Manufacturers Alliance Podcast

Industry expert Laurie Harbour, partner with Wipfli, delves into the outlook of manufacturing. In this episode, Laurie shares key insights on the current instability in the industry, emerging trends to watch, and the barriers manufacturers must overcome to thrive in a rapidly changing landscape.

Matt Evans, Quality Manager at Unimatic Precision Machining, shares practical strategies for removing variation from your processes. Learn about mistake-proofing, leveraging control charts, and creating accurate standards to improve consistency and overall quality.

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Gain insights on how to overcome continuous improvement challenges so that you can effectively manage improvements. In this episode, Bob Dummer explores the top 5 challenges CI leaders face, including resistance to change, sustainment, and access to data.

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In this bonus episode, we're sharing a replay of one of your favorites, featuring Eugene Arrington. Learn how to overcome fire fighting, make time for problem-solving, and overcome the tendency to jump to conclusions.

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In this episode, Mathew Yost shares what it takes to sustain Six Sigma improvements for lasting success. He breaks down how metrics, tracking, management support, culture, standard work, and training have helped his team maintain the gains from Six Sigma projects. Gain practical insights and strategies to ensure your process improvements endure.

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In this episode, Sarah Hartung joins Kirby Sneen to explore how lean principles can be effectively applied in the office setting. Discover practical strategies for creating a lean enterprise, streamlining your business systems, and avoiding the pitfalls of sub-optimization. 

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In this episode, we are celebrating three manufacturers for their commitment to developing a culture of continuous improvement and their willingness to share their experiences with their peers. Learn about the biggest accomplishments, lessons learned, and current initiatives of Pallet Service Corporation, Intek Plastics, and LubeTech, all of which are aimed at creating a better future for everyone at their companies.

In this episode, Kirby delves into three critical behaviors that are sabotaging leadership potential. Listen to learn these barriers to leadership potential and effective strategies to overcome them.

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In this episode, Michael Muilenburg and Kirby Sneen dive into the key characteristics that set professional problem solvers apart. Learn from Michael’s experiences, discover common pitfalls to avoid, and learn the traits you need to succeed.

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In this episode, learn how to improve your process capability. Nick Cristan shares the importance of producing repeatable results, how to utilize metrics and language to communicate with your team, and how to get people involved in solving a problem.  

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