The Manufacturing Executive

We all know that we need to find ways to engage the next generation so we can build the manufacturing workforce of the future. And it's no secret to anyone listening that this next generation uses technology differently, interacts with people differently and collects information differently. But they also have different core values and care about different things. In today's conversation, Meaghan Ziemba of Mavens of Manufacturing, talks about how we need to put in the work to truly understand what's going on inside the minds of those who will become our future manufacturing workforce. We can't simply brush aside the nuances of how they think and feel. Because if we do, we're putting the futures of our businesses at risk.

For many B2B manufacturing organizations, what got them where they are today won’t get them where they want to go in the years ahead. In this concise solo episode, The Manufacturing Executive's host Joe Sullivan draws on over a decade of experience advising manufacturing leaders to share his own perspective about how the buying landscape has changed, and what actions need to be taken from a marketing perspective to remain competitive.

For years, product development has meant designing a few things, and then manufacturing them in the thousands or millions. But CEO of Nullpace, Dr. Masha Petrova, will tell you, we're quickly moving in a direction where we can design thousands of things and then manufacture just a few of them. She'll dive into the ways design engineering technology is enabling manufacturers to replace time and money spent buying parts, assembling, testing and measuring with digital simulations.

Quite a few manufacturing leaders that I talk to – whether through interviews on this show or in marketing consultations that I conduct – are leading second or third-generation family-owned businesses. They've built successful companies, but have struggled to let go of responsibilities, to delegate and to empower their people to play a role in shaping the company's future success. As lean manufacturing consultant Matthew Rassi will remind us, what got you here won't necessarily get you there. In this conversation, Matthew talks about the intersection of servant leadership and lean manufacturing practices, and how together, they can help you build a loyal, engaged and self-directed workforce.

Where do new product ideas come from? Do they stem from the needs of your customers and prospects? Or do they come from what you THINK your prospects and customers might need? In today's conversation, Founder of AIM Institute, Dan Adams, will talk about how to drive new product blueprinting through real customer insights.

When I think about sustainability, MY mind goes straight to the environment. But when Managing Partner of Community Solar Authority, Dakota Malone, thinks about sustainability, the environment is one of four pillars that all work together. In this conversation, Dakota breaks them down for you and explains why today's manufacturing leaders should care.

All the interactions that happen from first touch with a prospect through the signed purchase order, and in the future as your customer buys from you again and again, are part of the buyer experience. And making every one of those touch points as painless and rewarding as possible should be all of our goals. CEO and Co-Founder of GenAlpha Technologies, Kris Harrington, is digital commerce expert. And in this conversation, she'll share 10 ways to eliminate buyer friction (while simultaneously unburdening your customer service team) through a digital commerce environment.

When you make the investment in a sturdy digital backbone for running your manufacturing operation – your ERP, your QMS, your MES.... – You protect yourself from loss of tribal knowledge – You create efficiencies through process documentation – You set yourself up for smoother compliance audits – And ultimately, you create an environment that can foster scalable growth In this conversation, Co-Founder of ProShop ERP, Paul Van Metre, breaks it down.

For 200 consecutive weeks without missing a single Tuesday morning, I've published interviews with manufacturing leaders (and professionals influencing manufacturing leaders) about the things that matter most to them. In this milestone episode, I've compiled sound bites from 21 of those 200 episodes (and referenced many others as well), and I've organized what I've heard and summarized what I've learned around seven central themes. They are: 1. Supply chain 2. Labor 3. The next generation 4. Automation 5. Digitization and industry 4.0 6. Sustainability 7. Leadership

When I hear the word "service" in a business setting, my mind goes straight to CUSTOMER service. But the concept of serving becomes so much more powerful when it finds its way into all the other aspects of running a business. In this episode, business coach Fred Reggie talks about about building what he calls a service culture. Specifically, he touches on the importance of two-way communication, clearly articulating your organization's mission and achieving universal buy-in throughout your organization around that mission.