Smart Manufacturing Mindset™

Part 1 of this special two-part series explored the journey of the Lighthouse factories. We looked at how global leaders from Foxconn, Johnson & Johnson, Schneider Electric, Unilever, and Western Digital navigated culture, scale, technology, and legacy challenges to reach world-class digital maturity.

Now, in Part 2, we go deeper.

This episode shifts from the “what happened” to the “what it takes.” Our Lighthouse guests share their most important lessons learned, the mistakes that shaped their thinking, and the practical advice they would give any manufacturer beginning or accelera...

What happens when a select group of World Economic Forum Lighthouse factories from Foxconn Industrial Internet, Schneider Electric, Western Digital and Unilever share the same (virtual) stage? 

Their leaders unpack the cultural mindset, data architecture, and change‑management moves they all swear by, then reveal how industry, scale, and legacy constraints steer each site down a unique path of technology and rollout.
·      Common DNA: Universal principles every Lighthouse follows
·      Productive Differences: Industry‑specific twists that keep innovation fresh
·      Transferable Takeaways: What any manufacturer can adopt today—and w...

Explore how today’s leading technology providers are shaping the future of Smart Manufacturing. This episode brings together leaders of some of the world’s great manufacturing technology providers, aligned around one critical goal: driving openness and interoperability to strengthen the U.S.’ manufacturing competitiveness.

🎙️ What to Expect:
We’ll hear from three distinct categories of technology leaders, all of whom are active CESMII members:

🔹 Established Market Leaders in control and information systems, with decades of experience in industrial automation.

🎙️ Cyril Perducat, SVP & Chief Technology Officer, Rockwell Automation
🎙️ Andre Marino, SVP Industrial Automation Busi...

What happens when you're responsible not just for transformation, but for making the numbers—every quarter, without excuse? In this episode, we sit down with operations leaders who carry the P&L and explore how they lead transformation without sacrificing performance.

Hear from:
🎙️ Courtney Andersen, Vice President of Supply Chain at General Mills
🎙️ Jim Beilstein, Vice President, Global Operations & Supply Chain at Owens Corning
🎙️ Audrey St.Onge, President & CEO of N.A Baking Business at Lallemand

© 2025 CESMII - The Smart Manufacturing Institute, A Program in UCLA, 520 Portola Plaza, MS 5308 – Box 95155, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1557, USA,

In our first episode, we’re tackling one of the most critical factors for success: leadership—not just to set the vision, but to execute it effectively and sustain it over time. 

Hosted by Jeff Winter, Smart Manufacturing Advisor at CESMII, this episode features industry experts who have led real transformation, sharing their insights on what separates leaders who drive lasting change from those who struggle to move the needle.

Whether you’re a seasoned executive or an emerging leader, this episode will challenge your thinking and give you the strategies you need to lead with im...

Hear from local manufacturers who are taking ownership for building their digital capabilities and developing their own strategic Smart Manufacturing roadmap - with a little help from their friends.

Join leaders from two northeast Ohio manufacturers and the NxGen Group as they share insights on their journeys, working within the safe space provided by Manufacturing Works, leveraging invaluable guidance from their facilitators, and learning the roadmap tools provided by CESMII, the national institute on Smart Manufacturing.

Explore what they’ve learned in engaging their organization, addressing key barriers and desired outcomes, and building a successful pl...

Smart Manufacturing and Industry 4.0 are driving the digital transformation of industrial processes. This digital transformation enables enhanced productivity, real-time data and analytics, flexibility and customization, optimized supply networks, energy efficiency and sustainability, and improved workforce development. Barriers to the realization of these goals include the legacy of lacking integration of automation operational technology (OT) and enterprise information technology (IT).
Academic organizations have a key role to play in realizing the SM vision. Not only in the research and development of technology but also in the education of the workforce in digital technologies and techniques for manufacturing. However, academic...

Discover how the Smart Manufacturing Executive Council is setting a strategic course to rejuvenate U.S. manufacturing and regain global competitiveness. This council, comprised entirely of manufacturers, recently documented their point-of-view on the promises Smart Manufacturing holds for each manufacturer and their collective impact on the U.S. economy.

