Manufacturing Talks

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Semiconductor manufacturing is its own little special corner in the vast manufacturing edifice. It was definitely informative to hear from Gloria Kee, VP of product management at Model N, part of Vista Equity Partners and a revenue optimization and compliance advisory firm serving pharmaceutical, medtech, and high-tech innovators. She brought us the latest and greatest of the history of semiconductor production, what's hot now in the sector, and what to look for down the road.

Here are some highlights:
2:10 - the history of the semiconductor industry
4:00 - why semiconductor production mostly went offshore from America
5:00 - Taiwan - TSMC holds the most proprietary and advanced chips on the market
6:40 - the CHIPS and Science Act and its effects
10:00 - the workforce and talent challenges
12:00 - the "silver tsunami" and how it affects chipmaking ("pass the torch")
15:45 - the race to innovate
16:45 - the Chinese response

It was fascinating to learn from Gloria that, as very different as chipmaking is from most mainstream manufacturing, many of the same challenge and opportunities exist there as do in the rest of industry.

There's a whole lot more to learn, so tune in for the whole show!

If you like it, don't just hit the like button and the subscribe - leave your comments, and share this episode on your social media! And text your friends that they HAVE to listen to it!

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Mark is one of the manufacturing executives our host interviewed for his recent Forbes article on hiring the formerly incarcerated. Mark's company, specialty butter producer Butterball Farms in Grand Rapids, Michigan, has been doing second chance hiring for almost three decades now, and Mark had lots of lessons to share about that. He also shared his broader philosophy on how to run a business well, as he covered in his book, The Source. Mark's second book is in the works now. Called The Retention Trap, it focuses on recruitment, people development, talent retention, and a lot more, and Mark talks about that as well.

Here are some highlights:
3:00 - why Mark wrote The Source and what it's about
7:15 - the critical importance of manufacturing jobs and careers
10:45 - the Butterball Farm story with second chance hiring
19:15 - the reality of how poor the current hand-off is for people exiting prison and re-entering society
22:15 - in Michigan, a person leaving prison may be released in a city he or she has never even lived in before
 23:45 - resources for employers looking at second chance hiring: Thirty-Two-Two (see link below)
24:45 - the main thing for employers is not to be afraid of it
30:30 - Mark's second book, The Retention Trap, and what it's all about: focusing on the wrong things, and the need to invest in our people and be curious about their lives

There's so, so much more here. Do check out the whole thing.

Here are links to the various things we discussed:
Butterball Farms: https://butterballfarms.com/
The Source: https://www.amazon.com/SOURCE-Mark-Peters/dp/1735895016
Thirty-Two-Two: https://thirtytwotwo.org/
Forbes article: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jimvinoski/2024/09/20/second-chance-hiring-has-become-a-critical-need-for-manufacturers/

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It should come as no surprise that manufacturers are struggling to get the workers they need, especially when it comes to skilled trades. Taylor Evans, President of Rust Belt Recruiting in Cleveland, Ohio, is right in the thick of things. He's now using the methods recruiters have previously reserved for the professional classes to got after these highly sought-after workers.

It was extremely informative to get Taylor's views on the world of recruiting and manufacturing staffing. Here are some highlights:

7:00 - skilled trades workers are every bit as professional as you or me
8:00 - Rust Belt Recruiting provides a higher level of service to those in the trades
12:00 - the effects of reshoring
15:30 - there's currently a bit of stagnation, but not too many laying off
20:00 - business have closed because of lack of available workers
23:30 - the effects of the "silver tsunami"
27:00 - college or not? Change the conversation

This is obviously a top subject for anyone in industry! Tune in and check out the whole thing.

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There are two distinct stories in this episode featuring the CEO of Sticker Mule.

The first one is about how Anthony and his business partners built a successful business making and selling stickers (and now a whole lot more!) It's a great tale of launching an Internet business on a wing and prayer, and lots of hard work.

The second one is about how Anthony sent an email to his customers after President Trump was shot beseeching people of all political stripes to stop the hate. And the partisan lapdog media set on him like a pack of hyenas - but to his credit, he didn't back down one bit!

