Rapid Fire Manufacturing

What does it take to go from shipping and receiving to leading one of the industry’s established machine tool manufacturers?

In this episode of Rapid Fire Manufacturing, David Turner sits down with Michael Huggett, President and CEO of INDEX Corporation, at the company’s facility in Noblesville, Indiana.

Michael shares how his manufacturing career began with a simple curiosity about the machines outside his shipping department and how those early experiences shaped his approach to sales, leadership, and customer relationships.

The conversation explores CNC machining, manufacturing automation, and why improving overall production efficiency matters more than simply reducing individual cycle times. Michael also discusses INDEX’s approach to complete part manufacturing, its philosophy of “Every Job Faster,” and how the company is investing in the next generation of manufacturing professionals.

From artificial intelligence and workforce development to the future of American manufacturing, Michael shares why he believes we’re experiencing the next industrial revolution.

The episode also highlights a simple leadership philosophy: getting just 1% better every day.

Join us for a conversation about the people, technology, and opportunities shaping the future of manufacturing.

Guest: Michael Huggett, President and CEO, INDEX Corporation

Host: David Turner, Rapid Fire Manufacturing

Learn more about INDEX: https://www.index-group.com

Follow Rapid Fire Manufacturing for more conversations with the people driving our industry forward.

What does it take to build a career in modern manufacturing?

David Turner sits down with Jeff Starzec of Mazak North America for a conversation about CNC machining, mechanical engineering, machine tools, multitasking technology, workforce development, and the people behind American manufacturing.

Jeff shares his journey from technical drafting and hands-on machine shop experience to automotive engineering and ultimately a 19-year career with Mazak.

They discuss how Mazak invested in Jeff through hands-on factory training, how sales engineering turns customer challenges into manufacturing solutions, and why safety is always the first question when developing an application.

Jeff also explains how Mazak multitasking machines can combine turning and milling operations, helping manufacturers reduce setups, fixturing, part handling, and improve overall efficiency.

The conversation goes beyond technology. David and Jeff discuss co-op programs, developing the next generation of manufacturing talent, family-owned machine shops, the American Dream, and the simple qualities that can separate people throughout their careers: work ethic, integrity, reliability, and honesty.

They also tackle one of manufacturing’s biggest challenges: most people have no idea how much CNC machining impacts the products they use every day, from automotive and electronics to medical devices and defense.

If you’re interested in CNC machining, Mazak machine tools, manufacturing engineering, automation, workforce development, sales engineering, or careers in manufacturing, this episode of Rapid Fire Manufacturing is for you.

What does it take for a machine tool builder to thrive across four generations and ninety years in business?

In this episode of Rapid Fire Manufacturing, Dave sits down with Yuto Matsuura of Matsuura Machinery Corporation to explore how family leadership, genuine hospitality, and bold engineering decisions shaped a global brand.

Yuto shares the real stories behind Matsuura's major milestones, from pioneering vertical machining and introducing the iconic MAM72 multi-pallet 5-axis platform to opening up accessible 5-axis machining with the MX series. They discuss how family leadership adapted across generations, the realities of tackling today's skilled labor shortage through reliable automation, and why long-term machine support matters more than just making a sale.

Plus, Yuto gives an inside look at his ten-year roadmap leading up to Matsuura's 100-year anniversary, including how he is breaking down organizational silos and what the industry can expect from them at IMTS.

How do you advance your career when the management ladder looks completely blocked? In this episode of Rapid Fire Manufacturing, host Dave Turner sits down with Markus Stolmar, CEO and President of United Grinding North America, at their headquarters in Miamisburg, Ohio.

Markus shares his 26 year journey from starting as a technical draftsman and product manager to leading the organization. He breaks down why running a small, overlooked product line like your own business is the ultimate way to catch the eye of executive leadership.

Dave and Markus also tackle workforce development from a first-principles perspective. Markus details why United Grinding refused to wait around for external programs or government initiatives, choosing instead to build an active, German-style apprenticeship program that trains young adults fresh out of high school in foundational mechanics and CNC machining.

