Explore every episode of the podcast Making Chips Podcast for Manufacturing Leaders
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| At the Boring Bar 1-2 (Jason Zenger, Nick Goellner, Mike Payne, Paul Van Metre, Peter Eelman, Nicole Wolter, Chris Luecke, and Manny Pasillas) | 06 Sep 2024 | 00:40:50 | |
How do you grow a machine shop through acquisitions? What is it like working in a legacy family business? How do you find and hire talented engineers? Where does AI fit into the daily grind? These are all questions that this team of industry experts and friends seek to answer over a glass of bourbon At the Boring Bar. Jason Zenger, Nick Goellner, Mike Payne, Paul Van Metre, Peter Eelman, Nicole Wolter, Chris Luecke, and Manny Pasillas share their unique perspectives on the manufacturing industry—and how it must adapt—in part II. Check it out! Segments
| |||
| At the Boring Bar 1-1 (Jason Zenger, Nick Goellner, Mike Payne, Paul Van Metre, Peter Eelman, Nicole Wolter, Chris Luecke, and Manny Pasillas) | 30 Aug 2024 | 00:44:19 | |
Some of the greatest ideas in manufacturing don’t happen in boardrooms but over a drink with peers. In At the Boring Bar, Jason aims to cut deeper into the conversations that matter most to manufacturing leaders. So pull up a chair, grab a drink, and join Jason as he uncovers the insights that drive the manufacturing industry forward. In this inaugural episode of At the Boring Bar, join Jason, Nick Goellner, Mike Payne, Paul Van Metre, Peter Eelman, Nicole Wolter, Chris Luecke, and Manny Pasillas At the Boring Bar. They cover everything from the exciting new exhibits at IMTS to one of the biggest problems the manufacturing industry faces: a mass exodus of Baby Boomers. You’ll laugh, you may cry, and you’ll undoubtedly hear something that will provoke you to think about the future of the industry and your impact on it. Don’t miss it. Segments
| |||
| MakingSparks: What’s Keeping You Up at Night? An Update from Matthew and Casey, 414 | 28 Jun 2024 | 00:23:55 | |
What’s keeping you up at night? What are you excited about? It’s important to reflect on the good, the bad, and the ugly. Why? First and foremost, to learn from our mistakes. But secondly, to embrace gratitude. Even despite challenges and setbacks, there’s always room for gratefulness and thankfulness. So in this episode of MakingSparks, Casey and I sit down to discuss the challenges we’re facing and exciting changes happening in our businesses. We also share why we don’t let worry consume us and instead, practice gratitude. – Matthew Nix Segments
Have questions? Want to be a guest? Reach out to us on LinkedIn! We’d love to hear from you. Resources mentioned on this episode Connect With MakingChips | |||
| Tips for Scheduling Production in Your Machine Shop | 16 Aug 2022 | 00:45:02 | |
Scheduling is the art of planning your activities so that you can achieve your goals and priorities in the time that you have available. When it’s done effectively, it helps you understand what you can realistically achieve with your time. Why is it a big deal on the shop floor? As technology and automation are being implemented, it forces you to be faster. So you have to be efficient. Paul Van Metre joins us in this episode of MakingChips to share how ProShop can help your shop become more efficient. Because if you aren’t being efficient, you aren’t making enough chips. BAM! Segments
| |||
| IMTS 2022: It's Big, It's Back, It's Safe, It's Fun! | 09 Aug 2022 | 00:35:59 | |
The International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS) is back! This is the first time that IMTS has been forced to go on hiatus since World War II. It’s taking place September 12–17 at McCormick Place in Chicago and will consist of 1.2 million square feet of exhibition space. In this episode of MakingChips, Peter Eelman—the Chief Experience Officer at AMT—joins us to share what’s happening at IMTS, how to book your hotel stay, how Chicago is safer than ever, and even shares what to do to enjoy your stay. Even better, we will be in the Grand Concourse Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Come by and say hi! Segments
Get The Boring Bar Newsletter - Text CHIPS to 38470 to subscribe! Connect With MakingChips | |||
| Coolant Problems and How to Solve Them | 02 Aug 2022 | 00:34:21 | |
We’ve all gone into plants that smell awful because they’re dealing with coolant problems. But that smell is a symptom of other, bigger problems. If you have a smelly shop, foggy and dirty windows, and gunk on your tables, you’ve got a coolant problem that’s creating an unhealthy environment for your team. Learn how to identify coolant problems and how to solve them in this episode of MakingChips! Segments
| |||
| Tooling Management for Success Using Your ERP System | 26 Jul 2022 | 00:40:38 | |
The key to being a good salesman is to add value wherever you can for your customers. I want to be able to talk with ZENGER’s customers about integrating their tooling management with their ERP system and why it can help them. That’s why, in this episode of MakingChips, Paul Van Metre comes back to share how tooling management works using ProShop ERP. Because if you’re not properly managing your tools, you’re losing money (and definitely not making chips). – Jason! Segments
| |||
| Will You Find Your Next Manufacturing Customer, or Will Your Next Customer Find You? | 19 Jul 2022 | 00:43:46 | |
