Manufacturing Happy Hour

In the manufacturing industry, the Retro Encabulator needs no introduction. However, there’s a good chance you don’t know the actor behind this infamous technobabble video. His name is Mike Kraft, a long-time actor and voice talent, and today, he shares the whole story behind Allen-Bradley’s viral Retro Encabulator video.

In this episode, Mike takes us behind the scenes of how the video came to be and the things he’s learned in his career by working in different industries.

On the acting side, Mike shares how to deal with rejection and his tips for acting success. Mike explains how announcer-style videos are going out of fashion, which is why it’s so important to know what you’re talking about rather than just pretending to.

We also get a hint into whether we’ll ever see a Retro Encabulator reboot anytime soon…

In this episode, find out:

• How the Retro Encabulator video came to be
• Why you get to learn a lot about different industries as a voice actor
• How to deal with rejection
• Why announcer-style videos are going out of fashion
• The story behind the ‘Silver Man’ character
• Whether Retro Encabulator will ever get a reboot

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 reality of it is you can't be everyone for everybody all the time.”
• “Know what you're talking about. And be just the best version of yourself you can be, and don't try and be an announcer.”
• “The way I describe my job poorly is I pretend to know what I'm talking about. That's essential.”

Links & mentions:

• Retro Encabultor, the best viral technobabble video on the internet
• Rockwell Automation, parent company of Allen-Bradley, who really should be taking way more credit for their involvement in the Retro Encabulator video. Hit them up on Twitter and see if they’ll take Mike up on his offer to make a “Retro Encabulator 2.0” video!
• Retro Encabulator IPA, brewed in collaboration with the engineers and electricians of Great Lakes Brewing Company, Retro Encabulator IPA uses a modial interaction of Simcoe, Centennial, Cascade, Citra, and Mosaic hops for an enhanced magneto-reluctance and capacitive diractance. Confused by the jargon? In layman's terms, Retro Encabulator is a hop-charged IPA with grapefruit, tangerine, and tropical fruit flavors and a slightly chewy malt body. Part of our Small Batch Pilot System series.

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.

Julius Valentine Maina believes it’s time for startups to start thinking about industry and not just cool tech. Julius is the Chief of Staff at gener8tor, a startup accelerator for the creative economy that connects founders, investors, corporations, job seekers, universities, and even musicians and artists.

In this episode, Julius explains why he wants to make tech fun and why everyone has the potential to be an entrepreneur. He explains how gener8tor helps to educate and support startups in getting funding and improving diversity at a team level and beyond. He speaks about diversity and inclusion and why it needs to be about more than a PR exercise.

Julius goes on to explain how he likes to approach Venture Capitalists (VCs) about getting funding and why being a “hype man” is all about building that real connection to the person with the checkbook.

In this episode, find out:

• Why everyone is an innovator on some level
• How gener8tor teaches and supports entrepreneurship in a different way
• Why your founder story should start before your business
• Why diversity should be more than a PR exercise
• How recruitment is the simplest way to increase diversity in your startup
• Why building connections is the key to winning a VC’s heart
• Why startups all need a “hype man”
• The benefits of starting with the market first, then the problem as a new 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:

• “Find the market, the biggest one, which actually guarantees that you'll hit something. Find the community you're trying to impact and find the problem.”
• “You want to be investable. You want to be in an industry that matters. Not only now but ten years from now.”
• “Everybody, at some level, is an innovator and an entrepreneur. They just don't have the resources and the tools to really map that out.”

Links & mentions:

• gener8tor, a turnkey platform offering more than 40 different programs spanning accelerators, corporate programming, speaker series, conferences, upskilling, and fellowships+
• Guilford Hall Brewery, a European-style dining experience in a revitalized historic Baltimore, MD site, located in the original 1989 Crown, Cork, and Seal factory in Station North
• The Vanguard, a bar and restaurant in Downtown Bayview Milwaukee that sells some of the best cheese curds in the city

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.

Jeff Burnstein is the President of A3, the Association for Advancing Automation. For more than 35 years, he’s been advocating for the use of robotics, machine vision, and motion control across the industrial world. Now more than ever, it seems that many manufacturing leaders are hearing his mission loud and clear.

