The Manufacturing Executive

Jim Mayer, Founder of The Manufacturing Connector, has coined a term that he calls "The Industrial Brand Death Cycle", which he describes as follows: Weak leadership leads to weak culture, which leads to employee disengagement, which leads to fake branding, which leads to failed marketing, which leads to customer distrust, which leads to the company's struggles. Then, leaders get replaced and more often than not, the cycle repeats. In today conversation, Jim will talk about how authentic culture, as well as authentic marketing begins with the leader. More specifically, he'll explain why leadership in manufacturing today means being visible – not only out there on the shop floor – but also publicly, as the face of the organization.

I've often compared building a website to building a house. You can tear it down and rebuild from the ground up. You can gut it to the studs, putting in all new plumbing, electric and HVAC. You can renovate a few rooms. Or you can simply put on a fresh coat of paint. But how you do which approach makes sense for your website? What are the signals that tell you it's time to at least do something? And how do you plan for a website that's not just a digital brochure, but instead a tool that drives meaningful, measurable impact for your business? My two guests today, Gorilla 76 Digital Creative Director Randall Zaitz and Gorilla 76 Head of Performance Marketing Kevin McClary, have collectively been a part of countless website projects for B2B manufacturers. And they're here to break all of this down.

Garrett Partridge, CEO of ARC Technology Solutions, and Dan Wyatt, an innovation consultant, delve into the vital role of manufacturing testing in achieving product excellence. They argue that testing should not just be a compliance step but a strategic advantage. Topics include the complexities of electronics testing and the benefits of modular approaches. They also discuss how data analytics and AI can enhance testing methodologies, along with the evolving landscape of manufacturing relationships and the urgency of addressing testing bottlenecks.

Daniel Doderer of Flack Global Metals is an economist living inside of the steel industry. And he'll tell you that here in the first quarter of 2025, less than two months after the Trump administration has taken back the reins, the industrial sector landscape is nothing short of dynamic. In our conversation, we'll dive into the potential impact of the President's plans for tariffs on the US manufacturing sector. We'll touch on everything from inflation to wages to commodity pricing to buyer behavior, as we all try to figure out the state of our economy, and where things may be headed.

Mike Payne, Owner of Hill Manufacturing & Fabrication, will tell you that somewhere between 60 and 75% of machinists want to own their own businesses some day. But owning a business can sound scary. He'll also tell you that on the flip side, so many small manufacturing business owners don't necessarily understand their options when the time comes to exit. In our conversation today, we're talking about buying and selling manufacturing businesses – from both angles. And Mike is no stranger to the topic.

Paul and John Lordan are brothers and co-business owners of Steele Canvas Basket — a manufacturing organization that's been around for more than 100 years. Now here's what's interesting... While the business environment has changed dramatically over the course of a whole century, their core product has remained largely the same. So how's that possible? As these two manufacturing leaders will tell you, success has been a product of the fundamentals: Focus. Resilience. Product quality. Open-mindedness of leadership. Respecting the people. Commitment to their community. My key takeaway? You don't have to go cheap or sell out to run a great manufacturing business.

Reshoring is a word you probably hear often if you work in the manufacturing sector. And Harry Moser, founder of The Reshoring Initiative, is one of the individuals leading that charge. In this conversation, Harry will not only talk about the benefits for US manufacturing organizations of bringing production back to the US, but also what's at risk for the future of our economy and our national security if we don't. There's no fluff in this episode, which Harry has packed full of actionable ideas and advice both for manufacturing leaders and for the leaders of our country. Please take a moment to fill out the reshoring survey Harry is running at reshorenow.org! You can find a link on the home page slider.

From from reshoring to digital twins to evaluating new automation technologies to optimizing production workflows, today's manufacturing leaders have a LOT to think about. In this conversation, Chris Lupfer of Bosch Rexroth lean into his 25+ years of manufacturing and automation experience to unpack what he believes are some of the most important considerations for manufacturing leaders here in 2025.

For many years robots were used to perform repetitive tasks in low variabilty environments and required on-site automation engineers to program and run those systems. But we're now living in an era where machine learning and AI technology are making high-mix, low-volume environments ripe for automation. In this conversation, co-founder and CEO of Tutor Intelligence, Josh Gruenstein, will unpack what's now possible and share how his company is making it a reality.

As host of this podcast, I've had many conversations about how to reach the next generation, expose them to opportunities in manufacturing and skill them up accordingly. But what about skilling up the EXISTING workforce? My guest today, the Owner and CEO of Pindel Global Precision, poses the question: "When's the last time you heard about someone offering a mid-career apprenticeship – whether for machining, the trades or industrial maintenance?" His solution – a concept he's dubbed "Forwardskilling" is his answer. And he's here to tell you all about it.