Making Chips Podcast for Manufacturing Leaders

Titan Gilroy wanted to create a platform where aspiring machinists could hone their skills, share their work, and connect with leaders in the industry to get hired. So he launched CNC Expert. You can share projects, get hired (or hire someone), receive free training to get certifications, and  much more .  CNC Expert certifications are based on real-world skills and aren't just a piece of paper. B...

Lights out manufacturing isn't only a large topic of conversation but it's also the way of the future. Shops around the world are embracing automation. Are you? If you haven't become part of the automation conversation, don't miss our first lights-out-focused episode with Special guest Titan Gilroy. He shares how automation has progressed, the mindset you need to embrace to be successful, and how...

Steve Burkett has been in global aerospace manufacturing for 30 years. One year ago, he bought a well-established local shop and is now the President and CEO of  Auto-Turn Manufacturing . Steve transitioned from being a big MFG leader to a small MFG owner. In this episode of MakingChips, Steve covers the good, bad, and the ugly of the transition.  Is  he MakingChips?  Is  he MakingMoney? There's o...

Ken Parent keeps it  real . Ken launched  Parent Manufacturing  in 2020 in the midst of the Covid pandemic. Navigating running a small shop and providing for his family hasn't been an easy road. Instead of shying away from the reality of entrepreneurism, Ken shares the good, the bad, and the ugly on LinkedIn. The response has been  overwhelming .  In this episode of MakingChips, we chat with Ken a...

Did you know that we all operate from one of  three  root motivations? The majority of the decisions we make are because we're striving for respect, value, or approval. When you know your root motivations as a leader—and in turn learn your team's—it can help you  become a better leader . Dennis Humphrey Ph. D. LCPC joins us in this episode of MakingChips to share how to narrow down your root motiv...

What is the greatest show on manufacturing Earth? IMTS. Every two years, the International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS) draws manufacturers from around the world to Chicago for six days. IMTS not only makes a huge impact on the economy in Chicago but also on the manufacturing industry.  Peter Eelman —the Chief Experience Officer at AMT— joins us in this episode of MakingChips to share just...

I'm Mike Payne, the President and Owner of Hill Manufacturing & Fabrication and the first guest host for MakingChips Seasons. When I first bought my company, I had to take on many of the HR functions.  Enter Thrive PEO : Jon Scoggins came into the picture and took a lot off my plate.  So in this episode of MakingChips, Jon joins us to share what a PEO is and how it can not only benefit manufacturi...

Where have we been? Where are we now? Where are we going? These three questions are a simple way to structure how we communicate the vision for our company. But to reach the goals we've outlined in our vision, we need a plan. And then we need to work the plan.  During our upcoming annual sales summit, I've asked my sales teams to create growth roadmaps for their goals and objectives. In this episo...

We know that 2023 is going to be a challenge. After all, a recession is being purposefully orchestrated. The Fed is trying to curb inflation. And truthfully, recessions are a normal part of the economic cycle. Will a recession negatively impact the manufacturing industry? Or will we be left untouched? Will a recession actually lead to new opportunities for the metalworking nation? In this episode...

Reflecting on the past and learning from it helps shape our future decisions as leaders—both personally and professionally. I've worked in my family business for 25 years and recently spent some time reflecting on what I've learned.  So in this episode of MakingChips, I share 10 things I've learned during my time at ZENGERS. You need to learn and grow alongside your team. If they aren't learning a...

As a manufacturing leader, one of the most important things you can do is hire the right people. As I've been working through the recruiting process, I started to realize that it  closely parallels  the sales process. And if you excel as a salesperson, you'll find it easier to recruit than you think. In this episode of MakingChips, we talk about recruitment in manufacturing. Because if you can't b...

This is a good time of year to start thinking about your sales pipeline and hunting for new business. Prospecting is one of the most important things you can do to grow your business—but it's also something that  everyone  hates—even salespeople. So what is the concept of "Fanatical" prospecting? How do you bite the bullet and get started? We share some tips in this episode of MakingChips. Because...