In this episode, Jeff shares some background on how he initially became interested in automation, despite wanting to be a sports writer. He also explains how A3 helps to broaden the conversation and provide support to industries adjusting to automation. Jeff discusses how robots and automation aren’t the threat to the job market that people believe and why they’ll improve the quality and safety of jobs instead.

He rounds off the interview by talking about A3’s events and why automation is still in the early innings for many industries.

In this episode, find out:

• How someone with a major in English literature built a career in automation
• Why the Association for Advancing Automation is helping to broaden the discussion around automation
• Why automation is a good thing for the job market
• How manufacturing has grown in the US
• Why we need to do more to educate and encourage the next generation of manufacturers
• The big trends in manufacturing and automation
• Why Automate.org hosts events in automation, robotics, and AI
• Why automation is still in the early innings

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 don't change the education system overnight. But in an increasingly automated world, we have to have talent.”
• “There are a lot of reasons why manufacturing in the US with automation, or in Canada or Mexico, is a better plan than trying to chase low-cost labor around the world.”
• “People, when they think about robotics and automation, think because the first robot was installed in 1961, that this must all be a mature industry. No, not at all.”

Links & mentions:

• Automate.org, the Association for Advancing Automation (A3), North America’s largest automation trade association.
• Autonomous Mobile Robots & Logistics Conference, A3’s conference held in October in Tennessee
• Zig Zag Cafe, a hip craft cocktail bar in Seattle, WA with gourmet snacks, tucked away by a staircase near Pike Place Market

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.

Rob Tiffany needs no introduction in the manufacturing world. His name might as well be synonymous with the Internet of Things, and right now, he’s a VP and IoT Intrapreneur at Ericsson.

In this episode, we cover a lot of ground, from submarines and the Navy to IoT, intrapreneurship, and saving the world. We chat about how Rob first got started in the world of IoT and manufacturing after a career in the Navy working on submarines. Rob shares some insights into the early days of smartphone manufacturing, how ‘trains as a service’ became a thing in Europe, the roadblocks in IoT’s way, and much more.

Tune in to learn more about the Internet of Things, where it’s heading in the future, and why we as manufacturers should stop over-complicating what it really means.

In this episode, find out:

• What IoT is and why we overcomplicate it
• What Rob learned from being in the Navy and working on submarines
• How working on submarines provides so many transferable skills for manufacturing
• The early days of IoT and building the early smartphones
• How ‘trains as a service’ became a real business proposition
• Why Rob loves IoT
• The challenges and roadblocks to IoT
• How Ericsson encourage intrapreneurship
• How Rob is helping to “save the world” with the Moab Foundation

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:

• “Security is neck and neck in first place on why IoT is not working out.”
• “I'd say most IoT systems look like just modern versions of the old stuff that people did a long time ago.”
• “Think about a submarine. It is a heavy piece of machinery. And guess what? Things break, and things have to get fixed. And so, you definitely learn a lot of great skills just from spending time there.”

 Links & mentions:

• Rob Tiffany Digital, website for the industry-leading technologist and thought leader
• The Moab Foundation, using connected intelligence to create a more sustainable world
• The Innovator’s Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail, by Clayton M. Christensen
• Ericsson, Swedish multinational networking and telecommunications company
• FX McRory’s, a bar that used to be located in downtown Seattle by the football stadium that’s currently relocating

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.

Mike Kinder is the Co-Founder & CEO of Veryable and has an exceptional track record in the industrial manufacturing and supply chain operations world. He's been building teams, solving complex problems, and driving growth within companies for over 20 years. Now, he's taking on what is one of the most complex problems in manufacturing: finding the right talent to fill roles in manufacturing environments where production demands are constantly changing.

In this episode, we discuss where Veryable is now, where it’s heading, and how it expanded during the pandemic. Mike shares his opinion on why the pandemic exaggerated a growing problem and how Veryable is helping to solve it.

Mike shares his tips for others looking to become an entrepreneur in manufacturing, why Operations is a vital yet overlooked area, and how to act more like a start-up. We round the interview off with some leadership tips inspired by Ron Swanson, and Mike shares what he believes the key to innovation in manufacturing is.

