Manufacturing Talks

Send us Fan Mail This week we've got a solo effort by our host, Jim Vinoski. He's going over the basics of an article from a year ago last September by Brian Potter with the same title as our episode. Jim discusses the decline of American shipbuilding, highlighting that the U.S. now holds only 0.3% of global shipbuilding capacity, producing about five ships annually, while China produces...

Send us Fan Mail Nick Reinhart has a good chunk of the answer. Nick founded Kreate, which makes toolboxes and storage totes for Home Depot, and a whole lot more. Nick  discussed his company's rapid growth in plastic injection molding in the U.S. since 2018. Kreate operates four facilities with 110 machines, employing 600 associates, and has an exclusive partnership with Home Depot. The compan...

Send us Fan Mail Across the industrial world, everybody is TALKING about autonomy and AI-enabled production. What most people are actually DOING, meanwhile, is scratching their heads over how the heck to use all the data they already gather. That's where Oleksandr Khimiak from Advisource AB and their Factory Cortex service come in. What a treat to chat with Oleksandr and talk honestly about w...

Send us Fan Mail What great fun this episode was! Jay Dekmar, founder of Lok Grips, had us out to his Wyoming, Michigan, shop to record right on the factory floor and hear all about how he founded his business and what he's got going on. Jay shared his journey from a tool and die apprentice to owning a successful pistol grip manufacturing business. Initially, he faced challenges in the job sh...

Send us Fan Mail When aren't you in cost-cutting mode in manufacturing? "Never" is indeed the right answer. But is all cost-cutting effective? "No" is the right answer. But Chuck Deise is here to help with that. Chuck, from EFESO Management Consultants, joined us to discuss strategies for sustainable cost-cutting in your industrial business. He highlighted a survey EFESO d...

Send us Fan Mail It was great to have Mush Khan join us for his second appearance! Mush, co-founder and CEO of Alchemy Industrial, leads a team of talented and passionate people who are dedicated to building a domestic manufacturing industry. This time around, he discussed Alchemy's focus on reshoring battery energy storage systems for commercial and industrial customers, avoiding residential...

Send us Fan Mail One thing that's critical in reindustrializing America is teaching our youth about building their own companies. But according to Dave Goerlich, we aren't always doing the greatest job at that. Dave is co-founder and CEO of The Refinery, a software development firm specializing in manufacturing. He joined us to discuss the importance of entrepreneurship education. He cri...

Send us Fan Mail Why are five of the biggest American defense contractors neck-deep in divisive, destructive diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices? Dustin DeVito had a great article about that recently (link at the bottom), and he joined us to discuss just why that needs to change, pronto. Hint: it's not just about DEI. Dustin, director of research at the 1792 Exchange, discussed t...

Send us Fan Mail What I love about this episode is how Tony Gunn utterly, shamelessly shatters the myth of perfection. Tony is a prominent advocate for manufacturing, and he shared his diverse and challenging journey from a troubled high school student to a leading voice in the industry. He discussed his early struggles, including dropping out of high school and being kicked out of multiple univer...

Send us Fan Mail Software runs the world these days, and the machining world is no different. And the biggest name in software there is Mastercam, so it was educational to have Russ Bukowski as our guest for this episode. Russ, president of Mastercam, discussed the integral role of software in modern machining and Mastercam's mission to solve manufacturing challenges. He highlighted Mastercam...

Send us Fan Mail The money game when it comes to funding your industrial business just got a bit easier. Scott Peper, founder and CEO of Mobilization Funding, joined us to discuss his journey from sales in the medical device industry to founding Mobilization Funding, which provides working capital loans to manufacturers and commercial contractors. Scott highlighted the importance of understanding...

Send us Fan Mail Talk about a vital subject! Our host Jim Vinoski interviews Brent Sadler, a retired US Navy Captain and senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation, about the sorry state of American shipbuilding and the US Navy's needs. Sadler highlights the US Navy's shortage of ships, emphasizing the need for 575 ships to counter threats from China and Russia. He discusses the d...

