Manufacturing Happy Hour

Manufacturing has been collecting skills for centuries, and the list keeps growing.

Chris takes Manufacturing Happy Hour to Revere Electric’s Executive Forum at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) for a live conversation about what the factory of the future needs in the plant and in the workforce. Joining him are Michael Cvelbar and Phil Bush of Rockwell Automation, Joe Hamann of the Connected Systems Institute (CSI), and Ryan Schneeberger of Revere Electric Supply.

Joe and Phil look at how new people get job-ready through student hackathons and a veteran training program. Ryan and Michael cover the other side, keeping people on the floor and giving operators more to do once they’re there. Students learn where AI adds value, while manufacturers want to see the return before they invest. And a room full of manufacturers toasts every time they say “digital twin.”

In this episode, find out:

• Why Michael says manufacturers need backup plans when disruption hits
• How Rockwell is preparing operators to troubleshoot their own equipment
• Why manufacturers say new engineering graduates can take years to reach full productivity
• How Rockwell’s Academy of Advanced Manufacturing trains military veterans as controls technicians
• What flexible automation can do for a customer and why manufacturers stay cautious on AI until the ROI is clear
• How Phil, Joe, Ryan and Michael describe their factory of the future when the audience asks

Enjoying the show? Please leave us a review here. Even one sentence helps. It’s feedback from Manufacturing All-Stars like you that keeps us going!

Tweetable Quotes:

• “We want to hire on attitude and aptitude and culture fit, and we want to train on skills and capabilities.” - Phil Bush, Global Competency Programs Manager at Rockwell Automation
• “Get started. Try something, right? Start small, learn from it. It’s probably not going to be perfect, but you’ll be better the next time.” - Joe Hamann, Executive Director at Connected Systems Institute
• “The digitization that’s required, it’s business critical. It’s mission critical now. It’s no longer, ‘Hey, we’re going to go pilot this and see if this works.’ You need it, and it needs to be scaled across the enterprise.” - Michael Cvelbar, Director of Operations at Rockwell Automation

Links & mentions:

• Rockwell Automation is a global leader in industrial automation and digital transformation, headquartered in Milwaukee.
• Revere Electric Supply is a fourth-generation, family-owned electrical distributor serving industrial and construction customers across Illinois and southern Wisconsin, and a presenting partner of this live event.
• Connected Systems Institute is a center of excellence at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, hosting this episode and developing manufacturing specialists through education, lab facilities, and research with industry partners.
• Husco is a Waukesha, Wisconsin manufacturer of hydraulic and electro-hydraulic controls for off-highway and automotive equipment.
• Fathom Digital Manufacturing offers more than 25 advanced manufacturing technologies under one roof, from CNC machining to injection molding.

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.

Manufacturing has a lot to gain from AI, and a lot to lose by waiting.

Recorded at mHUB in Chicago’s West Loop during IMTS (International Manufacturing Technology Show), Chris sits down with Sanjay Brahmawar, CEO of QAD Redzone, to talk about what AI could mean for an industry facing 500,000 open manufacturing jobs and a growing need to do more with the people it already has.

They also look at what happens when systems of record become systems of action, and how that changes the way manufacturers respond to problems on the shop floor.

In this episode, find out:

• How a career that started on a Honda engine line shaped Sanjay's view of manufacturing as managing constraints
• Why manufacturers don't need to replace their existing technology before putting AI to work
• How AI can turn a system of record into a system of action on the factory floor
• What QAD Redzone learned after giving line leads an AI agent before bringing their supervisors into the conversation
• Why some manufacturers are willing to set aside 5-7% of their IT budget for AI
• How a month of 24/7 bug fixing, complete with its own t-shirts, helped QAD Redzone rebuild customer trust

Enjoying the show? Please leave us a review here. Even one sentence helps. It’s feedback from Manufacturing All-Stars like you that keeps us going!

