my TRUE POSITION

Manufacturing owners love to say nobody wants to work overtime anymore. But maybe the better question is: why did we build businesses that depend on it? In this episode, I dig into the new overtime reality facing machine shops and manufacturers. The workforce has changed. People want their nights, weekends, and family time back. But customers still want shorter lead times, faster delivery, and fla...

Chicago has spent billions building the future of manufacturing and logistics — rail yards, airport cargo systems, automation, robotics, smart factories, and advanced equipment. But here's the hard truth: machines don't create capacity by themselves. People do. In this episode, I break down the workforce crisis hiding behind the automation boom. We don't just need more technology — we need the tec...

Most family businesses don't fail because they run out of money. They fail because they run out of leadership, communication, trust, and a real succession plan. In this episode, I break down why some family businesses survive for generations while others collapse the minute the founder steps away. We'll talk about entitlement, founder dependency, hard conversations, next-generation leadership, and...

What if the most valuable business lessons you'll ever learn don't come from a college classroom, a consultant, or an MBA program? Over the last ten years, I've had the privilege of sitting behind a microphone and interviewing hundreds of CEOs, entrepreneurs, shop owners, engineers, and manufacturing leaders. What started as a podcast turned into something far more valuable—a front-row seat to the...

Defense spending is rising. Aerospace production is accelerating. Munitions demand is growing. And behind the scenes, manufacturers are preparing for what could become one of the biggest opportunities in decades. In this episode of My TRUE POSITION, Jim Carr shares what he's seeing firsthand from the front lines of aerospace and defense manufacturing. He discusses why some shops will be positioned...

A young mechanical engineering student named Jake Masters reached out to me on LinkedIn asking for advice before stepping into his family's 70-year-old CNC manufacturing business. That message inspired this episode. In this solo episode of My TRUE POSITION, Jim Carr shares 10 hard-earned lessons about leadership, failure, culture, cash flow, technology, and what it really takes to survive in preci...

In this episode, Jim Carr sits down with Lorin Shamos from First Resonance to break down why traditional ERP and MRP systems are falling behind—and what a modern "Factory Operating System" actually looks like. From real-time scheduling and material planning to execution, traceability, and automation, this conversation dives into how advanced manufacturers are replacing spreadsheets and firefightin...

Not all manufacturing is created equal. Some parts can fail. Others can't. In this episode, Jim Carr sits down with Errick Egeland from The Lee Company to explore what it takes to manufacture miniature, high-reliability fluid control components used in aerospace, medical, defense, and space applications. From precision flow control to extreme repeatability, this conversation dives into the discipl...

Space isn't just about launching satellites anymore—it's about maintaining them, inspecting them, and eventually removing them. In this episode, Jim Carr sits down with Jeff Schloemer from Astroscale to break down the emerging world of in-orbit servicing and space logistics. From satellite inspection and life extension to debris removal and collision prevention, this conversation explores how spac...

Most shops aren't losing money on bad machining—they're losing it on bad execution. In this episode, Jim Carr sits down with Patrick Diggins from Aligned Vision to break down one of the biggest hidden problems in manufacturing: the gap between what engineering designs and what actually gets built on the shop floor. We're talking laser-guided assembly, AI-driven inspection, and real-time digital wo...

What happens when a critical aerospace part disappears—but the mission doesn't? In this episode, Jim sits down with Sam Thevanayagam, CEO of Parts Life and DeVal Lifecycle Support, to unpack the hidden world of DMSMS, reverse engineering, and supply chain failure in aerospace and defense. We're talking about: Rebuilding parts with no data Solving obsolescence when OEMs walk away Keeping mission-cr...

In this continuation of Three Generations, One Exit, we move past the idea of selling and into the reality of doing it. The conversations get tougher, the stakes get higher, and the margin for error gets smaller. We unpack what really happens during the deal process—negotiations, diligence, second-guessing, and the pressure that builds when legacy, money, and identity all collide. This is the phas...

