Latest Makercast Podcast Episodes
MakingSparks: Why Should a Manufacturing Leader Come to FabTech? 382
Making Chips Podcast for Manufacturing Leaders - November 14, 2023 18:00 - 30 minutes ★★★★★ - 82 ratingsWhat is FabTech? Why should anyone in welding, fabrication, metal forming, or finishing attend FabTech? They not only hold seminars and have booths and exhibitors to visit. You won’t only learn about trends in technology and meet with potential suppliers. Most importantly, you’ll be able to netw...
MakingSparks: Part 2: Tactics and Strategies to Use for Recruiting in Manufacturing, 381
Making Chips Podcast for Manufacturing Leaders - November 08, 2023 18:00 - 40 minutes ★★★★★ - 82 ratingsRecruiting in manufacturing can be difficult. Many students are taught the traditional “Graduate high school and go to college for four years” mentality. While there’s nothing wrong with taking that route, how do we capture the attention of young talent? How do we make them see the career trajec...
MakingSparks: Part 1: Embracing Culture to Recruit Top Talent in Fabrication and Manufacturing, 380
Making Chips Podcast for Manufacturing Leaders - November 01, 2023 17:00 - 30 minutes ★★★★★ - 82 ratingsMost mom-and-pop shops don’t have to worry about recruiting, hiring, and retaining talent until they decide they want to grow. When you find yourself needing to recruit and hire talent, where do you start? Start with your core values. Your company needs core values and a clear mission and vision...
MakingSparks: The Launch of MakingSparks with Casey Voelker and Matthew Nix, 379
Making Chips Podcast for Manufacturing Leaders - October 24, 2023 17:00 - 18 minutes ★★★★★ - 82 ratingsMakingSparks has officially arrived! Matthew Nix and I, Casey Voelker, are here to speak to the welding and fabrication industry. And just like MakingChips, we want to equip and inspire while attracting the next generation. Everyone will have some takeaways from MakingSparks. In this episode, ...
Why MakingChips is Sparking a New Show for Fabrication Leaders, 378
Making Chips Podcast for Manufacturing Leaders - October 17, 2023 17:00 - 24 minutes ★★★★★ - 82 ratingsAre you in welding or fabrication? Are you a long-time listener of MakingChips who’s just been waiting for content that speaks directly to you? The wait is over. In this episode of MakingChips, Casey Voelker and Matthew Nix join us to introduce a brand new addition to the MakingChips lineup: Mak...
SZN1: Diligently Doing "Due Diligence" in Your Next Manufacturing Acquisition, 377
Making Chips Podcast for Manufacturing Leaders - October 10, 2023 17:00 - 21 minutes ★★★★★ - 82 ratingsYou’ve found your acquisition target. They’ve committed to selling you the business. Now the real work begins. It’s time for due diligence. Where does due diligence start? What factors should you consider? How do you build a checklist? Jason, Nick, Adam Schmitt, and I tackle due diligence in ...
SZN1: The Starting Point in Acquisitions with Matthew Nix, 376
Making Chips Podcast for Manufacturing Leaders - October 03, 2023 17:00 - 29 minutes ★★★★★ - 82 ratingsHow do you increase your capacity, make more chips, and bring on new clients without buying a new machine or pitching yourself to a single end user? Buying a company. Acquisitions are a large part of how we’ve all built our companies. But how do you start acquiring companies? Why would you want ...
Building a Lean Culture Through Strategic Leadership Part 2, 375
Making Chips Podcast for Manufacturing Leaders - September 18, 2023 17:00 - 28 minutes ★★★★★ - 82 ratingsOnce you’ve implemented lean manufacturing, how do you sustain a lean culture? How do you motivate your team to focus on continuous improvement? How do you inspire them to keep reaching and passing their goals? In this episode of MakingChips—part 2 of a live panel discussion at TSMA with spe...
Building a Lean Culture Through Strategic Leadership Part 1, 374
Making Chips Podcast for Manufacturing Leaders - September 12, 2023 17:00 - 31 minutes ★★★★★ - 82 ratingsWhat is your definition of lean manufacturing? One definition of lean is “Maximizing the flow of value through your business to your customer.” We all want our business to be customer-centric, right? It’s a given that we all want to reduce waste and improve efficiency. But how do you do that? ...
SZN1: What's Going on With the Manufacturing Economy? 373
Making Chips Podcast for Manufacturing Leaders - August 28, 2023 17:00 - 36 minutes ★★★★★ - 82 ratingsWhat is going on with the economy? We’re all feeling a slowdown in the manufacturing industry. So what gives? What happens in the economy can be directly impacted by politics. It can be impacted by war. It can be impacted by interest rates and the rising costs of consumer goods. Nicole Wolter—...