Tweetable Quotes:

• "The role of AI is not to replace the human being. The role of AI is to make that human being, that talent, 3 to 4x more powerful." - Sanjay Brahmawar, CEO of QAD Redzone
• "Manufacturing is a show-me world. It is not a tell-me world." - Sanjay Brahmawar, CEO of QAD Redzone
• "Nobody in manufacturing is sitting there waiting for somebody to give them AI. They only want it if it impacts their outcomes." - Sanjay Brahmawar, CEO of QAD Redzone

Links & mentions:

• STÄUBLI is a leading manufacturer of quick connector systems, covering connection needs for all types of fluids, gases, and electrical power.
• QAD Redzone is the manufacturing AI platform built for the mid-market, bringing AI into the ERP and the workflow where decisions get made.
• mHUB is a Chicago hard tech platform that brings young companies together with networks of entrepreneurs, advisors, and capital.

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.

RVs are homes that go 60 miles an hour. That changes everything about what goes inside them.

Chris sits down with Sean Petterson, CEO of Supersede, a company combining recycling and manufacturing in an unexpected way - turning recycled plastic into structural building materials. Supersede started with boats, where wood has an obvious problem - boats get wet!

From there, the company moved into RVs, where the materials face constant movement and thermal cycling, on a production line that can build an entire RV in a couple of hours.

Sean also explains the thinking behind Supersede's manufacturing model, including why he'd rather build 10 smaller plants than one big one.

In this episode, find out:

• How running production lines in mirrored pairs cuts the distance operators walk across the floor
• Why an RV, built to go 60 miles an hour, is a harder test for a material than a house that never moves
• How Supersede built its own ERP with zero software developers, piecing it together through Slack, Jira, and GitHub instead
• How a pre-sold capacity threshold - already dropping fast - decides when Supersede builds its next plant
• How embedding machine vision and LiDAR on the line replaces a QA machine that would otherwise cost far more
• Why Sean thinks manufacturers who didn't start using AI a year ago are already a decade behind

Enjoying the show? Please leave us a review here. Even one sentence helps. It’s feedback from Manufacturing All-Stars like you that keeps us going!

Tweetable Quotes:

• "If you hadn't gotten on the AI bus 12 months ago, you're a decade behind." - Sean Petterson, CEO of Supersede
• “A big contributor to those inefficiencies is, frankly, just legacy that gets embedded.” - Sean Petterson, CEO of Supersede
• “In manufacturing, things can move slow, and we just have the unique benefit of making sure that we're investing effectively, but very efficiently.” - Sean Petterson, CEO of Supersede

Links & mentions:

• Supersede is a manufacturing company turning recycled plastic into structural building materials, starting with its Marine Board product for the marine and RV industries.
• Harmoni is a factory orchestration platform that connects what's happening on your shop floor with the systems you already use, from your machines and operators to your ERP, giving your team one real-time view of production.
• PTC's Industrial Newsletter - a quick hit of clarity on how design, manufacturing, and service data can work together for manufacturing leaders looking to modernize.

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.

There's a lot more coming out of Iowa than corn.

Chris heads to Des Moines for a live conversation with four guests who each know Iowa manufacturing a little differently.

Dominique Hain and Cami Schaefer share how Women in Manufacturing Iowa grew to over 900 members in three years. Denny Williams and Denise Hill take it from there, discussing automation, hiring, and just how deep Iowa's farm roots run through its factories.

The conversation also uncovers some of the products many people may not know are made in Iowa, including Winnebago RVs.

In this episode, find out:

• What makes a state better known for agriculture become one of the country's stronger manufacturing bases
• How Iowa's farming communities are shaping who gets hired at companies like Weiler
• Which surprising products are actually made in Iowa, from butter braids to basketball hoops
• Why so many Iowa manufacturers trace back to a farmer solving a problem for himself, then his neighbors
• How Co-Line is using robots and cobots to boost throughput without cutting its workforce
• Why finding qualified operators is harder than finding corn in rural Iowa

Enjoying the show? Please leave us a review here. Even one sentence helps. It’s feedback from Manufacturing All-Stars like you that keeps us going!

