The Manufacturing Executive

I've had a lot of conversations on this podcast about bringing manufacturing jobs back onto American soil. But my guest today, John Gardner, goes a layer deeper – asking us to rethink the idea of free trade altogether. John, the author of "How to Make America the Manufacturing Super Power of the World", passionately shares his thoughts about: – The national security risk posed by an American supply chain that's so heavily reliant on offshore manufacturing – How higher tariffs can protect our economy – And why we need to reposition manufacturing in the minds of the next generation

In today's conversation, we're talking about the Inflation Reduction Act. What it's all about? Why's it matter to manufacturing leaders? What impact will it continue to have on our economy, regardless of whether we see a Kamala Harris or a Donald Trump administration take the reins in 2025? More broadly, we'll discuss why paying attention to (and understanding the potential impact of) key legislation is so important – not only at a manufacturing leadership level, but throughout the different levels of your organization. My guest today is Nihal Shetty, a coworker at my agency Gorilla 76 who has immersed himself specifically in details of the Inflation Reduction Act for the purpose of educating those inside of our marketing agency, so we can better serve our manufacturing clients. But today, I've invited him on the show so he can share some of what he's learned with you as well.

It's gonna cost me hundreds of thousands of dollars. It's gonna require a whole team to maintain it. And MAYBE we'll see some benefit by year three. This isn't exactly a compelling value proposition for making a major technology investment in your manufacturing business. Yet it's the overwhelming feeling the manufacturing leaders often feel when contemplating whether or not to do so. Jared Knecht, founder of AI quality inspection software KonnectAi, has a different philosophy. He'll tell you that a technology investment shouldn't mean all in or nothing. And the parameters he gave his team before they set out to develop their ai-based quality inspection software were: Immediate benefit. Right now. Or forget it.

Engineers and marketers may come from different planets. But in manufacturing environments that involve selling technical, complex products, marketers NEED the knowledge of those engineers to drive messaging strategy. So how do you make that happen? How do you get the engineer to understand why their expertise and participation in marketing matters? And how do you get the marketer to understand how the engineer thinks? In today's conversation, Adam Kimmel (who comes from the planet of engineering and is a transplant on the planet of marketing) will unpack it all for you.

Dave Hataj, a veteran in manufacturing, discusses engaging the next generation. He emphasizes character development, mentorship in schools, and changing perceptions of the industry. His program Craftsman with Character focuses on skills and integrity, transforming lives and creating new talent pipelines.

Warehouse management systems. What exactly are they? What's different from the features in your ERP? Or your MES? Who truly needs a warehouse management system? When do you know you'll be ready for one? And how do you choose the right one for you? CEO of Fullstride, Casey Winans, is here to answer all of these questions and more.

In most companies, experts are hired to do a specific job. Engineering does engineering. Marketing does marketing. Sales does sales. And so on. But what happens when each of those departments does their respective jobs in silos, without a common mission, and in the absence of collaboration? In today's conversation, Jeffrey Abell (engineer) and Adam Beck (industrial marketer) of Cadenas PARTsolutions talk about how to bring together the engineering and marketing functions of a manufacturing organization to drive growth. Because when the silos come down, opportunities emerge.

If you were out at a nice dinner with your significant other and you had the choice to be served by whichever waitress or waiter usually services your table OR the owner of the restaurant, who would you choose? In today's conversation, CEO and President of Sentry Equipment Brian Baker talks about the benefits of an employee-ownership culture. As a 28-year leader of an employee-owned manufacturing organization, he's witnessed first hand what's different when those doing the work ALSO have skin in the game. And while employee-owned companies may represent a only a sliver of the manufacturing sector, the lessons he'll share from his experiences are universally applicable.

In this conversation, Vice President of Product Management and co-founder of Configit, Henrik Hulgaard, talks about moving from a custom-engineered to configuration-based product offering. Specifically, he unpacks the benefits both to the customer AND the manufacturer of making this shift.

Following a few decades of sending manufacturing across seas to drive down costs, big reshoring movements are in full force throughout the American manufacturing sector. But meanwhile in Germany, much of that manufacturing never left in the first place. Through strategies that have included embracing automation, localizing manufacturing operations and focusing on quality, German manufacturing has remained competitive throughout. So what can we learn from the German manufacturing model? Jon DeSouza, the CEO and President of HARTING Americas, a German-based global manufacturer, is here to unpack this topic.