The Manufacturing Automation Podcast

Michael and Matt unpack what it really feels like to operate in the most difficult stage of company growth—the stretch where you’re too big to wing it and too small to specialize. They talk candidly about culture drift, missed deadlines, and the hidden cost of onboarding, especially when half the team is new and tribal knowledge disappears faster than expected.The conversation dives deep into execution vs. effort, why batching creates downstream quality failures, and how Gantt charts, daily huddles, and clearer deadlines are helping realign work with outcomes. Michael shares hard-earned lessons from QC issues and a necessary termination, while Matt explains why “depth of bench” matters more than headcount—and how utilization, onboarding curves, and capacity planning shape smarter hiring decisions.They also debate CRM discipline vs. custom tools, the real ROI of enterprise software, and when founders should stop building systems themselves and start enforcing the ones they already pay for. The episode closes with honest reflections on leadership, culture-building habits, and how to keep teams motivated when growth is messy, exhausting, and unavoidable.

Matt and Michael compare notes on what happens when your bottleneck stops being production and starts being sales consistency and founder bandwidth. Michael shares how Gimbel Automation’s Shopify revenue is up ~4x in a few months, driven by a major page overhaul and a conversion rate that’s increased ~10x—shifting his attention toward scalable “widget” sales instead of field-heavy turnkey installs.Matt breaks down the other side of the same problem: Develop’s delivery engine is scaling, but the limiting factor is now top-of-funnel response time, lead follow-up cadence, and project accounting, pushing him toward hiring an executive assistant and standardizing customer reporting. Together they talk SEO reality (KD-zero industrial keywords), how agencies stall when founders stop reviewing deliverables, and why the next growth step is often delegation plus tighter systems, not more leads.On the ops side, they cover floor-space constraints, CapEx tradeoffs, and practical improvements like Kanban discipline, objective-driven OKRs, and aligning incentives to measurable execution. The episode closes with real-world engineering updates—including shipping a major build in brutal weather, refining CoolantClear beta production, and catching a critical torque-spec oversight before a prototype hits the field.

Matt and Michael recap a packed week of operations pressure, follow-on project momentum, and the unglamorous reality of scaling: quality errors, retraining, and tightening SOPs without bloating the system. Matt shares what he’s learning from a new owner-operator roundtable, plus how follow-on work is stacking up across multiple active builds.On the marketing side, they go deep on SEO strategy that actually works in industrial B2B—long-tail keyword mapping, training an agency to understand the market, and what a realistic monthly SEO spend looks like when the founder is still the bottleneck.They close with two practical scale moves: (1) a shop-floor re-layout to unlock space for larger machine builds, and (2) a cultural experiment Matt calls the “forgiveness log”—a structured way to push decision-making down to the team, speed up execution, and track ROI on micro-improvements in real dollars and hours.

In Episode 64 of the Manufacturing Automation Podcast, Michael Gimbel and Matt Moseman dig into what it actually looks like to run and scale an automation business when the hype wears off.This episode covers:Hiring realities and why “working interviews” reveal more than resumesFounder stress, perspective traps, and learning to measure the right metricsProfit-first thinking vs. raw growth in capital-intensive businessesWebsite conversion strategy, SEO obsession, and messaging clarityProduct demand signals, beta launches, and pricing confidenceAutomation product mix decisions and long-term market education challengesTime tracking, utilization, and building real COGS visibilityLeadership, culture shifts, and reducing founder dependencyThis is a candid, operator-level conversation about decision-making, discipline, and building sustainable automation companies — not just impressive ones.If you’re a manufacturer, integrator, or founder navigating growth, hiring, and product strategy, this episode is for you.👉 Listen to the Manufacturing Automation Podcast on Spotify and follow the show for weekly conversations on building automation businesses the right way.No theory. No fluff. Just two founders documenting the journey. New episodes drop weekly. Subscribe and join the conversation.

In Episode 63 of the Manufacturing Automation Podcast, Michael Gimbel and Matt Moseman kick off the new year by reflecting on 2025 and setting a more disciplined, profit-driven direction for 2026.They dig into the shift from cash to accrual accounting, applying Profit First principles, and why growth without margin creates unnecessary stress. The conversation also covers product strategy decisions, simplifying automation offerings, market education challenges, and designing products that scale — not just technically, but operationally.This episode covers:Accrual vs cash accounting in automation businessesProfit First mindset and financial disciplineProduct mix decisions and scaling realitiesMarket education vs product eleganceEngineering capacity, CI priorities, and team accountabilityBuilding companies from a position of strengthNo theory. No fluff. Just two founders documenting the journey.New episodes drop weekly. Subscribe and join the conversation.