Tweetable Quotes:

• "I love Des Moines because it's almost like a well-kept secret of Iowa, or of the US." - Cami Schaefer, Executive Operations Assistant at BrownWinick
• "We launched our chapter only three years ago, and we're already over 900 members strong, which is absolutely incredible." - Dominique Hain, Industry Account Manager at Rockwell Automation
• "With that strong work ethic and farming background, we like to hire young farm kids who know how to work on equipment. They're not afraid to roll up their sleeves and get dirty." - Denise Hill, Senior Human Resources Manager at Weiler

Links & mentions:

• Dominique Hain - Industry Account Manager at Rockwell Automation
• Denny Williams - Sales/Estimating at Co-Line Manufacturing
• Denise Hill - Senior Human Resources Manager at Weiler
• Cami Schaefer - Executive Operations Assistant at BrownWinick
• Fathom Digital Manufacturing, offering more than 25 advanced manufacturing technologies under one roof, from CNC machining to injection molding.
• PTC's Industrial Newsletter, a quick hit of clarity on how design, manufacturing, and service data can work together for manufacturing leaders looking to modernize.

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.

You can count on Philly to bring the energy!

Recorded live in King of Prussia at the final stop of the Northeast leg of the All-American Manufacturing Summer Tour, this episode features the loudest, most engaged crowd Chris has had on the show yet.

Ashley, Brett, and Matt open the show with a look at what makes the Philadelphia manufacturing ecosystem tick, and why collaboration, not competition, might be the region's biggest advantage.

Hannah and Greg then join Matt to talk workforce development, and some of the most creative approaches to the talent shortage you'll hear on the show all year.

In this episode, find out:

• What inspired one shop owner to build a group where members share equipment, knowledge, and even trade secrets with people who'd traditionally be seen as competitors
• Why locating a machine shop in the heart of Philadelphia, despite the traffic, parking, and wage tax, turned out to be a competitive advantage
• How a youth basketball nonprofit ended up building a skilled trades program for teenagers who don't want to go to college
• Why the region's defense industry is driving serious demand for skilled manufacturing workers
• What convinced a group of manufacturing leaders that hiring from a more diverse talent pool is a genuine business advantage, not just the right thing to do
• What it really takes to change how an entire generation sees a career in the trades

Enjoying the show? Please leave us a review here. Even one sentence helps. It’s feedback from Manufacturing All-Stars like you that keeps us going!

Tweetable Quotes:

• "That's a competitive advantage for us when we're hiring from a diverse group. Our spindles are running more." - Matt Bruner, President & Co-Founder at American Precision Works
• "What makes Philadelphia great is that now we have that willingness to change. Philly is really spearheading that campaign to make manufacturing and the collaboration between all of us more open" - Ashley Watkins, Sales & Marketing Manager at JBM Technologies
• "I don't hide any of my prints when we do the group meetings. I'm not afraid of anyone coming in and stealing my work." - Brett Lister, Youth Basketball, Business Owner at B&B Dynamic Machining

Links & mentions:

• Ashley Watkins - Sales & Marketing Manager at JBM Technologies
• Matt Bruner - President & Co-Founder at American Precision Works
• Gregory Thomson - Director of Skilled Building Trades at Philadelphia
• Brett Lister - Youth Basketball, Business Owner at B&B Dynamic Machining
• Hannah McGarry - Director at Workforce Engagement
• CliftonLarsonAllen, presenting partner for the All-American Manufacturing Summer Tour, offering industry-focused wealth advisory, outsourcing, audit, tax, and consulting services.
• MaintainX, presenting partner for the tour, helping frontline teams streamline maintenance, standard operating procedures, and more from a mobile device.
• NTMA (New Jersey/Pennsylvania Chapter of the National Tooling and Machining Association), a local partner organization supporting manufacturers with resources, events, and a national network.

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.

Where's the party at? While there’s a lot to see on the show floor at IMTS 2026, some of the best conversations, connections, and memories happen after the show floor closes each day.

In this bonus episode of Manufacturing Happy Hour, Chris is joined by returning guests Jim Mayer and Emily Wilkins for an "IMTS After Hours" conversation about how to make the most of manufacturing’s biggest week in Chicago.

They share some of their favorite stories from IMTS events of the past - from spontaneous meetups and happy hours, to karaoke, to Chris’ infamous 90s Vs. Emo Night in 2024 - while previewing what’s on the agenda for IMTS 2026.

You’ll hear why the after hours experience can be just as valuable as walking the show floor, how to pace yourself during a packed week of events, and where you can find Chris, Jim, Emily, and the rest of the manufacturing community once the trade show shuts down for the day.

Whether this is your first IMTS or you’re a seasoned veteran, consider this your unofficial guide to making the most of IMTS afterparties all week long.

See you in Chicago. Stay Innovative, Stay Thirsty.

