The Shop Floor, Top Floor Talk Show: Casual Convos with Manufacturing Pros

Anne Emberson, Vice President of Digital at Nalco Water, joined Josh Santo on the Shop Floor/Top Floor Talk Show to talk about what digital transformation in manufacturing actually requires, separate from the hype cycle around it. Emberson described how her team stays current in a field that moves fast enough to make today's knowledge feel outdated within a week, splitting their attention bet...

AI won't write your 8D for you — not one worth sending to a customer, anyway. That's where Rich Nave starts this conversation, and it sets the tone for everything that follows. The episode is a ground-level walkthrough of where AI actually earns its place in manufacturing problem-solving: not as a replacement for engineering judgment, but as something that helps teams move faster, stay f...

In this episode of Shop Floor, Top Floor Talk Show, host Josh Santo sits down with Rich Nave, COO of The Luminous Group and a returning guest with 38 years in manufacturing, to talk about one of the more stubborn problems in the industry: quality. Specifically, why so many manufacturers are still stuck inspecting parts after they're made instead of building quality into the design and process...

In this episode of Shop Floor, Top Floor Talk Show , host Josh Santo sits down with Sainyam Arora, Quality Assurance and Systems Engineer at Johnson Matthey. They explore why quality breaks down when companies treat it as a department instead of a shared responsibility. Sainyam explains how silos weaken ownership and turn quality into policing. He argues that leaders must ask better questions, con...

In this episode of Shop Floor, Top Floor Talk Show, host Josh Santo sits down with Anne Trobaugh, Vice President of Quality and Customer Experience at American Woodmark. Together, they explore what it takes to move quality beyond a compliance exercise and make it a real driver of customer satisfaction and business results. Anne shares how her team at American Woodmark developed a customer experien...

In this episode of Shop Floor, Top Floor Talk Show, host Josh Santo sits down with Rajeev Seth, Director of Operational Excellence and Asset Reliability at Mondelez International. Together, they dive into the real meaning of operational excellence on the shop floor, moving beyond checking dashboards and running special projects. Rajeev shares how true excellence starts with a clear purpose and a m...

In this episode of Shop Floor, Top Floor Talk Show , host Josh Santo sits down with Julie Adkins, Senior Manager of Lean Transformation, Continuous Improvement, and Operational Excellence, to dig into what it takes to drive meaningful change on the plant floor. Julie shares how her team navigated the challenges of merging two manufacturing plants, building new processes from scratch, and setting d...

In this episode of Shop Floor, Top Floor Talk Show, host Josh Santo sits down with Ishant Gajbhiye, Quality Manager at an automotive manufacturer. They explore how the role of quality shifts from being the “firefighting” team to becoming a true partner across manufacturing operations. Ishant shares how his day is a mix of plant-floor walks, cross-functional teamwork, and strategy—always focused on...

In this episode of Shop Floor, Top Floor Talk Show, host Josh Santo sits down with Dr. Rebecca Teeters , Senior Vice President of Business Supply Chain at 3M. They explore how real accountability and improvement take root on the shop floor and in leadership circles. Rebecca shares how daily standard work meetings drive her teams to reflect, learn, and act. She explains how “winning the day” depend...

In this episode of Shop Floor, Top Floor Talk Show, host Josh Santo sits down with Ed Rocha , Quality Director at Schaeffler. They explore the practical realities of leading quality in manufacturing, from handling major escalated issues to organizing teams for better results. Ed shares how his job means finding strategy in the chaos—whether that’s breaking down big problems or making sure the righ...

In this episode of Shop Floor, Top Floor Talk Show, host Josh Santo sits down with Attrayee Chakraborty, Quality Systems Engineer at Analog Devices. They explore how quality teams can shift from a reactive, “firefighting” mode to a proactive, problem-solving mindset. Attrayee shares how she balanced urgent daily demands with long-term process improvements, using tools like quality plans and the Ei...

In this episode of Shop Floor, Top Floor Talk Show, host Josh Santo sits down with Bruce Gane, Safety Manager at Morrow Steel. Together, they explore the realities of managing safety in manufacturing, where production pressures often push safety down the list of priorities. Bruce shares his approach to creating a strong safety culture—one built on open conversations with employees, careful audits,...

In this episode of Shop Floor, Top Floor Talk Show, host Josh Santo sits down with Rick Davis, Chief Manufacturing and R&D Officer at Morgan Foods. They explore how true culture and leadership shape daily life and long-term success in manufacturing. Rick explains why he focuses on people, quality, safety, and cost, but always starts by building trust and understanding what “winning” means for...

Many companies struggle with quality because they try to run before they can walk. They jump to sophisticated tools and systems before mastering the basics. This often fails to solve the root cause of their problems. In this episode of Shop Floor, Top Floor Talk Show, Josh Santo speaks with Thiago Roveri, Director of Quality at RR Donnelley. Thiago explains why a strong foundation is essential for...

Quality departments often get viewed as the company police force, creating tension and conflict across manufacturing organizations. In this episode of Shop Floor, Top Floor Talk Show, host Josh Santo speaks with Steve Povenz, former Director of Quality at Shape, who breaks down why this perception develops and how to fix it. Steve explains the root causes behind adversarial quality relationships....

In this episode of Shop Floor, Top Floor Talk Show, host Josh Santo sits down with manufacturing executive JD Marhevko. They discuss the link between shop floor activities and business results. JD explains how process changes affect scrap rate, warranty, and efficiency. These factors directly translate into a company's margin and capacity. JD shares leadership lessons from her grandfather, a...

In this episode of the Shop Floor, Top Floor Talk Show, host Josh Santo sits down with Gary Jing, Site Quality Manager at nVent, to discuss practical approaches to quality management in manufacturing. Gary shares his unique perspective, shaped by his experience in continuous improvement, operations, and quality roles. He emphasizes the importance of balancing stakeholder expectations with specific...

Quality is often misunderstood. Many view quality control as a cost center, limited to inspections and reactive problem-solving. On this episode of the Shop Floor, Top Floor Talk Show , Mike Fank, quality manager at Wisconsin Metal Parts, challenges this narrow perspective with host Josh Santo. Mike argues for a broader view of quality, encompassing the entire organization, from the shop floor to...

In this episode of Shop Floor, Top Floor Talk Show, host Josh Santo sits down with Daniel Castilla to discuss a mechatronics approach to quality management in manufacturing. Daniel, (Former) Director, Powertrain Quality & Customer Satisfaction, explains mechatronics as the intersection of multiple engineering disciplines, including mechanical, electrical, and software engineering, with a focus...

What’s the difference between leadership and management—and why does it matter on the manufacturing floor? In this episode of Shop Floor, Top Floor Talk Show , Josh Santo sits down with Rich Nave, Chief Operations Officer at The Luminous Group, to break down how these two functions play very different roles in driving team performance. Rich shares why promoting strong managers isn’t enough, and ho...

Welcome to the Shop Floor, Top Floor Talk Show! In this kickoff episode, host Josh Santo introduces what you can expect from the show—real conversations with manufacturing leaders who share hard-earned lessons, practical advice, and no-fluff insights to help you improve operations continuously. Whether you're on the shop floor or in the boardroom, this show is built to bridge the gap with tip...