Manufacturing Masters Podcast

COCKTAIL FOR STRESS -Putting a business bow on 2024 -Family gatherings and politics -Gifts -Weather/Shorter Days -Over eating/drinking -Preparing for a new year You feeling it too? 🥹 In this episode of the Manufacturing Masters Podcast, Alison DeFord is joined by our resident expert, Lalith Gunaratne. He’s an engineer, serial entrepreneur, educator, parent, and mindfulness expert and one of our m...

Vision, mission, and values…how do they become more than just words on a poster hanging in the lunch room? Mindful leadership…that’s how! Living those values daily. And not just the leadership team, but everyone in the company. A high performance company requires a high performance culture. This starts at the top and it begins with awareness. In this episode of the Manufacturing Masters Podcast, A...

The absolute sexiest and most interesting topic to dip into is HR and compliance…no? But wait, it can be, especially when it’s laid out in a compelling way and it helps you steer clear of litigation and a bad rep! In this episode of the Manufacturing Masters Podcast, Allison DeFord dives in headfirst with our resident expert, Gayle Wadden, co-founder at Compliance Works. In a brisk 30 minutes, you...

Would it surprise you to know that the #1 constant in manufacturing is CHALLENGES? With every sale, employee, season, and SKU. You can’t stop them from coming. But you can lead differently to transform those challenges into changes that move your team and your business forward. In this EXTENDED CUT episode, Allison DeFord goes 90° below zero with prolific storyteller, speaker, and leadership exper...

According to Deloitte, manufacturing is looking at 1.9 million jobs that will go unfilled by 2033. Unless we do something about it now! Manufacturing Day is October 4th…a day when manufacturers open their doors to share with local communities and students the crucial role manufacturing serves in the economy, as well as the important and rewarding jobs it provide. In this episode of the Manufacturi...

Isn’t automation all about the robots? NO. It’s so much more. And, it’s the way to get more done with less effort. The average company can improve efficiency by more than 30%. Without adding people. So, why aren’t we taking advantage of this? Tune in to this episode of the Manufacturing Masters Podcast with Allison DeFord and “The Automation Guy”, Wilton Rogers III, founder of Simply Automate and...

So many of you are interested in learning how to build a culture of problem solvers! (Head scratch here…2 questions come to mind) 1) Where do you start? 2) Can you buy a course or a GUIDE and do it on your own or do you need to hire someone to help? In this episode of the Manufacturing Masters Podcast, Allison DeFord gets LEAN and mean with our resident expert, Chad Metcalf, Founder and President...

Would it surprise you to know that the majority of manufacturing sales people haven’t been formally trained in sales? Or that many sales people avoid the close because they don’t know how. And, that your C and D customers are actually happier with you than your A customers. 🤯 These are common sales problems and the good news is that they’re all fixable. No SMOKE AND MIRRORS required! On this epis...

Do you ever feel like you’re the leader or manager who regularly shows up with their hair on fire? 🔥 Or unable to focus because that monkey brain of yours is bouncing all over the place? Daily stress gets the best of all of us and how we deal with can be the difference between soaring success or dismal failure. Stress and emotional drain affects our bodies too. And, it seeps into relationships bo...

As Good to Great author Jim Collins suggests, “𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚛𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚜 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚋𝚞𝚒𝚕𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊 𝚐𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚝 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚙𝚊𝚗𝚢 𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝟷% 𝚟𝚒𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝟿𝟿% 𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚗𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝.” And, alignment requires a good strategy. (Followed by buy-in and execution.) This can feel like a tall order! 💯 Good news for you, Manufacturing Masters expert Monte Pedersen, Principal of the CDA Group LLC, joins Allison DeFord in this episode of the Manufacturing Maste...

If you’re attempts at marketing your business feel more like throwing spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks OR throwing good money after bad and still not sure it’s worth it… THIS is the episode for you! It’s time to stop being the best-kept secret (right CurtAnderson?!) or wasting money on marketing that doesn’t grow sales and your business in a sustainable way! Allison DeFord is flying solo t...

You know all that equipment you’d like to buy, employees you’d like to hire and train, or major software purchase you’ve been putting off… What if we told you there are MILLIONS of 💰💰💰 available to help you pay for all of it?! As in, State, Federal, and other grant money and all you have to do is apply. TRUTH: First you have to find the grants and then follow their instructions to the letter an...

“All those people out on the shop floor…just don’t want to work OR all they do is make mistakes.” Ever uttered either of these out loud or under your breath? BUT. WAIT. (Symptom of a deeper problem here) What is management getting wrong about the shop floor? In this episode of the Manufacturing Masters Podcast, Allison DeFord and resident expert, founder of TheCryslerClub, and podcast host of Ever...

