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Welcome to Factory of the Future, E78, 2030s– The Decade of Dark Factories

Join us as we discuss:

- Dark factories & lights-out manufacturing going mainstream

- Skills-based hiring vs. the four-year degree

- Labor shortages driving advanced automation

- Part-time work re-entering the market

And so much more.

Connect with A.W. Schultz

Email: aw@awschultz.org

Personal Website: https://www.awschultz.org/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/awschultz/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@awschultz_Industry5.0/featured

X: https://twitter.com/visual_controls

A.W’s Ted Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKcBb6hGFjk

Connect with Alexandria Burek
Cell Phone: 708-262-2648

Email: alexandria@vigorinvestments.co

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandriaburek1992

Instagram: @unapologeticallyalexandria

Threads: @unapologeticallyalexandria

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Welcome to Factory of the Future, E77, Manufacturing's Future: Why Automation Is No Longer Optional for U.S. Plants

Join us as we discuss:

- Why AI data centers may head to orbit—SpaceX's solar-powered data center test and the Anthropic–SpaceX partnership

- The energy and supply chain squeeze: storage challenges, reshoring momentum, and continued reliance on Chinese minerals for semiconductors and batteries

- Automation as a mandate, not a choice—how labor shortages will force U.S. manufacturers to act, and why leaders should prepare now

- The workforce pivot: certification in automated manufacturing systems as a smarter bet than the traditional four-year degree

And so much more.

Connect with A.W. Schultz

Email: aw@awschultz.org

Personal Website: https://www.awschultz.org/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/awschultz/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@awschultz_Industry5.0/featured

X: https://twitter.com/visual_controls

A.W’s Ted Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKcBb6hGFjk

Connect with Alexandria Burek
Cell Phone: 708-262-2648

Email: alexandria@vigorinvestments.co

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandriaburek1992

Instagram: @unapologeticallyalexandria

Threads: @unapologeticallyalexandria

Send us Fan Mail

Welcome to Factory of the Future, E76, How COVID, Reshoring & AI Reshaped U.S. Manufacturing in the 2020s

Join us as we discuss:

- How COVID-19 exposed supply chain vulnerabilities and triggered a reshoring surge—roughly 360,000 jobs returned to the U.S. by 2022, a 53% jump

- On-the-ground pandemic realities: safety protocols inside plants, plus the personal cost and professional growth that came with working through COVID

- AI's transformative pull on the factory floor—25% of manufacturers eyeing adoption, and the shift from generative to agentic AI

- The workforce question: which jobs AI disrupts (from low-skill service to white-collar legal work) and why partnering with AI is the path forward

And so much more.

Connect with A.W. Schultz

Email: aw@awschultz.org

Personal Website: https://www.awschultz.org/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/awschultz/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@awschultz_Industry5.0/featured

X: https://twitter.com/visual_controls

A.W’s Ted Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKcBb6hGFjk

Connect with Alexandria Burek
Cell Phone: 708-262-2648

Email: alexandria@vigorinvestments.co

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandriaburek1992

Instagram: @unapologeticallyalexandria

Threads: @unapologeticallyalexandria

Send us Fan Mail

Welcome to Factory of the Future, E75, From Food Truck to Robot Barista: How P!ng's Founders Are Automating the Coffee Drive-Through

Join us as we discuss:

- From iRobot and Amazon Robotics to a food truck rush: how Rob's operator experience exposed the drive-thru bottlenecks p!ng now solves

- Hub-and-spoke model: central kitchens serving multiple pods, plus the Cometeer flash-frozen coffee partnership

- Infrastructure and scaling realities—power, water, solar potential, zoning hurdles, and the emerging franchise pipeline

And so much more.

Get in touch with our guest: pingthrou.com

Connect with A.W. Schultz

Email: aw@awschultz.org

Personal Website: https://www.awschultz.org/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/awschultz/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@awschultz_Industry5.0/featured

X: https://twitter.com/visual_controls

A.W’s Ted Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKcBb6hGFjk

Connect with Alexandria Burek
Cell Phone: 708-262-2648

Email: alexandria@vigorinvestments.co

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandriaburek1992

Instagram: @unapologeticallyalexandria

Threads: @unapologeticallyalexandria

Send us Fan Mail

Welcome to Factory of the Future, E74, Grid-Scale Battery Storage: Inside Inlyte Energy's Iron-Sodium Tech

Join us as we discuss:

- Antonio's path from Stanford's Chueh Group and the Activate Fellowship to launching a utility-scale battery company

- How Inlyte's iron-sodium battery uses a ceramic membrane and abundant materials like iron powder and table salt to deliver safer, cheaper grid storage than lithium-ion

- The manufacturing differences between iron-sodium and lithium-ion batteries — and why Inlyte is building a U.S.-based, non-Chinese supply chain with New Mexico as a leading site

- Real-world applications replacing diesel generators for backup power at hospitals and data centers, with major wins on cost and footprint

And so much more.

