Manufacturing Happy Hour

A lot of manufacturing companies can build insanely complex and intricate things, but far fewer are set up to handle what happens once customers start buying. So, what happens when those products start selling at scale, contracts get longer, and customers get bigger? In this episode, we’re joined by Chris Hale, CEO and Founder at Klear, to uncover a side of manufacturing that often gets overlooked...

Chips are the new oil. And that's not just a catchy line, it's the lens through which national security, supply chain strategy, and trillion-dollar investments are being made right now. With a hundred-plus fabs going up globally and the industry sprinting toward a trillion dollars by 2032, the semiconductor boom isn't coming. It's here. This episode comes to you from SEMICON West 2025 in Phoenix,...

In this episode, Chris sits down with Troy Ellison of Cloacina to talk about what it takes to build infrastructure that works in the real world, not just on paper. Troy explains what membrane bioreactors (MBRs) are in a way that you and I can understand, then pulls back the curtain on why so many systems fail the people who have to run them. A big theme here is end-user experience. Troy makes the...

Industrial robots on a factory floor can be difficult, to say the least. Industrial robots on a concert stage, in front of 20,000 people, on a two-minute setup clock are a whole different challenge. In this episode, we talk with Andy Flesser - computer animator turned “robot animator,” whose work has helped bring robotics into live entertainment and film - about what that kind of pressure does to...

In true Manufacturing Happy Hour style, we head back to Pittsburgh, PA to drink the region's most iconic beer - Iron City - in an iconic Pittsburgh manufacturing facility. We sit down with Alex Gonzalez, Plant Manager at Pittsburgh Brewing Company. Part of our Made Here Series with the Industrial Solutions Network. Mentioned in this episode: Industrial Marketing Summit 2026 The Industrial Marketin...

Reindustrialization isn’t going to be driven by a single mega factory or a headline-grabbing announcement on the coasts. It’s going to be built region by region, by places that already know how to make things and are willing to evolve how they do it. This episode was recorded live at +Venture North in Milwaukee, bringing together investors, founders, and operators to talk candidly about what it re...

Manufacturing leadership is more than just charts, tools, and process maps. It requires people who understand the routines, pressures and drivers within a factory, and how to bring out the best in the people behind it. In this episode, keynote speaker, certified leadership coach and business transformation advisor, Kathy Miller returns to the show to share some ideas from her latest book, MORE is...

A century ago, two cookware companies were born 12 miles apart in Wisconsin. One was bought right after World War II by a door-to-door salesman who converted it back to cookware after it had been repurposed for munitions. Today, those two companies have merged into SynergyOps, a 115-year-old legacy manufacturer with first through fourth generation employees still walking the factory floor. David D...

1 more event in 2025. Dozens of events ahead in 2026. Stay Innovative, Stay Thirsty.

Forget the hyperscalers replacing tens of thousands of jobs. For manufacturers with 20 or 50 employees, AI isn’t about cutting headcount, it’s about finding ways to get ahead when you can’t necessarily afford to scale your team. As Dr Richard Barnhouse, President and CEO of Waukesha County Technical College (WCTC) puts it: figure out the things you hate to do and apply AI to that.  This episo...

Two podcast hosts walk into a recording studio and explore what it actually takes to get real stories out of robotics pioneers, why humanoids might not need to do everything to be useful, and where the real optimism in automation lies. Brian Heater, Managing Editor at A3 and host of the Automated podcast, joins the show to share what he's learned from candid conversations with industry pioneers li...

Robots are becoming more and more mainstream in manufacturing, but most organizations still think of them with sci-fi imagery rather than everyday tools. The gap isn't in the technology, it's in how we prepare people to work alongside it. Jason Gryszkowiec from St. Onge Company and Ben Perlson from ABB Robotics join us to discuss why successful automation deployments focus on making robotics more...

Many manufacturers are taking the wrong approach to artificial intelligence, picking the wrong implementation partners, and in general, not preparing their data effectively. In this interview, Aaron Lober - VP of Marketing at CADDi - is going to share what AI can realistically do for a manufacturing company and how to properly prepare for an AI implementation.