If you hear the words PR or Public Relations and you automatically picture the press room at the White House and some catastrophic news, you’re not alone. The good news for manufacturers is that Industrial Public Relations is NOT THAT! In this episode of the Manufacturing Masters Podcast, Allison DeFord sits down with Rob Felber, resident expert, founder of Felber PR & Marketing, and veteran f...

If implementing an ERP system is so great, why don’t people end up using it? As in the adoption rate can be as low as 20%. What the? There’s no one better to shed some light on this hot topic than our resident expert Sam Gupta, CEO and founder of ElevatIQ. With decades of experience, he and @Allison DeFord talk: - Trade off’s in ERP implementation - When and when not to use “Back-flushing” - Effec...

Are you comfortable knowing that you’re leaving money on the table? Didn’t think so! Especially when you’re TIME TO VALUE could start in as little as 3 short months…hello ROI! In this episode of the Manufacturing Masters Podcast, Allison DeFord and resident expert Sam Klaidman (Founder of @Middlesex Consulting) dive into: - HOW TO build a strong aftermarket department - HOW TO hire the right Field...

What percentage of your distributor network would you say is HIGH PERFORMING? 1) 20% 2) 10% 3) 1-2% If your answer is 2 o 3, THIS episode is for you! Allison DeFord is joined by our expert Tom Paul, founder of BAM, and they’re serving up the 3 Ways to get more out of your dealer network. As in, transforming order-takers into consultative experts. 🙌🏻 JUST LIKE THAT! Tune in and see if you relate...

Manufacturers should stop wasting money on trade shows! And, instead, start getting a bigger bang for your trade show buck by adopting a better strategy before, during, and after the show. In this episode of the Manufacturing Masters Podcast, Allison DeFord is pulling back the curtain on her proven trade show strategy for manufacturers to help you increase your ROI, engage with potential customers...

Getting your staff involved in innovation is the fastest way to save money, improve efficiency, and boost your bottomline! (And, bonus, elevate your recruiting efforts) You might be thinking, “Sure, but it’s easier said than done.” Don’t worry, we’ve got you! 👊🏼 For over a decade, Bill Padnos, founder of CTSG Strategies, has had the privilege of visiting more than 100 manufacturing companies. In...

What do world class maintenance, continuous improvement, YOU, and Manufacturing Masters have in common? The Queen of world class maintenance, of course. Kim Wolf of Kim Wolf Coaching. Her expertise spans decades and for companies like Campbell’s and McCormicks. You get a 30-minute masterclass with her in this episode where she and Allison DeFord dive into turning your maintenance person into a pla...

Normally you could down two Advil and a gallon of water. Or, maybe a little “hair of the dog” to cure that nasty hangover. But, a COVID hangover is a different beast. And, we’re talking about the symptoms that have surfaced as a result of the last three years of a global pandemic that rocked the manufacturing world. In this episode of the Manufacturing Masters Podcast, Allison DeFord and Rich Sade...

I’d like a SPAM-alotta! 🍹 (Said no one ever) So why are so many manufacturers still defaulting to cold calling and spammy outreach tactics to generate sales leads? Would you agree that salespeople in general tend to be tremendous verbal communicators and excel at interpersonal relationships? 💯 They have a high degree of emotional intelligence, and they can read social cues. They don’t, however,...

It’s easy to default to PRICE when you consider tooling improvements. As in, that quote is staring you in the face and you’ve got to approve a PO and you’re total focus is on the $$$ signs instead of the true cost. What do we mean by this? Before you ok that P.O., take a minute out of your day and learn from a self-proclaimed BORN PROBLEM SOLVER who isn’t afraid to get uncomfortable to achieve the...

What’s your average RPM? As in day to day year over year, how fast are you going? At mock ten and always fire fighting? What if you could downshift, have less stress, and still get to where you’re going, faster?! 💯 As in, dealing with tomorrow’s problems today! That’s what we’re talking about in this episode of the Manufacturing Masters Podcast with our resident expert, Kelland Sewall from rPM3 C...

Pretty sure you’ll agree that talent can make or break your bottom line! 💯 If you want to win the war on talent, you’ve got to do something different than you’ve always done. Focus on hiring veterans! Why? 🎖 Veterans aren’t the silver bullet, but they’re an important part of a purposeful strategy 🎖Veterans often become your highest performing leaders 🎖Veterans are easy to train and highly adaptab...