Finally, they discuss the human side of leadership, focusing on why a successful leader must adapt their style to respect and meet the distinct realities of office engineers and veteran shop floor machinists alike. Stick around until the end to find out if Markus can take Andy Chu in an arm wrestling match at IMTS.

When Craig Coyle ran programs at an aerospace composites facility, he discovered a brutal truth: he wasn’t losing skilled technicians to rival manufacturing shops. He was losing them to Amazon and McDonald’s over fifty cents an hour.

When people leave a technical trade for a retail job, it is never just about the money. It means the leadership failed to give them a reason to stay.

In this episode of Rapid Fire Manufacturing, Craig joins me to strip down corporate leader development to first principles. We break down why the standard corporate approach to management is completely backwards, how a military mission statement actually functions as a task and a purpose rather than corporate fluff, and why quality, safety, and production are entirely downstream of workforce engagement.

If you want to stop the revolving door of shop floor turnover, the answer isn’t a massive consulting budget. It is twenty minutes of unscheduled time in the trenches.

Keywords: Manufacturing leadership, workforce engagement, employee retention, operational excellence, military leadership, shop floor management, aerospace manufacturing, front line leadership.

From building custom violins to running a high-tech, 14,000 square foot 5-axis machine shop, Andrew Henry has never taken the conventional path.

On this episode of Rapid Fire Manufacturing, we visit Henry Holsters in Spencer, Indiana. Andrew breaks down how he transitioned from classical instrument crafting to manufacturing tactical gear, starting with a small desktop router in 2014 and scaling to an automated facility with nearly 30 employees.

We dive deep into:

• The Reality of Two Second Lean: Why building a 3D-printed jig to count parts is actually a failure of logic, and how a first-principles question eliminated the process entirely.

• The 500lb Deadlift Analogy: Why you cannot steal another shop's competitive advantage, and why micro-improvements are completely invisible to your competitors.

• Overcoming Friction on the Shop Floor: Shifting your culture from gritting your teeth through stupid processes to empowering your team to fix what bugs them.

• The Vulnerability of Standing Still: Why running a job the exact same way you did five years ago means you are leaving money on the table.

Connect with Andrew on Instagram @HenryHolsters or catch him co-hosting the Lean Built Podcast.

What happens when your business plan collides with a massive, unexpected opportunity? You throw the script out the window and get to work.

In this episode of Rapid Fire Manufacturing, host David Turner sits down with Gavin Giguere, founder and owner of REIGN Manufacturing in Springfield, Massachusetts. Gavin's journey into manufacturing started in his mom's driveway restoring trucks at 13, led him through trade school, and eventually saw him building out entire advanced manufacturing departments for industry giants like Smith & Wesson.

When he finally decided to strike out on his own, a routine trip to buy a single piece of used equipment turned into a snap decision to buy out an entire closing machine shop. Gavin shares the chaotic, high-stakes story of moving nine machines, riggers, and an entire inspection department into his building in the exact same week his brand-new Okumas arrived.

David and Gavin strip down the realities of running a modern shop floor, covering:

• The Power of Intraprenuership: How building a department from the ground up at Smith & Wesson gave Gavin the ultimate blueprint for business ownership.

• The First Check You Write: Why joining the National Tooling and Machining Association (NTMA) was Gavin's absolute top priority on day two of his business, and how it drives his sales pipeline today.

• AI as an Employee: How a lean startup shop utilizes AI tools to handle administration, marketing, and programming optimization to stay ahead of the curve.

• Changing the Trade School Stigma: Why the industry needs to reach middle schoolers early to rebuild the manufacturing talent pipeline.

Gavin is proof that real-world grit, adaptability, and a willingness to get comfortable being uncomfortable trump a rigid boardroom presentation every time.

Is the American industrial sector cooling down, or are the mainstream headlines masking a massive capital investment super-cycle?

In this episode of Rapid Fire Manufacturing, David Turner sits down with Kevin Bowers, the Vice President of Research at AMT (The Association For Manufacturing Technology), to deconstruct the real economic, operational, and structural forces shaping the modern shop floor. Kevin brings over twenty-five years of deep-rooted industrial experience across machine tool OEM operations, technical sales management, and global market intelligence to provide a clear, data-backed view of where the manufacturing sector is heading.

