The Manufacturing Executive

Video messaging is not just a new technology to learn, it's a way to connect with human beings that aligns better with how people prefer to communicate these days. It allows you to lead with your very best asset — yourself. In situations where face-to-face sales meetings are not always possible, recording a video allows others to take in your message when it’s convenient for them, builds a feeling of psychological proximity, and offers more personalized interaction than a wall of text. On this episode of The Manufacturing Executive, we connect with Ethan Beute, Chief Evangelist at BombBomb, author, and host of The Customer Experience Podcast, and discuss all the ways in which using video messaging in your business can increase trust, make complex issues more digestible, and boost customer relations with humanization.Here's a sneak peek:Getting into the routine of utilizing video messaging helps you develop a healthy habit of gratitude.A video message is the modern day handwritten note when used as a thank you or encouragement message.The Video Adoption Guide is the fastest way for you and your team to get going (and keep going!) with personal video messages.Overcoming the initial technology barrier can be challenging, so begin with simple, heartfelt messages like thank you, congratulations, and job well done. OPTIONAL: Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:Rehumanize Your Business: How Personal Videos Accelerate Sales and Improve Customer Experience, but Ehtan Beute and Stephen PacinelliJoe Sullivan, Gorilla 76 Thinker & FounderYou can find this interview, and many more, by subscribing to the The Manufacturing Executive Podcast on Apple Podcasts, on our website, or on Spotify.

You know you need clearer insight into your customer to build better products or deliver more valuable services. One way to get that insight is by listening to your sales and customer service teams. What are they hearing firsthand?But there's another source of insight that you might not have thought about — search data. What can you learn from the words your prospects and customers type into Google or YouTube before they decide what to buy?In this episode of The Manufacturing Executive, Derek Mabie, former president and partner at Evolve Digital Labs, talks about how real human beings search for and buy products online.Here's what Derek and I discussed:What you can learn from the search confessionalTools and tactics you can use to process search informationHow to marry qualitative and quantitative data to get fresh insightsTo ensure that you never miss an episode of The Manufacturing Executive, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, or Spotify, or here.Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for The Manufacturing Executive in your favorite podcast player.

Manufacturing got left behind as the software industry progressed rapidly over the years. It’s time to catch up, and innovators like Adam Keating make it possible.As the Co-Founder & CEO at CoLab Software, Adam embraces the engineering approach of problem-solving. His team enables 2D and 3D CAD collaboration which has changed the game for manufacturing businesses, especially in the last 18 months.What we talked about:Adam’s Hyperloop adventures and the emergence of CoLab SoftwareManufacturing is catching up on the 20 year lead held by the software industryExamples of businesses that are thriving since embracing collaborative manufacturing technologyDigitization strategy for the sake of it vs. the intent to solve tangible problemsCheck out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:Adam’s LinkedIn profileAdam’s Twitter profileCoLab Software’s websiteSubscribe to The Manufacturing Executive on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for The Manufacturing Executive in your favorite podcast player.

Would you rather focus on people or profitability in your business? You can’t have it all. But maybe you can…Maybe people and profitability go hand in hand, and each makes the other stronger. In this episode of The Manufacturing Executive, I talk with John Kramer, Chairman & CEO at Cambridge Air Solutions, 
and Marc Braun, President at Cambridge Air Solutions, about what it means to restore glory and dignity to manufacturing through both culture and business practices. We also talked about:How to build a culture that celebrates people. How profitability fits in with a people-first culture How to adapt to crises in a way that cares for people and drives business forward.Subscribe to The Manufacturing Executive on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.

There’s this perception that manufacturing jobs are dirty and dangerous. But in the modern era of manufacturing, that perception is changing as jobs are becoming more and more rooted in technology.In this episode of The Manufacturing Executive, I talk with Dr. John Mitchell, President & CEO at IPC, about the move from “dirty and dangerous” manufacturing to high-tech manufacturing. We also talked about:How IPC is using education to transform the negative manufacturing perception. How manufacturers can realize the benefits of AI.What manufacturers need to be thinking about when it comes to scaling.What's going on with semiconductors right now. Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:About IPCIPC EDGE Training Subscribe to The Manufacturing Executive on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.

