Manufacturers Alliance Podcast
127 episodes - English - Latest episode: 18 days ago -Welcome to the Manufacturers Alliance podcast where we help everyone who works in manufacturing become a better leader and problem solver so all manufacturers can remain competitive.
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Episodes
Top Traits of Problem Solving Teams
November 01, 2022 12:00 - 26 minutes - 48.5 MBHave you ever been working with a team on a process improvement project and thought to yourself, “There has got to be a better way?” If you have, you won’t want to miss Kirby’s conversation with manufacturing executive David Badger. David discusses the attributes of the most successful teams out there including: aligned goals, skilled leadership, support from sponsorship, courage, and having the project be a priority. Special thanks to this episode’s sponsor. Bremer Bank knows that ...
Recession Proofing Your Business
October 18, 2022 12:00 - 29 minutes - 54.2 MBHave you ever wondered how to position your manufacturing business so you can weather an economic storm? On this week’s episode, Kirby Sneen and Josh Howard, Chief investment officer at Bremer Bank, discuss the nuance of what makes up a recession, and how to best position your business to avoid the impact of a slowdown and continue to grow. Special thanks to this episode’s sponsor, Konik. Whether you’re seeking a direct hire or a contract employee, Konik’s technical talent network ...
Competitive Compensation Adjustments
October 04, 2022 12:00 - 24 minutes - 44.2 MBOn this week’s episode John Hacker, the head of Finance for Design Ready Controls, shares how they ensure compensation adjustments are fair for the individual, in line with the market, and something the company is proud to offer!
Selecting Your Next Plant Location
September 20, 2022 12:00 - 31 minutes - 57.2 MBSelecting a site for your next plant is a big decision with high stakes. The opportunity to make a mistake presents itself at every turn in the process. Choosing to go it alone could cost you million’s of dollars in cash, cost savings, and opportunity costs, not to mention disappointed customers. Enjoy this week’s episode featuring with Justin Erickson and Royce Pavelka with The Brookshire Company as we talk about these mistakes and others they’ve seen made and what you can do to avoid th...
2022 Manufacturer of the Year Winners
September 13, 2022 12:00 - 22 minutes - 41.5 MBOn this week’s special bonus episode of the Podcast, the winners of the 2022 Manufacturer of the Year Award Winners share about their growth, lessons learned, and what they are most excited for in the coming year! Thank you to Kent Djubek, President, Ajax Metal Forming Solutions, Brian L. Johnson, Vice President of Global Engineering, Reell Precision Manufacturing, and Dale Hentges, Plant Vice President of Operations, Boston Scientific. Join us Thursday, Sept. 27th for the Awards, Keyn...
Better Faster Project Management
September 06, 2022 12:00 - 31 minutes - 58.1 MBGreat companies know how to set goals, figure out what barriers they are facing, and develop a plan to overcome those barriers. But that’s not the hard part - The hard part is executing on the projects that make up the plan! You’ve got to learn how to manage scope, work with stakeholders, and balance their shifting priorities, all while not being the project management police. Enjoy this week’s conversation with 30-year project management veteran Scottie Holmes as he shares how to over...
Three Tools Every Problem Solver Must Know
August 23, 2022 12:00 - 27 minutes - 49.4 MBOn this week’s episode, Kirby Sneen and Brittany Bowling discuss the three tools every problem solver must know, the value they bring when applied, and examples from member companies and the Manufacturers Alliance team. Get free access to the Pareto mini-course and template: www.mfrall.com/pareto Special thanks to this episode’s sponsor, Wipfli. They are the firm who believes that perspective can change everything for your business. Learn more at www.wipfli.com/manufacturing
Budgeting for Your CI Training
August 09, 2022 12:00 - 27 minutes - 50.3 MBIf you’ve ever been denied training because of a lack of funding, or find yourself apprehensive about approaching your boss for a bigger training budget, you won’t want to miss this conversation with Jon Sillerud, the VP of operations for Uponor. Download this week’s free resource by visiting: www.mfrall.com/LPC Special thanks to this episode’s sponsor, Wipfli. They are the firm who believes that perspective can change everything for your business. Learn more at www.wipfli.com/manufact...
Breaking Down Silos
July 26, 2022 12:00 - 25 minutes - 46.6 MBWe’ve all experienced the negative impacts that silos can make, whether it is between departments or shifts within a company. On this week’s episode, Kirby Sneen and Michael Muilenburg share how to strategically get people to work together so that everyone wins! Michael Muilenburg is the former director of operational technology and strategic planning for the film and materials, and technology and engineering division of 3M. Learn more about Manufacturers Alliance peer groups and...