David and Kevin dive straight into a massive, immediate financial development catching many industrial executive teams off guard: the launch of the federal IEEPA tariff refund mechanism. Following a landmark legal reversal on broad international emergency trade actions, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officially launched Phase 1 processing for a staggering $166 billion refund universe. Kevin outlines the operational scale of this correction, which spans over 330,000 businesses and 53 million individual import entries, all being paid back with interest. For any shop owner, distributor, or equipment builder who paid these fees over the past year, this episode provides a vital warning on how to navigate incoming customer claims if those original tariff expenses were passed downstream.

Beyond international trade policy, this episode acts as a comprehensive breakdown of the latest U.S. Manufacturing Technology Orders (USMTO) tracking. While general business sentiment reports hint at macro-level hesitation, the actual hard capital equipment data tells an entirely different story. Machine tool orders skyrocketed by 22.5% over the full year, with the opening quarter continuing that momentum with a 27.8% surge year-over-year. They examine the specific industry verticals driving this growth, including the intense capacity demands of aerospace and defense manufacturing alongside a massive rise in investment from the engine, turbine, and power transmission sectors fueled by the rapid expansion of electrical infrastructure for data centers.

Crucially, David and Kevin look past the raw data to focus heavily on the human elements driving these physical results. They address the skilled labor deficit by exploring how leading shops are successfully defeating the workforce retirement wave. Kevin details why modern machine shops must lead their recruitment efforts with advanced technology, moving past outdated, dirty factory stereotypes into highly clean, automated environments. They discuss the critical value of building deep localized partnerships with community colleges, structuring high-yield apprenticeship programs, and treating workforce training as a company’s single most sustainable competitive advantage.

Everything you touch in your daily life started in a machine shop. If it was not made on a CNC machine, it was likely made in a mold that was. We build the tractors that break the ground for our homes and the gear that keeps first responders safe. Yet, the people powering this engine often act like the best kept secret in the trades.

I recently sat down with Matt Dvoracek, the Machine Tool Maniac, to pull back the curtain on how to change that. Matt grew up in the shop and worked his way up to becoming an applications engineer. During our talk, we cover how to bridge the gap between technical expertise and modern growth.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Stop stressing about the brand: People get hung up on specific controls like Fanuc, Haas, or Okuma. At their core, they all require you to set offsets and load programs. Do not let a preference for one control keep you from learning the capabilities of another. The buttons might move, but the driver is still in control.

• Word of mouth is not a strategy: The old way of making a good part and waiting for the phone to ring is a dangerous way to run a business. You have to actively market your shop. If you are not showing your face or sharing your process, you are leaving money on the table.

• The power of documentation: You do not need to be a polished "guru" to succeed on social media. You just need to be real. If you are watching and not contributing, you are missing a massive opportunity. Momentum builds the moment you hit post.

In 2008, the wheels came off the global economy. Every shop was hurting. Yet, Harold Schoch’s machine tool rebuild business didn’t just survive; they had their best years.

How? By refusing to treat customers like transactions.

In this episode of Rapid Fire Manufacturing, Dave Turner sits down with Harold Schoch (Board of Directors for Fives North America, former CEO of Cincinnati) at the Schoch Museum to talk about what it really means to anchor a manufacturing business around people instead of just profit.

Harold breaks down:

• The 2008 Survival Blueprint: Why struggling alongside your customers builds a bond that currency can't buy.

• The 3 Questions Every Leader Must Answer: Can I trust you? Are you committed to excellence? Do you care about me personally?

• Wartime Grit: The jaw-dropping history of Cincinnati Milling Machine producing a tool every 17 minutes during World War II.

• The Fives Academy: The critical need for workforce development and why the skilled trades gap will be solved by investing in people, not relying on AI.

Manufacturing isn't powered by iron, automation, or algorithms. Every shop is powered by relationships. Tune in for a masterclass in industrial history, first-principles leadership, and real talk from a guy who went from an apprentice hand-scraping ways to a CEO leading global teams.