What can a former Navy SEAL teach us about upskilling and manufacturing business acquisition? It turns out, a whole lot!  

Bill Berrien, CEO of Pindel Global Precision, joins episode 160 of Manufacturing Happy Hour, to share his thoughts on upskilling your team and his journey from the Navy to manufacturing business leader. We hear why he chose to acquire Pindel and how he was lucky enough for the seller to stay on board to help ease the leadership transition. 

We explore the importance of upskilling your team and why Pindel’s philosophy is to “hire for attitude, train for skill,” – as well as a great example of how someone moved from the janitorial department to work with CNC equipment. Bill shares his take on why upskilling is so important in manufacturing and what he thinks the industry should do moving forward to train the future of talent. 

In this episode, find out: 

• What Bill believes about upskilling in manufacturing  
• Bill explores his time as a Navy SEAL  
• The challenges of acquiring a company 
• What made him choose to acquire Pindel 
• How Pindel’s seller stayed on board to ease the transition 
• Bill’s business aha moments 
• What to consider before buying a business 
• What upskilling looks like at Pindel 
• Bill’s thoughts on the future of upskilling in manufacturing 
• Advice for manufacturing leaders 

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Tweetable Quotes: 

• “Our adage to the team is more value created, more value captured. So, if you allow the company to augment the value you can create by training you, that is going to lead to more value captured in the form of wages, bonuses, etc.” 
• “Once you figure out what you're going to focus on, that allows you to put all your chips on the table in that direction.” 
• “The two challenges when you have that ambition to acquire a company is number one, acquiring the skills to be able to do it well. And then number two is acquiring the capital to be able to make it happen. You can't just jump from simply having that ambition to the end state.” 

Links & mentions: 

• Pindel Global Precision, an innovative manufacturing company that values innovation, integrity, and continuous improvement in every aspect of their operations 
• PMPA, the Precision Machined Products Association strives to progressively lead members to sustainable success with reliable and relevant information, resources, advocacy, and networking opportunities 
• Otter.ai uses AI to write automatic meeting notes with real-time transcription, recorded audio, automated slide capture, and automated meeting summaries 
• Buckley’s, a neighborhood fixture for refined American comfort food, located in Downtown Milwaukee 

Make sure to visit http://manufacturinghappyhour.com for detailed show notes and a full list of resources mentioned in this episode. Stay Innovative, Stay Thirsty.