Manufacturing Talks

Send us a textThere 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 great tale of launching an Internet business on a wing and prayer, and lots of hard work.The second one is about how Anthony sent an email to his customers after President Trump was shot beseeching people of all political stripes to stop the hate. And the partisan lapdog media set on him like a pack of hyenas - but to his credit, he didn't back down one bit!Here are some highlights:2:45 - how Sticker Mule came about7:30 - focus on fixing problems9:00 - now at 1,200 people, in 39 countries, with 100 engineers, and building their own machines10:15 - how Anthony started boxing professionally in Mexico13:25 - their storage platform and buying and selling manufacturers' products15:30 - all manufacturing is in the US19:30 - invest in developing their own highly specialized software (no off-the-shelf ERP or MRP) - most systems would break with their volume21:15 - simple metrics and dashboardsAND... 22:00 - the Trump email drama and its outcomeThis is not just a set of two amazing stories, but it's a great primer on how to start and run a business and how to stand up for what's right.You really should tune in for the whole thing.

Send us a textThere 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 stories from the other side, from the people who have successfully made the transition back from the world of incarceration. So it was a treat to hear from Lester Young, who not only forged that kind of success for himself thanks to an early opportunity from Tyson Foods, but has since become an author, speaker, activist, and advocate to help others along that same path.Here are some highlights:4:30 - the mountain of challenges people face re-entering society from prison7:30 - a simple challenges example that can still be overwhelming: navigating a fast-food restaurant9:30 - Lester's opportunity: Tyson Foods gave him his first job after prison11:30 - early understanding from a supervisor with a relative who was incarcerated12:30 - typical blind spots: needing a person to help the candidate, and the need for emotional support15:30 - zero to 100 days after release are critical, especially with regard to the psychology of money19:15 - it takes five years to completely re-integrate24:00 - for companies: create the environment to create great people28:30 - conduct a needs assessment, including housing and transportation33:30 - states should do more to educate companies on the benefits of engaging in second chance hiringThere's an incredible amount of depth in what Lester has to say, since he lived it himself. This one's critical in so many ways, and manufacturing is uniquely positioned to help make a big difference in the lives of people and the state our communities.Do check out the whole thing!Lester's website: https://path2redemption.org/(you can buy his books and connect with him for speaking gigs there!)

Send us a textYou 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 Partners, that was focused on AI back before the big hype took off, and he joined us to talk about how he tells a good bet from a bad one.Now he's launching an outfit specifically focused on industrial AI, so he also gave us insights on what manufacturers should be looking at when folks come along to sell them the "latest and greatest" in AI applications.Here are some highlights:3:35 - founded his company in 20165:15 - now working on a second fund focused on industry12:30 - how manufacturing AI startups can get it right (hint: focus on manufacturing first!)15:30 - pace your runway! (It's a marathon, not a sprint)16:30 - get somebody onboard with business know-how17:30 - for manufacturers: AI is not magic - treat it as just another tool19:00 - launch into AI project gently - your workers probably fear itOur chat with Mikhail was a great mix of education about how the VC world views AI and manufacturing combined with practical advice for both AI startup folks and people in manufacturing looking to make use of those tools.Tune in and check it out. Please do throw your questions or your own observations in the comments! And please text a friend to watch this one if you found it interesting!

Send us a textWe 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 mostly retired, but he regaled us with absolutely fascinating stories from his career working with great consumer products companies like Folger's, P&G, and General Mills.Here are some highlights:5:30 - John's dad, a mechanical engineer, Boy Scout Troop Leader, and a SeaBee who was there for D-Day, and his effect on John's career13:30 - the first segment of John's career, with companies like Dannon and Goodyear, when he learned to get out into the manufacturing plants15:00 - the second segment of his career, with companies like De Beers, GM, and P&G, spent building their ad campaigns16:00 - the third career segment, getting strategic with KitchenAid and seeing how business is done19:00 - the fourth segment, when John was with Saatchi & Saatchi and focused on General Mills and global leadership22:00 - advice for manufacturing: get a seat at the table (business strategy and communications strategy)26:00 - looking for common ground and getting close to the consumers28:30 - stories from Sikorsky and FolgersThere's a whole lot hear to dive into, so dive away!

Send us a textToo 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.That's why it was such a great time chatting with Ryan Gilliam for Episode 120. His company, Fortera Corporation, has a modified way to make cement (the "glue," as he puts it, for concrete) that not only cuts CO2 emissions, but increases yield with equipment that bolts right onto existing cement-making processes and a production method that's economically competitive with existing ones.Here are some highlights:- 6:30: why CO2 emissions are so high in how we make cement today- 9:15: how Fortera's new production materials fit right in with ASTM regulations- 10:15: how Fortera makes the process more efficient by weight of production at the kiln- 11:00: the new process achieves 70% CO2 reduction even using existing fossil fuel power- 14:15: the new process is economically competitive even with capital and operating expenses figured in- 22:30: current blends are comparable to existing cement in flow and set times- 26:00: the ideal future - zero net CO2 cement productionTune in and here all the geeky details! This is some really good stuff.

