my TRUE POSITION

Episodes

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  The Best Manufacturing Classroom Isn't a Classroom 21.08.2026 21m

  IMTS 2026 is coming back to Chicago, and Jim Carr believes manufacturing leaders should do more than just attend. They should bring their teams. In this episode of My TRUE POSITION, Jim explains why IMTS is one of the most valuable team development opportunities in manufacturing. With more than 86,000 people, 1,800 exhibitors, 10 technology sectors, and over 1.2 million square feet of manufacturing innovation, IMTS is not just a trade show. It is a front-row look at the future of the industry. Jim shares why he has been attending IMTS since he was 16 with his late father, Richard, and how that experience shaped the way he sees manufacturing. He also breaks down how CARR Machine & Tool turns IMTS into a team-building and learning day: taking the team by party bus, assigning groups to explore specific areas of interest, collecting information, sharing what they learn, and ending the day with dinner as a team.
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  Be Careful When Giving a Friend a Purchase Order 14.08.2026 22m

  Doing business with friends can be rewarding — but it can also get complicated fast. In this episode of My TRUE POSITION, Jim Carr shares personal lessons from decades in manufacturing about the risks of mixing friendship with purchase orders, subcontracting, tooling, consulting, and supplier relationships. The hard truth: good people can still be bad business partners. Jim talks about why expectations break down, why it is so hard to hold a friend accountable, and why a simple written agreement before the work begins may be the best way to protect both the business and the friendship. Because when delivery slips, quality fails, communication breaks down, or money gets involved, friendship alone will not save the relationship. Clear expectations might. This is a personal, reflective episode about trust, boundaries, leadership, and the real consequences of letting business and friendship collide without a plan.
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  CMMC Is Paused: The Hackers AREN'T 31.07.2026 20m

  Manufacturing has become the number-one industry targeted by cyberattackers, accounting for 27.7% of the incidents investigated by IBM X-Force in 2025. manufacturers such attractive targets? It comes down to production downtime, valuable customer intellectual property, aging technology and our position inside increasingly connected global supply chains. In this episode of My TRUE POSITION, Jim Carr explains why small and family-owned machine shops are especially vulnerable, how cybercriminals get from an employee's inbox to the shop floor and what owners can realistically do to protect their businesses. Jim also addresses what the recent CMMC Phase II suspension does—and does not—mean for defense manufacturers. No scare tactics. No hundred-page IT checklist. Just practical, owner-level actions to protect your company, your customers and your ability to keep making parts.
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  The Backlog Is REAL: So Is the Bottleneck 24.07.2026 29m

  A big backlog feels great — until you realize backlog doesn't ship itself. In this episode, I break down the hard reality behind today's aerospace and defense demand. The orders may be real. The opportunities may be real. But so are the constraints: labor, material, inspection, outside processing, cash flow, supplier delays, machine uptime, and leadership capacity. This is not a negative episode. It is a reality episode. Because a purchase order is not the finish line. It is a promise. And the shops that win over the next few years will not simply be the ones with the biggest backlog. They will be the ones that can convert demand into delivered product, delivered product into cash, and cash into enterprise value. Backlog is not the win. Execution is.
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  CMMC Hit the Brakes...Because the Arsenal Can't Wait! 18.07.2026 40m

  The government just suspended CMMC Phase II—and the reason goes far beyond cybersecurity. With defense inventories under replenishment pressure, aerospace backlogs at historic levels, and qualified manufacturing capacity already constrained, Washington finally recognized that six-figure certification costs and overwhelming documentation requirements were pushing capable small manufacturers out of the Defense Industrial Base. In this episode, Jim breaks down what the CMMC pause really means, what requirements remain in force, how it could reshape competition for defense machining, and why the next two-plus years may create extraordinary opportunities for manufacturers that are truly prepared to execute.
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  No One Wants to Work Overtime: Now What? 10.07.2026 26m

  Manufacturing owners love to say nobody wants to work overtime anymore. But maybe the better question is: why did we build businesses that depend on it? In this episode, I dig into the new overtime reality facing machine shops and manufacturers. The workforce has changed. People want their nights, weekends, and family time back. But customers still want shorter lead times, faster delivery, and flawless execution. That puts owners right in the middle. This episode is not about blaming workers or whining about younger generations. It's about leadership, capacity, planning, accountability, and building a company that does not require constant heroics just to hit the schedule. Overtime should be a tool. It should not be the operating model. Because the future belongs to shops that can deliver without burning people out.
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  The Machines Are Here! The People Aren't. 26.06.2026 29m

