Manufacturing Happy Hour

We’ve got a bit of a different Manufacturing Happy Hour episode this time – it’s one of our first long-form episode at a trade show. Joined by co-host Jake Hall, The Manufacturing Millennial, we recorded this at the 2022 The Vision Show AMR & Logistics Conference in Boston.  

Our guest is Malachi Greb, Owner of Elite Automation – a frequent trade show attendee with the goal of leading the “biggest automation company in the world.” An ambitious target, no doubt, but Malachi knows exactly how he’s going to achieve it. 

We talk about how Malachi first got into the automation space, his guerrilla marketing tactics, why he’s on a hiring kick, and what it was like venturing into his first international project. We cover a lot of ground with some great actionable tips, especially around trade shows, so don’t miss it! 

In this episode, find out: 

• How Malachi first got started in automation 
• How Elite Automation is creating growth 
• Why Elite Automation is on a hiring kick 
• Why guerrilla marketing strategies are the way to go 
• Why companies should always aim to add value in marketing  
• Elite Automation’s winning business strategy  
• What the manufacturing industry is like in the Midwest 
• What it was like leading Elite Automation’s first international project in India  
• How Malachi plans to run the biggest automation company in the world 
• The advantages of being young in this industry 

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: 

• “Where a business is successful is when it adds value to another company or individuals.” 
• “Why are people spending $10,000-$20,000 on a booth when you can send 10 employees, spend a quarter the amount of money and have them just run around?” 
• “We probably do at least five interviews a week, every single week, no matter if we’re hiring or not. And we're doing that because we're building a backlog of individuals.” 

Links & mentions: 

• Elite Automation, a robotics and automation solutions company specializing in robotic weld cells, palletizing, material handling, and AMR deployment 
• The Manufacturing Come Up, an industry interview podcast hosted by Elite Automation 
• Bud’s Rockin’ Country Bar & Grill, a Nashville-inspired bar located on Franklin Street in Evansville, IN in the former location of a Harley-Davidson dealership 

 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 back for Part 2 of our bonus episodes with KUKA from IMTS 2022. We’ll be jumping back into our partnership conversations while taking an even deeper dive into additive manufacturing in these last 5 interviews of our short series. Stick around until the end to get a full recap on what characterizes great industrial manufacturing partnerships.

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

This week on Manufacturing Happy Hour, we’re exploring what makes an industrial partnership great.

Is it the tech? Is it the company culture? Is it the size of the company?

Today’s podcast answers all of these questions in the context of a global robotics company, KUKA, and all of their partners. We spent an entire day at IMTS 2022 exploring applications from 3D printing to machining to launching robots into space, all while interviewing KUKA’s partners that make all of these applications possible.

This 2-part episode features ten interviews co-hosted by Jake Hall, the Manufacturing Millennial, with the following leaders:

• Evandro Maia, Robotics Application Engineer, KUKA
• Juan Vega, CTO, Reliabotics
• Warren Reynolds, VP of Operations, I-Cubed Industry Innovators Inc.
• Nick Johnson, Co-Founder, One Off Robotics
• Travis Turner, General Manager, Eckhart
• Scott McIsaac, Project Engineer, KUKA Systems
• Jean-Sébastien Neveu, President, Waybo
• Cole Nielsen, CTO and Founder, Orbital Composites
• Michael Duong, Applications Engineer, Ingersoll Machine Tools
• Matthew Robey, Account Manager, KUKA
• Darcy Charbonneau, Director of US Sales, KUKA

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

Can you really make a business work if you have no experience?

Cody Lee, the President and Owner of Everyday Technologies, made that very leap when he took over the business. While his experience was limited, he’s had some fantastic advice from his father and father-in-law, which has helped Cody thrive in his new venture.

Cody joins this episode of Manufacturing Happy Hour to share where it all began, what led him to buy the business, and how he’s determined to scale it in the future. He explains why his primary focus is on building a talented workforce, revitalizing Everyday Technologies’ branding, updating systems, and playing to his own strengths. While it’s been a unique challenge, Cody’s more than embraced it and has injected new life into a brand that has been in operation for nearly 100 years!

In this episode, find out:

• Cody’s first experiences with entrepreneurship
• The important lessons Cody learned from his father and father-in-law
• Why you need to be passionate about your business above all else
• How Cody bought Everyday Technologies
• The first steps he took when taking over the business
• The top changes and updates he made to the business
• The unexpected challenges that Cody had to deal with
• Why you don’t need to be the smartest guy in the room
• Why you need to pay attention to branding to attract top talent
• Why the success of a business is down to its people
• What Cody has planned for the future of Everyday Technologies

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:

• “A business is the direct result of its people.”
• “If you have the right people in the right seats, clear expectations, and hold them accountable to themselves and the folks around them, you can get anything done.”
• “The core mission of what we're trying to do at the end of the day is just take care of our customers. Without them, there would be no growing, there'd be no revenue, there'd be nothing.”