Send us a textWe 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 cut her teeth in the industry with several different companies over her nearly ten years of experience. She's currently the Inside Sales Representative and Director of Social Media Marketing for Ferrosource, a global procurement and distribution company focused on supply chain and risk management in steel.Tune in and hear Anna share what she's learned in the past decade! Here are some highlights:7:30 - the appeal of steel for young women10:15 - the lowdown on the proposed US Steel purchase by Nippon12:45 - the national security implications of the steel industry14:30 - Anna's biggest challenges so far18:00 - tariffs22:15 - how the steel industry can appeal to the younger generations - a strong culture of "work hard and play hard"We think Anna is going places in the content creation world, so tune in and you can say you saw her here before she hit it big!

Send us a textPolymath 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 Director of the National Center for Energy Analytics. He joined us for Episode 118 to tell us about their first paper coming out about the deleterious effects of the SEC's new climate reporting requirements, and a whole lot more. Here are some more details:3:50 - the needs for EV infrastructure6:00 - the SEC's new regs (making my old pals at General Mills figure out how much CO2 is produced to make their Cheerios, for example)9:30 - the effects of this kind of back-door legislation through regulation11:50 - nothing exists without hydrocarbons15:00 - the regulatory costs for manufacturers21:40 - grid battery storage costs for given backup time periods (SHOCKING!)25:30 - Germany goes all net zero and their electricity costs triple27:15 - making the business environment friendly for manufacturing30:00 - ROBOTS!32:30 - humanoid robots in particular - why Mark is a fanAs with every time Mark visits us, this one is riveting and invigoratingly educational. Tune in for the whole thing!Mark's new think tank: https://energyanalytics.org/Mark's book that he mentioned at the start: The Bottomless Well: The Twilight of Fuel, The Virtue of Waste, and Why We Will Never Run Out of Energyhttps://www.amazon.com/Bottomless-Well-Twilight-Virtue-Energy/dp/0465031161/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1AY8BDUQNYY72&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Vrsp_5SSNXi8E7MKFBVYTy4m2Vnra_4p9yl4HafWFNXJ1shyctKA8m2U4Z9eEKbUcEwWtvjAsBg9drA8JODY_DPGFyGFZFNrXZRv_P-saP3tY-WDRpB8duyQL20zgm6S0dkZ-vnK89cV4Tqqt7DbKjOaO8XYG762Huc982xughh8-huccc1Nejpm6Xh8wD3MEAvlLQhNyvy-PWW7crgne3GY4SMPUNqlIMpCBrcHMVM.IFOef_KRgiYrOSK0_5aW09XFdUIqcXO0Zv7H35s4AWM&dib_tag=se&keywords=twilight+of+fuel&qid=1725926593&sprefix=twilight+of+fuel%2Caps%2C97&sr=8-1

Send us a textAdam 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 costly Achilles heel for manufacturers.He founded Copia Automation to help tackle the problem, so it was extremely educational to have him join us for Episode 117. Here are some highlights:2:15 - DevOps4:00 - Copia and industrial DevOps5:30 - source control: testing, deployment, and monitoring7:00 - device links and backup9:00 - problems in industrial coding10:00 - the compounding of the problem with much more automation coming16:00 - the disconnect between popular apps and industrial programs18:30 - "shadow IT" - who's touching your software??? (ad hoc changes)19:00 - "the PLC stopped working"23:00 - cybersecurity25:45 - the governance control problem - source controlThese are critical topics if you're in manufacturing, so do tune in and learn all about them!

Send us a textModel No. produces high-end light fixtures and furniture with a new end in mind: elevating the experience while eliminating the waste. They collaborate with architects and designers along with industry partners to use regenerative and biodegradable materials.It was a treat to have Phillip Raub, CEO of Model No., and Rahul Kasat, VP at 3D Systems, to talk about the methods the company uses to become more circular. Here are some highlights:8:00 - the part material science development plays10:00 - printing with biodegradable materials to reduce costs and increase value11:00 - the new capabilities of 3D printers15:00 - the kinds of printing materials used22:00 - customer-driven R&D at 3D Systems24:50 - contract manufacturing and partnerships as a part of Model No.'s business27:00 - using recycled materials in 3D printingAnd there's so much more! Tune in and check out the whole show - it's extremely educational and uplifting!

Send us a textThere have been countless breathless reports about the ongoing "boom" in American manufacturing. After all, look at the countless billions of dollars being spent to build plants! Good times are back!Except they aren't. Actual manufacturing activity is down, and has been in contraction mode for a long time.Tune in and learn from your host why pork-fueled spending like what we're seeing now almost never delivers the goods when it comes to actual functioning, job-creating, value-delivering manufacturing plants. The "boom" we're seeing now is a bad episode that's been repeated again and again.Bad enough that politicians constantly play this game, but to have people who ought to know better in our own world of manufacturing also getting suckered by this fairy tale now is really just too much.Sources:Granholm projects: https://dailycaller.com/2021/01/27/jennifer-granholm-michigan-energy-companies-bankrupt/Inflation Reduction Act and Chips and Science Act delay and cancellations: https://seekingalpha.com/news/4141224-delays-impact-40-of-biden-administrations-biggest-climate-projects-ftWhitmer administration projects: https://www.bridgemi.com/business-watch/michigan-has-spent-1b-ev-battery-plants-so-far-theyve-created-200-jobsJuly ISM PMI report: https://www.ismworld.org/supply-management-news-and-reports/reports/ism-report-on-business/pmi/july/