Our panelists will dive into the industry-wide playbook being developed by the Council, explore the critical need for an inclusive approach that makes Smart Manufacturing accessible to all, and discuss the role of AI, cybersecurity, and other advanced technologies in shaping a resilient and prosperous manufacturing future.
<...

Join the team from Andersen Corporation as they share insights on building a strategic Smart Manufacturing Roadmap with the CESMII Acceleration Framework.

Discover how Andersen took ownership of the entire process from conception to execution and results-with tools provided by CESMII and invaluable guidance from the NxGen Group.

We'll explore Andersen's journey in engaging their organization, addressing key barriers and desired outcomes, and building a successful plan everyone supports. Equally as important, we'll dig deeper into this story as a proof-point of CESMII's commitment to educating the entire manufacturing ecosystem through the Acceleration Framework methodologies. <...

Twelve semiconductor fab operators are forging a new business model for AI-enabled smart manufacturing based on the sharing and aggregation of data across companies for mutual benefit.

Join us for this months CESMII Smart Manufacturing Mindset™ episode to hear from one of those operator-company leaders and a coordinating group from National Science Foundation (NSF)*, UCLA, and CESMII bringing perspectives on federal plans for advanced manufacturing, Smart Manufacturing, and CESMII’s data and modeling support capabilities.

Speakers include:
🎙️ Sthitie Bom, Vice President, Seagate Technology
🎙️ Jim Davis, UCLA Vice Provost Emeritus, CESMII Program Oversight & Principal Investigator

In this digital transformation era, the manufacturing landscape is rapidly evolving, offering unprecedented opportunities for growth and innovation. However, many manufacturers are grappling with the challenge of where to begin their journey toward Smart Manufacturing, how to prioritize investments, and how to build a solid foundation for success.

Fortunately, CESMII, the Smart Manufacturing Institute, has teamed up with the team at Rensselaer at Work & NxGen Group to develop the SM Roadmap Professional Certification Course – a course that teaches CESMII’s strategic approach to developing SM Roadmaps with the necessary tools to guide manufacturers through their transformation journey.
...

This week, CESMII hosted our first (Virtual & FREE) Smart Manufacturing Architecture & Technologies Workshop – a deep dive into the fundamentals of interoperability, modern OT/IT-friendly platform architectures, open specifications, and interfaces enabled by information models, data standards/standardization, the importance of a graph database, the global standards landscape for Smart Manufacturing.
 
With an impressive turnout of over 425 registrants and over 300 attendees during the live event, we were truly overwhelmed by the level of interest, enthusiastic engagement, and the wealth of thought-provoking questions that surfaced throughout the 7-hour Workshop. 

As a result of this remarkable response, we have...

How do Industry 4.0 digital and physical technologies enhance lean manufacturing?

What are some of the benefits of digital lean - and common pitfalls that practitioners should avoid? How do you even get started on implementing these practices?

Join us on January 30th at 1:00PM EST to explore proven strategies and ways to accelerate your Digital Lean journey.

🎙️ Tim Stuart, President @ Visual Decisions Inc
🎙️ Anthony Kanoff, Process Excellence Manager @ Phoenix Contact
🎙️ Conrad Leiva, VP of WF & Ecosystem Development @ CESMII
🎙️ Mike Yost, Host

© 2025 CESMII - The Smart Manufacturing Institute, A Program in UCLA, 520...

🌟 CESMII Celebration: Holiday Cheer, and Year-End Reflections Live Event! 🌟

As the year comes to a close, it's time to reflect on the milestones, achievements, and shared learnings that have defined 2023. Join some of the CESMII team who will take you on a journey through the accomplishments and breakthroughs of the past year. From innovative projects to collaborative endeavors, we'll share the highlights that have shaped our collective Smart Manufacturing successes in 2023.

© 2025 CESMII - The Smart Manufacturing Institute, A Program in UCLA, 520 Portola Plaza, MS 5308 – Box 95155, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1557, USA, (888) 720-8096

CESMII announced our involvement in the International Manufacturing-X (IM-X) Council a few short weeks ago. Join us for this Smart Manufacturing Mindset podcast to learn more about the IM-X Council, its role in connecting global supply chains, and how CESMII and its ecosystem can help shape a smarter, more interconnected future in manufacturing.