Here are some highlights:
2:45 - how Sticker Mule came about
7:30 - focus on fixing problems
9:00 - now at 1,200 people, in 39 countries, with 100 engineers, and building their own machines
10:15 - how Anthony started boxing professionally in Mexico
13:25 - their storage platform and buying and selling manufacturers' products
15:30 - all manufacturing is in the US
19:30 - invest in developing their own highly specialized software (no off-the-shelf ERP or MRP) - most systems would break with their volume
21:15 - simple metrics and dashboards
AND... 22:00 - the Trump email drama and its outcome

This is not just a set of two amazing stories, but it's a great primer on how to start and run a business and how to stand up for what's right.

You really should tune in for the whole thing.

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There are a lot of stories out there about the companies that have blessedly tackled the desperate need for a pathway back to gainful employment and a meaningful career for those who've served time in prison.

But you don't hear too many stories from the other side, from the people who have successfully made the transition back from the world of incarceration. So it was a treat to hear from Lester Young, who not only forged that kind of success for himself thanks to an early opportunity from Tyson Foods, but has since become an author, speaker, activist, and advocate to help others along that same path.

Here are some highlights:
4:30 - the mountain of challenges people face re-entering society from prison
7:30 - a simple challenges example that can still be overwhelming: navigating a fast-food restaurant
9:30 - Lester's opportunity: Tyson Foods gave him his first job after prison
11:30 - early understanding from a supervisor with a relative who was incarcerated
12:30 - typical blind spots: needing a person to help the candidate, and the need for emotional support
15:30 - zero to 100 days after release are critical, especially with regard to the psychology of money
19:15 - it takes five years to completely re-integrate
24:00 - for companies: create the environment to create great people
28:30 - conduct a needs assessment, including housing and transportation
33:30 - states should do more to educate companies on the benefits of engaging in second chance hiring

There's an incredible amount of depth in what Lester has to say, since he lived it himself. This one's critical in so many ways, and manufacturing is uniquely positioned to help make a big difference in the lives of people and the state our communities.

Do check out the whole thing!

Lester's website: https://path2redemption.org/
(you can buy his books and connect with him for speaking gigs there!)

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You may have heard a bit about AI, am I right?

But have you heard about how to whether a specific AI business is a good economic opportunity?

Mikhail Taver is here to help. He founded his own investment company, Taver Capital Partners, that was focused on AI back before the big hype took off, and he joined us to talk about how he tells a good bet from a bad one.

Now he's launching an outfit specifically focused on industrial AI, so he also gave us insights on what manufacturers should be looking at when folks come along to sell them the "latest and greatest" in AI applications.

Here are some highlights:
3:35 - founded his company in 2016
5:15 - now working on a second fund focused on industry
12:30 - how manufacturing AI startups can get it right (hint: focus on manufacturing first!)
15:30 - pace your runway! (It's a marathon, not a sprint)
16:30 - get somebody onboard with business know-how
17:30 - for manufacturers: AI is not magic - treat it as just another tool
19:00 - launch into AI project gently - your workers probably fear it

Our chat with Mikhail was a great mix of education about how the VC world views AI and manufacturing combined with practical advice for both AI startup folks and people in manufacturing looking to make use of those tools.

Tune in and check it out. Please do throw your questions or your own observations in the comments! And please text a friend to watch this one if you found it interesting!

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We don't often delve into the world of advertising here, but how can you succeed as a manufacturer without it? Fortunately for Episode 121 we connected with one of the best ever, Adman Emeritus John Bowman from Admeritus.

John's now mostly retired, but he regaled us with absolutely fascinating stories from his career working with great consumer products companies like Folger's, P&G, and General Mills.

Here are some highlights:
5:30 - John's dad, a mechanical engineer, Boy Scout Troop Leader, and a SeaBee who was there for D-Day, and his effect on John's career
13:30 - the first segment of John's career, with companies like Dannon and Goodyear, when he learned to get out into the manufacturing plants
15:00 - the second segment of his career, with companies like De Beers, GM, and P&G, spent building their ad campaigns
16:00 - the third career segment, getting strategic with KitchenAid and seeing how business is done
19:00 - the fourth segment, when John was with Saatchi & Saatchi and focused on General Mills and global leadership
22:00 - advice for manufacturing: get a seat at the table (business strategy and communications strategy)
26:00 - looking for common ground and getting close to the consumers
28:30 - stories from Sikorsky and Folgers

There's a whole lot hear to dive into, so dive away!