Links & mentions:

What does it take to launch a manufacturing startup? And how do you finally walk away from it when it’s time?

Nick Pinkston, CEO and Founder of Volition, is back on the show for round three of our three-part series. In this episode, we take a closer look at Nick’s previous ventures, including Plethora, to get an idea of what it’s like to build a company and then close the door to it.

Nick shares the top things he wished he’d have known earlier in his career, what he’s learned from previous business experiences, and some advice for others. He also gives his take on the investor world and explains why VCs are no longer as scared to touch manufacturing as they once were.

It’s been a fantastic mini-series with Nick, and he’s been full of brilliant insights into the startup world, investment, and the future of the industry. Be sure to catch up on episodes one and two with Nick if you haven’t already.

In this episode, find out:

• What Plethora did in the manufacturing space
• Why Nick decided to leave his position as CEO
• The most important lessons he took from Plethora
• Why Plethora shut down
• What you need to do before scaling a startup
• Why VCs are less afraid of manufacturing these days
• What Nick wishes he had known earlier in his career
• What’s currently working for Volition
• Why Nick learned to love the management side of running a startup

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:

• "You get what you put in.”
• “I wish I would have been somewhere where there were lots of mentors who could actually tell you how it works. I just had this huge shift when I moved to San Francisco and met real founders.”
• “Your reputation is everything in this kind of field.”

Links & mentions:

• Volition, one of the largest marketplaces for industrial components  

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 does the future hold for hardware manufacturing? We welcome back Nick Pinkston, CEO and Founder of Volition, for round two of a special three-part episode where we dig into all things hardware manufacturing.

In this episode, Nick explores the world of hardware startups, VC investment, and the future of the industry. He also breaks down his thoughts on rising trends like 3D printing and AI, and explains which manufacturing tech he’s most excited about.

We also hear his thoughts and experiences on navigating U.S. industrial policies and what he thinks is missing from the wider manufacturing community. Check out part one and stay tuned for part three, coming soon!

In this episode, find out:

• Why hardware startups are more difficult to get off the ground
• Why the investor base in hardware is improving
• What we learned about hardware and physical goods during COVID
• The manufacturing tech Nick’s most excited about
• Nick’s thoughts on additive manufacturing and AI
• How investors are changing the way they back manufacturing companies
• What’s missing from the wider manufacturing community?
• The regions leading the way in manufacturing
• The effect of industrial policy on 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:

• "The horrible situation of COVID has shown everyone that the physical world [of manufacturing] actually matters.”
• “Everyone thinks 3D printing is going to replace stuff. I don't think that's true at all. I think the traditional processes will be with us forever. We just need to put computing inside of them.”
• “Everyone's going for high performance first. And I think that's because all these technologies start off really expensive. So you better have a really good use case for some performance improvement, as opposed to a cost improvement. I also think that VCs have a bias towards performance because it's cool.”

Links & mentions:

•  Volition, one of the largest marketplaces for industrial components  
• The Interval, a cocktail bar in San Francisco and home of The Long Now Foundation

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.

Welcome to our first ever “mega episode” here on Manufacturing Happy Hour, a 3-part interview with Nick Pinkston, one of the more fascinating people in the manufacturing world. If you're not already familiar with Nick, he’s has a great track record of leading hardware and manufacturing startups, while much of the rest of the world was preoccupied with the software side of the tech world. Currently, he’s the Founder and CEO of Volition, a marketplace dedicated specifically to industrial components.

Part 1, today's episode, is backstory. Part 2 will really focus on Nick's perspective on manufacturing, hard tech startups, and the future of the industry. In Part 3, we'll hear about Nick's experience with his previous company Plethora and the realities of manufacturing startups.

In this episode, we’ll hear about Nick’s background and what it was like growing up and being surrounded by manufacturing. Nick shares how he started his career in Pittsburgh while elaborating on his mission for accelerating innovation and the way manufacturing gets done. Finally, we’ll learn about his latest venture Volition.

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

Having employees with strong personal brands is a great asset for any business, manufacturing or otherwise.

In this episode of Manufacturing Happy Hour, we talk to Daniel Murray, marketing ops leader and the founder of podcast and marketing community, Marketing Millennials.

Daniel discusses his career so far, how he simplifies marketing for marketers and the benefits of building personal brands. He also provides unmissable tips on building lasting LinkedIn posting habits and what platforms he finds most engaging right now.

This episode is simply a masterclass in marketing and it’s gold for any manufacturer!