Are you conducting performance reviews in your business? Have you found a way to structure them to be useful? In this episode of MakingChips, Jason and I talk about how we structure our performance reviews, why we do them consistently, and why they  matter . Your teams  need  to be performing at a high level. Why? If they're not achieving their goals, they're not MakingChips, and if they're not Ma...

ChatGPT is a chatbot that is making waves in artificial intelligence. It's not your typical chatbot that produces canned robotic answers. So in this episode of MakingChips, we put ChatGPT to the test. We asked the bot five questions about manufacturing and its answers will surprise you. Plus, we share how this AI can be useful to the manufacturing nation. Because if you're not taking advantage of...

Are you looking for a way to give back to your local community? We started MakingChips as a way to serve the manufacturing nation with no strings attached. Mike Payne—the President of  Hill Manufacturing & Fabrication —found a unique way to do just that. He and his team started fostering dogs last year as a way to give back to their community. How has it gone? How has it also benefited his team? W...

It's official: Jim Carr is leaving MakingChips. He's stepping back to take more time to focus on Carr Machine & Tool. Jim has been an integral part of the success of MakingChips. So in this episode, I'll share six things I've learned from Jim that are impactful in both business and  life. We'll sure miss our banter, but we'll keep MakingChips, because if we aren't MakingChips, we aren't making mon...

In this special episode of MakingChips, we are taking my journey with MakingChips full circle by recording a follow-up episode to our  very first episode , " Social Media in Manufacturing ," which aired in December 2014. This episode will cover why we still care about social media in manufacturing and what platforms you should leverage. Because if you aren't leveraging social media, then you aren'...

Have you read the book, " Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win " by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin? The book talks about the mindset of Navy SEALs and how the techniques they employ in and out of combat can be embraced by leadership. So in this episode of MakingChips, we break down some of the facets of extreme leadership and share how they're applicable to the manufacturing nation. B...

When do you ask customers to pay their invoices?  How  do you ask your customers to pay their invoice(s)? Collecting on a debt that's owed is an art and a science. You have to be careful so you don't lose a customer. In this episode of MakingChips, we cover a recent frustrating situation I dealt with that should have been handled differently—because they just might lose me as a customer. Don't mis...

We believe that there are three components to running a great manufacturing company:  People ,  process , and  performance . And properly managing each of these areas will drive the success of your business. In this episode of MakingChips, we moderate a panel at the CV Manufacturing Conference with special guests Mike Allison and Ryan Howard. We cover everything from finding and retaining top tale...

Do you struggle to sleep at night? Do you lay in bed and think about work and show up in the morning exhausted? Guess what—sleepy leaders are NOT better leaders. I'm going to share why I think that and how manufacturing leaders can get higher-quality shut-eye in this episode of MakingChips. Because if you're not getting enough sleep, it's like being drunk on the job. And if you're drunk, you're ce...

I met Jamie and Lee Marzilli at ProShop ERP's happy hour event while we were at IMTS 2022. When I heard how they founded and grew a machine shop as a married couple, I knew we needed to have them as guests on MakingChips. So in this episode, Jamie and Lee share their background in machining and how they built Marzilli Machine from the ground up. Don't miss hearing about their grassroots success st...

Kelsey Heikoop and Paul Van Metre met in an entry-level engineering class. They hit it off right away—while simultaneously falling in love with machining. Once they graduated college, they started their own machine shop. How did that lead to founding ProShop ERP? They share the ProShop ERP origin story—full of overcoming challenges to reach success—in this episode of MakingChips!  Segments [2:17]...

How do you make an industry event a worthy investment for your business? Can you prepare ahead of time to see an ROI? What should you  avoid  doing when you're attending an event? In this episode of MakingChips—with IMTS fresh on our minds—we talk about the dos and don'ts for industry events. You have to be strategic because if you're not making chips, you're not making money. BAM! – Nick Segments...

I believe if you find your passion you will have a successful and fruitful career. I didn't realize what my true passions were until later in life. In this episode of MakingChips, each of us will break down and share with the metalworking nation what we are passionate about. Because if you're not passionate about what you're doing, you're not living to your full potential. And if you're not happy...