This analysis examined 3,182 episodes from 101 manufacturing podcasts during 2025, comparing trends to 2024's 2,768 episodes.
Topic Growth: 2024 vs 2025
The research identified significant year-over-year increases in podcast coverage:
| Topic | 2024 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reshoring and Made in USA | 46 | 108 | +135% |
| Supply chain | 453 | 715 | +58% |
| Sustainability | 452 | 694 | +54% |
| Digital transformation | 521 | 692 | +33% |
| Workforce and talent | 941 | 1,239 | +32% |
| AI and automation | 1,995 | 2,510 | +26% |
Most-Discussed Topics by Podcast Coverage
Measuring by podcast breadth rather than episode volume:
| Topic | Podcasts | % of Shows | Episodes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leadership and strategy | 74 | 73% | 1,582 |
| AI and automation | 67 | 66% | 1,207 |
| Workforce and talent | 65 | 64% | 930 |
| Quality and compliance | 61 | 60% | 645 |
| Sustainability and ESG | 61 | 60% | 485 |
| Supply chain | 59 | 58% | 667 |
| Lean and operational excellence | 56 | 55% | 671 |
| Digital transformation | 47 | 47% | 386 |
| ERP/MES systems | 33 | 33% | 159 |
| Reshoring and Made in USA | 28 | 28% | 108 |
Contributing Factors
The analysis attributes growth patterns to external pressures:
- Tariffs driving reshoring interest (+135%)
- Regulatory requirements like the EU's CSRD pushing sustainability content (+54%)
- Workforce retirements affecting 1.8 million manufacturing positions (+32%)
Most-Booked Multi-Podcast Guests
| Guest | Podcasts | Episodes | Sample Shows |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andrew Crowe | 4 | 16 | Making Chips, Manufacturing Culture, Manufacturers Network |
| Jake Hall | 4 | 12 | Manufacturing Marketer, Manufacturing Unscripted, 4.0 Solutions |
| Paul Van Metre | 3 | 20 | Making Chips, Manufacturing Mavericks, Manufacturing Transformed |
| Chris Luecke | 3 | 10 | Making Chips, Manufacturing Hub, Manufacturing Unscripted |
| Meaghan Ziemba | 3 | 10 | Making Chips, Fabricator Podcast, Manufacturing Unscripted |
Top-Rated Manufacturing Podcasts
Shows with 20+ reviews on Apple Podcasts:
| Podcast | Rating | Reviews |
|---|---|---|
| Futurized | 5.0 | 29 |
| The Manufacturing Employer | 5.0 | 27 |
| Within Tolerance | 4.9 | 103 |
| Manufacturing Happy Hour | 4.9 | 102 |
| Being an Engineer | 4.9 | 54 |
| Arc Junkies | 4.8 | 282 |
| Business of Machining | 4.8 | 215 |
| Gemba Academy Podcast | 4.8 | 197 |
Most-Mentioned Companies
| Company | Mentions | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Toyota | 553 | Lean/TPS benchmark |
| FDA | 213 | Pharma/medical manufacturing compliance |
| Amazon | 202 | Supply chain, logistics, automation |
| Siemens | 169 | Industrial automation, PLM |
| Ford | 139 | Auto manufacturing, EV transition |
| Microsoft | 108 | Cloud, AI, enterprise software |
| Tesla | 97 | EV manufacturing, innovation |
Methodology
I used keyword matching and web scraping, not machine learning, to analyze episode titles and descriptions from RSS feeds. Analysis excluded audio transcripts, limiting findings to metadata-level insights.
Notable Limitations
Five podcasts produced 28% of all 2025 episodes, potentially skewing topic metrics. I prioritize podcast breadth over episode counts as the primary indicator.
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