Whether you rely on inbound marketing, outbound marketing, or a combination of both, sourcing new customers can be a hassle. But it’s how you grow your business, so you can’t give up. Thomas™, a Xometry company, is America’s #1 industrial sourcing platform and marketing powerhouse. It could also be your #1 driver of new customers. Thomas™ President Shawn Fitzgerald shares how in this episode of MakingChips. Because if you’re not gaining new customers, you’re not making chips, and if you’re not making chips—you’re not making money! BAM! – Nick Segments
| |||
| What Can a Skills Gap Analysis Do for Your Manufacturing Business? | 15 Jul 2022 | 00:41:54 | |
Why is a skills gap analysis helpful? How can it make your company more efficient? What does the process look like? In this episode of MakingChips, we define a seven-step process you can use to help you run a skills gap analysis on your manufacturing business. Special guest Crystal Van Vleet shares how she’s brought the process to life in her role with Advanced Machine & Engineering (and at MakingChips). The bottom line is, if you don’t have skills, you’re not making chips, and if you're not making chips, you’re not making money! — Nick Segments
| |||
| Levers to Pull to Double the Value of Your Manufacturing Company | 05 Jul 2022 | 00:42:11 | |
What can you do to double the value of your manufacturing company and increase your likelihood of selling it exponentially? In this episode of MakingChips, Michael Watkins and David Capkovitz from EBITDA Growth Systems (EGS) share how they can help you increase your profitability and Paul Van Metre from ProShop ERP shares how he partners with EGS to bring value to his clients. They are all passionate about improving business performance in manufacturing companies and impacting lives. Don’t miss this episode packed with actionable insight. Segments
| |||
| How One Manufacturing Leader Closed the Skills Gap with Incredible Results | 27 Jun 2022 | 00:46:49 | |
Many manufacturers are facing a common struggle: Their team members are retiring. Even worse, they’re struggling to replace them. Matt Carr—the President of Storch Products Co—found an ingenious way to solve the skills gap at his company by attracting talent from a local technical college. How? He shares a strategy that any manufacturing leader can adapt in this episode of MakingChips. After all, you need talent on your team to make chips! Segments
| |||
| AS9100 Credentialing in 4 months? One Man's Success Story, 316 | 22 Jun 2022 | 00:39:38 | |
AS9100 is a standardized quality management system for the aerospace industry. If a manufacturer wants to work in this field, they have to be AS9100 certified. The credentialing process is difficult to achieve quickly. Integrating it into your quality management system (QMS) can be even more time-consuming. In this episode of MakingChips, special guest John Jones shares how he used ProShop to speed up and complete the implementation in just 4 months. Listen to this episode for his strategies! Segments
Get The Boring Bar Newsletter - Text CHIPS to 38470 to subscribe!
| |||
| Our Sales & Marketing Pet Peeves and What to Do Instead | 06 Jun 2022 | 00:35:04 | |
Do you struggle with any pet peeves? We’ve compiled a list of three sales and marketing tactics that people utilize that drive us crazy: misusing lead capture forms, cold calls, and spammy LinkedIn connections. But instead of just complaining about these things, we’re going to share what anyone in sales or marketing should do instead. There’s a right way—and most definitely a wrong way—to do it. Find out which side you’re landing on in this episode of MakingChips! – Nick If you enjoyed this episode, share it with someone you know! If you know someone who struggles with spammy sales tactics, it might be a nice way to nudge them in the right direction. Segments
Get The Boring Bar Newsletter - Text CHIPS to 38470 to subscribe!
| |||
| How to Adapt CNC Training for the Next Generation of Manufacturing Leaders - Part 2, 413 | 21 Jun 2024 | 00:41:12 | |
Gamification. Gamification is a highly successful strategy in the world of marketing. It’s used all the time to enhance engagement in children’s education. How can we apply gamification concepts to manufacturing education? Mike Payne, Paul Van Metre, Gabe Kooyers, and Chris Townsend joined me in this discussion and nailed down some incredible ways to leverage gamification. Because if you’re not motivating your students (or employees), then you’re not MakingChips. If you’re not MakingChips, you’re not making money. BAM! – Nick Goellner Segments
| |||
| Finding Your Niche: Right Customer—Right Seat, 314 | 23 May 2022 | 00:40:51 | |
Gino Wickman and Jim Collins popularized the term, “Right people, right seat” in reference to getting the right employees in leadership positions. But what if we take that terminology and apply it to customers? How do you decide what type of customer is the right fit for your manufacturing business? What type of customer will be the most profitable for your business? Those are the questions that we dissect in this episode of MakingChips. Don’t miss it! Any great tips I can use to find THE right customers for Carr Machine & Tool? Email me at Jim@MakingChips.com. Segments
Get The Boring Bar Newsletter - Text CHIPS to 38470 to subscribe!