Panelists:
🎙️ John Dyck, CEO at CESMII
🎙️ Matthias Bölke, Vice President Strategy Industrial Automation at Schneider Electric & Steering Committee Member at Plattform Industrie 4.0
🎙️ Mike Tomasco, Vice President Digital Manufacturing, AI, Operational Excellence at Pfizer

Join series host Mike Yost and the rest of...

Since the 1970’s, organizations have been digging separate distinct trenches for Operations and Information Technology systems (OT and IT) – and those trenches have grown into canyons. One of the most powerful promises of Industry 4.0 technology is that the technology itself is no longer a barrier to these 2 worlds co-existing efficiently.

There is a major barrier, though – the people who operate today’s OT & IT infrastructure who are often paralyzed by the fear of the unknown and layers of historical confusion.  Leaders must embrace the concepts that Industry 4.0 and Smart Manufacturing offer to deliver solutions that enable their stakehold...

After 5 episodes of our series, it’s now time to talk about your role in defining your smart manufacturing-enabled future. CESMII’s Acceleration Framework is being rolled out nationally, empowering manufacturers to clearly identify and articulate their business priorities and align short and long-term roadmap projects to build their digital capabilities.
In this next LinkedIn Live event, we’ll talk with early adopters of the Acceleration Framework - manufacturers who are taking charge of developing their own understanding of the role, value, and fit of smart manufacturing for their business. We’ll talk with their coaches and nonprofit partners...

Join us as we dig into the age-old principles and practices of Continuous Improvement looking through the lens of modern, Smart Manufacturing thinking. Do Smart Manufacturing and CI belong together? Can they coexist? Or, conversely, can one truly exist without the other?

In this next installment of our Smart Manufacturing Mindset podcast series, we’ll unpack the role of Smart Manufacturing practices and technologies in underpinning the core tenants of Lean, 6-Sigma, and Digital Manufacturing. We’ll explore how data-driven strategies are transforming manufacturing by enhancing the essential role of people in driving progress, and offer invaluable insi...

Join us as we explore a new way of thinking about AI, looking to harness its full potential and unlock unprecedented opportunities for manufacturers. We’ll explore how to optimize production processes, enhance quality, streamline supply chains, and drive overall operational excellence. Furthermore, we’ll examine the possibilities of human-AI collaboration, emphasizing AI as a collaborative partner to leverage its capabilities to augment human decision-making, enhance productivity, and foster innovation.

Whether you are a seasoned manufacturing professional or an AI enthusiast, this event offers an opportunity to gain valuable insights into the future of manufacturing. Discover how the...

Episode 3:
Are you ready to adopt a Smart Manufacturing Mindset™ and revolutionize your approach to sustainable manufacturing?

The US EPA makes a compelling case that sustainable business practices not only bring substantial financial benefits but also contribute to a safer environment, improved employee well-being, and enhanced product safety.

But, how many companies know what to measure, what the opportunities for savings and improvements are, or how to get started? You can bet our panelists do!

Don't miss this exclusive opportunity to gain valuable insights from industry pioneers who have successfully leveraged Smart Ma...

Episode 2:
Join us to Think Differently about IT/OT Convergence and learn from the past while embracing the future - with your people, your business, and your tech.

Hear from:
🎙️ Jonathan Wise, VP of Technology, CESMII
🎙️ Brent Mehringer, Solution Artitect, Flexware Innovation
🎙️ Craig Egan, Chief Engineer, ACE Technologies - Manufacturing IOT
🎙️ Series Host: Mike Yost

Hear about: 
✅ Challenges adopting and successfully scaling 4.0
✅ Architectural ideas and approaches for the future
✅ Why the information model is an essential prerequisite for any I4.0 effort
✅ How to harness and apply the skills of the next genera...

Episode 01:
We're excited to announce our new, monthly series Smart Manufacturing Mindset™, presented by CESMII & SME, where we challenge guests to think differently about manufacturing. We'll explore the nuances that hide in plain sight – behind the acronyms, techno-jargon and misinformation – to get to the truths that hold real value for real people in the industry.

Our 1st episode explores what a world-class mindset in Smart Manufacturing looks like, how to elevate it to par with Quality/Safety as organizational pillars & how impactful leadership buy-in is on its success.

Guests include:
🎙️ Audrey St.Onge | President a...