Overcome the Talent Shortage With Data
July 12, 2022 13:47 - 29 minutes - 54.4 MBThis week’s episode is all about how you can overcome the talent shortage with data. Kate Brown is a Business Intelligence and Analytics Manager with over 10 years of experience helping Manufacturers gain more timely insight into operational performance, and surfacing information that team members need to make informed decisions across the organization. Her team at Wipfli implements Business Intelligence technologies that automate manual data consolidation processes and create one sour...
How to Kill Your Company with Strategic Planning
June 28, 2022 11:00 - 34 minutes - 63 MBOf all the ways a company can die, lack of sales, profit, poor product quality, ultra-high turnover, why is it that people should look out for strategic planning to be the cause of the death? Enjoy our conversation with Jeff Stone, the founder and CEO of Navy Island as we discuss these issues, the pain they can cost, and a few alternatives that will help your company stay nimble and consequently grow without the costs of going through the strategic planning process. Engage people...
Managing Solvency During a Crisis
June 14, 2022 12:00 - 30 minutes - 55.8 MBIf you want to expand your business acumen, understand management concerns, and learn more about how you can improve the financial performance of your company, then you won't want to miss this week’s Podcast episode featuring Julie Whitney. Julie Whitney is the SVP Commercial Banking Manager of Bremer Bank. She draws from her 25 years of experience to provide a very practical checklist that will help improve your company’s cash position, withstand any future economic turmoil, and best ...
Becoming Successful Women in a Male-dominated Industry
May 31, 2022 12:00 - 38 minutes - 70.3 MBEnjoy our conversation with Shannon Karels and Kathy Miller as they share their insights in how to strategically develop relationships and a community filled with diverse teams that help everyone grow and get better. To take advantage of our free book offer for the first 100 submissions (until June 15th, 2022) visit: https://www.mfrall.com/opsisters/ Special thanks to this episode’s sponsor, Konik. Whether you’re seeking a direct-hire or contract employee, Konik’s technical talent networ...
Influencing without Authority
May 17, 2022 12:00 - 28 minutes - 52.1 MBOld school leaders would dictate, demand, and often be very demeaning. The new school of leadership is all about influence. On this week’s Podcast join guest Matt Kanz, Sr. Vice President of HR for Jack Links Protein Snacks as he shares what it means to influence without authority.
Hiring when you are desperate
May 03, 2022 11:00 - 26 minutes - 48.8 MBOn this week’s podcast, enjoy our conversation with Dana Stump, the corporate recruiting manager and HR business partner with the oil and natural gas division of Graco, and Kirby Sneen, President of Manufacturers Alliance, as they discuss their thoughts and experiences on why you should avoid the temptation to just hire someone and a few practical things you can do to prevent it from happening. If you’re ready to connect and learn from other HR professionals in your industry, learn mor...
Gaining Buy-in To Change
April 19, 2022 12:00 - 25 minutes - 46.1 MBWhat would it take for you to get buy-in for change? Join Chrissy Peloquin and Kirby Sneen from Manufacturers Alliance as they discuss how you can maximize the good from change and minimize unintended consequences. Learn more about our Six Sigma Greenbelt Certification by visiting www.mfrall.com/6-sigma-green-belt-certification/ Special thanks to this episode’s sponsor, Bremer Bank. Find out more at www.bremer.com
Measures of Success
April 05, 2022 11:30 - 41 minutes - 75.2 MBYour metrics should guide you in getting better results not leave you feeling like you’re on a rollercoaster. If you’ve ever jumped to conclusions, wanted to get to the root cause and never found one, or want to lead your team so they use data to make improvements then this week’s episode is for you. In this week’s podcast episode we discuss Measures of Success by award-winning author, Mark Graban. You’ll learn how the measurement techniques in it can help you stop overreacting to ever...
Improve Retention with Stay Interviews
March 22, 2022 13:17 - 27 minutes - 51.1 MBStay interviews are growing in popularity for good reason. They can help you better understand the unique needs and interests of everyone on your team and do exactly what the name implies – help you retain talent. Enjoy the conversation with Kirby Sneen from Manufacturers Alliance and Tom Goettl the Vice President of Konik Network as they discuss how you can overcome these challenges so you can successfully improve retention by implementing stay interviews. Tom Goettel the Vice President...