In Episode 62 of the Manufacturing Automation Podcast, Michael Gimbel and Matt Moseman unpack a high-energy, high-stress week inside two growing automation companies.They cover factory acceptance pressure, hiring engineers and machinists, refining interview processes, and the realities of scaling technical teams without compromising culture. The conversation also dives deep into sales and marketing execution — from viral product moments and conversion optimization to AI tools, website design, and where automation buyers actually want friction removed.This episode touches on:Factory acceptance weeks and capital equipment pressureHiring engineers, machinists, and culture-fit technical talentSales mistakes, boundary setting, and protecting founder timeMarketing automation, AI tools, and conversion optimizationWhen to outsource vs bring machining back in-houseDelegation, accountability, and founder bottlenecksIf you’re running or scaling an automation, CNC, or manufacturing business, this episode is an honest look at what growth actually feels like behind the scenes.No theory. No fluff. Just two founders documenting the journey.New episodes drop weekly. Subscribe and join the conversation.

In Episode 61 of the Manufacturing Automation Podcast, Michael Gimbel and Matt Moseman check in on a busy week inside two growing automation businesses.They talk through real-world challenges around machine installs, troubleshooting communication issues, hiring engineers and machinists, forecasting workload, and balancing growth with capacity. The conversation also dives into marketing realities in manufacturing, paid ads performance, content strategy, and how small process improvements compound over time.This episode covers:Automation installs and on-site problem solvingHiring strategies for engineers, machinists, and technical rolesSales momentum, pipeline pressure, and start-date driven closesMarketing experiments, ad performance, and ROI realitiesContinuous improvement, version control, and product refinementThe mental load of running and scaling automation companiesIf you’re building or running an automation, CNC, or manufacturing business, this episode offers an honest look at what growth actually feels like week to week.No fluff. No theory. Just two founders building the future of industrial automation.New episodes every week — follow the show to stay updated.

In Episode 60 of the Manufacturing Automation Podcast, Michael Gimbel (Gimbel Automation) and Matt Moseman (Developed LLC) dive deep into the real-world challenges and wins of scaling industrial automation companies. From hiring high-caliber engineering talent to fixing production bottlenecks, this episode is packed with insights for anyone in manufacturing, CNC automation, robotics integration, engineering leadership, and industrial operations.This week, the guys break down:Michael shares how bringing on a VP of Engineering instantly moved the needle across R&D, product refinement, and throughput — and why he regrets not making the hire sooner.They talk through backlog pressure, longer lead times, and the shift from “selling hard” to “choosing the right customers” as automation adoption accelerates.Growing automation companies means navigating terms, inventory, complex POs, and why cash-based accounting stops making sense once you scale.Matt and Michael discuss Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube Shorts, trade shows, SEO, and creating a central content vault to multiply high-value manufacturing leads without burning out.Everything from metric hardware migration, foam insert redesign, fixture optimization, semi-automated CAM, and macro testing — to how small engineering details compound into big operational wins.A field-failure story highlights the reality of building reliable CNC automation inside OEM limitations — and why redundancy, software updates, and customer communication matter.They explore the mental load of running automation companies, balancing optimism with financial responsibility, and knowing when to push vs. when to stabilize.Whether you're running a CNC shop, building automation products, integrating robotics, or scaling a manufacturing startup — this episode delivers grounded, shop-floor-real perspective you won’t find on typical business podcasts.No fluff. No theory. Just two founders building the future of industrial automation.New episodes every week — follow the show to stay updated.

Hosted by: Michael Gimbel (Gimbel Automation) & Matt Moseman (Developed LLC)Platforms: Spotify • Apple Podcasts • YouTubeThe Manufacturing Automation Podcast is where two automation-obsessed founders pull back the curtain on what it really takes to build, scale, and lead modern industrial automation companies.Every week, Michael and Matt jump into an open, unfiltered conversation about:• Growing and running automation companiesReal talk about backlog management, hiring struggles, team leadership, burnout, wins, screwups, and everything in between.• Sales & Marketing in the industrial worldFrom ad spend efficiency to SEO, attribution tools, content strategy, demos, and how deals actually get closed in a B2B manufacturing economy.• Engineering, R&D, and product developmentAutomation, robotics, fixtures, grippers, software—plus the reality of debugging, edge cases, failed tests, and the breakthroughs that make it all worthwhile.• Continuous improvement & real-world operationsProcess refinement, lean thinking, project flow, customer management, pricing discipline, and building systems that actually scale.• Life as founders in industrial automationMental load, personal growth, leadership evolution, and the mindsets that keep a business moving through chaotic seasons.Whether you’re a machinist, engineer, shop owner, automation integrator, or you’re building hardware and robotics from the ground up — this podcast gives you the honest, inside-the-shop perspective you won’t find anywhere else.No theory. No fluff. Just documenting the journey.New episodes drop weekly. Subscribe and join the conversation.

Matt and Michael compare notes on a surprising truth: pushing lead times out actually improved close rates—and sanity. Michael shares how a few e-commerce fixes (cleaner checkout, aggressive email capture) plus Meta + Google PMax ads are finally delivering real ROAS, while Matt walks through shop-floor wins—from 1701’s palletized case-packing speeds to kicking off a multi-robot project. They dig into vendor-built subassemblies, a company-wide shift to metric, and email-gated Fusion CAD embeds that trade downloads for qualified contacts. The through-line: stop brute-forcing growth; eliminate steps, raise the bar, and let systems carry the load.