The Manufacturing Executive

Odcinki

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  Growing Women Leaders in Manufacturing w/ Allison Grealis 22.09.2026 33min

  Manufacturing has spent years asking how to get more women into the industry. Allison Roberts Grealis, founder and president of the Women in Manufacturing Association, says the harder question is what happens after they get there. In this episode, she'll talk about why retention is where companies lose the people they worked hardest to hire, what it actually takes to grow someone into a leadership role, and why the women coming up need to see someone like themselves already in the room. We also get into how the leadership job in manufacturing has changed, and why stepping away from the daily grind has become part of doing it well.
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  The Next Chapter of SEO: How Manufacturers Get Recommended by AI w/ Grace Wright 15.09.2026 40min

  There's a new acronym for it every week: AEO, GEO, LLMO, AI SEO. Grace Wright, VP of Innovation at Gorilla 76, will tell you that regardless of what you call it, the job is the same. Your buyers are searching for what you sell, and ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude are answering with three or four company names. Yours is either on that list or it isn't. In this episode, we trace how 20 years of search engine optimization got us here. Then we get into what actually decides which manufacturers get recommended: whether AI can read your website, whether your content answers the question a buyer actually asked, and whether anyone outside your company vouches for you. You'll hear why the old tricks stopped working, what Grace found auditing manufacturer websites all summer and how to check your own visibility before this episode is over.
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  Why Your Toughest Parts Still Use 50-Year-Old Materials w/ Fazal Mahmood 08.09.2026 39min

  Co-founder and CEO of Phaseshift Technologies, Fazal Mahmood, will tell you that much of modern industry still runs on metal alloys introduced half a century ago. Better ones are possible. Proving one works is harder and far more expensive than inventing it, and that's where most new materials die. In this episode, we explore why that's finally changing. You'll hear where additive manufacturing landed after the hype burned off, how technologies like nuclear fusion and hotter-running aircraft engines have outrun the materials they were built from and why a supply shock in tungsten pushed some of the most change-resistant industries in the world to start looking for alternatives. We'll also get into what a small-to-midsize manufacturer should actually do with any of this.
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  How Safety Drives Your Bottom Line and Why It Starts With You w/ Brian Fielkow 01.09.2026 34min

  Ask everyone in your company one question: who's responsible for safety? About half will say the safety manager, and Brian Fielkow, consultant and author of Making Safety Happen, will tell you that half has it wrong. In this episode, we'll unpack why safety is a bottom-line business decision that starts with the leader, and why a safety failure really costs about five times what your insurance loss runs show. You'll hear how to harness the frontline leaders you already have, how to market safety to your own people, and a smarter way to respond when something goes wrong.
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  It's Not a Workforce Issue, It's a Workflow Issue w/ Alex Torrey 25.08.2026 28min

  The headlines say American manufacturing has a workforce crisis. Alex Torrey, co-founder and CEO of AIC, America's Innovation Corporation, will tell you the real constraint is workflow. He sees component shops running at 20 to 50 percent utilization when world class is north of 90, held back by decision-making infrastructure built for a world that doesn't exist anymore. In this episode, we'll explore physical AI, the shift from software that moves data to software that moves matter, and the small, founder-led manufacturers whose components make it possible. You'll hear why Alex calls those shops national treasures, why he thinks the goal is outmaneuvering dependence on China rather than outproducing it and what owner-operators nearing a transition should know about the third option most of them have never been offered.
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  When Your Shop Is No Longer Bound by Geography w/ Sanjeev Singh Sahni 18.08.2026 33min

  Books are more than 80% bought online. Electronics, more than 50%. Custom manufactured parts? Less than 1%. CEO of Xometry, Sanjeev Sahni, believes that gap makes custom parts the most underpenetrated e-commerce category in the world, and that closing it has less to do with manufacturing capability than with speed and data. In this episode, we'll explore why an engineer can design a part in an afternoon and then lose days to manual RFQs and hit-or-miss supplier matching. You'll hear how online marketplaces are dissolving the 30 to 50 mile radius that defined machine shops for generations, why a Houston shop built on oil and gas is now doing aerospace work, and what changes for a shop owner who would rather make parts than chase sales. We'll also touch on why Sanjeev insists his company call manufacturers partners rather than suppliers.
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  Six Facilities, Three Countries, One Culture w/ Darragh de Stonndún 11.08.2026 32min