Get in touch with our guest: antonio@inlyteenergy.com

Connect with A.W. Schultz

Email: aw@awschultz.org

Personal Website: https://www.awschultz.org/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/awschultz/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@awschultz_Industry5.0/featured

X: https://twitter.com/visual_controls

A.W’s Ted Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKcBb6hGFjk

Connect with Alexandria Burek
Cell Phone: 708-262-2648

Email: alexandria@vigorinvestments.co

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandriaburek1992

Instagram: @unapologeticallyalexandria

Threads: @unapologeticallyalexandria

Send us Fan Mail

Welcome to Factory of the Future, E73, Reinventing the Safe: Oscar Hedaya on Building Smart Security with The Space Safe

Join us as we discuss:

- Oscar's "aha moment": why he set out to modernize a product category that hadn't meaningfully evolved in 30 years, and how The Space Safe combines touchscreens, cameras, and connected software

- Inside the build: manufacturing partnerships in Asia, quality control measures, and protecting innovation through utility patents and copyrighted code

- Go-to-market strategy: starting with consumers, then retail, then enterprise — including how the notification system can prevent hotel burglaries and open dual-revenue opportunities

- Founder lessons: surrounding yourself with supportive people, using AI tools for market research, and the wild story of being stranded in a Middle East war zone

And so much more.

Get in touch with our guest: oscar@thespacesafe.com

Connect with A.W. Schultz

Email: aw@awschultz.org

Personal Website: https://www.awschultz.org/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/awschultz/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@awschultz_Industry5.0/featured

X: https://twitter.com/visual_controls

A.W’s Ted Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKcBb6hGFjk

Connect with Alexandria Burek
Cell Phone: 708-262-2648

Email: alexandria@vigorinvestments.co

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandriaburek1992

Instagram: @unapologeticallyalexandria

Threads: @unapologeticallyalexandria

Send us Fan Mail

Welcome to Factory of the Future, E72, Leading with Character Across Cultures: Björn Vikard on Global Manufacturing Spanning 12 Countries

Join us as we discuss:

- Managing unionized operations in India

- Stories of how Björn advocates for women in manufacturing

- Building an industrial park in Sri Lanka from scratch

- The importance of self-awareness and listening skills required for effective leadership

And so much more.

Connect with A.W. Schultz

Email: aw@awschultz.org

Personal Website: https://www.awschultz.org/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/awschultz/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@awschultz_Industry5.0/featured

X: https://twitter.com/visual_controls

A.W’s Ted Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKcBb6hGFjk

Connect with Alexandria Burek
Cell Phone: 708-262-2648

Email: alexandria@vigorinvestments.co

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandriaburek1992

Instagram: @unapologeticallyalexandria

Threads: @unapologeticallyalexandria

Send us Fan Mail

Welcome to Factory of the Future, E71, Unionization Crossroads: Ethical Leadership in Manufacturing

Join us as we discuss:

- Core tension between operational efficiency and protecting workers’ safety and rights

- Two extreme approaches: actively obstructing unionization and fully embracing it

- The “Mediated Ethical Bridge” framework with prioritization on transparency, open dialogue, and proactive workplace improvements

- The smarter long-term play: preparing for unionization rather than fighting it

And so much more.

Connect with A.W. Schultz

Email: aw@awschultz.org

Personal Website: https://www.awschultz.org/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/awschultz/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@awschultz_Industry5.0/featured

X: https://twitter.com/visual_controls

A.W’s Ted Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKcBb6hGFjk

Connect with Alexandria Burek
Cell Phone: 708-262-2648

Email: alexandria@vigorinvestments.co

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandriaburek1992

Instagram: @unapologeticallyalexandria

Threads: @unapologeticallyalexandria