The Art of the Impossible

Tom Loader joined Multiplex in 2018 as an architect by background. Today, he leads the global contractor’s digital transformation across technology, data, AI, and digital skills. In this episode of The Art of the Impossible, he argues that the grand phrase ‘digital transformation’ hides what’s really a slow, incremental, never-finished process, and that setting that expectation early is one of the most impor...

What does play have to do with design and manufacturing? Everything. In this episode Michelle Lee, Partner and Executive Managing Director at IDEO, reframes play not as a fun distraction but as a discipline: a deliberate practice of curiosity, creativity, and experimentation that has helped global brands crack their hardest problems. Drawing on a career spanning aerospace engineering, the toy industry, and the world’s most in...

In December 2024, Joe Zak acquired Fonda Flexible Manufacturing, a precision sheet-metal fabrication and component manufacturing company. Now leading both Fonda and Zentrypoint, he’s driving both businesses to stay at the cutting edge of design and manufacturing technology.

A key focus for Joe is sustainability. He’s positioning Fonda for B Corp certification, exploring opportunities in climate tech, and balancing st...

Meng Zhu, former blue-chip consultant with IBM, Accenture, and Deloitte, has driven digital transformation for global leaders including Meta, Pfizer, PVH, Hilton, and aerospace innovator Blue Origin. She reveals how Organizational Change Management (OCM), AI, and a people-first strategy can turn ambitious visions into measurable results – from boosting adoption and streamlining processes to significantly cutting rocket engine...

Tom Jarvis, Head of Industrial Design at Kingfisher plc, is exploring how generative AI can reshape product design. Leading a small team of seven UK-based designers, he discovered that pairing AI with CGI creates rapid prototypes for stakeholder feedback – streamlining decisions and accelerating the production of hundreds of products each year.

By iterating designs in Photoshop, Tom’s team has proven that new technol...

As Head of Design at IBM, Phil Gilbert helped over 400,000 employees adopt new workflows by introducing design thinking – shifting focus from products to customers. The result? Faster time to market, reduced costs, and higher employee engagement.

Now Founder of Gilbert Workshop and Managing Partner at Ten X Labs, Phil has spent his career – from start-ups to global enterprises – proving how lasting transformati...

Joanna Cooper, General Manager at Daimler Truck North America, is proving that people-led leadership drives measurable results. Her approach has already delivered more than $13 million in operational efficiency improvements across the organization.

Starting as a Procurement Specialist, Joanna rose through the ranks by embracing digital transformation and leading change with her teams. She grounds her leadership in the ACTIVE fra...

Digital transformation is reshaping the design and manufacturing industry, no matter the speciality. Few know this better than Emma Alexander, Chief of Staff (Engineering) at Relativity Space. 

After starting her career at John Deere, Emma has leveraged her expertise from farm vehicles to aerospace, demonstrating that innovation can be applied across diverse industries.

Emma champions iteration over perfection. Rather than d...

Space exploration is in a constant state of innovation and development. As we advance understanding of it, astronauts are able to go further, and stay longer, in space. An inevitable step in this evolution is to explore how human habitats can exist in space and beyond. 

Sebastian Aristotelis is doing just this. As founder of SAGA, an architectural firm specialising in space architecture, he uses his terrestrial experience i...

The automotive industry thrives on the pursuit of innovation—newer, bigger, and better. Vayve Mobility approaches this demand with a unique vision, focusing on agility and sustainability at the core of its vehicle designs.

With two models currently on the market, Vayve Mobility creates next-generation cars powered by electric charging and solar energy, aligning performance with environmental responsibility. Headquartered i...

Digital transformation is a constantly evolving process, with new technology rapidly entering the fray. Currently, the biggest buzz centres around artificial intelligence (AI), which offers several opportunities – although some can be controversial. 

Riddhi Karambelkar is Head of Manufacturing Engineering at Brompton Bicycle and strives to make AI and humans work together. With the belief that new technology should en...

Druck has taken a very manual industry and turned it into something very digital. The company specialises in highly-configured pressure sensors developed for a range of applications–from nuclear engineering to aerospace. 

Claire Aitchison is Druck’s Executive Operations Leader. During her time at the company, she noticed that many customers needed Druck’s products, but didn’t have the resources or bu...

Yunex Traffic is a global leader in intelligent traffic solutions. The company creates digital options for a previously practical industry, working with highway authorities to improve the function of roads. Its solutions transform cities into places where people can live, work, and move more freely with a better quality of life.

The company maintains a strong focus on sustainability, aiming to reduce emissions in the automotive ...

As consumer products become more plentiful and accessible, it is increasingly difficult to get noticed. However, product consultancies like Zentry Point take away this challenge and provide production advice as well as design expertise.  

Zentrypoint Co-founder, Joe Zak, shares insights from his journey in product design and consultancy, discussing how embracing digital transformation has reshaped both his approach and...

From technical drawings to visual walkthroughs, 3D in design has been a game changer on all levels. 3D visualisation enables more iterative and agile workflows, leading to more straightforward communication with internal and external stakeholders.

In the third episode of season three, we explore the move from 2D to 3D with Ted Page, Head of Digital Design at Nijhuis Saur Industries We delve into the challenges, potential blocker...

Most people would assume that a transition to 3D and digital design is more about productivity and efficiency but for some businesses, the added objective of achieving greater sustainability triumphs profit. 

Sustainability through innovation is at the core of the Swedish battery manufacturer Northvolt. They have taken digital transformation a step further by innovating across the entire business infrastructure. Not only do...

Change can seem daunting even to the most experienced of managers. Anticipation and effective communication is key to ensuring the successful delivery of a digital transformation project. From leveraging efficiencies to mediating resistance, having a solid plan and a change management strategy can mark the difference between success and failure. 

Jude McCann, Innovation Manager at Rathbane Group, looks back on the transitio...

Artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming the next frontier of digital transformation. From automating processes to writing code and increasing productivity, the use cases for AI are as versatile as the companies that utilise them.

But it’s also one of the most hotly contested topics: how can companies in the D&M sector harness its power? Which processes lend themselves best to automation? How does it affect the job ...