Manufacturing Happy Hour

Our guests this week are Kathy Miller and Shannon Karels.Both of these women have racked up decades of experience in manufacturing and operations, and now they're the duo that leads OPSisters where they focus on advising operations through coaching, training, and speaking. Beyond that, they've also distilled some of the best lessons in their book "Steel Toes and Stilettos," and we're going to be learning quite a bit from them today as well.Tune in to this episode to hear the origin story behind this fantastic business duo, their thoughts on leadership, building connections, leading with empathy, and why they use the lean manufacturing concept in their work.In this episode, find out:How Kathy and Shannon first met How they took the leap to quit their jobs and start a new businessAdvice for anyone looking to start a business with a business partnerWhat a lean manufacturing roadmap looks likeThe soft skills you need to be a great leaderWhy you need to make the mission of the business meaningfulHow to avoid the grind of manufacturingWhy you should lead with empathyHow to find a work-life balance Kathy and Shannon reflect on their careers Enjoying the show? Please leave us a review here. Even one sentence helps. It’s feedback from Manufacturing All-Stars like you that keeps us going!Tweetable Quotes:“When I was given the autonomy to build a team I wanted with the best skills that I could find and people who brought diversity of thought to that team was when it was not a grind, it was when it was fun. We were all working toward a common mission.” – Shannon Karels“I think it's just important to know that there will be trade-offs, and you just have to do the best you can with the information that you have. When you're somewhere, be present there. Be thankful for where you are and don't spend a lot of energy on where you can't be.” – Kathy Miller“Know your strengths, use your strengths to help others, and bask in your authentic self. And if it's not a match with where you are, move on and don't look back.” – Kathy Miller Links & mentions:OPSisters, operations leadership advising that includes coaching, training relationships, realities, and resultsSteel Toes and Stilettos, a true story of women manufacturing leaders and lean transformation success by Shannon Karels and Kathy MillerMake sure to visit http://manufacturinghappyhour.com for detailed show notes and a full list of resources mentioned in this episode. Stay Innovative, Stay Thirsty.

We’re back for 5 more interviews with leaders in Robotics, Automation, and Artificial Intelligence. These conversations all took place in Pittsburgh at Cascadia Connect 2022 with investors, ecosystem leaders, high growth companies, and other movers and shakers in this industry. This was truly a unique event designed to bring all of these different players together, and Cascadia Capital deserves a big shoutout for bringing us all together.Part 1 was largely focused on robotics clusters and academia, but here in Part 2, we're focused on two other very significant players in a tech ecosystem: investors and high growth companies.This episode features the following guests in this order:Champ Suthipongchai, General Partner at Creative VenturesJeremy Searock, Co-Founder & President at Advanced Construction RoboticsGeorge Holmes, PhD, CEO & Co-Founder of Hire HenryAseem Datar, Partner at Madrona Venture GroupFirdaus Pohowalla, Managing Director at Cascadia CapitalMake sure to visit ManufacturingHappyHour.com/Connect2022 for detailed show notes and a full list of resources mentioned in this episode. Stay Innovative, Stay Thirsty.

Have you ever been in a room full of growth companies, investors, academics, entrepreneurs, and technologist all working together to advance the industry? It’s rare to get all of these players in a tech ecosystem together in one place, but that’s just what Cascadia Capital did at Cascadia Connect 2022 in Pittsburgh, PA.With such a range of leaders in Robotics, Automation, and Artificial Intelligence across the industrial world, we had the opportunity to sit down with 10 of these individuals to hear their perspectives on the future of these technologies and their applications. We owe a big thanks to Cascadia Capital for bringing these amazing folks together.In this first edition of this double feature, we’ll hear from the individuals leading “robotics clusters” in Silicon Valley, Boston, and Pittsburgh, as well as academics that have dedicated themselves to the advancement of robotics. Get ready to learn from the following five guests in Part 1 of this special feature:Andra Keay, Managing Director of Silicon Valley RoboticsFady Saad, Co-Founder of MassRobotics and General Partner at Cybernetix VenturesJoel Reed, Executive Direct of Pittsburgh Robotics NetworkDr. Matthew Johnson-Roberson, Director of the Robotics Institute and Professor at Carnegie Mellon UniversityThomas Evans, Ph.D., Robotics Chief Technology Officer at HoneywellMake sure to visit ManufacturingHappyHour.com/Connect2022 for detailed show notes and a full list of resources mentioned in this episode. Stay Innovative, Stay Thirsty.