| |||
| Time Management for the Manufacturing Leader | 18 May 2022 | 00:44:51 | |
Do you struggle with time management? Do you find yourself overwhelmed and exhausted at the end of the week with an endless backlog of things to do? After a rough week of long workdays and back-to-back dinner meetings, I felt like a zombie. I thought it wise to dive into an episode about time management. So in this episode of MakingChips, Jason and I tackle mastering time management in three areas: your phone calls, your calendar, and your time off. Because if you’re not managing your time efficiently, you aren’t making chips efficiently, which means you aren't making money, are you? — Nick Do you have a great system for time management? Let us know! Email us at info@MakingChips.com Segments
| |||
| Manufacturing Lessons from King Richard | 09 May 2022 | 00:34:01 | |
“King Richard” is a movie about Venus and Serena’s dad, Richard Williams. I remember watching their rise in tennis and was fascinated by this movie that followed their path to success. Their father was a large driving force behind their successful careers. So in this unique episode of MakingChips, we talk about 7 takeaways from King Richard and how they can be applied to the manufacturing world. If you want to rise to the top, you have to make chips. Because if you’re not making chips, you’re not making money. BAM! Segments
| |||
| Implementing 5S: Simple Tips to Get You Started | 02 May 2022 | 00:34:00 | |
5S is a methodology that I decided to implement when Carr Machine & Tool moved to a new location. We were meticulous about each decision we made so that we could create a clean and safe work environment to lead to increased productivity. The 5 S’s consist of sort, set in order, shine, standardize, and sustain. In this episode of MakingChips, I share how we implemented 5S in our shop. Our process is something that any shop can learn from and implement. It’s time to get organized and make sustainable changes so you can safely and efficiently make chips. BAM! Segments
| |||
| Get It Before It’s Gone! How to Extract Wisdom from Your Colleagues Before They Retire | 28 Apr 2022 | 00:29:30 | |
There’s so much wisdom my generation needs to extract from our older colleagues before they retire. Many young people in this industry are naive because it takes time and experience to master a trade. I don’t want someone to retire and still have lingering questions I wished I would’ve asked. That’s why we NEED to document the wisdom of our elders. So how do I extract wisdom from my colleagues before they retire? In this episode of MakingChips, we talk through a few ideas you can use to learn as much as you can from your expert machinists. We’d like to hear from you—How would you extract knowledge from peers? Reach out to info@MakingChips.com Segments
| |||
| What the Heck is a Samurai CNC Machinist? | 18 Apr 2022 | 00:38:27 | |
How do gaming, programming, and the world of a machinist look intersect? In this episode of MakingChips, Steve Courchane—the CNC Samurai—shares his “origin story,” talks about how programming and gaming are aligned, and how to apply gamification to machining to motivate employees. Because if your employees aren’t making chips, you aren’t making money! BAM. Segments
Get The Boring Bar Newsletter - Text CHIPS to 38470 to subscribe! Connect With MakingChips | |||
| Can You Scale Rapidly After 100 Years of Slow Growth? | 11 Apr 2022 | 00:45:07 | |
If your business has been slow-growing or stagnant, can you ramp up your growth? Matthew Nix would know—he’s grown his family business by a 100x multiple and spent seven straight years on the Inc. 5000 list. But how do you grow from a small mom-and-pop shop to an acquisition and growth machine? In this episode of MakingChips, Matthew shares how they’ve scaled their business with a three-prong strategy and how you can, too. Segments
Get The Boring Bar Newsletter - Text CHIPS to 38470 to subscribe! Connect With MakingChips | |||
| “People, Process, and Performance" A Special Live Event Interview | 04 Apr 2022 | 01:04:04 | |
Today’s episode of MakingChips is recorded at a special LIVE Tri-State Manufacturing Alliance (TSMA) event in conjunction with the Evansville Regional Economic Partnership. We are joined by three amazing panelists:
Each panelist shares their perspective on the importance of taking care of your people, implementing the right processes, and how to compel and measure performance. We also have the pleasure of announcing this year's Manufacturing Excellence Award. Don’t miss out on a unique perspective from manufacturing leaders in the trenches! Segments
| |||
| Why is Travel so Important for Manufacturing Leaders? A Special MakingTrips Episode | 28 Mar 2022 | 00:34:06 | |
We’re on a five-hour drive to a speaking event for the Tri-State Machining Association (TSMA) so we thought, why not do an episode on the importance of travel for manufacturing leaders? In this special episode of MakingChips, we cover the benefits of travel, the potential downsides, and how to use your time wisely when you’re on the road. Welcome to MakingTrips. Segments
Get The Boring Bar Newsletter - Text CHIPS to 38470 to subscribe! Connect With MakingChips | |||
| What to Do When an Employee Leaves | 18 Mar 2022 | 00:26:05 | |
