Episodes

Friday Jul 19, 2024
Tips To Get Your Motor Running
Friday Jul 19, 2024
Friday Jul 19, 2024
Readers ask questions about their motors and our expert responds.
Proper troubleshooting is important. Here are a few questions that were posed to our motors expert, Tom Bishop, over the years.
Bishop is a senior technical support specialist with the Electrical Apparatus Service Association (EASA). He joined the EASA staff in 2002 with over 30 years of hands-on engineering experience at electrical machinery manufacturing and apparatus service firms. He has a BS in Electrical Engineering and is a licensed professional engineer.
Read by Editor-in-Chief Traci Purdum.

Friday Jul 12, 2024
Fixing Fixation Problems in the Chemical Industry
Friday Jul 12, 2024
Friday Jul 12, 2024
This cognitive bias has operators clinging to beliefs despite contrary evidence.
In this episode, we discuss fixation, also known as confirmation bias or tunnel vision. It’s a cognitive bias in which people cling to beliefs despite contrary evidence. Dave Strobhar and Traci Purdum discuss how fixation can be problematic in industrial settings, citing examples like the Yom Kippur War and the Three Mile Island incident. Dave offers strategies to combat fixation, including the two-strike rule, testing hypotheses, shift changes, maintaining situational awareness, and fostering open team communication.

Friday Jul 05, 2024
How to Write Engineering Reports Right
Friday Jul 05, 2024
Friday Jul 05, 2024
Focus on clarity in an engineering report. While such reports fall into several types — cost estimates, engineering calculations, proposals and studies (e.g., related to laboratory work or calibration, failures and inspections, or optimization) — all benefit from a clear discussion and conclusion. Sometimes this requires flexibility to stray from a company’s set format.
This ICYMI episode revisits a column from contributing editor Dirk Willard. You can read the column here: https://www.chemicalprocessing.com/asset-management/economics/article/11297512/write-engineering-reports-right-chemical-processing
Read by Editor-in-Chief Traci Purdum.

Friday Jun 28, 2024
Friday Jun 28, 2024
Distilled News examines the top three stories trending on chemicalprocessing.com. Hosted by Jonathan Katz, executive editor of Chemical Processing.
- Safety Lessons from the Great Molasses Flood of 1919
- Regulatory Burdens, Barbie and Taylor Swift Impact the Chemical Industry
- EPA Tightens Grip on Toxic Chemicals, Industry Feels the Heat

Friday Jun 21, 2024
Friday Jun 21, 2024
Hackers are targeting manufacturing to leverage intellectual property for big money. In a recent episode of Automation Chat, from Chemical Processing's sister publication The Journal from Rockwell Automation, Theresa Houck, executive editor and host of Automation Chat, digs deep into a study regarding advancing digital transformation in a time of unprecedented cybersecurity risk.
If you’re not already a subscriber to Automation Chat, you can subscribe to it here:

Friday Jun 14, 2024
Operator Training Do’s and Don’ts
Friday Jun 14, 2024
Friday Jun 14, 2024
Operator training hasn’t really changed in the past 50 years, relying heavily on on-the-job training with experienced operators as instructors. However, these operators often lack formal training in teaching methods and techniques. In this episode, we highlight the potential benefits of simulation-based training and the use of dedicated trainers, as well as the advantages of a five-crew rotation system that allows for dedicated training time. We also stress that facilities should focus on sending their trainers to "train the trainer" courses to improve the quality of their training programs and incorporate best practices from other industries, such as aviation and healthcare.

Friday Jun 07, 2024
Management: Keep Cool When Thawing Projects
Friday Jun 07, 2024
Friday Jun 07, 2024
In this ICYMI episode Amanda Joshi, managing editor, reads a column from Dirk Willard on project management.
Filed and forgotten, that’s the fate of too many proposals I’ve had to work on. Usually, they relate to somebody’s pet project, an itch that production wanted to scratch, or a worthwhile concept that proved uneconomic. I’m kept busy for a week or two developing the scope, estimating the cost and laying out the schedule. Then, when eyes pop over the price, the project is entombed in a folder.
However, every so often, a need appears, funding is found, and the fun begins. The situation can become intense where regulators are involved or a project suddenly becomes crucial to the company.
You can read the full column here, which was posted to ChemicalProcessing.com on May 24, 2021

Friday May 31, 2024
Friday May 31, 2024
In this episode, Jonathan Katz, executive editor of Chemical Processing, talks about the top stories in May 2024. We learn that you can’t fight climate change without chemistry, the rise of biological drugs is driving explosive growth in the single-use technologies and In an era where decarbonization and digitalization are increasingly recognized as pivotal forces shaping industries, the chemical sector stands at a critical junction.

Friday May 24, 2024
8 Accidental Discoveries that Advanced the Chemical Industry
Friday May 24, 2024
Friday May 24, 2024
Bob Ross isn’t the only one to have happy accidents.
Accidental discoveries have significantly advanced the chemical industry and led to numerous groundbreaking innovations. These serendipitous findings have often paved the way for the development of new materials, processes and applications that have had a profound impact on various sectors.

Friday May 17, 2024
A Better Way To Zero In On Chemical Ingredients
Friday May 17, 2024
Friday May 17, 2024
Time is critical when tracking down hazardous substances. Whether it’s trying to mitigate safety incidents before they happen, comply with applicable safety and environmental regulations, or gather all the pertinent information during an emergency involving a chemical spill, fire or natural disaster, having an efficient way to trace every ingredient is paramount.
However, many chemical product names tell you nothing about the ingredients they contain. You need ingredient-level visibility of hazardous chemicals to not only keep your employees and surrounding community safe but also meet many regulatory requirements and everyday safety management obligations.