It’s rare to find someone whose career spans 18 years in automotive manufacturing and venture capital, but Charly Mwangi, Partner at Eclipse Ventures, has done exactly that. His journey from the factory floor at Toyota, Nissan, Tesla and Rivian to backing hard tech companies gives him a perspective many VCs don’t have. We sit down with Charly to explore how first principles thinking (questioning a...

Sustainability goals are everywhere in manufacturing; net-zero by 2030, carbon neutral by 2035. While many manufacturers have set ambitious targets, the gap between goals and execution remains a challenge, especially when sustainability projects compete with production priorities for capital. Eric Spink and Shiva Subramanya from Veregy join the show to talk about energy transition and what it look...

What's better than a live podcast? I live podcast AND a factory tour. For today's episode, we dove into Fathom Digital Manufacturing's Hartland, WI facility before a discussion with industry experts.

The automotive industry has come a long way from three-piece suits and mechanical production lines. Twenty-five years ago, manufacturers weren't thinking about EVs, tool changers, or the complexity we see today. Those who weathered 2008 will tell you: when the next downturn comes, it won't be your sales pitch that saves you, it'll be whether you were a true partner to your customers. This episode...

Data centers are popping up all over the country, and for good reason. Capacity is doubling every three to four years, equipment is booked years out, and the race for AI computing power is creating opportunities that didn't exist five years ago. Keith Hutchens from Barry-Wehmiller Design Group joins us to discuss how data centers are driving manufacturing activity across the entire supply chain. H...

Patti Nowak is a business leader in tech with stories so inspiring you’ll want to take notes. In this episode of the Manufacturing Happy Hour, we grab a beer with Patti, Owner of Control+M Solutions, to talk about mid-life entrepreneurship, mentoring women in manufacturing, and what it takes to build a thriving tech business.  Patti started her career in accounting but quickly found her passi...

What does it really take to help manufacturers grow? It’s not just about cutting costs or chasing margins. It’s about understanding how capital really moves through your business. In this episode, we’re sitting down with Erik Skie, Jon Hughes, and Aaron Traut from CLA (CliftonLarsonAllen) for a roundtable chat over beers (in spirit, if not literally). We talk about why profitability is a decision,...

It's been five years since Wendy Covey, CEO and Co-Founder of TREW Marketing, and Joe Sullivan, Founder of Gorilla 76, first joined Manufacturing Happy Hour, back when everyone was scrambling to figure out digital marketing during the pandemic. We sit down with them to explore which marketing fundamentals still deliver results and what new tactics manufacturers can't afford to ignore. The core tru...

This episode is brought to you by RoboBusiness 2025, the preeminent show for learning about the business of robotics and catching up on the latest engineering advancements in the field. Robotics has moved beyond pilots. it’s scaling for real. In this bonus episode of Manufacturing Happy Hour , host Chris Luecke sits down with Sanjay Aggarwal , Partner at F-Prime Capital , to explore the State of R...

It’s been over a year since we’ve talked about cybersecurity on Manufacturing Happy Hour, and with AI changing the game completely, we’re overdue for a refresh. Around 80-85% of the global industry doesn’t have basic defense at the edge of their networks; that’s a sobering statistic. Felipe Sabino Costa, Senior Product Manager for Networking and Cybersecurity at Moxa, joins the show to break down...

Before Silicon Valley, there was Pittsburgh in the early 1900s. Young entrepreneurs with serious capital flocked to the city, creating industries from the ground up. Plate glass. Oil drilling. Vulcanized rubber. Steel processes that would literally build America's skyline.  But today, something incredible is happening in the Steel City again. The same superstructures tower overhead, but below...

Manufacturers know that automation is table stakes in 2025, and yet it’s still a bit of an afterthought for some. You'd think something that can make or break a facility would be everyone’s number one priority. And as you'll hear in this episode, overlooking automation can sometimes have disastrous consequences.   In this episode, we sit down with Cassy Gardner and Chris Schleich from E Tech...