Manufacturing Talks
There are millions of cool stories in manufacturing. Your host, Jim Vinoski, helps share them by talking to the people who are making them happen. Manufacturing is where the rubber meets the road. There's no hiding. You're either making good products people will buy for enough to keep you in business, or you're not. Meet the amazing folks who thrive in that survival-of-the-fittest world.
Episodes
141 episodes
Viren Popli from Mahindra talks to us about the farm tractor business
For Episode 141, we got a great education in the state of business for farm tractors. Mahindra is a tractor maker headquartered in India, and they happen to have the best-selling model in the world. The President and CEO of their North and Sout...
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35:16
Our favorite journalist Eric Starkman sings Subaru's praises
Eric is a no-hold-barred reporter on all things automotive (and a whole lot more!) Lately that means he's not reporting a lot of good news. So when he promised he could be positive about Subaru's offerings, I took him up on it. That landed him ...
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36:04
Miss America '23 Grace Stanke updates us on her new career as a nuclear engineer
Grace Stanke is back! Our inspiring friend - former Miss Wisconsin, former Miss America, accomplished classical violinist, and now working nuclear engineer - join us again to give us the lowdown as she wraps up her first year in her new career....
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33:57
Mush Khan talks about the state of manufacturing and how to win in today's marketplace
Episode 138 features longtime manufacturing hand Mush Khan. He co-founded an industrial consultancy called Alchemy Industrial, and he's got an encyclopedic knowledge of the world of manufacturing, the state of industrial affairs these days, and...
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36:33
Want your business to run better? Want to manage your plant's assets well? Vivek Joshi tell you how!
Entytle co-founder and CEO Vivek Joshi joined us for Episode 137 to talk about how his company can help you use big data and AI to do all the above.Here are the highlights:Chapters00:00 - Intro03:30 - Why he founded Enty...
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26:18
Chuck Coxhead on winning in manufacturing - workforce, product, strategy, automation and more!
Today's manufacturers have to tackle a lot of challenges: lack of skilled labor (or any labor, for that matter!), product differentiation, business direction, where to invest capital, and on and on.It's been a while since we had a thoro...
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37:49
The latest on the manufacturing ERP - Kerrie Jordan gives us the update from Epicor
#manufacturing erp #erp software #best erp for manufacturingShe's back! Joining us once again for Episode 135 is Kerrie Jordan from Epicor. She gives us all the latest on ERP software custom-built for manufacturers, along with some big ...
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30:23
Want your paint to stick? Your bearing to roll? Mark Malburg on why surface metrology is important
It's a Manufacturing Talks first: two family members on successive episodes! Last week we had nuclear expert Dan Malburg, and this week we've got his nephew Mark Malburg to tell us all about measuring surfaces.Mark is President at Digit...
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33:43
Is it time for nuclear? Expert Dan Malburg says yes, and he's here to tell you why
It's pretty clear we need to change course when it comes to our energy policy. Dan Malburg, who has worked in the nuclear energy field for a good long time, and who now serves as Senior Maintenance Instructor for nuclear power plants, joined us...
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30:09
Will it take an army of robots? No! She's here to tell you how to get the workforce you need
Here's some more excellent expert input on confronting the manufacturing workforce challenge! Jeannine Kunz, Chief Workforce Development Officer at SME (formerly the Society of Manufacturing Engineers) joined us to talk about the nature of the ...
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37:33
He calls it "the silver tsunami!" Colin Dowd from Armanino on how to address the workforce challenge
Unless you've been hiding under a rock for a few years, you know we're facing a big problem getting the talent we need. And industry is in a particularly dire state.That's why it was so valuable to have Colin Dowd join us for Episode 13...
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30:13
Electrification? Pedro Robredo from ABB is here to talk all about it!
Episode 130 features the Senior Vice President Services - Americas Hub at ABB, Pedro Robredo, who heads up all things electrification for that technology giant.Pedro talks about new technologies to help manufacturers with electrical rel...
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29:22
The guys from Aprio are back for the latest update on the state of US manufacturing and the economy
Simeon Wallis and Adam Beckerman join us once again from their advisory and accounting firm Aprio for Episode 129 to bring us up to speed on how industry and the country stand economically.They cover all the ups and downs - interest rat...
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29:09
Ian Peterman from Peterman Design Firm tells us all about designing for sustainability
Ian Peterman founded his own design firm out in Los Angeles to demonstrate his philosophy of designing products and systems for sustainability (a.k.a., The Peterman Method). He joined us for Episode 128 to tell us all about that and more.
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31:15
Gloria Kee from Model N talks all things semiconductors!
Semiconductor manufacturing is its own little special corner in the vast manufacturing edifice. It was definitely informative to hear from Gloria Kee, VP of product management at Model N, part of Vista Equity Partners and a revenue optimization...
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26:45
Mark Peters from Butterball Farms on second chance hiring and running a business right
Mark is one of the manufacturing executives our host interviewed for his recent Forbes article on hiring the formerly incarcerated. Mark's company, specialty butter producer Butterball Farms in Grand Rapids, Michigan, has been doing second chan...
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35:24
Recruiter Taylor Evans talks about using professional recruiting methods for skilled trades workers
It should come as no surprise that manufacturers are struggling to get the workers they need, especially when it comes to skilled trades. Taylor Evans, President of Rust Belt Recruiting in Cleveland, Ohio, is right in the thick of things. He's ...
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38:23
Anthony Constantino of Sticker Mule on making stickers and standing up to trash media outrage
There are two distinct stories in this episode featuring the CEO of Sticker Mule.The first one is about how Anthony and his business partners built a successful business making and selling stickers (and now a whole lot more!) It's a gre...
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35:40
Lester Young gives us his personal experiences with second chance hiring
There are a lot of stories out there about the companies that have blessedly tackled the desperate need for a pathway back to gainful employment and a meaningful career for those who've served time in prison.But you don't hear too many ...
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39:14
Mikhail Taver educates us about investing in industrial AI
You may have heard a bit about AI, am I right?But have you heard about how to whether a specific AI business is a good economic opportunity?Mikhail Taver is here to help. He founded his own investment company, Taver Capital Part...
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24:50
John Bowman tells all the amazing stories from his career in advertising!
We don't often delve into the world of advertising here, but how can you succeed as a manufacturer without it? Fortunately for Episode 121 we connected with one of the best ever, Adman Emeritus John Bowman from Admeritus.John's now most...
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42:27
Green cement that's economically competitive? Ryan Gilliam from Fortera says yes!
Too many emissions reduction-driven or otherwise environmentally friendly new methods of manufacturing simply cost too much and require too much new equipment and plant disruption, so they rarely fly without big dollops of government pork.<...
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29:35
Anna Frounfelker is the Woman of Steel!
We don't talk about the steel industry near enough around here. Yet it's the fundamental form of manufacturing, a precursor to so much other production!So it was a true pleasure to be joined for Episode 119 by Anna Frounfelker. She's cu...
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27:06
We need smarter energy policies - and our favorite scientist Mark Mills is on the job!
Polymath Mark Mills joins us again for a rousing discussion of what's ailing America when it comes to ensuring affordable and reliable energy.Mark is putting the finishing touches on his new outfit - he's now the Executive Dire...
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44:34
Are software vulnerabilities costing your factory big dollars? He's here to help!
Adam Gluck was a founding engineer on Uber's engineering strategy team, where got an early education in development and operations (DevOps). He quickly learned how industrial coding errors and cybersecurity breaches are increasingly a very cost...
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31:46