Welcome to another episode of Manufacturing Happy Hour recorded in front of a LIVE audience. A couple of months ago at IME West in Anaheim, we had a chance to sit down with Jerry Perez, FANUC America's Executive Director of Global Accounts. FANUC is one of the biggest names in industrial robotics in the world, so as you can probably guess, this is a very robot-centric conversation.In this episode, Jerry shares some insights on the role of the global pandemic in creating that shift from automotive to non-automotive applications of robotics. He also highlights some out-of-the-box applications for robotics that FANUC has been cooking up behind the scenes.Many in the industry are aware of the problems robotics is solving in the manufacturing industry. But it’s not just about how they fill the workforce gap. Jerry, Chris, and co-host Jake Hall of Manufacturing Millennial point out a few key areas that robotics is contributing positively to. It’s not all business as usual though, we also chat about how robots are portrayed in Hollywood and pop culture as a whole.In this episode, find out:Jerry tells us how to officially pronounce FANUCJerry’s take on the largest driver of non-automotive applications on roboticsHow robotics can be applied in the food and hospitality industryHow FANUC plans keep workers safe near robotsWhen to use cobots What new opportunities are out there for robot applicationsIssues that robots address in the manufacturing industryJerry, Jake, and Chris’ favorite pop culture robotsHow FANUC is involving the next generation in roboticsOne of the best conversations Jerry has had at IME WestWhat manufacturing companies can do to attract younger generationsEnjoying the show? Please leave us a review here. Even one sentence helps. It’s feedbackfrom Manufacturing All-Stars like you that keeps us going!Tweetable Quotes:“As technology becomes more adoptable, the marketplace becomes more accepting of robots.”“If you're working around something that might poke or punch you, you want to be able to operate it safely. The industry has gone through safety standards to make this happen with Cobots.”“When you’ve got a lot of foot traffic, that’s the perfect spot for a Cobot.”Links & mentions:FANUC America, global leader in industrial roboticsMake sure to visit http://manufacturinghappyhour.com for detailed show notes and a full listof resources mentioned in this episode. Stay Innovative, Stay Thirsty.

Willemijn Schneyder and her team are changing the game for post-sales support. Willemijn is the CEO and proud Founder of SwipeGuide, a next-generation instruction software that provides an intuitive way to create enhanced-reality work instructions.So how is this creating a revolution? Well, you're going to hear about that in this week’s show. Before venturing out into the world of entrepreneurship, Willemijn was in marketing, e-commerce, and, more recently, new product development. She was no stranger to matching organizations with technological solutions, and this paved the way for SwipeGuide.In this episode, she gives a detailed overview of what SwipeGuide does and how it works. She also explains how it's tapping into the previously overlooked knowledge of frontline workers. Willemijn touches on the topic of diversity and bias in the workplace and discusses why she believes crowdsourced solutions like SwipeGuide are the future of manufacturing.In this episode, find out:What SwipeGuide doesInsights into Willemijn’s career before SwipeGuideHow Willemijn’s background in retail and consultancy prepared her for entrepreneurshipHow SwipeGuide was foundedHow SwipeGuide evolved from a home user manual into an industrial manualA practical example of how SwipeGuide worksThe role of frontline workers in developing SwipeGuide’s scopeHow Willemijn leads a distributed teamWillemijn’s take on inclusive leadership and tackling unconscious biasWhat lies in the future for SwipeGuideEnjoying the show? Please leave us a review here. Even one sentence helps. It’s feedbackfrom Manufacturing All-Stars like you that keeps us going!Tweetable Quotes:“Though frontline workers aren’t the ones that buy from us, they embrace us — so we serve them so they can adopt the solution, create the content and get the results.”“There's much more recognition of the expertise that frontline workers have in the industry and the vital importance of their skill sets than ever before.”“A lot of what’s wrong with technologies today is they’ve been built by teams that aren’t diverse.”Links & mentions:SwipeGuide, a collaborative, cloud-based work instruction platform that captures frontline knowledge to shape and enhance work processes in minutesLagunitas Case Study, a video featuring how one of Heineken’s largest brands is leveraging SwipeGuideIn Den Uiver, a whiskey bar in Haarlem, NetherlandsMake sure to visit http://manufacturinghappyhour.com for detailed show notes and a full list of resources mentioned in this episode. Stay Innovative, Stay Thirsty.