Improving Overall Equipment Effectiveness
March 08, 2022 12:00 - 33 minutes - 60.9 MBThis week’s podcast episode is all about Improving your OEE that is your overall equipment effectiveness. You won’t want to miss Rick Bernett share from his 30+ years of operations management experience. Rick Bernett has 30+ years of operations management experience from a variety of manufacturing environments including high volume low mix, high volume, high mix, and job shops from several different industries including food, consumer electronics, and metal fabrication. If you’re ready t...
How Connected Products Increase Capacity
February 22, 2022 12:00 - 26 minutes - 48.8 MBIn this episode, Mark Stevens shares from his 25 years of experience in guiding companies through technology integrations and operational experience. Once you connect your equipment on the shop floor the data you collect can help you increase equipment uptime and availability, accelerate the pace of problem-solving, and improve your companies output despite material and labor shortages. You might be thinking that connecting equipment is limited to the new machines or big companies with ...
Preventing Problems From Happening
February 08, 2022 21:27 - 27 minutes - 49.7 MBIn this episode, Ryan Fleser, the Director of Quality and EHS at Uponor North America, shares how to take yourself and your team from fighting fires, to preventing problems from happening. This episode is all about preventing problems from happening. One of the biggest problems we all see that causes lower yields than what we’d like is scrap and day-to-day fluctuations in yield make it hard to figure out when your process is really reliable. So how do you prevent problem from happening and r...
How to Eliminate Variation
January 25, 2022 12:00 - 18 minutes - 33.1 MBIn this episode, Kirby shares a few tips and meaningful approaches to eliminate variation, so you can improve product quality, increase customer satisfaction and have fewer frustrating days. If you’re ready to take your growth to the next level, learn more about our Greenbelt Certification by visiting: https://www.mfrall.com/6-sigma-green-belt-certification/
Creating a Unified Team: Peer Group Panel
January 18, 2022 12:00 - 40 minutes - 74.3 MBIn this bonus episode Kacinda Ruiz, Meg Hanaman, Jill Zoschke, and Kirby Sneen share how they have gone from an “us vs them” culture to a unified team.
Developing an Army of Problem Solvers
January 11, 2022 12:00 - 28 minutes - 52 MBIn this episode Diane Bartels and Kirby Sneen discuss how you can leverage your success, attack the red, and draw out the natural problem-solving capability in all of us. The idea of developing a critical mass of people at your company to be able to solve their own problems can sound great but can leave you wondering where and how to start. But you’ve got to figure out because you know it will lead to a competitive advantage and you know it will help you retain talent and you know th...
Top Takeaways
December 28, 2021 12:00 - 32 minutes - 59.1 MBIn this episode, we will cover our top takeaways from 2021 including working with different personalities, developing metrics that drive the right behaviors, overcoming significant supply chain issues, and creating a culture that is focused on accountability. Thank you for listening to the show and allowing us to feature some of the best talent manufacturing has to offer and address some of the biggest challenges the industry has ever seen and as a result grow the impact of the Podcast to ...
Learning to Lead Yourself
December 14, 2021 12:00 - 27 minutes - 49.6 MBIn this episode, Kirby Sneen and Dan Powley discuss how you can perform at your best and lead others to a life that is significant. If you want to be an influential leader, you need to do a good job of leading yourself first. The challenge we all face is in clearly understanding our role, responsibility, and limitations. In this interview with Dan Powley, a Continuous Improvement Leader for AbelConn, you will be guided through how to transition from survival to success, so that you can l...
Identifying High Potential Talent
November 30, 2021 12:00 - 34 minutes - 63.4 MBIn this episode, Kirby Sneen and Jody O'neil discuss how you define and identify high potential talent. In today’s job climate, we need people who can lead teams, grow businesses, and become next-generation company leaders. Consequently, we have to find the people who aspire to grow themselves develop teams and have a vision on how to do it. If you don’t identify these people your prospects for future growth will be limited, leaving you, your customers, even your own team members wonderin...
Making Data Driven Decisions
November 16, 2021 12:00 - 28 minutes - 53.1 MBData validates our improvement efforts so that we can spend our time on the right things and invest our energy in the right places. In this episode, Kara Slocum, the Director of Operations at Artistic Finishes Inc. joins Kirby Sneen to dive into how you can practically apply data to get the results you want to achieve. To learn more about how you can apply data through our Greenbelt certification visit www.mfrall.com/certifications The sponsor for today’s podcast is CBIZ, a lead...
