What you'll learn on this episode of Machinery Minutes:

• Retaining a cybersecurity expert in advance can help with negotiating a ransom payment, recovering lost data and getting a business up and running after an attack.

• Jason Sears, second-generation owner of Dri-Air Industries, learned the business from his Hall of Fame father, Charlie. He has pushed the company’s technology forward.

• Manufacturers surveyed by Wipfli after the second quarter were glum. Profitability is flat and capacity utilization is down. Some better news is that quoting activity is up and employment levels are steady.

On this episode of PMM Insight, Editor Ron Shinn and Senior Reporter Karen Hanna discuss cybersecurity:

• Any given company has a 50-50 chance of being hacked, and manufacturing companies are among the most commonly targeted.  

• Small companies are as much at risk as bigger companies.

• It is important to always segregate IT systems from operational technology systems.

These are the stories you will hear on this Machinery Minutes podcast episode:

• Peter Gardner, president of LS Mtron Injection Molding Machine USA, is retiring. During his tenure, the South Korean machinery manufacturer’s share of the North American market has risen from a negligible amount to an estimated 10 percent.

• Artificial intelligence has brought manufacturing to the threshold of another revolution and offers remarkable advantages for blow molding, according to Eric Simmons, chair of the SPE Blow Molding Division.

• U.S. companies have a 50-50 chance of being hacked in the next year and costs of an attack can be enormous. But there are steps to shore up defenses and companies that can help safeguard you.