  Robots rarely break. Vision systems keep getting smarter. In automation, the technology has gotten so good that it's no longer what separates one company from another. Darragh de Stonndún, CEO of Automated Industrial Robotics, will tell you what does: the people and the culture behind it. In this episode, we unpack how he built AIR across six facilities in the US, UK and Ireland by evaluating every acquisition on culture first and walking away from impressive companies when the fit wasn't right. You'll hear what he looks for in a capital partner beyond the capital itself, how he gets a customer the identical experience no matter which facility touches the project and why he assembles the best experts across the whole company rather than handing the work to the nearest plant. We'll also get into where he expects AI to earn its keep in manufacturing, and the line he draws between using a new tool to do better work and using it as a shortcut.
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  The Success Trap: How Winning the Big Contract Can Also Break You w/ Chris Hale 04.08.2026 23min

  Founder and CEO of Klear, Chris Hale, will tell you that companies rarely fail for lack of demand. They fail when capital falls out of sync with operations. In this episode, we dig into what Chris calls the success trap: the moment a manufacturer finally lands the transformational contract it's been chasing for years and discovers that's where the hard part begins. You'll hear why a career-making order is often the most dangerous moment for a business, what actually has to change inside a company to scale 10x into a massive backlog and how to turn tough payment terms with a much larger customer into a moment of leverage instead of weakness. We'll also get into why traditional bank tools are built to look backward and why the smartest teams build a capital strategy before the big order lands rather than after.
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  Using AI to Right-Size Inventory and Kill Shortages w/ Richard Lebovitz 28.07.2026 31min

  Founder and chief strategy officer of LeanDNA, Richard Lebovitz, will tell you that one of the biggest causes of part shortages isn't what you'd expect. It's failing to tell your suppliers what you don't need. In this episode, we dig into why supply chain teams get stuck firefighting shortages while executives chase working capital, and how those two goals drift out of sync. Richard makes the case for running a supply chain the way a good marketer runs a campaign: short, targeted and measured, then adjusted. You'll hear the difference between predictive and prescriptive AI, why the prescriptive kind is so much harder to get right, and the mistake he sees manufacturers make when they hand AI a decision it isn't ready for. Underneath all of it runs a simple idea he picked up early from the partners who taught him Lean: the point of any technology is to make the work easier for the people doing it.
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  Turning the E-Waste Stream Into a National Asset w/ Matt Bedingfield 21.07.2026 24min

  CEO of Mint Innovation, Matt Bedingfield, will tell you there's a gap in America's reshoring push that almost nobody's talking about. We're rebuilding the muscle to make things again, but we skipped the raw materials those plants run on, and the country now faces a million-ton copper shortfall it fills by exporting scrap and re-importing the same metal refined. In this episode, we explore why a sovereign supply chain matters as much as the factories themselves, how the "urban mine" of electronic waste could become a national asset instead of a landfill problem, and why solving this takes an ecosystem rather than one company at a time.
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  Governance: Aligning Product, Project and the Plant Floor w/ Richard Broo 14.07.2026 23min

  Most manufacturers are good at planning a product and good at planning a project. Where launches fall apart is everything in between. Founder and principal of True North PMP Consulting, Richard Broo, will tell you that operations, quality, logistics and finance get left out of the room until it's too late. By the time manufacturing hears about a launch, the line's already booked out for months. In this episode, we dig into what Richard calls governance: getting every function aligned from day one, before anybody flips the switch. You'll hear why growth amplifies whatever's already broken, how to spot a project drifting off track while you can still fix it, and what it looks like when a team gets it right. Along the way, Richard shares real turnaround stories from decades in plastics, medical packaging and industrial manufacturing.
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  Building Stronger Relationships With Your Manufacturing Reps w/ Chris Atwell 07.07.2026 31min

  Leadership coach Chris Atwell, founder of Mindset Conquest, will tell you that 100 sales calls a month proves your reps are busy. It doesn't prove your business is growing. After two decades selling through and alongside manufacturers rep agencies, he's seen the same trap over and over: activity reports that look productive but never tie back to revenue. In this episode, we dig into how manufacturers and their independent reps can build predictable growth together. You'll hear why tracking calls is the wrong place to start, how a shared revenue target and a real sales pipeline change the relationship, and what it takes to enable reps who already know your market better than you do. We'll also touch on the three pillars behind his new book, Momentum by Design.
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  The Real Threat to Tribal Knowledge Isn't Just Retirement w/ Jamie Marzilli 30.06.2026 44min