Effective 1-on-1’s
November 02, 2021 11:00 - 30 minutes - 55.2 MBIn this episode, Neal Johnson shares about how to have effective 1-on-1’s Neal Johnson is passionate about identifying, creating, and teaching leadership tools. He is currently the Director of Manufacturing at GN Resound – a global leader in Hearing aid development and manufacturing. He has been at GN for just short of 5 years, and prior to GN he worked in the printing industry for both privately and publicly held printers. To learn more about the certification programs offered at Man...
How to Improve Your Coaching Skills Part 2
October 19, 2021 11:00 - 21 minutes - 39.2 MBIn this episode, Tammi Dorion shares about how to improve your coaching skills Tammi is a highly adaptable, dynamic leader skilled in driving lean methodology. She has a passion for fostering a continuous improvement culture by engaging employees in daily initiatives and pursuing business excellence in all functional areas. Enjoy our conversation as we talk about a practical plan anyone can use to help ensure they are focused on helping others reach higher levels of performance. ...
How to Improve Your Coaching Skills: Part 1
October 05, 2021 11:00 - 28 minutes - 52.3 MBKelly is a Lean Manufacturing Coach at GE Aviation in Rutland, Vermont. She joined GE in 2019 after 7 years of manufacturing engineering experience in solar and industrial consumer products. Kelly has been practicing continuous improvement for her entire career and in the last year and a half has transitioned from practicing to coaching. She completed her bachelor’s degree at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire and she lives with her family in the Upper Valley nestled between Vermont and N...
Providing Day-to-Day Feedback
September 21, 2021 11:00 - 17 minutes - 31.3 MBIn this episode, Kirby Sneen, Jeremy Blake and Brittany Bowling talk about providing day-to-day feedback. If you like the Manufacturers Alliance podcast, join our community of Manufacturers as they create better leaders and problem solvers. For more information, visit our website at https://www.mfrall.com/membership-podcast
Manufacturer of the Year Award Winners 2021
September 07, 2021 11:00 - 35 minutes - 64.7 MBManufacturer of the Year Award Winners share their biggest improvements and lessons learned this past year. Featuring guests: Don DeMorett – PHS West Don serves as president of PHS West, LLC. PHS West manufactures motorized carts, tugs and lifters designed to bolster the safety and efficiency of material handling and product movement applications in a wide range of markets. PHS is located in Rockford, MN and is part of the global SUNNEX Equipment Group, located in Spånga, Sweden. ...
Transformational Leadership
August 24, 2021 11:00 - 37 minutes - 68.2 MBIn this episode, Kirby speaks with Tim Reimann about how you can apply a Transformational Leadership approach to change operating systems, evolve an existing culture, launch to product lines or brands and grow and develop your workforce far beyond what you ever thought possible. Tim is the 2021 Keynote Presenter for our annual Manufacturer of the Year Awards Ceremony and Conference. The gala and preceding conference will be Wednesday, September 29th 2021. To learn more and register visit:...
Welder Turned CI Champion
August 10, 2021 11:00 - 27 minutes - 50.9 MBIn this episode, Kirby speaks with Nic Lysdal, a Continuous Improvement Manager at CDI Curbs. Nic loves learning and helping people around him to grow personally and professionally. Enjoy our conversation as we talk about how Nic progresses throughout his career and what you can do to help develop the next generation of leaders on your team. If you’re looking to learn more about how to transition into your new role as a leader, check out our Supervision Fundamentals Certification. Y...
Recruiting that Gets Results
July 27, 2021 11:00 - 27 minutes - 52.2 MBIn this episode, Recruiting that gets results, Kirby speaks with Sarah Lampert, a Human Resources Business Partner for Park Industries.
Engineer Turned Entrepreneur
July 13, 2021 11:00 - 33 minutes - 61.6 MBIn this episode, Kirby speaks with Art Sneen, Founder of the Manufacturers Alliance as he shares how he went from manufacturing leader to entrepreneur. If you like the Manufacturers Alliance podcast, join our community of Manufacturers as they create better leaders and problem solvers. For more information, visit our website at https://www.mfrall.com/membership-podcast
Supporting Individual Development Plans
June 29, 2021 11:00 - 42 minutes - 77.9 MBIn this episode, Kirby speaks with Julie Mikolich with Boston Scientific about supporting an individual’s development.