What do you do when an employee resigns? How do you handle their departure in a dignified way? What do you do when you have to let someone go? You have to handle each scenario differently—and sometimes gingerly. So in this episode of MakingChips, we walk through navigating the exit process. Paul Van Metre joins us to share how ProShop ERP can make the transition easier. Segments
Get The Boring Bar Newsletter - Text CHIPS to 38470 to subscribe! Connect With MakingChips | |||
| How to Adapt CNC Training for the Next Generation of Manufacturing Leaders - Part 1, 412 | 14 Jun 2024 | 00:34:55 | |
How do we train the next generation of manufacturing leaders so employers are ready to hire them immediately? Do students still need to learn manual machinery? Or do employers only want skilled CNC machinists? These are just a few questions we dissect in this conversation with special guest and long-term educator Gabe Kooyers. Because if we’re not properly training machinists to make chips, they’re not getting hired, and no one’s making money. BAM! – Nick Goellner Segments
| |||
| Bonus Incentive Plans to Drive Action | 07 Mar 2022 | 00:37:12 | |
What do you expect from your employees? Do you expect them to think like an owner? Or just clock in and get their work done? Are they compensated for your expectations? In this episode of MakingChips, we’ll cover the bonus incentive plan I’ve structured for my core team. I’ll share the goals of the program, how to determine what behaviors to incentivize, what the reward(s) will be, and an easy way to manage it. Don’t miss it! Segments
Get The Boring Bar Newsletter - Text CHIPS to 38470 to subscribe! Connect With MakingChips | |||
| Does My Shop Need Middle Management? | 28 Feb 2022 | 00:34:28 | |
As our team begins to grow at Carr Machine & Tool, I believe it’s time to hire for a middle management position. But what is middle management? What does a middle management role consist of? Will implementing this role truly solve our problems? Jason helps me talk through the challenges I’m facing in this episode of Making Chips! Any tips, tricks, or ideas to help me through this? Reach out at Jim@MakingChips.com. I’d love to hear from you! Segments
| |||
| Keeping the Culture High in a Virtual World | 21 Feb 2022 | 00:33:31 | |
How do you keep corporate culture alive when your workforce is completely remote? How do you focus your company on your values, mission, and goals? When a thriving company culture is crucial to retaining your employees, it can’t be neglected. We dissect this problem we’re facing because of the COVID pandemic—and 6 possible ways to promote and maintain your unique company culture—in this episode of MakingChips. Segments
Get The Boring Bar Newsletter - Text CHIPS to 38470 to subscribe! Connect With MakingChips | |||
| Getting a Grip on Workholding Automation and Leading your Elders | 14 Feb 2022 | 00:42:24 | |
Is the labor shortage accelerating automation? Why is there a perception that automation is both risky and complex? How do you lead your elders with authority yet humility? To dovetail—or not to dovetail? These are the questions that we hash out with Michael Gaunce, the VP of Sales for Tooling and Workholding at SCHUNK. We take a deep look into the technical side of workholding and automation in this episode of Making Chips. Now is the time to embrace automation. Because if you’re not making chips efficiently, you’re not making money! Segments
Get The Boring Bar Newsletter - Text CHIPS to 38470 to subscribe!
| |||
| What is the Future of MakingChips? | 07 Feb 2022 | 00:28:57 | |
MakingChips is NOT a cult of personality. We want MakingChips to be about the Metalworking nation. We want to interview you. We want to talk about your problems and how to solve them. We hope we equip, inspire—and sometimes entertain—you. With that being said, some BIG changes are coming. What will the future of MakingChips hold? Listen to this episode to hear our game-changing update for the Metalworking nation. Segments
Get The Boring Bar Newsletter - Text CHIPS to 38470 to subscribe! We want to bring on three new hosts of three NEW shows. If you believe you have a podcast the Metalworking nation can benefit from, connect with us. Send us a pitch at info@makingchips.com. Share a description, your history, and why you believe it can become a monthly show. You may just become a member of the MakingChips podcast family! Connect With MakingChips | |||
| Doubling Down on Your People and Culture in 2022 | 24 Jan 2022 | 00:36:43 | |
Your people are the most important part of your business. If they’re not, they should be. When you hire someone, it’s always with the hope that they’ll become a long-term part of the family, right? So you need to cultivate a workplace culture they want to stay and thrive in. So in this episode of Making Chips, we’ll share nine simple tactics that you can implement immediately to transform your company culture. Segments
Get The Boring Bar Newsletter - Text CHIPS to 38470 to subscribe!
| |||
| How Manufacturing Leaders Can Have Better Meetings in 2022, 298 | 17 Jan 2022 | 00:40:38 | |
What are the things you HATE about meetings? Moving into 2022, would you like to have better, more productive meetings that don’t waste time and actually get things done? The MakingChips team is discussing the issue on this episode based on a book Nick read recently, called, “Death By Meeting.” Learn 3 steps you can take to make your meetings powerful for 2022. Segments
Get The Boring Bar Newsletter - Text CHIPS to 38470 to subscribe!