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Too many emissions reduction-driven or otherwise environmentally friendly new methods of manufacturing simply cost too much and require too much new equipment and plant disruption, so they rarely fly without big dollops of government pork.

That's why it was such a great time chatting with Ryan Gilliam for Episode 120. His company, Fortera Corporation, has a modified way to make cement (the "glue," as he puts it, for concrete) that not only cuts CO2 emissions, but increases yield with equipment that bolts right onto existing cement-making processes and a production method that's economically competitive with existing ones.

Here are some highlights:
- 6:30: why CO2 emissions are so high in how we make cement today
- 9:15: how Fortera's new production materials fit right in with ASTM regulations
- 10:15: how Fortera makes the process more efficient by weight of production at the kiln
- 11:00: the new process achieves 70% CO2 reduction even using existing fossil fuel power
- 14:15: the new process is economically competitive even with capital and operating expenses figured in
- 22:30: current blends are comparable to existing cement in flow and set times
- 26:00: the ideal future - zero net CO2 cement production

Tune in and here all the geeky details! This is some really good stuff.

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We don't talk about the steel industry near enough around here. Yet it's the fundamental form of manufacturing, a precursor to so much other production!

So it was a true pleasure to be joined for Episode 119 by Anna Frounfelker. She's cut her teeth in the industry with several different companies over her nearly ten years of experience. She's currently the Inside Sales Representative and Director of Social Media Marketing for Ferrosource, a global procurement and distribution company focused on supply chain and risk management in steel.

Tune in and hear Anna share what she's learned in the past decade! Here are some highlights:

7:30 - the appeal of steel for young women
10:15 - the lowdown on the proposed US Steel purchase by Nippon
12:45 - the national security implications of the steel industry
14:30 - Anna's biggest challenges so far
18:00 - tariffs
22:15 - how the steel industry can appeal to the younger generations - a strong culture of "work hard and play hard"

We think Anna is going places in the content creation world, so tune in and you can say you saw her here before she hit it big!

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Polymath Mark Mills joins us again for a rousing discussion of what's ailing America when it comes to ensuring affordable and reliable energy.

Mark is putting the finishing touches on his new outfit - he's now the 
Executive Director of the National Center for Energy Analytics. He joined us for Episode 118 to tell us about their first paper coming out about the deleterious effects of the SEC's new climate reporting requirements, and a whole lot more. Here are some more details:

3:50 - the needs for EV infrastructure
6:00 - the SEC's new regs (making my old pals at General Mills figure out how much CO2 is produced to make their Cheerios, for example)
9:30 - the effects of this kind of back-door legislation through regulation
11:50 - nothing exists without hydrocarbons
15:00 - the regulatory costs for manufacturers
21:40 - grid battery storage costs for given backup time periods (SHOCKING!)
25:30 - Germany goes all net zero and their electricity costs triple
27:15 - making the business environment friendly for manufacturing
30:00 - ROBOTS!
32:30 - humanoid robots in particular - why Mark is a fan

As with every time Mark visits us, this one is riveting and invigoratingly educational. Tune in for the whole thing!

Mark's new think tank: https://energyanalytics.org/
Mark's book that he mentioned at the start: The Bottomless Well: The Twilight of Fuel, The Virtue of Waste, and Why We Will Never Run Out of Energy
https://www.amazon.com/Bottomless-Well-Twilight-Virtue-Energy/dp/0465031161/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1AY8BDUQNYY72&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Vrsp_5SSNXi8E7MKFBVYTy4m2Vnra_4p9yl4HafWFNXJ1shyctKA8m2U4Z9eEKbUcEwWtvjAsBg9drA8JODY_DPGFyGFZFNrXZRv_P-saP3tY-WDRpB8duyQL20zgm6S0dkZ-vnK89cV4Tqqt7DbKjOaO8XYG762Huc982xughh8-huccc1Nejpm6Xh8wD3MEAvlLQhNyvy-PWW7crgne3GY4SMPUNqlIMpCBrcHMVM.IFOef_KRgiYrOSK0_5aW09XFdUIqcXO0Zv7H35s4AWM&dib_tag=se&keywords=twilight+of+fuel&qid=1725926593&sprefix=twilight+of+fuel%2Caps%2C97&sr=8-1