Kia Motors supplier Adient introduced high-performance teams at its factory in West Point, Ga., in 2017 and has since lowered costs, improved quality and delivery, and gone 526 days without recordable safety-related incidents. "We as leaders can sit here and say how everything in the plant should operate, but without the live workers on the floor buying in the process, it's useless," says operations manager Steve Perdue.

Ford Motor announced plans to build an autonomous-vehicle plant in Michigan as part of its $900 million investment in vehicle manufacturing in the state. The new plant will incorporate commercial-grade hybrid vehicles with autonomous-driving technology to produce autonomous vehicles.

T&S Brass & Bronze Works in Travelers Rest, S.C., is always finding new ways to grow and improve, even though it already ships 89% of orders within 24 hours with minimal inventory. The company's optimizations include using an LED projector to remind employees about forklift traffic, regular employee rotations to prevent ergonomic injuries and the adoption of ISO 9001:2015 certification.

Increased connectivity on the shop floor leaves manufacturers more vulnerable to cyberattacks, says Deloitte partner Sean Peasley. "All of a sudden, I've got 12,000 pipeline sensors that are on my network, and I need to treat them as I would any other device" in terms of security, says Matt Watchinski of Cisco-owned Talos.

If companies are going to invest enough money to adequately defend against cyberthreats, chief information security officers need to approach boards with a clear picture of the risks they are taking if they don't have tight security in place. In meetings, anticipate questions, be transparent about existing vulnerabilities and focus on the potential business impacts of investments in security, as well as the potential risks of inaction.

A variety of automation and robotic-assist technologies are helping warehouses become more efficient and respond to a shortage of human labor, says Adam Kline of Manhattan Associates. Robots provide an extra challenge because they are mobile and can get in the way of humans, he notes.

BP executives meet regularly with younger employees for insights on technology and dealing with change. Bernard Looney, BP's upstream CEO, regularly meets with 26-year-old petrophysicist Connor Tann, with both employees benefiting from the different perspective.

The automotive industry is male-dominated, but has opportunities for women who can push past the challenges, learn and listen, and work hard, says Ginger Butz of Morey. "If there's a working team, we need to make sure we're taking leadership roles," she says.