Rapid Fire Manufacturing

When Craig Coyle ran programs at an aerospace composites facility, he discovered a brutal truth: he wasn’t losing skilled technicians to rival manufacturing shops. He was losing them to Amazon and McDonald’s over fifty cents an hour. When people leave a technical trade for a retail job, it is never just about the money. It means the leadership failed to give them a reason to stay. In this episode...

From building custom violins to running a high-tech, 14,000 square foot 5-axis machine shop, Andrew Henry has never taken the conventional path. On this episode of Rapid Fire Manufacturing, we visit Henry Holsters in Spencer, Indiana. Andrew breaks down how he transitioned from classical instrument crafting to manufacturing tactical gear, starting with a small desktop router in 2014 and scaling to...

What happens when your business plan collides with a massive, unexpected opportunity? You throw the script out the window and get to work. In this episode of Rapid Fire Manufacturing, host David Turner sits down with Gavin Giguere, founder and owner of REIGN Manufacturing in Springfield, Massachusetts. Gavin's journey into manufacturing started in his mom's driveway restoring trucks at 13,...

Is the American industrial sector cooling down, or are the mainstream headlines masking a massive capital investment super-cycle? In this episode of Rapid Fire Manufacturing, David Turner sits down with Kevin Bowers, the Vice President of Research at AMT (The Association For Manufacturing Technology), to deconstruct the real economic, operational, and structural forces shaping the modern shop floo...

Everything you touch in your daily life started in a machine shop. If it was not made on a CNC machine, it was likely made in a mold that was. We build the tractors that break the ground for our homes and the gear that keeps first responders safe. Yet, the people powering this engine often act like the best kept secret in the trades. I recently sat down with Matt Dvoracek, the Machine Tool Maniac,...

In 2008, the wheels came off the global economy. Every shop was hurting. Yet, Harold Schoch’s machine tool rebuild business didn’t just survive; they had their best years. How? By refusing to treat customers like transactions. In this episode of Rapid Fire Manufacturing, Dave Turner sits down with Harold Schoch (Board of Directors for Fives North America, former CEO of Cincinnati) at the Schoch Mu...

Johnny Goode did not take the easy path into leadership at MSP. He spent over a decade as a patrol officer, narcotics detective, and SWAT operator before stepping onto the shop floor. He arrived at the family business during a global pandemic when orders were stalling and the team was facing furloughs. As the son of the owner, he knew he had to earn his seat. In this episode, we dive into how John...

In this episode of Rapid Fire Manufacturing, I sit down with Eric Nekich, Business Development Director at Advanced Machine and Engineering. Eric shares his unique story of entering the industry in 2010 after selling building materials at Menards and how he applied that sales grit to the world of modular workholding. We get into the hard truth that you cannot automate an unreliable process. Eric e...

What does it take for a manufacturing company to thrive for over 130 years? In this episode of Rapid Fire Manufacturing, we head to Tylok in Cleveland to sit down with Ryan Bavineau of Davenport Machine, along with Scott Hahl and Julia Wasielewski, to discuss the intersection of industrial history and modern production. Ryan shares the incredible story of Davenport’s roots, from its founding in 18...

In this episode of Rapid Fire Manufacturing, I sit down with Aaron Morrill, the CNC Repairman, to discuss the reality of machine tool service in today’s industry. Aaron grew up in the shop and finished nearly 100 machine installs before he was even 16 years old. We dive into why a failed service call is often a symptom of a larger training problem rather than a technician issue. As I said during t...

Medical manufacturing is about more than machines. It’s about people, trust, and outcomes that change lives. In this episode of Rapid Fire Manufacturing, we sit down with Bradley Emerick at MicroPulse and RMP to talk about growing up in manufacturing, building vertically integrated medical operations, and creating products that restore mobility and improve quality of life. Bradley shares his uniqu...

Medical prototyping is where ideas either stall out or move forward fast. In this episode of Rapid Fire Manufacturing, we sit down with Michael Bowland, owner of B&H Precision Machining, to talk about building a medical focused machine shop centered on prototyping, collaboration, and execution. Michael shares his journey starting in manufacturing at 15, learning the trade from the ground up, a...