| |||
| What Annual Goals Do For You - Not Just Tips and Tricks, 297 | 10 Jan 2022 | 00:34:33 | |
This is NOT another goal-setting podcast episode. You know, the kind that explains how to effectively set goals for the year… this one is about WHY you need to set goals. No tips and tricks. No newest approaches and apps. We’re going to talk about the impact goal-setting can have on your life and business. Jim and Nick come along for the discussion because this is something important to me, personally. We’re going to cover eight reasons annual goals will benefit you, so be sure to listen. BAM! Segments
Get The Boring Bar Newsletter - Text CHIPS to 38470 to subscribe!
| |||
| Growing Your ESOP to a New Level, 296 | 27 Dec 2021 | 00:55:13 | |
In our previous conversation with Jeff Taylor (episode 292) we introduced the idea of ESOPS (Employee Stock Ownership Plans) as a way to give true ownership to your manufacturing business employees. We invited Jeff back for this episode to tell us more of the journey he’s been on with ESOPs and discovered that the outcome was more than he could have imagined. Going back to the beginning of the process for Jeff, he has spent his adult life working for others and adding value to their companies. But he never received any sort of extended value or equity in the company. His experience led him to think about how he could develop cultures and attitudes among working teams that enabled them to truly have ownership in the company (in terms of mindset AND equity). That’s when the idea of ESOPs (Employee Stock Ownership Plans) came onto his radar. This episode explores the topic in greater detail and will open your mind to how your manufacturing business could be organized to leave a legacy through your employees. Segments
Get The Boring Bar Newsletter - Text CHIPS to 38470 to subscribe! Visit our Sponsor Xometry
| |||
| What the Great Resignation Means for Manufacturing, 295 | 20 Dec 2021 | 00:35:31 | |
The “Great Resignation” as it’s been called, has created a wide variety of circumstances that have impacted the American workforce. 55% of workers making under $30K/year say they will be looking for a new job soon. Has this impacted manufacturing? If so, what can we do as manufacturing leaders to mitigate the impact? This episode focuses on what leaders can and should be doing to build the kind of loyalty that will sustain their companies and provide a culture and experience for team members that is “sticky,” keeping them around for years to come. BAM! Segments
Get The Boring Bar Newsletter - Text CHIPS to 38470 to subscribe! Visit our Sponsor Xometry
| |||
| MakingSparks: Women in Welding, 411 | 07 Jun 2024 | 00:38:03 | |
Did you know that only about 6% of welders are women? Women bring a much-needed perspective and expertise to the table. So how do we get more women in welding? NIX has actively been trying to recruit, hire, and retain more women. In this episode of MakingSparks, we sit down with Tori Guzman and Aubree Beyer to hear what they think we can do—or continue doing—to draw more female interest to the welding industry. Listen to learn what you can do to change the welding workforce. – Casey Voelker Segments
| |||
| Are We Losing Legacy IP at Our Shops? | 13 Dec 2021 | 00:27:22 | |
There is a paradigm shift happening in the industry: many skilled machinists are retiring. As these long-term skilled machinists are leaving, they’re leaving with intellectual legacy knowledge that’s irreplaceable. Do procurement people sourcing machining parts know what the processes and procedures look like? Do they know the difference between a fabricated, turned, or machined, or five-axis part? What can we do as owners to mitigate the problem or offer solutions? We dive into the discussion in this episode of Making Chips! Segments
Get The Boring Bar Newsletter - Text CHIPS to 38470 to subscribe! Connect With MakingChips | |||
| Finding Solutions to the Supply Chain Chaos | 06 Dec 2021 | 00:44:39 | |
Finding Solutions to the Supply Chain Chaos, #293 What is the root cause of the supply chain crisis? How can manufacturing businesses mitigate those risks and find realistic solutions that work in the short and long term? Tom Hilaris—the President & CEO of Ergoseal—joins us to share the three things they focus on: risk mitigation, communication, and culture. In this episode of Making Chips we offer real, practical solutions your business can implement to overcome the supply chain chaos. Because—after all—if you’re not making chips, you’re not making money! BAM! – Jason Segments
Get The Boring Bar Newsletter - Text CHIPS to 38470 to subscribe! Connect With MakingChips | |||
| Should Your Shop be an ESOP? | 29 Nov 2021 | 00:52:58 | |
What is an employee stock ownership plan ESOP? How does it work? How can it transform the buy-in of your team and lead to revenue growth? Jeff Taylor—the President and CEO of Crafts Technology—implemented an ESOP. Listen to this episode to hear about the impact it had on his business—and figure out whether or not it’s right for yours. Employee buy-in can lead to profitability which can lead to Making Chips! BAM! – Jim Segments
Get The Boring Bar Newsletter - Text CHIPS to 38470 to subscribe!