Scot Lindemann has seen a thing or two when it comes to robotics. The guy has over 30 years of engineering and leadership in this space, from his long tenure with JR Automation to where he is now as the CEO of Mission Design and Automation, a Western Michigan-based robotics integrator and automation company. It's only appropriate that he take us through the world of robotics, "then and now," in today's episode.Today, Scot shares his story and what it was like formally entering the field of robotics back in the 80s. We discuss how he's seen technology and the industry evolve, and some of the things that he feels are still the same. We talk about how automation impacts more than just the bottom line of the balance sheet and how small- and mid-sized players can leverage the power of automation today. Finally, we wrap up with some of Scot’s tips for attending trade shows.Make sure to visit ManufacturingHappyHour.com for detailed show notes and a full list of resources mentioned in this episode. Stay Innovative, Stay Thirsty.

Rachele Focardi is a generational diversity expert, international speaker, author, and Founder of XYZ at Work. We've talked about attracting the next generation to the workforce on this show quite a bit, but today is probably our most holistic conversation to date when it comes to all of the generations in the workforce and the wonderful things each generation brings to the table.In this episode, Rachele explains why generational diversity is such a key issue across industries and how it has a unique place in the manufacturing industry. She explores how the pandemic leveled the playing field for each generation and spurred collaboration in and out of the workplace.For the stats fans out there, Rachele offers some pretty juicy stats on this phenomenon. She also gives us a sneak peek at a few of the topics she’s going to discuss at the upcoming Automate Show in Detroit (without giving too much away). In this episode, find out:What a Future of Work Strategist doesInsights from Rachele’s educational and career backgroundWhat inspired Rachele to focus on generational diversityWhy generational diversity is so vital in the present-dayWhat each generation brings to the tableWhy people perceive multigenerational collaboration negativelyThe role of the pandemic in opening people’s minds to generational diversityRachele’s take on diversity in the manufacturing industryWhat Gen X brings to the tableEnjoying the show? Please leave us a review here. Even one sentence helps. It’s feedbackfrom Manufacturing All-Stars like you that keeps us going!Tweetable Quotes:“I'm confident that if we jump on generational collaboration while it's hot, people will work together to create a reality where generations make decisions and run the world together.”“Hiring people and then losing them because your environment is not multi-generationally harmonious is a reality employers have to deal with.”“Though generational diversity is diversity, it does make us stronger.”Links & mentions:XYZ at Work, a service that helps organizations foster a culture of cross-generational collaboration and understanding to drive employee engagementMake sure to visit http://manufacturinghappyhour.com for detailed show notes and a full list of resources mentioned in this episode. Stay Innovative, Stay Thirsty.

Are you ready for 2022's biggest automation event in North America? Automate 2022 is right around the corner.Hosted by A3 - The Association for Advancing Automation - Automate is bringing together over 500 exhibitors and thousands of attendees for the ultimate networking, education, and technology event. The event takes place in Detroit, MI June 6-9 and you can register for FREE at https://manufacturinghappyhour.com/Automate2022.In this preview episode, Alex Shikany - A3's VP of Membership & Business Intelligence - jumps on the show to share what to expect from Automate 2022. From keynote speakers to the first ever Automate LIVE - a first of its kind Game Day-style showcase - this episode should give you all the reason you need to head to Detroit. Plus, The Manufacturing Millennial Jake Hall joins us as a special co-host for this episode. We hope to #SeeYouInDetroit.