"New York City is where dreams come to audition", and this goes for manufacturers too.

Recorded live at New Lab in Brooklyn, this episode is split into three segments and features seven guests. Chris explores what manufacturing means in a city best known for 'wall street’.

Andrew, James, and Stacey open the show by digging into New York's overlooked industrial past, including a 250-year stretch where the city was the largest manufacturing hub in the country. Jacob, Nikki, and Miquela then take the stage to talk about what's being built in the city today, from robotics to a single Brooklyn facility housing 17 different manufacturing verticals.

Finally, Michelle of New York Embroidery Studio joins Chris one-on-one to share her insights after nearly 30 years of manufacturing experience, including how she pivoted her entire operation overnight to produce PPE during COVID.

In this episode, find out:

• What the Brooklyn Navy Yard's 300-acre footprint looks like today, decades after its WWII peak
• Why New York's robotics ecosystem might never look like Detroit or Pittsburgh and how that could be an advantage
• What 17 different manufacturing verticals look like inside a single Brooklyn facility
• How one manufacturer pivoted from designing gowns for the Met Gala to producing 3 million isolation gowns a month
• Why New York's built-in market of 8 million consumers gives local manufacturers an edge most cities can't offer
• What it took to solve a 20-year-old medical design flaw by giving a doctor direct access to a factory floor

Enjoying the show? Please leave us a review here. Even one sentence helps. It’s feedback from Manufacturing All-Stars like you that keeps us going!

Tweetable Quotes:

• "All These inventions that came from here - the laser, the CCD, the ATM machine, the transistor, vulcanized rubber - all those things went somewhere else to build.” - James Williams, Chief Strategy Officer at Nanotronics
• "It's not that somebody is getting rid of the hand tools, it's that it's merging with additional technology." - Miquela Craytor, Founder & Principal, Craytor Strategies
• "Smart people that have problems need to have access to factories to create and build new things." - Michelle Feinberg, Owner of New York Embroidery Studio and NYES Protect

Links & mentions:

• CliftonLarsonAllen, sponsor of the All-American Manufacturing Summer Tour, offering industry-focused wealth advisory, outsourcing, audit, tax, and consulting services.
• MaintainX, sponsor of the tour, helping frontline teams streamline maintenance, standard operating procedures, and more from a mobile device.
• New Lab, an innovation hub based at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, hosting this episode and supporting startups working on advanced technology and manufacturing.

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.

The largest manufacturing trade show in the Western Hemisphere is coming to Chicago September 14 through 19, and this bonus episode is your preview of IMTS 2026.

Chris shares what he’s most excited about: Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s daily drone production and flight demo, the new Industrial AI Arena, the IMTS Investor Summit, and a 10-year anniversary episode of Manufacturing Happy Hour with Jake Hall on the Main Stage. Then, we head to 2025's “halfway to IMTS” party at Rockwell Beer Co. in St. Louis, where Mary Cecile "MC" Neville of AMT explains what makes IMTS manufacturing’s biggest community get-together and what’s new on the show floor. Brandon Wegge also joins to introduce AMICSTL, a new nonprofit Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Center being built in North St. Louis to bring the latest technology and workforce development to the region’s small and medium manufacturers.

Mentioned in this episode:

Get a free LEGO at IMTS 2026!

If you're heading to IMTS 2026, make sure Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence is part of your game plan. Hexagon is the architect of innovation in manufacturing and a global leader in measurement technologies. Make sure to visit Hexagon in the East Building at Booth 134102 and tell them Chris from Manufacturing Happy Hour sent you to claim your LEGO MAESTRO CMM via the link below.

Visit Hexagon and get a free LEGO at IMTS 2026

300 episodes of Chris asking all the questions, this week he is finally in the hot seat - and it’s his high school buddies doing all the grilling!

Recorded live at Urban Chestnut Brewing, this episode is split into two parts. First, Chris sits down with a Missouri manufacturing panel - Michael Eaton, Joe Mazzola and Maria Berra to talk Apollo 13 battery cells, pepper spray, whiskey barrels, and keeping it in the family in St. Louis.

In part 2, we are flipping the script. To celebrate this milestone episode, three of Chris's oldest friends, Pat, Rob and John take over, asking Chris about his 'magic drug' for keeping the show running for 300 episodes, reminiscing on his first experience of things taking a turn for the worst on stage, and a very exciting personal announcement.