SZN1: What is a Woman Manufacturing Leader? with Nicole Wolter, 372
Making Chips Podcast for Manufacturing Leaders - August 22, 2023 17:00 - 35 minutes ★★★★★ - 82 ratingsToday’s controversial topic: What is a woman…in manufacturing? We need to inspire the next generation of women to pursue a career path in manufacturing. But is the “sex sells” movement killing any chance of that? I’m Nicole Wolter—the President and CEO of HM Manufacturing. In this episode of Mak...
SZN1: Taking a Lean Leap of Faith Toward Digital Transformation, 371
Making Chips Podcast for Manufacturing Leaders - August 11, 2023 17:00 - 40 minutes ★★★★★ - 82 ratingsMany companies strive to move toward digital transformation. Some struggle with the process. Others—like JJR Fabrication—see remarkable results. They’ve seen enormous efficiency and throughput improvements by embracing digital workflows while ensuring the physical side of their shop is in full a...
Married to Each Other and the Business Part 2 with Lindsey Nix, 370
Making Chips Podcast for Manufacturing Leaders - July 31, 2023 17:00 - 27 minutes ★★★★★ - 82 ratingsHow do you grow a business while raising a family? When you and your spouse are business partners, how do you choose what to prioritize and when? Matthew and Lindsey Nix have been navigating this challenging road together for years. In the second part of a two-part episode (check out episode #...
Married to Each Other and the Business with Matthew Nix Part 1, 369
Making Chips Podcast for Manufacturing Leaders - July 26, 2023 17:19 - 29 minutes ★★★★★ - 82 ratingsWhat is it like to be married to your business partner? Especially when both people are very involved in the business. The metalworking industry is dominated by family-owned businesses. I’d love to see more husbands and wives team up to grow manufacturing together. In the next two episodes of Ma...
LIGHTS OUT: How a Prototyping Shop is Shattering the Status Quo with Automation, 368
Making Chips Podcast for Manufacturing Leaders - July 17, 2023 17:00 - 45 minutes ★★★★★ - 82 ratingsAre you embracing automation in your shop? Or are you hesitating because you’re unsure how to implement it so that you’re making the best use of your time and money? Brian Kippen—the owner and CEO of KAD Models & Prototypes—reframes how you can use automation. In this episode of MakingChips, ...
SZN1: #ThankAMachinist, 367
Making Chips Podcast for Manufacturing Leaders - July 10, 2023 17:00 - 17 minutes ★★★★★ - 82 ratingsI created a campaign to build awareness for machinists. Why? Because, sadly, the general public knows very little about manufacturing. They don’t look around them and see what we see: That almost everything is machined. So in this episode of MakingChips, I’ll share a few ways you can highligh...
How a Passion for the Manufacturing Community Caused This Shop to Transform into a Software Company, 366
Making Chips Podcast for Manufacturing Leaders - July 03, 2023 17:00 - 32 minutes ★★★★★ - 82 ratingsPaul Van Metre is no stranger to MakingChips, and we’ve shared his story before. But this time, we’re looking at it through a whole new lens. Paul and his partners started in the industry running a machine shop. Then, it morphed into a software company: ProShop. What started as a solution to the...
Keys to Maintaining a Manufacturing Leadership Mindset, 365
Making Chips Podcast for Manufacturing Leaders - June 26, 2023 17:00 - 45 minutes ★★★★★ - 82 ratingsHow do you create and cultivate a manufacturing leadership mindset? What can you do to recharge? How do you take care of yourself so you can take care of your team? How do you unify your team toward a shared goal? Special guests Eric Nekich 5th Axis® Workholding, Michael Gaunce with SCHUNK USA, ...
What Really Sells Machine Tools? 364
Making Chips Podcast for Manufacturing Leaders - June 19, 2023 17:00 - 35 minutes ★★★★★ - 82 ratingsWhat is the most impactful factor that helps machine tool distributors sell tools? Is it the quality of the tools themselves? Is it the skill of the salesperson? Is it the service that the distributor can offer? Tony Harrod—General Manager at Methods Machine Tools, Inc.—believes that one of thes...
Bonus Chips: Manufacturing Happy Hour Interviews Jason Zenger & Nick Goellner about Manufacturing Leadership, 363
Making Chips Podcast for Manufacturing Leaders - June 12, 2023 17:00 - 27 minutes ★★★★★ - 82 ratingsIn this special Bonus Chips episode of MakingChips, we’re guests on Chris Luecke’s podcast, Manufacturing Happy Hour. Of all the manufacturing podcasts, we both double down on leadership topics. So in this episode, we seek to tackle one question: What does it mean to be a manufacturing leader? T...