  Most manufacturers are bracing for the silver tsunami: the wave of retiring veterans taking decades of know-how out the door. Founder of Marzilli Machine and host of the Raw Material podcast, Jamie Marzilli, will tell you that's only part of the problem. In this episode, we explore the bigger piece most shops overlook: the tribal knowledge that slips away every day in what you don't write down. You'll hear how Jamie's shop already puts AI to work on the floor, why he's convinced AI will create manufacturing jobs rather than erase them, and what a machine shop looks like five years out.
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  Turning Around a Struggling Manufacturing Operation w/ George Murray 23.06.2026 37min

  Business transformation expert and author of nine books, George C. Murray, will tell you that most manufacturing turnarounds fail before they even start. And often, it's because leaders ignite fear of change with the wrong language and wrong approach. In this episode, we’ll unpack what it really takes to revive a struggling operation, from assessing cash flow and margins to building genuine trust and rallying teams behind new goals. You’ll hear why reframing “change” is critical, how open dialogue accelerates results, and which metrics matter most. We’ll also touch on harnessing AI to drive improvements, and why those willing to learn will rise with their organizations.
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  When Legacy Thinking Gets in the Way of Manufacturing Innovation w/ Annie Lu 16.06.2026 31min

  What happens when the experts tell you something can't be done? Today's guest built a company by questioning assumptions that had gone largely unchallenged inside a massive legacy industry for decades. Annie Lu, co-founder and CEO of Laminar, joins me to talk about challenging conventional wisdom, earning credibility as an outsider, and why manufacturers who stay open to new ways of solving old problems will be the ones best positioned for the future.
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  What the Last Four Industrial Revolutions Teach Us About Today w/ Paul Lachance 09.06.2026 35min

  Chief Industry Strategist, Technologist and Evangelist at Software Equity Group, Paul Lachance, believes the AI revolution we're living in belongs in the same conversation as steam power, electricity and robotics. In this episode, we explore the lessons manufacturers can learn from past eras of disruption, why some companies emerge stronger while others get left behind and how leaders can cut through the AI hype to focus on the opportunities that create real business value.
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  From Make-Use-Throw Away to Circular: Plastics Manufacturing’s Next Chapter w/ Ross Eisenberg 03.06.2026 28min

  In today’s conversation, we’re exploring a shift in the plastics industry – from the old “make, use, throw away” model to a future focused on circularity. At the heart of this transformation is the rise of advanced, or chemical, recycling technologies. My guest today, President of America’s Plastic Makers, Ross Eisenberg, will tell you why these innovative processes are key to tackling plastics that traditional recycling leaves behind, and why the industry itself is leaning into this change as a path for growth rather than just regulatory compliance. He'll break down what’s driving the move, the hurdles still ahead and what real success might look like in a truly circular plastics economy.
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  7 Steps for Manufacturing Leaders to Take Off the Sales Hat w/ Mike Huey 26.05.2026

  In today’s conversation, we’re tackling a challenge manufacturing leaders know all too well: wearing too many hats. In particular, we'll be talking about the sales hat, and why taking it off is often harder than it sounds. My guest, author and sales advisor Mike Huey, will share a proven framework to help you transition from founder-led sales to a scalable, repeatable system that doesn’t depend on you. Whether your company is gearing up for growth or eyeing a future exit, this conversation offers a road map for making your business both scalable and saleable.
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  Advancing Battery Innovation for a Power Grid Under Pressure w/ Arwed Niestroj 19.05.2026

  In today’s episode, we’re diving into one of the most critical bottlenecks in the electrification revolution: batteries. With the rapid explosion of AI and the data centers powering it, the strain on our power grid has never been greater. Yet, beneath the surface, few realize just how challenging and intricate battery manufacturing really is – in a world where chemistry is king, precision is everything, and the tiniest defect can derail an entire product line. My guest today, President and COO of Sakuu, unpacks why battery limitations dictate the lifespan of everything from EVs to smartphones, and what true innovation in manufacturing means for reshoring production and overcoming global cost barriers.
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  Moving From Generative to Physical AI on the Manufacturing Floor w/ Etienne Lacroix 12.05.2026 27min

  In this conversation, Founder and CEO of Vention, Etienne Lacroix, points to two fast-moving trends that are impacting manufacturing: the growth of “physical AI,” which brings autonomy to machines on the factory floor, and the real-world impact of software-defined automation. In this episode, you’ll hear what’s actually working with these technologies, and what still falls short. We’ll get into the specific tasks AI handles well, the practicalities of implementation and ROI and what manufacturing leaders should expect in the near future as AI adoption accelerates across production environments.