Manufacturing Happy Hour

How can your company achieve a complete, enterprise-wide digital transformation? In our first ever throwback episode, Bob Murphy - a former Senior Vice President at Rockwell Automation - provides some of the most down-to-earth advice for leading a transformation journey. We recorded this episode in May 2020, but even 3 years later, there are still some major lessons to be learned during this episode.

From self-awareness to consistency, from personal branding to trust-building, there are more than a few ways that manufacturers can break through the noise on social media. In this bonus episode, your host Chris Luecke explores how manufacturers can cut through the noise by creating engaging, insightful content so that you can build trust with your ideal customer audience. While this brand-building strategy is a long-term play, it can yield exponential returns if you have the patience.

From diversity to digital transformation, innovation and best practices, this episode is packed with expert insights on taking your manufacturing leadership game up a gear. 

Tim Dickson, Chief Innovation Officer at Generac, joins Manufacturing Happy Hour to discuss misconceptions around the job title, what his role actually entails and how he aims to improve his leadership qualities every single week. 

Plus, he shares what Generac does in detail, provides his ideas on innovation and tells us why he wakes up at 4am every morning.  

In this episode, find out: 

• What Generac does 
• The new definition of a CIO 
• How to drive digital transformation 
• How Tim levels up his leadership skills 
• Why he gets up at 4am 
• The importance of diversity 
• Secrets of the Milwaukee tech community 
• What innovation looks like at Generac 
• How to help your team transform 

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’re going to drive change, you have to understand and articulate the value of what that change is going to do.” 
• “Knowledge is key. What you can do with that knowledge is what brings something forward.” 
• “You have to have best practices.” 

Links & mentions: 

• Generac, a leading energy technology company that provides advanced power grid software solutions, backup and prime power systems for home and industrial environments 
• Summerfest Tech, championing the Milwaukee regional business community while shining the spotlight on Wisconsin's growing reputation as a tech hub, hosted annually alongside the music festival by the same name 
• Women of Color in Tech: A Blueprint for Inspiring and Mentoring the Next Generation of Technology Innovators, by Suzanne Tedrick 
• InspireCIO Leadership Network, home of WisconsinCIO and other leadership chapters 
• Explorium Brewpub, craft beer and food, located in Milwaukee’s historic Pritzlaff Building and a local hangout for the tech community 

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. 

Are you ready for a ton of insights from FOUR industry leaders? On this episode of Manufacturing Happy Hour, we’re whetting your Automate appetite again, sharing super-interesting highlights from Automate 2022, ahead of the 2023 event later this month. 

We are joined by Misa Ilkhechi, founder and VP of Product and Partnerships at Formic, Kel Guerin, co-founder and CIO at Ready Robotics, Etienne Lacroix, founder and CEO at Vention and Joe Campbell, Senior Manager of Strategic Marketing & Applications Development at Universal Robots. 

Hear insights, tips and experiences on topics such as robotics-as-a-service, predictions for the future, AI, and so much more.  

In this episode, find out: 

• A history on robotics-as-a-service 
• Misa Ilkhechi’s journey as a startup co-founder 
• What’s exciting about the industry 
• Transitions in user experiences 
• What’s changed and what hasn’t in robotics 
• Why we need to simplify robotics 
• How VCs are getting involved in startups 
• How AI can be the backbone of robotics 
• Top insights from industry leaders 

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: 

• “Manufacturing is getting consumerized. More companies need to learn how to better brand yourself in the industry beyond just the specific product you’re providing.” – Etienne Lacroix, CEO and founder of Vention 
• “When you go out into the real world, you can listen to people’s problems and understand.” – Kel Guerin, co-founder and CIO at Ready Robotics 
• “AI and machine learning is really accelerating and helping eliminate the need for point-to-point programming.” – Misa Ilkhechi, founder and VP of Product and Partnerships at Formic 

Links & mentions: 

• Formic, removing the risk, expense and headache of automating your own with flexible, no CapEx contracts. They grow your business by making it easy to afford and deploy robotic automation. 
• Ready Robotics, making your robots better by eliminating risks and challenges of deploying automation.  
• Vention, making industrial automation better, easier and more accessible for all manufacturers by reengineering the process of designing, simulating, procuring and commissioning industrial equipment. 
• Universal Robots, dedicated to making the world a better place, one cobot at a time. They are an innovative robotics company, helping the world work with robots, not like robots. 

