Connected Shopfloor

No primeiro episódio da 3.ª temporada do Connected Shopfloor Podcast, conversamos com Pedro Pinto, CEO e fundador da Padrão Determinado, para explorar os bastidores da gestão industrial num dos setores mais competitivos e tradicionais do país: o têxtil. Com uma formação sólida em Gestão de Empresas e um percurso com forte pendor financeiro, Pedro traz uma visão analítica e pragmática à liderança de uma fábrica têxtil sediada em Marco de Canaveses.A conversa mergulha na sua jornada profissional, desde o desafio de erguer uma fábrica do zero — num ecossistema hiper-competitivo — até à transição de "homem dos números" a líder que gere equipas com objetivos antagónicos, equilibrando a visão comercial, o volume de produção, a precisão da qualidade e a margem financeira.Ao longo do episódio, Pedro partilha perspetivas valiosas sobre o impacto real da tecnologia no chão de fábrica. Debate de forma honesta se a Inteligência Artificial, a visão artificial para deteção de defeitos e os algoritmos de corte são otimizações reais com ROI mensurável ou apenas conceitos teóricos. O episódio aborda ainda o combate aos desperdícios visíveis e invisíveis, a gestão da falta de mão de obra qualificada e as exigências da concorrência global, desde as metas de sustentabilidade até ao desafio iminente do Passaporte Digital do Produto na União Europeia.📌 Timestamps00:10 - Do zero ao têxtil: criar uma fábrica num mercado tradicional05:20 - Gestão de equipas e resolução de conflitos entre departamentos10:01 - Produção e amostras no Têxtil17:08 - Digitalização e desafios no chão de fábrica20:16 - Mão de obra vs. Tecnologia24:03 - Day One Shopfloor25:11 - Onde se perde dinheiro na fábrica e o valor invisível da poupança26:42 - Posicionamento global, sustentabilidade e o Passaporte Digital do Produto28:13 - A evolução do fundador: da execução à delegação32:32 - Desligar da fábricaGostaste deste episódio? 🎧Deixa o teu gosto e subscreve o podcast para não perderes os próximos episódios sobre a transformação do chão de fábrica!Descobre mais sobre a proGrow em: www.progrow.aiQueres falar coma nossa equipa? Manda um email para [email protected]

In the 14th and last episode of the Connected Shopfloor Podcast, we sit down with Laurens van den Berg, Chief Operations Officer at Läderach, to explore the high-stakes world of luxury chocolate manufacturing. With a background that spans electromechanical engineering, global management, and an INSEAD MBA, Laurens brings a uniquely analytical perspective to one of the world’s most coveted Swiss chocolate brands.The conversation dives deep into his professional journey, from his early career steps in heavy production at Barry Callebaut across Indonesia, France, and Belgium, to his current role managing a fully vertically integrated supply chain that controls everything from the cocoa bean to the retail counter across more than 260 global boutiques.Throughout the episode, Laurens shares invaluable insights into the daily realities of global operations. He breaks down the "chocolate butterfly effect"—how a minor shipping delay in West Africa can directly impact a customer walking into a boutique in Zurich—and discusses the delicate balance between high-tech automation and preserving the handcrafted soul of a family business founded in 1962.From bridging the communication gap between shopfloor engineers and boardroom executives to managing cultural shock absorbers when leading diverse international teams, this conversation is a masterclass in operational excellence. Laurens also tackles the future of the industry, sharing his take on next-generation talent, real-time data integration, and whether trends like lab-grown cocoa are actual future realities or just industry hype.

Nuno Silva joins us on the Connected Shopfloor podcast to break down the strategies behind managing a global industrial group with seven distinct business units. He explains why management principles are universal and why technical expertise matters less than accountability, rigor and a deep obsession with client delivery.We explore the concept of structural resilience and how diversifying into sectors like mining and naval operations provides the necessary breathing room to survive automotive market volatility. Nuno also reveals his approach to the shopfloor, emphasizing that a leader must feel the raw reality of production to truly understand the business.From the challenges of localized management in Brazil and Mexico to the strategic shift required to compete with China through precision instead of price, this conversation offers a masterclass in industrial leadership. We conclude with a forward-looking discussion on how to attract new talent by making the industry emotionally engaging and how AI will augment human judgment without replacing the essential intuition that defines successful managers.

In this episode of the Connected Shopfloor Podcast, we welcome Robert Moak, a veteran who truly understands the meaning of "command and control" in both a literal and industrial sense. Bob spent 22 years in the US Navy before transitioning into the trenches of manufacturing, bringing a unique perspective on leadership, discipline, and the high-stakes reality of shopfloor operations.The conversation dives deep into the "hard truths" of industrial management, starting with a provocative comparison: Is managing a ship's crew the same as managing a production line? Bob shares his journey from the structured hierarchy of the Navy, where rules are absolute and responsibility can land you in jail, to the complex, often messy world of civilian manufacturing where respect must be earned, not just commanded.As the episode unfolds, Marco and Bob tackle the critical gaps in modern production. They discuss the "lies" of perfect OEE figures, the vital (and often neglected) ritual of the Shift Handover, and Bob's battle-tested strategy for neutralizing "Bad Actors", those persistent equipment failures that drain a plant's profitability. This episode is a masterclass in operational accountability. It concludes with a forward-looking reflection on AI and Industry 4.0, questioning if we are losing our human curiosity to the machines we build.

In this episode, Marco Tschan sits down with Júlio Leite, Operations Manager at WEDRONE, a company that is redefining the intersection of tradition and innovation. Established in 2020 as an R&D powerhouse, WEDRONE made waves in 2022 by acquiring a legacy firm with 70 years of aluminum die-casting expertise.Julio brings a fascinating "full-circle" perspective to the table: from starting his career as a machine operator in his father’s shop and teaching informatics, to holding leadership roles at global giants like Lear Corporation, Coindu, and Molaflex.We dive deep into the WEDRONE story and how a modern R&D-focused company is breathing new digital life into 70 years of die-casting know-how while navigating the high-stakes "gold standard" pressure of supplying Porsche, VW, and Bentley, where non-quality costs are measured in tens of thousands of Euros per minute. Julio shares the reality of their digital transformation, moving from paper and fax to 60+ IoT devices and computer vision on the path toward AI-driven root cause analysis. We also explore the human factor of manufacturing, discussing why Julio spends his day on the shop floor instead of behind a desk and how he uses "Birthday Coffee" meetings to build a culture of trust.Whether you're interested in the technicalities of one-piece flow in aluminum machining or the leadership philosophy of a man who values white wine as much as industrial efficiency, this episode is packed with veteran insights.