In this episode, find out:

• Daniel’s goals for Marketing Millennials
• How to leverage LinkedIn purposefully
• Why executives should build personal brands
• Reasons why employers should hire employees with strong personal brands
• Why social media is just one part of the trust-building puzzle
• The importance of creating content consistently
• The power of newsletters and podcasts
• What’s resonating on LinkedIn right now
• Why put your personal brand over your career at times
• Top book recommendations from Daniel

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:

• "Consume a lot of content from your space. Understand what people are saying.”
• “One mistake people make is they’re not consistent enough on social media.”
• “You want people to trust you and the way you build trust is by sharing what you know.”

Links & mentions:

• The Marketing Millennials, a community highlighting and uplifting today's marketing leaders and tomorrow's top stars. Zero BS. Just fun, unfiltered, industry insights with the game-changers behind some of the coolest companies from around the globe. Sign up here for the newsletter.
• Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, by Robert Cialdini
• Justin Welsh, Founder of The Saturday Solopreneur who’s building a portfolio of one-person businesses; follow him on LinkedIn for personal branding tips
• Terry Black’s Barbecue, the best BBQ in Austin, TX, according to Daniel
• Franklin Barbecue, a mainstay Austin, TX BBQ joint famous for their long lines. Line up at 9am on a weekday if you want to get it before it runs out. Your host Chris Luecke still thinks this is the best brisket he’s ever had (but he also hasn’t been to Terry Black’s yet).

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.

Marketing, manufacturing, and remote work – we cover a lot of ground in this episode featuring Adar Hay, Co-Founder and CEO of Jiga.io.

Jiga helps manufacturing companies centralize their supplier sourcing, and Adar explains how the idea for the company first came about. We hear how Jiga has a refreshingly modern approach to marketing and why Adar decided to start a podcast to learn more about potential users.

Adar also explains the reasoning behind his remote-first team, and why for remote working to be effective, it needs to be rooted in the company culture. He also talks about the number one benefit of remote work – being able to hire anyone in world, not just those in your local area.

In this episode, find out:

• Adar’s thoughts on underrated marketing strategies
• Why Jiga uses more human-focused marketing
• Why Adar started a podcast for Jiga
• How he measures content marketing success
• Why he started Jiga
• Why manufacturers should treat suppliers like partners
• Why digital transformation doesn’t need to be complex
• The simple secrets of remote working success
• The biggest pro for remote 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:

• “People want to connect with people. Being honest, upfront, and talking about challenges is very important, as well as sharing things from a human perspective of me as the CEO.”
• “When you're building a product, especially something new, you always have to talk to your customers. You want to talk to people in your industry about their problems and about their needs.”
• “Remote teams are more of an attitude. It's not just about working remotely, it's cultural. You need to fully trust the people that you work with.”

Links & mentions:

• Jiga.io, centralized automated manufacturing sourcing
• Design to Product, a podcast hosting hardware manufacturing professionals, founders and engineers who talk about the stories behind their products

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’ve not covered medical device manufacturing on the show, so we thought this would be a great time to delve into it.

In this episode of Manufacturing Happy Hour, we talk to Natalia Mendez, VP Head of Manufacturing Medical Devices at Philips. Natalia has lots of great insights into her industry and provides expert advice for both those in the medical space and manufacturers in general.

Natalia explains the importance of meeting customers’ needs and dispels myths and misunderstandings about the industry. Plus, she explains why manufacturers should use data to solve and prevent future customer problems.

There’s so much to unpack, so this is a must-listen for any Manufacturing Happy Hour fan!

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:

• How Natalia got started in medical device manufacturing
• What makes medical device manufacturing unique
• Why it’s important for manufacturers to keep evidence of what they’ve done
• Misconceptions about Natalia’s space
• Why you should involve end-to-end experts in manufacturing
• How to improve your resilience and performance
• How to meet customers’ needs
• The importance of being ready to put the product in the users’ hands
• Whether medical device manufacturing differs around the world
• About the importance of understanding markets and regional agencies

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 don't involve end-to-end experts when you are thinking about a new product, something will break in the chain.”
• “Never forget that, in order for a customer or a patient to use the product, you have to put that product physically in their hands in a timely manner.”
• “There are some countries that will not allow products that are manufactured in a specific place. So, you have to have that in mind when you set up your manufacturing footprint.”

Links & mentions:

• Manufacturing Strategies Summit - packed with key industry speakers discussing a range of topics from developing and rolling out a robust R&D strategy, to streamlining business and operational processes: https://www.manufacturing-summit.com/?utm_source=show+notes&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=manufacturing+happy+hour
• Philips – a focused leader in health technology. Their purpose is to improve people’s health and well-being through meaningful innovation: https://www.philips.com/a-w/about.html   

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.