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. 

Time to buckle up for a masterclass in manufacturing with not one – but three – manufacturing experts! 

On this episode of Manufacturing Happy Hour, we share the best of three interviews conducted at Automate LIVE in Detroit, MI. Chris sits down for conversations with Milton Guerry, President of Schunk, Mike Cicco, President & CEO of FANUC America Corporation and Søren Peters, CEO of HowToRobot. 

They share their career journeys, insights and predictions for manufacturing, AI and automation, plus reveal top tips for manufacturing leaders and team members alike.  

In this episode, find out: 

• How Milton Guerry began his career 
• How Mike Cicco started in the industry 
• Søren Peters’ first steps in manufacturing 
• Guests’ thoughts on the current state of manufacturing, AI and automation 
• The importance of mentorship 
• The future of collaborative robots 
• New routes into the industry 
• Why strong teams are key to success 
• The importance of communication 

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 can all be very secure that this industry is going to be super-strong.” – Milton Guerry, President of Schunk 
• “The key to mobility is just continuing to reinvent yourself in terms of business needs at the time.” – Mike Cicco, President & CEO of FANUC America Corporation 
• “In everything you do, if you don’t believe in it or think that it’s right, you should probably be doing something else.” – Søren Peters, CEO of HowToRobot 

Links & mentions: 

• SCHUNK, an internationally active technology company, a leading supplier of products made with high-tech materials like carbon, technical ceramics and sintered metal, as well as machines and systems for environmental simulation, air conditioning, optical machines and many other processes. 
• HowToRobot, your automation marketplace, helping buyers specify their needs and putting them into contact with sellers across the globe.  
• FANUC, a leading global manufacturer of factory automation, they specialize in industrial robots, CNC systems, wire cut EDM and injection moulding machines among other things. All products are engineered to optimize energy usage. 

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. 

What happens when you put a food and beverage industry leader, a brewer, and an industrial specialist who’s seen hundreds of manufacturing facilities on the same stage? You get this week’s episode.  

CBT Company recently invited Manufacturing Happy Hour to host a live panel discussion at Cincinnati's iconic Rhinegeist Brewery on the future of food & beverage manufacturing. We were joined by Rhinegeist’s Cole Hackbarth, SugarCreek’s Jeremy Saunders, and CBT’s Larry Hecker for a conversation that covered more than a few critical manufacturing topics. 

In this episode, you’ll hear our panelists discuss the characteristics of a modern maintenance program, why flexible manufacturing is so important to food & beverage manufacturing, and plenty of innovative ideas for recruiting and training your people.  

We also have a bonus Q&A where we cover some very candid questions around making manufacturing more accessible to everyone. You’ll even learn a few things about the Cincinnati manufacturing community and what makes the industry in that region so unique. 

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

In this episode, find out: 

• The realities of maintaining and scaling a brewery 
• Why all processes should focus on the end user 
• Why you need everyone on your team to be on the same page 
• How a great onboarding program can prepare new hires 
• How staff retention challenges affected the craft beer industry 
• Why companies should be flexible for their employees 
• Why automation isn’t about getting rid of jobs 
• How to decide which processes to automate 
• How we can encourage more women into manufacturing 

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: 