In this episode, find out:

• How Veryable helps to solve the labor shortage problem in manufacturing
• How the company managed to expand over the pandemic
• Mike’s top tips for someone thinking of becoming an entrepreneur in the space
• The trends and challenges facing manufacturing
• Why you should play offense and act like a start-up
• Leadership lessons we can take from Ron Swanson
• Why you need to succeed and fail on your own terms
• Why the key to innovation is a strong vision

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 got to stay true to yourself, even if that means following your intuition.”
• “Succeed and fail on your own terms.”
• “The key to manufacturing innovation, in my opinion, and Veryable is based on this. It starts with establishing a vision.”

Links & mentions:

• Veryable, an on-demand platform that helps to fix the labor shortage problem in manufacturing
• Billy Bob’s Texas, the world’s largest dance hall featuring country music, classic rock, and bull-riding, located in Ft. Worth, TX 

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.

As trade shows return, it may take a conference or 2 to get back into the swing of things. In this bonus episode, we're giving you 5 strategies for rocking a trade show, whether you're an attendee or an exhibitor. From making the right connections to generating quality leads, you'll walk away from this episode with 5 easy-to-implement tips for making your next conference a success.

Is it time to finally put the spotlight on manufacturing?

Traditionally, manufacturing has been a world people outside the industry don’t hear much about. It’s not seen as a flashy industry. People aren’t making TV shows and Hollywood movies about it. Manufacturing has been a bit behind when it comes to marketing, social media, and industry influencers. But things are starting to change. Tony Gunn, General Manager at MTDCNC Global, is on a mission to tackle this. He aims to help manufacturing get the voice and platform that it deserves.

In this episode of Manufacturing Happy Hour, Tony shares his best advice around promotion and some tips for getting ahead on LinkedIn. He explains why manufacturers need a way to show their authentic selves online. Tony also talks about the work he’s doing to help encourage schoolchildren to consider manufacturing as a career path. He believes this is essential to tackle the growing skills gap.

In this episode, find out:

• How Tony first came across manufacturing
• Why Tony’s mission is to put the spotlight on manufacturing
• The top tips for social media and content creation in manufacturing
• Why manufacturers struggle to show their authenticity online
• How promoting manufacturing to kids can help close the skills gap

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 are a company that's just getting into it and you want to brand yourself, go to Google, go to Instagram, put in the hashtag that you think is going to be the hashtag that you want for your company.”
• “We're not great at understanding how to utilize our voice on a global scale that gets echoed on places like social media, because many manufacturing and engineering, when it comes to the world of marketing is not like movies and TV shows and fashion and that industry.”
• “We're inspiring women to join us in a male-dominated industry.”

Links & mentions:     

• MTDCNC, a successful one-of-a-kind marketing specialist covering multiple sectors of the engineering industry.
• The Gunn Show, MTD’s new podcast, hosted by Tony Gunn

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.

Can data transform the product design world?

That’s what Instrumental was created to do. Instrumental is a manufacturing optimization platform that uses data and AI to help companies improve their product lines. It cuts down on time spent diagnosing problems and faults and helps businesses ship out products faster.

To tell us all about it, Instrumental’s inspiring CEO and Founder, Anna-Katrina Shedletsky, joins this episode of Manufacturing Happy Hour.

In this episode, Anna takes us behind-the-scenes at Instrumental and details exactly how it works so well. She explains the benefits of using data and how she came up with the idea after working in product design teams at Apple. Anna also explains why she started the Women in STEM Mentorship Program and how Instrumental bagged a spot on the Inc 5000 list.

In this episode, find out:

• How Instrumental uses product data to improve the manufacturing process
• Anna’s experience at Apple and what she learned there
• How school science fairs inspired and prepared her for being an entrepreneur
• How AI can help manufacturers find product faults
• How Instrumental helps companies improve their product design
• Why Anna started the Women in STEM Mentorship Program
• How Instrumental ended up on the Inc 5000 list

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 have customers that tell us it's like tripling the size of your engineering team to just have access to the data.”
• “What was kind of an interesting thing for me was just understanding that perfection is really difficult, and how hard it is to actually build something, millions of things, tens of thousands of things, it's so hard.”
• “One is the first step to many.”