  Chicago has spent billions building the future of manufacturing and logistics — rail yards, airport cargo systems, automation, robotics, smart factories, and advanced equipment. But here's the hard truth: machines don't create capacity by themselves. People do. In this episode, I break down the workforce crisis hiding behind the automation boom. We don't just need more technology — we need the technicians, machinists, programmers, maintenance experts, automation engineers, and leaders who can actually run it. Because the future of manufacturing won't be decided by who buys the best machines. It'll be decided by who builds the people capable of keeping them moving.
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  The Family Business Survival Guide 19.06.2026 22m

  Most family businesses don't fail because they run out of money. They fail because they run out of leadership, communication, trust, and a real succession plan. In this episode, I break down why some family businesses survive for generations while others collapse the minute the founder steps away. We'll talk about entitlement, founder dependency, hard conversations, next-generation leadership, and the brutal difference between being founder-led and becoming institution-led. Because building a family business is one thing. Building one that can survive without you is something completely different.
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  The Best Business Education I Never Paid For 13.06.2026 26m

  What if the most valuable business lessons you'll ever learn don't come from a college classroom, a consultant, or an MBA program? Over the last ten years, I've had the privilege of sitting behind a microphone and interviewing hundreds of CEOs, entrepreneurs, shop owners, engineers, and manufacturing leaders. What started as a podcast turned into something far more valuable—a front-row seat to the successes, failures, leadership philosophies, and hard-earned wisdom of some remarkable people. In this episode, I share the biggest lessons I've learned from a decade of conversations. We talk about why curiosity beats intelligence, why culture matters more than technology, how relationships compound over time, and why the most successful leaders are often the most humble. Whether you're running a machine shop, leading a team, building a business, or simply trying to become a better version of yourself, these are the lessons that have shaped the way I think, lead, and make decisions. This isn't an episode about podcasting. It's about what ten years of listening taught me.
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  The Defense Manufacturing Boom Is Coming: Are You Ready? 05.06.2026 17m

  Defense spending is rising. Aerospace production is accelerating. Munitions demand is growing. And behind the scenes, manufacturers are preparing for what could become one of the biggest opportunities in decades. In this episode of My TRUE POSITION, Jim Carr shares what he's seeing firsthand from the front lines of aerospace and defense manufacturing. He discusses why some shops will be positioned to thrive, why others may struggle to keep up, and what leaders should be doing today to prepare for the demand that's coming tomorrow. If you're a shop owner, manufacturing executive, or anyone responsible for growth and capacity planning, this episode offers practical insights into the future of American manufacturing and the opportunities that may lie ahead. The work is coming. The real question is: will your company be ready?
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  A Young Engineer Asked Me for 3 Pieces of Advice: Here Are Ten! 29.05.2026 26m

  A young mechanical engineering student named Jake Masters reached out to me on LinkedIn asking for advice before stepping into his family's 70-year-old CNC manufacturing business. That message inspired this episode. In this solo episode of My TRUE POSITION, Jim Carr shares 10 hard-earned lessons about leadership, failure, culture, cash flow, technology, and what it really takes to survive in precision manufacturing. This isn't motivational fluff. It's real-world operator wisdom from someone who's lived it. Whether you're entering the family business, leading a shop, or building the next generation of manufacturing — this episode is for you. Because inheriting the company is one thing. Improving it? That's leadership.
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  MRP Is Broken: How Modern Shops Are Rebuilding Their Tech Stack 22.05.2026 28m

  In this episode, Jim Carr sits down with Lorin Shamos from First Resonance to break down why traditional ERP and MRP systems are falling behind—and what a modern "Factory Operating System" actually looks like. From real-time scheduling and material planning to execution, traceability, and automation, this conversation dives into how advanced manufacturers are replacing spreadsheets and firefighting with systems that actually reflect reality. If your operation still depends on manual updates, outdated data, and constant rescheduling… this episode will hit home.
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  When Failure Isn't an Option: Inside High-Reliability Manufacturing 15.05.2026 32m

  Not all manufacturing is created equal. Some parts can fail. Others can't. In this episode, Jim Carr sits down with Errick Egeland from The Lee Company to explore what it takes to manufacture miniature, high-reliability fluid control components used in aerospace, medical, defense, and space applications. From precision flow control to extreme repeatability, this conversation dives into the discipline required to build components where failure is not an option. If you think tight tolerances are challenging… wait until performance, pressure, and reliability are all on the line.
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  Space Junk, Collisions, and Control: Who's Managing the Chaos in Orbit? 08.05.2026 33m