Filmed on a real shop floor in the middle of winter, this episode features a raw conversation about manufacturing with machines screaming in the background. The audio has been cleaned up, but the setting is real and unfiltered. You’ll hear a story about growing up in manufacturing, not fully understanding its importance, and later realizing how critical it is to the industrial capacity of the coun...

Starting a machine shop is not freedom. It is sacrifice, responsibility, and learning how to survive before you thrive. In this episode of Rapid Fire Manufacturing, I sit down in Chattanooga, Tennessee with Garrett Wolford , owner and president of Elemental Design and Machinery . Garrett shares what it really takes to start a shop from scratch: Why NDAs force you to build a brand without showing p...

In this episode of Rapid Fire Manufacturing , I sit down with Mark Hillenburg, co-founder of Collective Manufacturing Group. Mark’s manufacturing journey started the hard way. A garage. Manual machines. A Bridgeport mill. Learning firsthand how difficult machining really is. Since then, he’s been a machinist, a CEO, and now a long-term owner focused on building manufacturing businesses meant to la...

In this episode of Rapid Fire Manufacturing, I sit down with Lyndsey Vickers from MTDCNC. We talk about how she went from chasing a media career to learning machine tools up close through cold calling, applications teams, and real shop life. Lyndsey breaks down why the best shop stories always come from people, how to get someone comfortable on camera, and why you cannot overthink content if you w...

In this episode of Rapid Fire Manufacturing, David Turner sits down with Travis Christman , a United States Army veteran who built a remarkable career in the orthopedic manufacturing world. Travis shares how he went from growing up on a small farm to studying secondary education, to serving as an infantryman, to stepping into his first manufacturing role at Sony D A D C working on high speed holog...

In this Rapid Fire Manufacturing episode, Matt Sissom shares the raw and honest story behind Mayhem Machine. He walked away from alcohol in January 2021, stepped into the unknown, and turned a single water jet into one of the most trusted small shops in the Southeast. We talk about: his sobriety journey starting a business during a shutdown surviving eighteen hour days why most machinists avoid wa...

Matt Schron joins Rapid Fire Manufacturing for a powerful conversation on leadership, legacy, and the next chapter of American manufacturing. Jergens began in 1942 with rationed steel and a mission to support the war effort. Today they are shaping the future of workholding, machine tending, and lights out machining. Matt shares his journey as a fourth generation leader, the pressure that comes wit...

In this episode of Rapid Fire Manufacturing , David Turner sits down with Ashley Watkins , Sales and Marketing Manager at JBM Technologies , to talk about what modern leadership in manufacturing really looks like. Ashley grew up in the family business, surrounded by machines, customers, and community. Today she’s using her voice to help more women step into leadership roles, build stronger network...

In this episode of Rapid Fire Manufacturing, David Turner sits down with Tim Ridderbos , Vice President of Circular Business Development at Shapiro Metals , to explore the future of sustainable manufacturing. Tim shares his journey from swinging hammers in construction to leading circular business initiatives that help manufacturers recover materials and drive profit with purpose. He explains how...

keywords manufacturing, workforce development, education, culture, innovation, mentorship, CNC machining, aerospace, medical, robotics summary In this conversation, Ethan Weiss shares his unconventional journey into the manufacturing industry, highlighting the importance of education, workforce development, and the role of culture in training. He discusses the future of manufacturing, including tr...

Billy Ray Taylor shares how he went from engineer to turnaround leader at Goodyear and why real change starts with ownership. We dig into defining winning, marrying KPIs with KPAs, building union trust, and creating simple systems that stick like peer scored 5S and daily visual boards. Billy’s two foot rule, let go without letting loose mindset, and leadership standards show how to lead people wit...

Episode Summary In this Rapid Fire Manufacturing conversation, I sit down with Danny White, owner of DW Machine, to talk about what it takes to build something from the ground up. Danny shares how growing up around a lathe and a bridgeport in his dad’s garage sparked a lifelong curiosity for making things. What started as tinkering turned into a full career in machining built on grit, experimentat...

Jacob Sanchez shares his journey from a reluctant student to a passionate advocate for manufacturing, emphasizing the importance of meeting the next generation where they are and inspiring them through engagement and education. Jacob Sanchez, manufacturing, education, advocacy, next generation Jacob Sanchez's journey from reluctant student to advocate Importance of meeting the next generation...