Welcome to another episode of Gen Z in Manufacturing, a podcast where I interview young people about their journeys in manufacturing, how they intend to influence the industry and what they are looking for from an employer.

For this episode, I welcome William Stewart, a 25-year-old Licensed Excellerate Electrician at Faith Technologies Incorporated (FTI).

Stewart is a licensed journeyman in Wisconsin and a graduate of FTI’s apprenticeship program. At the FTI Excellerate facility, Stewart is responsible for electrical assemblies and installations, troubleshooting and maintenance.

Some of his additional key responsibilities include maintaining current licensing and training requirements, ensuring projects are built to specifications, following workplace safety procedures and leading a crew effectively. He also mentors and develops others and participates in hiring referrals.

This week, Mary Ann Bliesner, the 83-year-old former president and primary owner of Valley Processing Inc. (VPI) pleaded guilty to charges related to the manufacture and sale of tainted fruit juice products in violation of federal food safety laws. Bliesner operated a now-shuttered fruit juice facility in Sunnyside, Washington.

During an FDA inspection in May 2018, VPI employees used caution tape to prevent investigators from entering a room at Bliesner's Grape Road Facility in Washington that held concrete storage vats. The workers told FDA investigators that the facility was unsafe to enter and contained no juice or juice products. Not only did that room store juice, but it was often old unsold grape juice concentrate, sometimes held for years in large concrete vats that were not properly covered or cooled, according to the Department of Justice.

Download and listen to the audio version below and click here to subscribe to the Today in Manufacturing podcast.

Digital twins are making an incredible impact on the manufacturing industry. By simulating the factory using real-time data from sensors and other IoT technology, manufacturers can iterate faster during the product design, improve efficiency, forecast potential equipment failures and even help train new workers in virtual environments. And now, one major toothpaste player is testing new products on digital twins of customers, i.e., virtual people.

Download and listen to the audio version below and click here to subscribe to the Today in Manufacturing podcast.