Vaccines & the Return to Work
June 15, 2021 11:00 - 31 minutes - 57 MBIn this episode, Kirby talks to Kerry Clune and Genevieve Cornish with CBIZ about vaccines and returning to work. If you like the Manufacturers Alliance podcast, join our community of Manufacturers as they create better leaders and problem solvers. For more information, visit our website at https://www.mfrall.com/membership-podcast
Tapping Into Tax Credits
June 01, 2021 11:00 - 36 minutes - 66.7 MBJoin Kirby as he speaks with Jennifer Rohen and Brendan Kruvers from CLA about tax credits. If you like the Manufacturers Alliance podcast, join our community of Manufacturers as they create better leaders and problem solvers. For more information, check out our website: https://www.mfrall.com/membership-podcast
Lean in a Regulated Environment
May 18, 2021 11:00 - 40 minutes - 73.4 MBIn this episode, Kirby talks with Robert St. Louis about implementing lean in a regulated environment. If you like the Manufacturers Alliance podcast, join our community of Manufacturers as they create better leaders and problem solvers. For more information, https://www.mfrall.com/membership-podcast
Implementing 5S
May 04, 2021 11:00 - 24 minutes - 44.3 MBIn this episode, we’ll be talking about implementing 5S. Specifically we will get into: What does 5S address? What 5S is and what 5S is not The 8 steps to implement the 5S’s What barriers you should expect when implementing 5S How you can overcome these barriers. If you like the Manufacturers Alliance podcast, join our community of Manufacturers as they create better leaders and problem solvers. For more information, https://www.mfrall.com/membership-podcast
Onboarding New Employees
April 20, 2021 11:00 - 37 minutes - 68.8 MBGayle Noakes joins the latest episode of the podcast to talk about how you can address not having enough time to onboard new employees, lack of resources and not having an onboarding process that makes people feel welcomes and want to stay. If you like the Manufacturers Alliance podcast, join our community of Manufacturers as they create better leaders and problem solvers. For more information, Become a Member.
Supporting Your Suppliers - Part 2
April 06, 2021 11:00 - 30 minutes - 55.5 MBRuzana Glaeser joins Kirby to talk about several problems suppliers have faced over the last 12 month and what you can do to overcome them. If you like the Manufacturers Alliance podcast, join our community of Manufacturers as they create better leaders and problem solvers. For more information, https://www.mfrall.com/membership-podcast/
Supporting Your Suppliers - Part 1
March 23, 2021 11:00 - 29 minutes - 54.8 MBIn this episode of the Podcast, Kirby talks to Ryan Anderson about Supply Chain partnerships and several practical strategies that will help you reduce the risk and increase the reliability that they bring. If you like the Manufacturers Alliance podcast, join our community of Manufacturers as they create better leaders and problem solvers. For more information visit our website, https://www.mfrall.com/membership-podcast
Creating a Culture of Continuous Improvement
March 09, 2021 12:00 - 53 minutes - 98.5 MBMelissa Sawin joins this episode of the podcast to talk about creating a culture of continuous improvement: how to overcome a lack of leadership engagement, organizational complacency and management systems If you like the Manufacturers Alliance podcast, join our community of Manufacturers as they create better leaders and problem solvers. For more information, https://www.mfrall.com/membership-podcast
Developing a Safety Culture
February 23, 2021 12:00 - 26 minutes - 48 MBIn Episode 30, Kirby talks to Brad Kramer about the barriers most companies face to creating a safety culture and four practical ways you can overcome them and sustain the results. For documents referenced in Podcast, please email [email protected]. If you like the Manufacturers Alliance podcast, join our community of Manufacturers as they create better leaders and problem solvers. For more information, visit us at https://www.mfrall.com/membership-podcast
Building a Tech Savvy Team
February 09, 2021 12:00 - 30 minutes - 56.1 MBIn Episode 29 of the Manufacturers Alliance Podcast, Tom Goettl, Vice President of Konik PrimeStaff talks with Kirby about recruiting and retaining technical talent. If you like the Manufacturers Alliance podcast, join our community of Manufacturers as they create better leaders and problem solvers. Visit our Website for more information.
Working with Different Personalities
January 26, 2021 12:00 - 32 minutes - 60.3 MBJens Hagstrom from Boston Scientific is on this episode of the podcast, talking about why so many people are interested in personality, and how you can get better results as a team when you leverage the strengths and overcome typical blind spots of different personalities. If you like the Manufacturers Alliance podcast, join our community of Manufacturers as they create better leaders and problem solvers. Visit our Website for more information.
Developing Metrics That Matter
January 12, 2021 12:00 - 38 minutes - 70.3 MBMetrics help drive us, help motivate us and connect our work to the mission of the company. Join Scott Bliss and Kirby Sneen as they talk about the value that good metrics bring. If you like the Manufacturers Alliance podcast, join our community of Manufacturers as they create better leaders and problem solvers. Visit our Website for more information.