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February 2023

The February 2023 edition of Smart Manufacturing is now available as a digital magazine. Links to individual articles are below.

 

Cybersecurity Smart Factory

As Smart Factory Security Improves… Vigilance is Key

February 14, 2023
Proliferation of cyber threats puts manufacturers at risk
By Karen Haywood Queen Contributing Editor, SME Media
Lawyer Townsend L. Bourne moderates a panel during the Coalition for Government Procurement’s Spring Training Conference in June.

Navigating Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) 2.0

February 9, 2023
DoD steps up cyber safety rules for suppliers
Ilene Wolff
By Ilene Wolff Contributing Editor, SME Media
Wake up, America. According to the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, 90 percent of leading-edge semiconductor manufacturing is now done outside of the U.S., mostly in Asia.

Passing the CHIPS

February 7, 2023
The U.S. government is investing billions into semiconductor research, development, and production. What does it mean for manufacturers?
Kip Hanson
By Kip Hanson Contributing Editor, SME Media
Manufacturing leaders

Cyber Experts Speak

February 13, 2023
The code to a more secure factory
By Karen Haywood Queen Contributing Editor, SME Media

Up Front

  • INDUSTRIES

    China Amplifies Taiwan President’s Opponents

    Michael McConnell April 17, 2026
    China is turning to social media to undermine the independent island’s current ruling party, Reuters said.
  • NEWS DESK

    Schneider Electric Unveils Next-Generation Agentic Manufacturing

    PRESS RELEASE: Schneider Electric April 17, 2026
    Schneider Electric, a global energy technology leader, will spotlight new milestones in its strategic collaboration with Microsoft at Hannover Messe, demonstrating how their combined technologies are enabling manufacturers to modernize operations, accelerate engineering, and strengthen resiliency.
  • MANUFACTURING ENGINEERING

    The Hidden Friction in Automation Integration

    Meaghan Ziemba, Contributing Editor April 16, 2026
    Manufacturers continue to invest in shop-floor automation, but the hardest part of the work rarely starts with choosing a robot, selecting end-of-arm tooling or approving a software platform. Trouble starts when a concept that makes perfect sense in planning is forced to live inside a real factory, where aging equipment, inconsistent inputs, disconnected data, undocumented workarounds and relentless production pressure all shape the outcome. Automation often enters a facility as the answer to a problem, yet implementation has a way of exposing everything that slowed down operations for years.

Passport to Innovation

  • INDUSTRIES

    China Amplifies Taiwan President’s Opponents

    Michael McConnell April 17, 2026
    China is turning to social media to undermine the independent island’s current ruling party, Reuters said.
  • NEWS DESK

    Schneider Electric Unveils Next-Generation Agentic Manufacturing

    PRESS RELEASE: Schneider Electric April 17, 2026
    Schneider Electric, a global energy technology leader, will spotlight new milestones in its strategic collaboration with Microsoft at Hannover Messe, demonstrating how their combined technologies are enabling manufacturers to modernize operations, accelerate engineering, and strengthen resiliency.
  • MANUFACTURING ENGINEERING

    The Hidden Friction in Automation Integration

    Meaghan Ziemba, Contributing Editor April 16, 2026
    Manufacturers continue to invest in shop-floor automation, but the hardest part of the work rarely starts with choosing a robot, selecting end-of-arm tooling or approving a software platform. Trouble starts when a concept that makes perfect sense in planning is forced to live inside a real factory, where aging equipment, inconsistent inputs, disconnected data, undocumented workarounds and relentless production pressure all shape the outcome. Automation often enters a facility as the answer to a problem, yet implementation has a way of exposing everything that slowed down operations for years.

Manufacturing USA Update

  • INDUSTRIES

    China Amplifies Taiwan President’s Opponents

    Michael McConnell April 17, 2026
    China is turning to social media to undermine the independent island’s current ruling party, Reuters said.
  • NEWS DESK

    Schneider Electric Unveils Next-Generation Agentic Manufacturing

    PRESS RELEASE: Schneider Electric April 17, 2026
    Schneider Electric, a global energy technology leader, will spotlight new milestones in its strategic collaboration with Microsoft at Hannover Messe, demonstrating how their combined technologies are enabling manufacturers to modernize operations, accelerate engineering, and strengthen resiliency.
  • MANUFACTURING ENGINEERING

    The Hidden Friction in Automation Integration

    Meaghan Ziemba, Contributing Editor April 16, 2026
    Manufacturers continue to invest in shop-floor automation, but the hardest part of the work rarely starts with choosing a robot, selecting end-of-arm tooling or approving a software platform. Trouble starts when a concept that makes perfect sense in planning is forced to live inside a real factory, where aging equipment, inconsistent inputs, disconnected data, undocumented workarounds and relentless production pressure all shape the outcome. Automation often enters a facility as the answer to a problem, yet implementation has a way of exposing everything that slowed down operations for years.

Field Intelligence

  • INDUSTRIES

    China Amplifies Taiwan President’s Opponents

    Michael McConnell April 17, 2026
    China is turning to social media to undermine the independent island’s current ruling party, Reuters said.
  • NEWS DESK

    Schneider Electric Unveils Next-Generation Agentic Manufacturing

    PRESS RELEASE: Schneider Electric April 17, 2026
    Schneider Electric, a global energy technology leader, will spotlight new milestones in its strategic collaboration with Microsoft at Hannover Messe, demonstrating how their combined technologies are enabling manufacturers to modernize operations, accelerate engineering, and strengthen resiliency.
  • MANUFACTURING ENGINEERING

    The Hidden Friction in Automation Integration

    Meaghan Ziemba, Contributing Editor April 16, 2026
    Manufacturers continue to invest in shop-floor automation, but the hardest part of the work rarely starts with choosing a robot, selecting end-of-arm tooling or approving a software platform. Trouble starts when a concept that makes perfect sense in planning is forced to live inside a real factory, where aging equipment, inconsistent inputs, disconnected data, undocumented workarounds and relentless production pressure all shape the outcome. Automation often enters a facility as the answer to a problem, yet implementation has a way of exposing everything that slowed down operations for years.

Voices AMplified

  • INDUSTRIES

    China Amplifies Taiwan President’s Opponents

    Michael McConnell April 17, 2026
    China is turning to social media to undermine the independent island’s current ruling party, Reuters said.
  • NEWS DESK

    Schneider Electric Unveils Next-Generation Agentic Manufacturing

    PRESS RELEASE: Schneider Electric April 17, 2026
    Schneider Electric, a global energy technology leader, will spotlight new milestones in its strategic collaboration with Microsoft at Hannover Messe, demonstrating how their combined technologies are enabling manufacturers to modernize operations, accelerate engineering, and strengthen resiliency.
  • MANUFACTURING ENGINEERING

    The Hidden Friction in Automation Integration

    Meaghan Ziemba, Contributing Editor April 16, 2026
    Manufacturers continue to invest in shop-floor automation, but the hardest part of the work rarely starts with choosing a robot, selecting end-of-arm tooling or approving a software platform. Trouble starts when a concept that makes perfect sense in planning is forced to live inside a real factory, where aging equipment, inconsistent inputs, disconnected data, undocumented workarounds and relentless production pressure all shape the outcome. Automation often enters a facility as the answer to a problem, yet implementation has a way of exposing everything that slowed down operations for years.