This episode hits home. I sat down with a close friend—a third-generation machine shop owner—who took his family business all the way through a private equity exit. From the outside, it looks like a win… but behind the scenes, it was anything but simple. We get into the real story: the pressure, the complexity, the emotional weight of legacy, and what it actually takes to navigate a deal like this...

Automation didn't fail us—the wrong partner did. In Part 2 of this two-part series, Jim Carr and Ryan Carr finish the story behind a CNC automation retrofit that went off the rails—and get into what really matters: the lessons. This is where they break down what it actually cost, what they would do differently, and how to properly vet an automation company before you hand over your time, money, an...

Automation is supposed to make your shop faster, leaner, and more profitable. But what happens when the company you trust to retrofit your CNC turns out to be the wrong partner? In this episode, Jim Carr sits down with Ryan Carr for the first of many co-hosted conversations on My TRUE POSITION. They unpack the real story behind a CNC automation retrofit that didn't go the way it was supposed to. W...

After 4+ decades in manufacturing, I've seen this industry transform in ways most people never imagined. When I started, shops were running manual mills and engine lathes. Programming meant doing math with a pencil. CAD/CAM didn't exist. Automation was rare. And the idea of AI helping optimize manufacturing would've sounded like science fiction. Today we're running five-axis machines, automation c...

There was a time when machine shops could sit back and wait for RFQs to land in the inbox. If you ran a solid shop, the work showed up. That world is changing fast. In this episode of My TRUE POSITION, I talk about the new reality of sales in manufacturing—prospecting tools like Apollo, using HubSpot to track opportunities, writing emails that actually get read, making phone calls that build relat...

What would happen if I sold the business tomorrow? Not the valuation. Not the multiple. Not the wire transfer. What would I regret? In this episode, I take a hard look at ownership beyond the balance sheet. After decades in a second-generation aerospace machine shop — through downturns, reinvention, leadership transitions, and strategic pivots — I ask the question most owners avoid: Did I build so...

Most machine shops think they're unique. Most are wrong. In this episode, Jim breaks down the EOS concept of 3 Uniques and why they determine whether your shop competes on price… or commands a premium. If your differentiation sounds like "quality" and "on-time delivery," it's time for a strategic reset. Clarity drives margin. Let's define yours.

Most C-suite leaders track every metric inside their business — margin, throughput, OEE, cash flow. But almost none of them track the performance of the one asset that drives all of it: THEMSELVES. In this episode of My TRUE POSITION, Jim Carr breaks down why executive health isn't a lifestyle choice — it's a leadership strategy. From sleep deprivation cutting cognitive performance by up to 30%, t...

In this episode, Jim Carr breaks down why speed, tools, and constant updates don't build real relationships in manufacturing—especially in aerospace, where reliability, accountability, and early transparency matter more than responsiveness. This isn't about rejecting technology; it's about understanding when digital communication helps, when it hurts, and how operators build lasting trust with cus...

In this episode, Jim Carr breaks down how real small business owners actually keep the lights on—managing AR, AP, lines of credit, savings, and credit cards without a finance department. No theory. No spreadsheets for show. Just hard-earned cash discipline and the decisions that separate surviving from shutting down.

Most manufacturing shops don't lose margin on the shop floor—they sign it away during contract review. In this episode, Jim Carr breaks down how customer flowdowns, quality clauses, and Approved Vendor Lists quietly redefine your risk profile the moment you accept a PO. We'll cover why contract review is an executive control point, why risk analysis must happen before production starts, and why yo...

Most leaders say they want empowered teams. What they really want is compliance without pushback. That mindset is exactly why so many manufacturing businesses stall out. In this episode, Jim Carr breaks down what real empowerment actually looks like inside a manufacturing shop—where quality, delivery, and margin are on the line every day. This isn't soft leadership theory. It's about decision righ...

I spent ten years active in industry boards, then disappeared for seven. Nothing broke—but nothing grew either. In this episode, Jim breaks down why serious leaders can't afford to sit out networking, what board service actually delivers, and how to choose the right rooms that create real leverage—not wasted time.