On this episode, ACMA consultant Andrew Pokelwaldt joins me to discuss technologies that are driving Industry 4.0.

Industry 4.0 is often referred to as the fourth industrial revolution and it represents a seismic shift in the way manufacturing and production processes are managed.

With the advent of smart factories, the integration of cyber-physical systems, the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), and artificial intelligence, we are witnessing unprecedented levels of automation and data exchange in manufacturing technologies.

We’ll also be featuring a previous interview with Brian Fitzgerald of Augury discussing how A.I. is revolutionizing the manufacturing industry with its ability to predict machine and equipment failure, enhancing efficiency and reducing downtime costs.

On this episode, Xuan Song, PhD joins me to discuss his research in additive manufacturing. Dr. Song is an Associate Professor and James A. Chisman Faculty Fellow in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at the University of Iowa.

His research focuses on studying how material forming processes found in nature can be leveraged to enable sustainable, ultra-low-temperature additive manufacturing (AM) of novel ceramics and composites. He is a recipient of multiple awards including the NSF CAREER award in 2023, the AFOSR Young Investigator award in 2024, the SME Outstanding Young Manufacturing Engineer award in 2022, and the College of Engineering Early Career Faculty Excellence award at UIowa in 2023.

He received his bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Wuhan University, master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Zhejiang University, and PhD degree in Industrial Engineering from the University of Southern California.

https://am.lab.uiowa.edu/personnel/xuan-song.

On this episode Jesse Henry, CEO of Heartland joins us to share some recent news. Chemovator, the business incubator of BASF, has successfully finalized an investment in their company. Heartland is a material science company that provides manufacturers with a sustainable source of additives like fillers, reinforcements, & mineral extenders to enhance products they already make. They work with local farmers to produce natural fiber materials, enabling manufacturers to create more sustainable products.

With this investment funding, Heartland becomes Chemovator’s first portfolio company in North America. Jesse will be sharing an update on Heartland, and what this investment means for their company moving forward.