Links & mentions:

• Gelatio, a spot in downtown Palo Alto that has amazing gelato, served alfresco, European style
• Instrumental, a manufacturing optimization platform that uses AI-powered proactive defect discovery to help companies improve their product lines
• Women in STEM Mentorship Program, a program Anna started to help women studying in STEM to transition into industry

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 Happy Hour is excited to welcome Dan Voit (Episode 1) back to the podcast!

Dan is the CEO of Blentech, a Bay Area-based food technology company specializing in equipment, systems, and software for the safe, nutritious, and consistent preparation of food.

Last time Dan was on the show, we talked about what it takes to create a strong culture within a manufacturing company. This time, we're taking a step further, discussing what this looks like when you move to a hybrid work model and how technology plays a part.

In this episode of Manufacturing Happy Hour, we revisit Dan’s beliefs about company culture to see if anything has changed over the past couple of years. Dan shares how he and his company has weathered the storm through the pandemic and the challenges he’s overcome.

He also explains why the hybrid working model suits Blentech best and why not all tasks are well suited to remote work.

In this episode, find out:

• How things have changed for Dan and Blentech since the last time he was on the show
• Why building great relationships is crucial for any business
• Why you need to be more deliberate in your communication with remote teams
• How Blentech approached remote work and opted for a hybrid model
• Why companies should trust their workers
• How Salesforce has been a crucial tool during the pandemic
• How Blentech managed to keep going through the pandemic
• Why some tasks are better for remote work than others

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:

• “As you're working asynchronously remotely, you got to just trust that they're going to do it.”
• “Some work is best remote. Some work is inherently collaborative. Understand the difference. And I think that's a critical component to being successful.”
• “There are certain people that had to come in because their job needed to be done on-site. So from the beginning, we did have to maintain a hybrid model.”

Links & mentions:

• Blentech, a food technology company that designs, builds, and starts up advanced cooking and mixing technologies
• Episode 1 of Manufacturing Happy Hour, featuring Blentech as Dan Voit discusses their company culture
• The Power of Habit, by Charles Duhigg

 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.

Natalie Birdwell has had an exciting career across the industrial world in both the public and private sectors. After starting her career as a sales engineer, she went on to get an MBA from UNC, worked with the North Carolina Department of Environmental and Natural Resources, and is now the COO of a cutting-edge industrial IoT, analytics, and optimization company called ndustrial.

In this episode of Manufacturing Happy Hour, we look behind the curtain at what it’s like to work in the public sector and the challenges that come with it.

As someone who’s had experience in private and public sector companies, small startups, and bigger corporations, she has a wealth of knowledge and advice to share.

Natalie discusses her career, advice for others looking to make a career switch, and how ndustrial ticks all the boxes for what she wants in a role.

In this episode, find out:

• What the early days of Natalie’s career looked like and why she got an MBA
• Why success is a team sport
• Why she moved into the public sector and learned more about working with the government
• The challenges of working in the public sector
• How the role at ndustrial aligned with Natalie’s values
• Natalie’s advice for those jumping from big businesses to small startups
• What she learned from her experiences in multiple different business types

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:

• “Our mission was to really truly serve on behalf of the folks that live in North Carolina, and so keeping that as our main focus always brought us back to the center of truth.”
• “When I came to ndustrial.IO, I came back to the root of how I've always been passionate about helping businesses grow.”
• “If you've always been in a large company, there's a lot of resources at your fingertips. And so if you don't have an appreciation for how those resources and things are developed, or at least an interest in that, it can be a little bit of a rude awakening.”

Links & mentions:

• ndustrial, a company that delivers an open industrial analytics and optimization platform that enables factories to digitally transform for a sustained competitive advantage
• Lynnwood Brewing Concern, brewing quality, award-winning craft beer in Raleigh, NC
• Modecai Beverage Co., Raleigh's first combined brewery, taproom & bottle shop
• The Raleigh Beer Garden, serving the world’s largest selection of draft beers available in a single restaurant

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.