• [Automation] is just simplifying the manual labor and the jobs that don’t take skill to do, so that our brewers, who are very skilled and very intelligent, can think about how to make beer taste better.” – Cole Hackbarth 
• “I think the most important thing is to make sure everyone's on the on the same page between management, maintenance, production, QA – you have to have buy-in from all four, or it's going to be a disaster.” – Larry Hecker 
• “Why are women not wanting to come to the industry? Let's be honest, we don't make it easy. Keep that in mind, how do we make it easy? There's a lot of things like safety strategies, which are intended for male-sized people, and women are at a disadvantage.” – Jeremy Saunders 

Links & mentions: 

• Rhinegeist Brewery, a craft brewery based in the historic Over-the-Rhine brewery district in Cincinnati, OH. 
• CBT Company, an industrial distributor that provides customers with products, technologies, and solutions in automation, pneumatics, belting, and more. 
• SugarCreek, an innovative food manufacturer that helps companies develop “brand-worthy food solutions.” 

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. 

It’s time for two manufacturing podcasts to collide! 

On this episode of Manufacturing Happy Hour, we’re delighted to speak to Nick Goellner and Jason Zenger, hosts of the fantastic MakingChips podcast. 

Nick and Jason discuss their route into making the podcast, how it’s grown and evolved over the years and the attributes that make a true manufacturing leader. 

In this episode, find out: 

• About creating MakingChips 
• How the podcast has evolved 
• Knowing when content needs to evolve 
• How MakingChips set out to equip and inspire 
• What makes a great manufacturing leader 
• How their content can help manufacturing leaders 
• The importance of developing relationships 
• Why manufacturing leaders should self-assess 
• How content serves businesses 

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’re a manufacturing leader, you should be equipping, you should be inspiring and you should be building relationships.” – Jason Zenger, Host of the MakingChips podcast 
• “A manufacturing leader needs to know how to develop relationships with clients and partners.” – Jason Zenger, Host of the MakingChips podcast 
• “It’s important for us to contribute to the community and the industry at large.” – Nick Goellner, Host of the MakingChips podcast 

Links & mentions: 

• MakingChips website 
• Connect with Nick Goellner on LinkedIn 
• Connect with Jason Zenger on LinkedIn 

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. 

Things move quickly in manufacturing, so how do we stay efficient in the now, while building a strong team for the future?  

On this episode, we invite Pam Frost, President of RND Automation, on Manufacturing Happy Hour. 

Pam discusses employee retention, promoting from within and playing to your own and your employees’ strengths. 

Plus, she reveals why she came out of retirement for RND, what excites her about the future of manufacturing and why fun should be a priority in the workplace. 

There’s plenty of excellent advice to take from this one, so listen close! 

In this episode, find out: 

• How Pam built success at Pridgeon & Clay 
• How to successfully promote from within 
• Why listening is crucial to success in any business 
• How to retain employees 
• Why Pam came out of retirement for RND Automation 
• How to achieve operational excellence 
• The best ways to foster a collaborative environment 
• Why you should have fun at work 

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: 

• “It’s important to celebrate the past, celebrate today and look forward to the future.” 
• “If we can come together and all enjoy each other’s company, I think it helps a lot.” 
• “Two ears, one mouth – listen at least twice as much as you talk!” 

Links & mentions: 

• RND Automation: Engineers, designs, and manufactures robotic, packaging and assembly automation equipment 
• Complete Automation Solutions (CAS) Holdings: Parent company of RND Automation that also includes iAutomation and Paneltek 
• Follow Pam on LinkedIn 

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. 

We’re stepping into the future in this episode of Manufacturing Happy Hour to look at how RIOS is helping to pave a way for the “factories of the future.” 

We sat down with CEO and Founder Bernard Casse to get his take on where automation and robotics fit into factories and what a smart factory will actually look like. Bernard explores the benefits of using automation to speed up processes, collect data, and adapt according to turbulent market conditions (which we’re seeing plenty of right now!) 

Bernard also tells us a little about how RIOS has achieved its Series A funding round and how current economic conditions are affecting venture capitalists and start-ups.  