| |||
| Have You Defined Your Hiring Process? | 22 Nov 2021 | 00:36:30 | |
What does your hiring process look like? Do you even have a hiring process in place? In this episode of Making Chips, we walk through what each of our processes look like and share some useful strategies that anyone can implement. A streamlined process leads to better hires which leads to Making Chips! BAM! – Jason! What are your tips and tricks for the hiring process? Let us know! Send an email to info@MakingChips.com! Segments
Get The Boring Bar Newsletter - Text CHIPS to 38470 to subscribe! Connect With MakingChips | |||
| How Do You Forecast the Future of Your Manufacturing Business? | 15 Nov 2021 | 00:31:10 | |
What factors should you consider when forecasting? What questions do you need to ask to determine your next steps? Who gets to make those decisions? We walk you through some common questions to ask yourself—and your company—about your business. We’ll also cover Miles and Snow's Typology of Defender, Prospector, Analyzer, and Reactor to see how your type impacts your decision-making process. Learn a great process to forecast and set goals in this episode of Making Chips! Now is the time to look ahead! BAM! – Nick If you have a great methodology for forecasting, let us know! Shoot us an email at info@MakingChips.com! Segments
Get The Boring Bar Newsletter - Text CHIPS to 38470 to subscribe! Connect With MakingChips | |||
| Beware of the Looming Recession | 08 Nov 2021 | 00:31:56 | |
Nick jokes that I have a recession obsession—and it’s true. Recessions are painful. I want to make the experience less painful when a recession comes around again. So in this down-to-earth episode of Making Chips, I’ll share the common causes of most recessions and 8 tips you can use to prepare yourself—and your business—for a recession. Preparedness is key to helping your business survive and thrive. Because after all, if you’re not making chips, you’re not making money. BAM! – Jim Segments
Get The Boring Bar Newsletter - Text CHIPS to 38470 to subscribe! Connect With MakingChips | |||
| Why Titan and His Team Moved from California to Texas | 25 Oct 2021 | 00:31:52 | |
In round three with Titan Gilroy, we talk about why Titan decided to move his entire business from California to Texas. Was it a smooth transition? Was he able to retain his entire team? Titan also shares more of the “why” behind his business and his passion for serving his audience. Titan continues to go above and beyond the expected as he grows his academy. Listen to learn more. BAM! Segments
Get The Boring Bar Newsletter - Text CHIPS to 38470 to subscribe! Connect With MakingChips | |||
| Retaining and Training Top Talent with Titans of CNC Academy | 18 Oct 2021 | 00:47:50 | |
In this episode of Making Chips, we dive back into the conversation with Titan Gilroy. This time, we talk about how Titan’s TV show, “American Built,” came to life. We also talk about how he almost gave up the TV show to do something he was passionate about—helping prisoners transform their lives and learn to become full-fledged machinists. This passion project eventually led to the creation of the Titans of CNC Academy, where you can learn everything from the fundamentals of machining to creating aerospace parts—all completely free. Don’t miss this episode with THE Titan of the industry. BAM! Segments
Get The Boring Bar Newsletter - Text CHIPS to 38470 to subscribe!
| |||
| How Defeat and Success Has Shaped Titan Gilroy, #286 | 11 Oct 2021 | 00:54:26 | |
This episode takes you (and us) to Texas to speak with Titan Gilroy. He calls himself an advocate for advanced manufacturing, and that’s a huge understatement. He runs two academies that teach what it takes to be a success in manufacturing. His personal stroy demonstrates that becoming a success in the industry — individually or as an organization — doesn’t happen overnight or without a significant amount of struggle. We skip the banter and back and forth typical of our episodes because we are so excited to bring you this conversation with Titan. So, without further delay, click the play button and hear what Titan’s got to share. BAM! Segments
Get The Boring Bar Newsletter - Text CHIPS to 38470 to subscribe!
| |||
| Will the Supply Chain Woes Get Better Anytime Soon? | 04 Oct 2021 | 00:33:57 | |
According to a recent article in Reuters, “The ISM said its index of national factory activity inched up to 59.9 last month from a reading of 59.5 in July. A reading above 50 indicates expansion in manufacturing, which accounts for 11.9% of the U.S. economy.” Manufacturing is on the rise, yet every industry is struggling with an impaired supply chain. Will things get better anytime soon? How can manufacturing businesses manage shortages in the meantime? We share some thoughts in this episode of Making Chips! Segments
Manufacturing is becoming increasingly busy but supply chain woes linger. It’s the #1 thing on our minds right now. Most machine shops are at or near capacity. But we’re having trouble getting aluminum, brass, steel, and finished goods. Even getting containers to ship the goods is a struggle. This phenomenon is being dubbed “The Great Supply Chain Disruption.” Whenever you’re making a systemic change, it’s going to cause disruption. No matter how much planning you put into something, disruption happens. This should have been expected. The disruption that comes with reshoringReshoring is more relevant than ever. And this isn’t a new topic to our show. What is driving the reshoring initiative? COVID. Everything that was coming from overseas halted or decreased. Ships weren’t coming through the Panama Canal. Ships weren’t being unloaded because the workforce was at home. When China started rethinking its business environment and they started to incorporate more free-market tendencies, they wanted to become an export economy. They didn’t have the technology to export high-end goods so they started on the low end. But now they’re catching up. Now, China is focused on export as well as making branded goods for their economy. People spent their time in quarantine buying low-cost things that are sourced from Amazon—from exercise equipment to kitchen mixers. They’re buying computers, TVs, headphones, etc. Many things that are sourced from China. Will the supply chain get better anytime soon?Lead time and prices are going to increase. Everyone is dealing with it right now. We can’t be the link that absorbs all the cost increases. The federal government knew that the influx of money into the economy plus the supply chain issues were going to lead to increased prices. This is going to lead to inflation. Inflation does slow growth. But everyone is saying that interest rates will be holding steady ingo 2022. We think the supply chain issues will continue into 2022 but it’s currently a game of wait and see. So what can manufacturers do in the meantime to mitigate the problems that come with supply chain issues? We share a few tips in this episode you don’t want to miss. Check it out! BAM! – Jim Resources mentioned on this episodeGet The Boring Bar Newsletter - Text CHIPS to 38470 to subscribe!