  Space isn't just about launching satellites anymore—it's about maintaining them, inspecting them, and eventually removing them. In this episode, Jim Carr sits down with Jeff Schloemer from Astroscale to break down the emerging world of in-orbit servicing and space logistics. From satellite inspection and life extension to debris removal and collision prevention, this conversation explores how space is becoming a fully operational environment—and why that matters for the future of infrastructure, defense, and global communication. If you think manufacturing is complex on Earth… wait until you hear what it takes in orbit.
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  Rework Is Killing Your Margin: Here's How Top Shops Are Fixing It 01.05.2026 32m

  Most shops aren't losing money on bad machining—they're losing it on bad execution. In this episode, Jim Carr sits down with Patrick Diggins from Aligned Vision to break down one of the biggest hidden problems in manufacturing: the gap between what engineering designs and what actually gets built on the shop floor. We're talking laser-guided assembly, AI-driven inspection, and real-time digital work instructions that eliminate guesswork, reduce rework, and lock in precision from start to finish. If you're still relying on prints, tribal knowledge, and hoping your team gets it right the first time… this conversation is going to challenge that mindset. This is about building it right the first time—and protecting your margin while you do it.
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  Who Packed Your Parachute? When the Supply Chain Breaks—But the Mission Doesn't 24.04.2026 29m

  What happens when a critical aerospace part disappears—but the mission doesn't? In this episode, Jim sits down with Sam Thevanayagam, CEO of Parts Life and DeVal Lifecycle Support, to unpack the hidden world of DMSMS, reverse engineering, and supply chain failure in aerospace and defense. We're talking about: Rebuilding parts with no data Solving obsolescence when OEMs walk away Keeping mission-critical systems alive under pressure And turning around a failing inner-city manufacturing company into a 400% growth story This isn't a theory. This is real-world problem solving where failure isn't an option. If you think supply chain issues don't affect you—think again. Because when the part's gone… somebody still has to make it work.
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  Three Generations, One Exit: What It Really Takes to Sell a Machine Shop (Part Two) 17.04.2026 22m

  In this continuation of Three Generations, One Exit, we move past the idea of selling and into the reality of doing it. The conversations get tougher, the stakes get higher, and the margin for error gets smaller. We unpack what really happens during the deal process—negotiations, diligence, second-guessing, and the pressure that builds when legacy, money, and identity all collide. This is the phase where you find out if your business is truly ready… and if you are. If you're a shop owner thinking about an exit someday, this is the part you need to understand. Because getting interest is one thing—getting a deal done the right way is something else entirely.
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  Three Generations, One Exit: What It Really Takes to Sell a Machine Shop (Part 1) 10.04.2026 29m

  This episode hits home. I sat down with a close friend—a third-generation machine shop owner—who took his family business all the way through a private equity exit. From the outside, it looks like a win… but behind the scenes, it was anything but simple. We get into the real story: the pressure, the complexity, the emotional weight of legacy, and what it actually takes to navigate a deal like this the right way. If you've ever thought about selling your shop—or even wondered what that path looks like—this is a conversation you don't want to miss.
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  Choosing the Wrong Automation Partner: A Shop Floor Story (Part 2) 27.03.2026 35m

  Automation didn't fail us—the wrong partner did. In Part 2 of this two-part series, Jim Carr and Ryan Carr finish the story behind a CNC automation retrofit that went off the rails—and get into what really matters: the lessons. This is where they break down what it actually cost, what they would do differently, and how to properly vet an automation company before you hand over your time, money, and trust. From missed expectations to hard conversations, this episode is about accountability, due diligence, and protecting your shop from making the same mistake. If you're serious about automation, this is the part you can't afford to skip—because the difference between success and failure isn't the technology… It's who you choose to work with.
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  Choosing the Wrong Automation Partner: A Shop Floor Story (Part 1) 20.03.2026 20m

  Automation is supposed to make your shop faster, leaner, and more profitable. But what happens when the company you trust to retrofit your CNC turns out to be the wrong partner? In this episode, Jim Carr sits down with Ryan Carr for the first of many co-hosted conversations on My TRUE POSITION. They unpack the real story behind a CNC automation retrofit that didn't go the way it was supposed to. What started as a smart investment quickly exposed a hard truth: choosing the wrong automation partner can cost time, money, and a lot of frustration on the shop floor. In Part 1, Jim and Ryan walk through how the decision was made, what promises were on the table, and the early warning signs they wish they had paid more attention to. If you're thinking about automating your shop—or partnering with anyone to do it—this is a conversation worth hearing before you sign the check.