In this episode, find out: 

• Bernard’s educational background and why he did a PhD 
• What factory automation in the future could look like 
• Why automation isn’t just about labor replacement 
• How smart factories will operate 
• How automation can help with data analysis 
• Step one for getting into automation 
• Bernard’s experience with funding rounds and VCs 
• Why VCs are increasingly looking for category creators 
• What sets RIOS apart from the competition 

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 walk them through how they can increase productivity, we walk them through how we are building process optimization modules for them, and how we're delivering robots.” 
• “It's a lot of data that we’re aggregating and then transforming that in business intelligence to allow the customer to really understand their operations to optimize based on that understanding.” 
• “We are envisioning the smart factory to be connected to other systems and networks, allowing you to seamlessly share data and communicate with other factories, supply chain partners and customers. So this would enable the factory to respond quickly and effectively to changes in the market.” 

Links & mentions: 

• RIOS, a company that provides factory automation-as-a-service with end-to-end AI-powered robotics work cells  
• Antonio’s Nut House, a now-closed dive bar that Bernard used to frequent during his earlier career days  

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. 

Building an iconic brewing company for your university community, plus getting real-world business experience? Sounds like a dream come true. 

On this episode of Manufacturing Happy Hour, we are joined by Jackson Cosgriff, Student, and John Knapp, Director of Innovation Alley at Marquette University. 

We hear the backstory and behind-the-scenes processes of Innovation Alley and its student-led project, Blue & Gold Brewing.  

John and Jackson share concerns they had heading into the project and the future of student-run business, plus they tell us whether they believe applied learning is the future of higher education. 

This episode is packed with inspirational advice and plenty of beer chat! 

In this episode, find out: 

• The backstory of Innovation Alley and Blue & Gold Brewing 
• Behind the scenes stories of Blue & Gold Brewing 
• The beer brainstorming process 
• What’s next for student-run business 
• What concerns they had about their project 
• Whether applied learning is the future of higher education 
• Advice for other universities looking to introduce similar programs 
• Why it’s time to think outside the box 

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: 

• “It’s OK to have a big idea! Don’t shut that idea down.” – John Knapp, Executive Director – Innovation Alley at Marquette University 
• “People get drawn into working up these ladders when they don’t really enjoy it. A lot of people are happy working with their hands and that’s what I loved about this project.” – Jackson Cosgriff, Student at Marquette University 
• “I knew right away (this project) was going to be a winner!” - John Knapp, Executive Director – Innovation Alley at Marquette University 

Links & mentions: 

• Blue and Gold Brewing, a student-run business owned by Blue and Gold Ventures LTD, aimed to develop collaborative partnerships with community business owners. Marquette University students team up with the below brewing companies (all Marquette alums) to learn about craft brewing: https://www.bandgbrewing.com/  
• Innovation Alley, driving students to reimagine education in the classroom and in workplaces, creating a ripple effect far beyond the walls of the campuses at Marquette University: https://www.marquette.edu/innovation-alley/  
• Broken Bat Brewing, the brainchild of Milwaukee baseball fan Tim Pauly, providing a unique, welcoming atmosphere in the Walker’s Point neighborhood in Milwaukee. Spreading the love of craft beer and baseball while giving back to their community: https://brokenbatbrewery.com/  
• Good City Brewing, a brewing company created by Dan and David, close friends from grad school who saw the untapped potential of craft beer in Milwaukee. Focused on pursuing excellence, prioritizing relationships and engaging their local place: https://www.goodcitybrewing.com/ 
• Gathering Place Brewing, an award-winning, community centered craft brewery located in Milwaukee’s Riverwest neighborhood and Wauwatosa. Making European-inspired styles with American twists: https://www.gatheringplacebrewing.com/  
• Follow Jackson on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackson-cosgriff-0310b7182/  
• Follow John on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnmknapp/  

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.