New SME CEO Bob Willig Looks at What’s Ahead for Manufacturing and SME

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a major challenge for the manufacturing industry and its professional associations. In this episode, Alan Rooks, editor in chief of Manufacturing Engineering magazine and Brett Brune, editor in chief of Smart Manufacturing magazine, talk with Bob Willig, who joined SME as CEO on January 1 as executive director and CEO. Among other topics, Willig comments on why he joined SME; what the industry should expect out of SME post-pandemic; the outlook for manufacturing; areas of opportunity for SME; aspects of smart manufacturing that interest him; and how manufacturers in general and SME in particular can target the workforce skills gap.