John Dyck | Digital Thread Podcast | Momenta

Deep Dive CESMII

In this week's episode, Ken Forster speaks with John Dyck, CEO of the Clean Energy Smart Manufacturing Innovation Institute or CESMII, a public-private partnership committed to transforming the US manufacturing market and increasing global competitiveness through the application of smart manufacturing technologies and workforce development both in manufacturing operations and in the supply chain.

John is known globally as a domain expert on technology and business management in the Nexus, which often separates it from operations. For the past ten years, he has been at the vanguard of how innovations like Cloud and the Industrial Internet of Things impact manufacturing, pioneering the application of these technologies, including several patents in a wide range of manufacturing industries and supply chains and companies such as GE and Rockwell.

The Society of Manufacturing and Engineering recognized John in 2020 as one of the 30 leaders transforming manufacturing in the USA. John is the immediate-past chairman of MESA International's (Manufacturing Enterprise Solutions Association) Board of Directors. He holds a degree in Electronics Engineering from Conestoga College. 

Discussion Points:

• What would you consider to be your 'Digital Thread'?
• How do you define smart manufacturing?
• What is the role of CESMII?
• During a panel discussion at the World Economic Forum, Rockwell Automation CEO Blake Moret used the term "Shoring" to refer to resilience as a key global trend. To what extent do you see the same pattern?
• We often hear about the labor shortage is a key challenge in 'shoring' decisions. What other considerations are driving such decisions?
• How much are you seeing ESG factors, like those advocated in the EU Industry 5.0 initiative, driving a change in manufacturing operations?
• You've been at the intersection of IT and OT for more than a decade, what are some of the key trends and technologies you are following that support smart manufacturing?
• The traditional OT vendors are now facing a new set of IT entrants: the so-called ‘hyper-scalers’: AWS, Google, and Microsoft. Do you see a power shift coming?
• Along the same lines, every industry has its digital disruptors – such as Tesla for automobiles or SpaceX for space travel. So, what happens when Elon Musk focuses on industrial automation?
• In closing, what are you reading or watching these days?