| |||
| MFG News Special: Where are We at with the Reshoring Initiative? 410 | 31 May 2024 | 00:44:27 | |
Where is the United States with reshoring initiatives? Do we still have huge vulnerabilities in our supply chain(s) that need to be addressed? If we continue to reshore manufacturing, will companies remain competitive? Reshoring impacts supply chains. Reshoring brings more jobs and opportunities to the US. These are all valid questions that are playing in people’s minds. So in this special episode of MakingChips, Rosemary Coates—the Founder and Executive Director of the Reshoring Institute—will answer some of these burning questions. Because, ultimately, if we’re not manufacturing chips in the US, the US isn’t making money. – Nick Segments
| |||
| Are Your Data Requirements Driving Your Employees Away? | 27 Sep 2021 | 00:38:43 | |
Do your employees feel like they’re a means to an end? I think a lot of team members don’t realize—or believe—that we care about them. Some feel that when you hold them accountable to hit their numbers that data is all you care about. But that isn’t always the case. At the end of the day, we’re all business leaders who need an efficient working environment. So where do we find a balance between data, accountability, and caring for our team members? How do we drive profitability without driving our employees away? Listen to this episode of Making Chips for the full discussion! Segments
I’ve seen a trend where everything is about data. Everyone wants to harvest data. But can you take it a step too far? Can there be an imbalance in the data? On a recent episode of Russell Brand’s podcast, he talked about how Amazon’s delivery people have an app they have to use. The app tracks every move they make and everything they do when they deliver packages. But it appears that Amazon is tracking metrics that are outside of the control of the employee and using those metrics to evaluate them. We believe when you hold people accountable with metrics it should be something that’s within their control. But Amazon has taken it so far that people are being fired when they don’t meet the metrics of the algorithm Amazon has in place for delivery drivers. When Russell Brand described this, he pointed out that Amazon was treating their employees like zombies living in an algorithm—disposable cattle. The data doesn’t always show the full pictureNick had a conversation with leaders at AME and Hennig about compensation for their salespeople. Commissions are results-based compensation and the result is why you work. But there are other activities salespeople do that add value. They do activities to achieve an objective to create a result. So his company talked about activity-based objectives they could compensate their salespeople for. They decided compensation should be a mix. Salespeople are driven by increasing their compensation. So they tend to focus on what would compensate them the most. But if your company wants them to focus on other activities not directly tied to making a sale, you might have to compensate them. You have to match the compensation with the desired behavior. Situations when data-tracking is necessaryI just took off the month of August and ZENGERS had a record month of sales while I was gone. I’m not trying to micromanage my team. They have an overall objective—sales and profitability. My goal is to train them on the right things to do to achieve that goal. I’m not saying they need to make a certain amount of calls a day or track every detail. I give them an overall mission to achieve but I don’t track their every movement. I feel like asking your team to track everything they do is the kiss of death. But is that true for every business? For Jim, due to Carr Machine & Tools AS9100 certification, they are mandated to document all of the results from their machining process. He runs a data-driven and oriented business where he has to measure, record, validate, time-track against jobs, and more. And of course, each individual on my team has those types of quality measurements that they have to hit. We record data that contributes to useful management of your team. But I don’t want my team to record data that’s pointless. Nick’s brother always says that any data that you record and isn’t used to make an improvement is wasted money. Wasted information is wasted action. The bottom line is that everyone needs to take a step back and think about this. Are the right activities being tracked? Are you gathering useful data, or just wasting time? You need to collect the right data that helps you drive profitability for your company. Listen to the whole episode for the full conversation. BAM! – Jason Resources mentioned on this episodeGet The Boring Bar Newsletter - Text CHIPS to 38470 to subscribe! Connect With MakingChips | |||
| What Can Manufacturers Do about this Crazy Labor Market? | 20 Sep 2021 | 00:43:44 | |
The U.S. labor market is still struggling despite record numbers of job openings. Businesses aren’t able to hire as quickly as they need to. What’s the holdup? Is there a lack of candidates in the market? Are people choosing not to return to work? In this episode of Making Chips we dissect what’s happening—and a few things you can do about it. Segments
According to Andrew Hunter’s research, we’re seeing a high level of job openings but low levels of hiring. Millions of Americans are quitting and many aren’t re-entering the labor market. It’s claimed that the labor market is healthy, but the numbers don’t add up. Why?
