FactoryOps Exchange

Today’s episode features Max Perilstein, founder of Sole Source Consultants and a leading voice in the glass and glazing industry. With more than 30 years of experience across family-run operations and national manufacturers, and as the creator of the  From the Fabricator  blog and podcast, Max brings a clear view of what it takes to run and modernize complex operations. He shares lessons from an...

Today’s episode features Jeff McNabb, Associate Director of Supply Chain at Myers Industries and a leader whose career spans the U.S. Navy to Fortune 100 manufacturers. Jeff shares lessons from pacing change, aligning teams with the X-Matrix framework, and using AI and automation in ways that actually stick. He also talks about how leading with empathy, clarity, and persistence has helped his team...

Today’s episode features David Ariens, founder of The IT/OT Insider and a leading voice helping manufacturers bridge the gap between information technology and operations. David shares how to cut through buzzwords to build real data foundations, what a unified namespace actually means in practice, and why the key to AI-enabled manufacturing isn’t more tools—it’s clarity, connection, and starting w...

Today’s episode features Don Wiseman, CEO of Teknor Apex and a 38-year veteran of plastics and specialty chemicals. Don shares how to build followership, why people are the only durable advantage, and how his team is using digitization to raise standards, reduce variation, and recognize great work — all while leading with consistency, care, and the speed today’s factories demand.

Today’s episode features Juan Carlos Alonso, Chief Strategy Officer and Executive Committee member at Bekaert. Over the course of this conversation, he shares how he unlocked 15–20 % energy savings across Bekaert’s 80 global plants by rethinking orthodox assumptions, breaking down silos, and empowering cross-functional teams – and how that experience crystallized his philosophy for how strategy mu...

Today’s episode features Norman Goco, Senior Manager – Operations at ATI Materials, where he helps lead complex manufacturing environments serving critical industries. Drawing on his experience driving change on the factory floor, Norman shares what truly sets great manufacturing operations leaders apart, how to bring new technology into plants in a way that sticks, and how to win over even the to...

Today’s episode features Haley White, Managing Director at Madison Industries and formerly in senior leadership positions at several other companies. Drawing on her experience leading plants and scaling teams, Haley shares how clarity and connection can transform culture on the factory floor. She explains why making goals unmistakably clear unlocks ownership, how simple frameworks drive consistenc...

Today’s episode features Gunter Beitinger, Senior Vice President at Siemens and author of Crisp Manufacturing. With 25 years of experience leading on the shop floor and driving global digital transformation, Gunter shares guiding principles for leadership in uncertain times. He explains how slowing down and observing deeply can turn challenges into opportunities, why explainable AI is essential to...

Today's episode features Bob Buttermore, Chief Supply Chain Officer at Rockwell Automation. Bob shared lessons from leading through five years of unprecedented disruption, rethinking what resilience really means in supply chains today, and offering concrete examples of how to build the “factory of the future.” He also discussed how to introduce AI and automation in ways that deliver results wh...

Today's episode features Christopher Sass, a quality manager for a Pennsylvania based manufacturer. Chris shared his unconventional path into manufacturing, how he learned to tackle improvement one chunk at a time, and how he shifted his mindset to become the kind of leader others want to follow. Whether you're deep in factory operations or just beginning your journey, this episode is full...

This podcast is all about celebrating the incredible people behind world-class operations. If you care about operations, about making things better every day, and about learning from people who’ve truly been there—this show is for you. We’ve got a lineup of amazing guests coming up. So follow  FactoryOps Exchange  —and join us as we learn from the people moving manufacturing forward.