Almost everyone's seen some version of this: You've got a great system in place that's producing measurable improvements, but your company gets a new division head or president or CEO, and some new shiny object becomes the focus.

Ever wanted to ask an implementation person how they handle that? At the IndustryWeek Operations Leadership Summit this summer, an audience member put the question that bluntly to Marty Hallman, director of bearing operations at The Timken Co. Like most of us, Hallman's been through that sort of turmoil, and he explained how Timken keeps going with lean management principles, even when leadership changes.

Joining Hallman was Sam McPherson, president of the Lean Leadership Academy. In addition to talking leadership change, they discussed how to develop leaders internally, how to implement production-improving strategies and how to get the most of the training time they spend with up-and-coming leaders.

In this episode of Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast, Laura Davis, editor-in-chief of New Equipment Digest, sits down with Mark Harris, CEO of HeroWear, to explore the cutting-edge world of exosuits. These innovative wearable devices are changing workplace safety and productivity, particularly in industries where manual material handling is a daily challenge.

Harris shares insights into the development of HeroWear's exosuits, designed to reduce the physical strain on workers' bodies while improving comfort and usability. From addressing age-old back injury problems to boosting productivity and reducing employee turnover, exosuits are proving to be a valuable piece of PPE in the manufacturing and logistics sectors.

Trevor Joelson is an energy and decarbonization service account executive at Trane. Over the past ten years, Trevor has held various roles in corporate energy and sustainability management and has become an expert in the energy markets and how the supply-side of energy connects to the built environment. In his current role, Trevor works with manufacturers to help them establish strategies and programs to meet decarbonization objectives. Trevor recently spoke with Plant Services managing editor Anna Townshend about utilizing electrification as a growing part of your plant’s emissions reduction strategy.