Send us Fan Mail It's always a treat to hear from folks who are building new American manufacturing businesses. So chatting with Michael Goerlich, who makes gun holsters just outside of Cleveland, was great fun. Michael, owner of Raven Concealment Systems and president of Threshold Strategic Consulting, discussed his journey from a failed college student to a successful manufacturer. He detai...

Send us Fan Mail Man, this one was so much fun! I had one of my new favorite authors ever, Zach Hanson, join me to discuss ideas on closing the skilled trades gap from a very personal point of view. Zach is the author of "The Trade Gap," about his journey from a white-collar tech job to learning trades in rural Idaho. Zach discusses the societal push for college over trades, his personal...

Send us Fan Mail Jim Vinoski hosts Mike Becker in the aftermath of the assassination of Charlie Kirk to set the example that people with opposing views can address their differences rationally and respectfully. Mike, a consultant at Becker Quality Improvements, shares his background in food safety and continuous improvement, highlighting issues like cost pressures and inadequate sanitation practic...

Send us Fan Mail What a great show it made to have as our guest the one and only Scott MacKenzie, manufacturing advocate and industry commentator extraordinaire! Scott is managing director of Industrial Talk Media, and he shared his journey from starting an industrial maintenance company to launching a media platform. He emphasized the importance of storytelling in manufacturing and the need to in...

Send us Fan Mail Anyone in industry knows the harsh reality of the skilled trades gap. Every affected business needs to be involved in bringing more of our youth into careers in the trades. Want a great example? That's exactly why we invited Angie Simon, co-founder of the Heavy Metal Summer Experience, and Maria Ford, President of Commercial and Industrial at Stanley Black & Decker, to th...

Send us Fan Mail How can work process automation help your manufacturing team? That's exactly what Filip Aronshtein joined us to talk about. He's co-founder and CEO of Dirac, a company that automates digital work instructions for manufacturers. Dirac's platform generates 3D animated assembly instructions from CAD files, improving efficiency and reducing errors. The company recently...

Send us Fan Mail With factory tech being all the rage in manufacturing these days, it was a treat to get some insights from a global expert. Andre Moreno, Senior Vice President of Industrial Automation at Schneider Electric, joined us to discuss his company's extensive experience and offerings in industrial automation and its focus on power generation, sustainability, and reindustrialization...

Send us Fan Mail Shep Hickey founded Bryzos, a metals trading platform, and he hosts the podcast "Irregardless." Shep shares his journey from steel distribution to digital trade, emphasizing the need for efficient systems and technology. He discusses the importance of team building, focusing on aptitude and adaptability. He highlights the significance of multimedia for business transpare...

Send us Fan Mail Paul Tice, author of *The Race to Zero: How ESG Investing Will Crater the Global Financial System,* recently wrote an article about the Trump administration's plan to do away with the EPA's Obama-era Endangerment Finding that classed CO2 as a pollutant. He joined us to dive into that excellent news as well as other heartening developments regarding regulations in general...

Send us Fan Mail One of the most amazing categories of story out there is where huge tech leaps in manufacturing completely reshape how we make things. That's why this chat with Jim Belosic, founder of SendCutSend, is so riveting. Jim Belosic discussed his journey from graphic design to manufacturing. He highlighted the company's innovative approach, which leverages software to streamlin...

Send us Fan Mail Lawrence Reed, President Emeritus of the Foundation for Economic Education, about his journey and insights on free markets and business policies. Larry credits his father's common sense and anti-communist sentiments for his advocacy of liberty. He discusses his roles at the Mackinac Center and FEE, emphasizing the importance of free market principles and deregulation. Larry h...

Send us Fan Mail It's always a good show when we talk about metal. So it was pure awesome having Merrin Muxlow, who leads partnerships for the Investment Casting Institute, join us to tell us about the world of metal casting. Merrin discusses the importance of investment casting in various industries, including aerospace and heavy machinery, and highlights the need for localized production du...

Send us Fan Mail So, this dude sends me a copy of his book... then pesters me relentlessly to read it. And I'm really glad he did. Jeff Leimbach's *Broken Supply Chains: How Financial Engineering Hollowed American Manufacturing and the Complex Journey to Resilience* absolutely nails the main factors that drove so much of American industry overseas. So it was a treat to have him on the sh...