• What "world-class maintenance" actually means on the plant floor

Mentioned in this episode:
World Class Maintenance Learning Guides
SMRP
Proactive Maintenance Storeroom
5 Whys Root Cause Analysis
Maintenance Planning and Scheduling Best Practices Session 1 (Video)

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Season 3 is here, and the "barbarians at the gate" brought company: $5.70 diesel, supply chain chaos, and labor gaps that won't quit. When the pressure hits, the knee-jerk reaction is to slash the maintenance budget. But Ed and Alvaro are here to tell you why that's a trap that can lead to even costlier failures.

Episode Highlights:

• Machine Health as an Energy Lever: Why jumping from 50% to 60% efficiency is the "gift that keeps on giving" for your energy bill and your P&L.

• The 15% Fallacy: Why relying on traditional preventive maintenance misses the 85% of failure modes that aren't time-based.

• How to Speak CFO: Why pitching an 8x ROI and inventory reduction gets you the signature you need while technical talk just makes their eyes glaze over.

Mentioned in this episode:
State of Production Health

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Ed and Alvaro are back with their year-end crystal ball episode…and boy, they nailed some predictions while completely whiffing on others!

In this episode, they score their 2025 predictions (spoiler: sustainability was a BIG RED failure ❌), breaking down the 20 episodes that shaped Season 2, and going out on a limb with their 2026 forecasts.

Here's what they covered:

• Prediction scorecard - the good, the bad, and the ugly

• Why everyone's talking about AI, but still fighting fires in their plants

• The "silver tsunami" that's changing everything

• Why trades are suddenly sexier than tech jobs

• Geopolitical chaos and what it means for your supply chain

• Bold (and possibly foolish) 2026 predictions

Got predictions of your own? Drop them in the comments!

Mentioned in this episode:
AI and ROI: Translating Time Saved to Business Gains
Chain Reaction 2025: Chief Supply Chain Officer Insights

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