Remember fax machines? They were going to revolutionize the way we did business. Then came dial-up modems and email. Now, our customer gives us a CAD file. We can create a toolpath in a snap.Like technology, organizational culture has completed several revolutions in a single lifetime. The speed of those revolutions is increasing, and manufacturing transforms every five years. What's coming next?In this episode of The Manufacturing Executive, Jim Carr, President at CARR Machine & Tool, Inc., talks about how manufacturing is evolving in both culture and technology.Here's what Jim and I discussed:Jim's family history in the manufacturing spaceThe effects of culture and technology changes on manufacturersHow to get everybody in your company working toward the same goalsTo ensure that you never miss an episode of The Manufacturing Executive, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, or Spotify, or here.Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for The Manufacturing Executive in your favorite podcast player.

If the Wright Brothers lived in the 21st century, they might be the Lonsberry boys. Andy Lonsberry earned his Ph.D. by researching machine learning and artificial intelligence for bipedal walking robots. His brother focused on biologically spiking recurrent neural networks.Together, they dived deep into allowing nonlinear systems to learn how to improve themselves. Then these two Ohio boys and their autonomous robot traveled to the west coast in search of funding. The trio came home with $15 million.In this episode of The Manufacturing Executive, Andy Lonsberry, Founder and CEO at Path Robotics, an AI robotics software company, talks about how the midwest houses the future of robotics.Here's what Andy and I discussed:How Path Robotics got its startUncovering automation talent in the midwestHow machine learning and AI are starting to change the manufacturing gameTo ensure that you never miss an episode of The Manufacturing Executive, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, or Spotify, or here.Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for The Manufacturing Executive in your favorite podcast player.

If we want to balance America's $800 billion trade deficit, we need to bring manufacturing jobs back to the U.S. — 5 million manufacturing jobs to be exact.The ancillary benefits would be enormous. We'd reduce CO2 emissions 40-50%, slash the budget deficit, improve unemployment, and bolster national defense.What's stopping us? In this episode of The Manufacturing Executive, Harry Moser, Founder of the Reshoring Initiative, talks about his mission to bring 5 million manufacturing jobs back to the U.S. Here's what Harry and I discussed:Why the U.S. needs its manufacturing jobs backWhat Harry's Total Cost of Ownership calculator can tell executives about the benefits of reshoringHow reshoring can help eliminate the trade deficit To ensure that you never miss an episode of The Manufacturing Executive, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, or Spotify, or here.Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for The Manufacturing Executive in your favorite podcast player.

Baby Boomers are retiring. Manufacturing is booming in 2021. And emerging generations aren't considering careers in the field. There just aren't enough people to do the jobs that need to be done.How will manufacturers fill the skills gap Boomers are leaving behind them?In today's episode, I talk with Matt Guse, President at MRS Machining Company, about an actual manufacturing operation happening within the walls of a Wisconsin high school.Here's what Matt and I discussed:How Matt launched, funded, and supported his competitionThe benefits of inserting a manufacturing operation into a high schoolWhy interest in manufacturing has declined among young people and how to change that trajectoryTo ensure that you never miss an episode of The Manufacturing Executive, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, or Spotify, or here.Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for The Manufacturing Executive in your favorite podcast player.

How do you define marketing success? Many manufacturing organizations are sales-centric. They may not even support a marketing department beyond a content team. Consequently, they don't measure marketing success. But if you've taken things a step further, you've probably discovered how convoluted a measurement system can be.In today's episode, I, Joe Sullivan, share my thoughts about how to straighten out your marketing success measurement system. I dive into topics such as:Defining your termsWhich KPIs matter mostThe danger of growing near-sighted with your marketingTo ensure that you never miss an episode of The Manufacturing Executive, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, or Spotify, or here.Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for The Manufacturing Executive in your favorite podcast player.