The incentive to stay home and not work will decrease as the double unemployment payments are pulled back. The economy is recovering but worker confidence isn’t returning at the same pace. Autumn 2021 may bring the correction needed to balance the market. The outlook is optimistic. But until things turn around, what do manufacturers do? Find creative solutions to your problemA client of Jason’s had a key person in their shop that was doing some things that he deemed worthy of firing. But Jason’s client couldn’t afford to lose—and be forced to replace—this person. So he took a risk and sat him down for a conversation. He gave him the option to fix the problem or he’d be fired. This person turned his life around completely. This may not be an option for everyone, nor will it work in every scenario, but it was a creative way for this business owner to solve a problem. Two ways to hire for difficult positionsRecruiting for regional sales positions has been a huge focus of mine recently as we are restructuring our sales. But I don’t want to hire the first warm body. Everyone has heard “Hire slow, fire fast,” right? But if your machinist quits, you can’t hire slow because it causes production problems. So what am I doing right now? Finding a way to work with a candidate before we commit to hiring them full-time. If there’s a way to test the relationship, do it. Making Chips is a podcast and marketing agency. We brought someone on as a contractor to try out on a trial basis before we commit to hiring him full-time. It’s great for both parties to make an educated decision about each other. You can even put it in writing so it’s transparent and fully agreed on. What else can you do to hire for a difficult-to-fill position? Use LinkedIn’s recruiting tool. The price is steep—approximately $30,000—but you’re given access to highly qualified candidates interested in a new position. LinkedIn will even train you how to use it. The opportunity to do it yourself is available for larger companies who can make that number work. Listen to the whole episode to learn more about how the hiring process has gone for me and get some in-depth details on my two strategies. BAM! – Nick Shameless plug: If you are interested, we’re all hiring! Resources mentioned on this episodeGet The Boring Bar Newsletter - Text CHIPS to 38470 to subscribe! Connect With MakingChips | |||
| Do I Need a Designer for My Shop Floor? 282 | 06 Sep 2021 | 00:41:28 | |
I wanted to differentiate myself among other machine shops in the area with the new Carr Machine & Tool location. The shop floor is where we make our money. I took extra steps in the process to create a new image for my shop. I wanted to present it in a way that was sophisticated, high-tech, polished, and professional—while remaining efficient. That’s where IMEC came in. I reached out to them for some technical collaboration to help design an efficient shop floor. I worked with both Dean Harms and Tim Maurer and it was an amazing experience. So in this episode of Making Chips, I’m sharing what the collaboration and design process looked like with IMEC. Segments
Dean Harms is a Regional Manager with IMEC. It’s his mission to help others any way he can on a daily basis and have fun along the way. Sounds like us, right? IMEC is part of the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) National Network. It’s connected to the US Department of Commerce through the NIST organization. IMEC launched in the 1990s and is about to celebrate its 25th anniversary. There are 51 MEPs (one in every state + Puerto Rico). Their overall mission is to provide solutions and improvements to small and medium-sized manufacturing companies to help them navigate the changing landscape, drive profitability, sustain growth, and become globally competitive. IMEC is a non-profit that is both privately and publicly funded. They are a channel that brings tax dollars back into the state of Illinois by specifically serving manufacturing businesses. Dean Harms makes sure the money is applied where it’s needed most. My experience working with IMECDean cold-called me after I was on a live Facebook interview. I mentioned I was about to move my shop, so he reached out. He knew that there was probably something IMEC could do to help with the move. I heard that they could help design my shop floor and I really wanted a high-end polished shop. Dean introduced me to Tim Maurer and said he would be the perfect guy to collaborate with to design my shop floor. Tim has decades of experience not only with IMEC but also with Caterpillar. After I met Tim, I knew I was dealing with someone who was competent and knew what a manufacturing floor should look like. The shop floor design processTim’s design process was thorough, starting with the vision for our future and ending with the execution of the move. We started by setting objectives: Where did we want to be? What type of work would we be doing? What new technologies will be utilized on the shop floor? We did a physical walk of both of the properties. He took physical measurements of the new building, all of our tools, and made sure the room was big enough for a CMM. After he did the physical layout, we met again to go over the flow of the room and nail down the workflow. We placed the machinery and equipment in the prime areas of the floor to maximize the square footage. He established power needs, air drops, water needs, an eyewash station, etc. He developed the CAD and we talked about future automation and made sure they’d be room around the machines. He delivered the final layout to us in a CAD model. The best part? On moving day we had a roadmap to mark where everything went. We knew where every single thing would go. The design process was an investment in our future productivity. I would never have completed this process as well as Tim did. I highly recommend working with IMEC through a big move to create a more efficient shop floor. Don’t be afraid to delegate design to the experts. BAM! – Jim Resources mentioned on this episodeGet The Boring Bar Newsletter - Text CHIPS to 38470 to subscribe!
| |||