ABC's of CMMC and Cybersecurity, 362
Making Chips Podcast for Manufacturing Leaders - June 05, 2023 17:00 - 38 minutes ★★★★★ - 82 ratingsIn 2018, the US Government set a standard for cybersecurity, so anyone in any industry that touched the US government had to meet the requirement—but it wasn’t happening. Now, CMMC is coming out and you will be audited. So what is CMMC? Does your shop need it? How can ProShop ERP help you accele...
SZN1: Haves and Have Nots with Paul Van Metre, 361
Making Chips Podcast for Manufacturing Leaders - May 29, 2023 17:00 - 49 minutes ★★★★★ - 82 ratingsThere is a widening disparity in the manufacturing industry: Insanely busy shops and shops that are barely treading water. In any business, there will always be companies that thrive and grow and those that don’t. But successful shops are doing something differently. In this episode of MakingChi...
SZN1: Hot Sauce with Tony Gunn and Meaghan Ziemba, 360
Making Chips Podcast for Manufacturing Leaders - May 22, 2023 17:00 - 40 minutes ★★★★★ - 82 ratingsWe are melting our faces off with some hot sauces in this episode of MakingChips. Why? Because spices break down barriers. And as these hot sauces break down our mouths, you may just get some answers you weren't expecting about everything from mental health to making investments. So join us as...
SZN1: Medium Sauce with Meaghan Ziemba from Mavens of Manufacturing, 359
Making Chips Podcast for Manufacturing Leaders - May 15, 2023 17:00 - 32 minutes ★★★★★ - 82 ratingsWe’ve moved on to medium sauce and we are on FIRE. We’re in manufacturing, so the MakingChips podcast covers all things manufacturing. But we’re also human, and we value the importance of being transparent and talking about things like mental health. So in this episode of MakingChips, we cove...
SZN1: Mild Sauce with Tony Gunn from MTD CNC, 358
Making Chips Podcast for Manufacturing Leaders - May 08, 2023 17:00 - 29 minutes ★★★★★ - 82 ratingsWe’re tasting our way through 12 different types of hot sauce chosen by none other than me, Tony Gunn, the Global GM at MTDCNC.com. Meaghan Ziemba of Mavens of Manufacturing also joins us as we work our way through some chicken wings. We’ll talk about our backgrounds, how we balance life and ...
Bonus Chips: Q&A with Titan Gilroy, 357
Making Chips Podcast for Manufacturing Leaders - May 01, 2023 17:00 - 15 minutes ★★★★★ - 82 ratingsDoes Titan still run a shop? Does he believe in digital transformation on the shop floor? Why did Titan seek out jobs no one else wanted? In this special edition of MakingChips, Titan Gilroy answers burning listener questions while simultaneously sharing some spectacular advice for manufacturing...
Lights Out: Automation 101 with Chris Luecke Manufacturing Happy Hour, 356
Making Chips Podcast for Manufacturing Leaders - April 24, 2023 17:00 - 48 minutes ★★★★★ - 82 ratingsAutomation continues to be a popular and divisive topic in the manufacturing world. Automation is important for attracting and retaining young talent and growing your business. So we’ve been working hard to highlight the importance of automation—and where you can dive in—with our Lights Out seri...
Who is a CNC Expert According to Titans of CNC? 355
Making Chips Podcast for Manufacturing Leaders - April 17, 2023 17:00 - 39 minutes ★★★★★ - 82 ratingsTitan Gilroy wanted to create a platform where aspiring machinists could hone their skills, share their work, and connect with leaders in the industry to get hired. So he launched CNC Expert. You can share projects, get hired (or hire someone), receive free training to get certifications, and mu...
Lights Out: Training Machinists with an Automation Mindset with Titan Gilroy, 354
Making Chips Podcast for Manufacturing Leaders - April 12, 2023 14:00 - 39 minutes ★★★★★ - 82 ratingsLights out manufacturing isn’t only a large topic of conversation but it’s also the way of the future. Shops around the world are embracing automation. Are you? If you haven’t become part of the automation conversation, don’t miss our first lights-out-focused episode with Special guest Titan Gil...
MakingChips Seasons: Big MFG Leader to Small MFG Owner with Steve Burkett, 353
Making Chips Podcast for Manufacturing Leaders - April 03, 2023 17:00 - 36 minutes ★★★★★ - 82 ratingsSteve Burkett has been in global aerospace manufacturing for 30 years. One year ago, he bought a well-established local shop and is now the President and CEO of Auto-Turn Manufacturing. Steve transitioned from being a big MFG leader to a small MFG owner. In this episode of MakingChips, Steve cov...
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