The future is digital, and the manufacturing industry is no exception. Jerry Foster, the CTO of Plex, is one of the select visionaries who jumped on the ‘digitization’ bandwagon quite early in the game. Plex is a company that paved the way for business enterprise software in the cloud through a smart manufacturing platform that connects people, systems, machines, and supply chains.Jerry joins Manufacturing Happy Hour to share the company’s unconventional origin story and to break down some of the most interesting parts of their annual State of Smart Manufacturing report. It’s an episode packed full of great insights as we dig into topics like the role of AI in manufacturing and tech paralysis. Tune in to hear more about implementing new technology, plus insights into the worlds of racquetball and Star Wars.In this episode, find out:What is smart manufacturing?How Jerry got his start in smart manufacturingWhat it was like to spearhead the first business enterprise software in the cloudJerry breaks down the smart manufacturing growth trajectoryHow to form a successful integrated team Jerry discusses useful technologies that were once dismissed as “hype”How the role of blockchain fits into manufacturing How AI has evolved over the yearsWhat proactive leaders look likeHow to find a balance between profitability and sustainabilityHow playing racquetball has influenced Jerry’s careerJerry’s advice to manufacturing leaders looking to leverage smart manufacturingEnjoying the show? Please leave us a review here. Even one sentence helps. It’s feedback from Manufacturing All-Stars like you that keeps us going!Tweetable Quotes:“Artificial intelligence or machine learning are the only ways to really tame the beast that is data management — it's like getting 100,000 interns to analyze all that data almost for free.”"In my opinion, it's the cloud and the convergence of that data and computing capabilities that have brought AI to the forefront.”“If you've got action-oriented people, no one's thinking about implications, and with analysis-oriented, you'll have great spreadsheets, but no results, so you need both.”Links & mentions:Plex Systems, a smart manufacturing platform that connects people, systems, machines, and supply chains.Plex’s State of Smart Manufacturing Report, an annual report sharing insights from over 300 manufacturing leaders on the challenges facing their business and how they address them using technology.Make sure to visit http://manufacturinghappyhour.com for detailed show notes and a full list of resources mentioned in this episode. Stay Innovative, Stay Thirsty.

Divya Thadani leads PPG’s strategy and business development for the company's architectural coatings business in the US and Canada. But her impact doesn’t end there. She’s made her mark as a diversity, equality, and inclusion champion at PPG.In this episode, Divya shares some insights from her childhood and how growing up in an entrepreneurial family influenced her life. She explains what she believes is causing the skill shortage gap in the manufacturing industry and how we can make these roles more accessible to underrepresented groups.Divya sets the stage for how large organizations can help close the skill gap through the lens of PPG. She also gives some pointers on how individuals can foster positive organizational changes that transcend individual teams.In this episode, find out:Divya’s experience coming from an entrepreneurial familyThe most important lesson Divya learned from her parents’ businessWhy Divya thinks a certain amount of naivety is blissHow to make engineering roles more accessible to underrepresented groupsThe forces driving the skill shortage of trade professionalsHow organizations can have a direct impact on educational opportunitiesWhy it's important to invest in educational opportunities for underrepresented groupsHow PPG invests in the next generationHow to create positive cultural change beyond your organizationHow the shift to digital impacts PPG’s diversity, equity, and inclusion effortsDivya’s advice for young and upcoming professionalsEnjoying the show? Please leave us a review here. Even one sentence helps. It’s feedback from Manufacturing All-Stars like you that keeps us going!Tweetable Quotes:"The digital shift has enabled us to think very differently about the way we work, how we work, where we work from, which all ties into the DEI conversation.”“Leadership teams need to think about constructive ways to drive cultural change while being intentional with how it permeates their business unit and the company as a whole.”“Enabling underrepresented minorities — whether it’s income or ethnic diversity — involves educating people about the possibilities and giving them access.”Links & mentions:PPG Industries: An American Fortune 500 company and global supplier of paints, coatings, and specialty materials.PPG’s Sustainability Report: The company’s 2020 sustainability report strongly focused on its DE&I efforts.Make sure to visit http://manufacturinghappyhour.com for detailed show notes and a full list of resources mentioned in this episode. Stay Innovative, Stay Thirsty.