A brief work stoppage among Canadian rail companies grabbed significant attention from our IndustryWeek manufacturing community this past week, augmented by technology initiatives around automation, artificial intelligence and sustainability.
Please enjoy this week's Weekly Reads, which shares the most-viewed content on IndustryWeek.com over the past seven days.
Productivity Is the Ultimate Test for Automation: The most successful initiatives today focus not on cost-cutting but on optimizing production with operators fluent in the technology.
So That Happened: Seriously Employers, Just Talk to Your People! IndustryWeek editors cover that story and why no one seems to be using AI right, popular ways to ingest nicotine and several developments in the battery world.
Canada Rail Employees Ordered Back to Work: The Teamsters union said it would comply with the ruling but that it would also file an appeal in federal court.
Work Stoppage Explainer: Strikes vs. Lockouts: What to know to understand the Canadian railway labor disputes and others.
Major Canadian Rail Companies Lock Out Over 9,000 Unionized Employees: The shutdown will likely transfer a portion of the railway freight to trucking’s spot market.
Optimizing People: Continuous Improvement for Leader Talent: At IndustryWeek's Operations Leadership Summit in June, GE Healthcare's Sarah Tilkens discusses how to coach and improve executive performance in the manufacturing world.
What’s the Best Way to Bring AI Into Engineering? Not all use cases are created equal.
Supply Chain Leaders Need a New Playbook, Focusing on Risk: Climate change, geopolitical risks, transportation disruptions and material shortages have made ‘normal’ obsolete.
7 Lessons for Sustainability Leaders from Failed Digital Initiatives: One high-level business undertaking holds teachings for another.
Ford Delays Tennessee Truck, Ditches Plan For Three-Row Electric SUV: “Amplified pricing pressures” on EVs contribute to new spending and launch timelines that include an electric commercial van to be built in Ohio.