In this episode, find out:

• How Missouri became the birthplace of a surprising range of products that most wouldn't realize
• How a kid who dreamed of building rollercoasters ended up building a manufacturing podcast instead
• Why Chris's dad might be the most legendary guy in their entire high school network
• Why Chris wouldn't watch the Blues win the Stanley Cup live, despite being in Boston
• What Chris says helps you stand out when everyone in your industry is chasing the same trend
• Where Chris would send you for the best food and drink in St. Louis

Enjoying the show? Please leave us a review here. Even one sentence helps. It’s feedback from Manufacturing All-Stars like you that keeps us going!

Tweetable Quotes:

• "I don't know if being an engineer is exactly what I wanted to be, but I was certainly going to take that problem-solving skill set and bring it wherever I go." - Chris Luecke, Podcast Host & Community Builder at Manufacturing Happy Hour
• "The more you can take that ‘all ships rise with the tide’ approach, those are the regions I see really being successful in manufacturing." - Chris Luecke, Podcast Host & Community Builder at Manufacturing Happy Hour
• ”What are the things that you can talk about that are timeless, that highlight who you are, that highlight your expertise, that can allow you to stand out from the pack?” - Chris Luecke, Podcast Host & Community Builder at Manufacturing Happy Hour

Links & mentions:

• AssetWatch and MaintainX, our partners for this leg of the All-American Manufacturing Summer Tour.
• The Missouri Association of Manufacturers, supporting manufacturers and driving turnout for this special St. Louis event.
• IMTS, hosted by AMT (the Association for Manufacturing Technology) - the country's largest manufacturing trade show.
• Urban Chestnut Brewing Company is an unconventional-minded yet tradition-oriented brewer of craft beer with authentic heritage and proven quality.

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

Mentioned in this episode:

Get a free LEGO at IMTS 2026!

If you're heading to IMTS 2026, make sure Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence is part of your game plan. Hexagon is the architect of innovation in manufacturing and a global leader in measurement technologies. Make sure to visit Hexagon in the East Building at Booth 134102 and tell them Chris from Manufacturing Happy Hour sent you to claim your LEGO MAESTRO CMM via the link below.

Visit Hexagon and get a free LEGO at IMTS 2026

Some of the best manufacturing advice comes down to one simple idea - buy back your weekends.

In this bonus episode of Manufacturing Happy Hour, Chris is joined by Patrick Carmitchel, VP of Product Management and Dustin Moore, Condition Monitoring Engineer Manager at AssetWatch, to break down what condition monitoring and predictive maintenance looks like in practice, no jargon required.

They get into the differences between preventative and predictive maintenance, why the biggest ROI often comes from just doing one thing well, and how AssetWatch's own founding story led them from wireless power research into one of the fastest-growing names in industrial monitoring. Along the way, Dustin shares a personal philosophy that gives this episode its name.

In this episode, find out:

• Why doing one thing well with your most critical assets can catch the majority of issues before you need to expand into other monitoring methods
• How a maintenance technician went from feeling threatened by AssetWatch to calling it the best thing that ever happened to his job
• What criteria actually determine whether an asset is "critical" - and why size has nothing to do with it
• How AssetWatch went from researching wireless phone charging to building one of the fastest-growing platforms in industrial monitoring

Enjoying the show? Please leave us a review here. Even one sentence helps. It’s feedback from Manufacturing All-Stars like you that keeps us going!

Tweetable Quotes:

• "The proof is in the pudding... once they start seeing the results on their end - that bearing running a lot cooler, a lot smoother - that's when they come around." - Dustin Moore, Condition Monitoring Engineer Manager at AssetWatch
• "You've got to start somewhere. Meet maintenance teams where they're at - they're all in different parts of their journey." - Dustin Moore, Condition Monitoring Engineer Manager at AssetWatch
• "Predictive maintenance means you're looking at early warning signs... it's about your ability to be able to plan so that you do not have unplanned downtime." - Patrick Carmitchel, VP of Product Management at AssetWatch

Links & mentions:

• AssetWatch combines vibration, temperature, and oil analysis in one platform for a holistic asset health view, detecting issues that a single technique might miss.

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