What does Nadcap audit prep look like when your quality records, job history, specifications, and process data are already organized and traceable?

In this episode of Steelhead Shop Talk, Vraj Shah of Exactatherm Limited joins us to talk about the company’s transition from a paper-heavy legacy system to a connected digital workflow built for aerospace heat treating.

Vraj shares how Exactatherm approaches traceability from customer requirements through production, inspection, certification, and record retention. He also breaks down how the team prepared for Nadcap in a digital environment, what changed during deployment, and why understanding the “why” behind a new system was critical to getting employees on board.

Topics include:

• Moving from paper records to digital traceability

• Preparing for Nadcap audits without weeks of manual review

• Building workflows around specifications and customer requirements

• Giving customers real-time job visibility through the Customer Portal

• Reducing time spent searching for historical quality records

• Improving quote turnaround and customer response times

• Managing change across employees with decades of experience

• Using digital records to demonstrate objective evidence to auditors

• Connecting quality, production, certification, and record retention

• Lessons learned from Exactatherm’s ERP transition

If your shop is working toward Nadcap, managing complex aerospace requirements, or looking for a better way to control traceability, this conversation is packed with practical takeaways.

Learn more about Steelhead:

https://gosteelhead.com

#Nadcap #HeatTreating #Manufacturing #Aerospace #ShopTalk

Precision Spray & Coatings is growing fast. Dina Wing, Director of Business Planning and Operations, sat down with Dean to tell her story. The margin data that told her which work to stop taking. The stale parts meeting she runs twice a week. The new market that's growing fast enough they're opening a space for it.

What separates great job shops from everyone else?

In this episode of Steelhead Shop Talk, Dean Halonen sits down with Andrew Kossowski, CEO of Veterans Metal, to discuss how culture became the foundation of one of the fastest-growing metal finishing companies in the country.

Andrew shares how Veterans Metal transformed from a small, paper-based operation into a modern, technology-driven business by focusing on quality, people, process improvement, and continuous innovation. Rather than chasing growth, the team built a culture centered around excellence—and growth followed.

The conversation also explores how digital tools like Steelhead help amplify strong processes, improve customer visibility, reduce manual work, and support long-term operational success.

Whether you're a shop owner, operations leader, or anyone looking to build a stronger manufacturing business, this episode is packed with practical leadership insights.

Learn more about Steelhead:

https://gosteelhead.com

Connect with Veterans Metal:

https://veteransmetal.com

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In this episode of Steelhead Shop Talk, Dean Halonen sits down with Cody Whitehead, Operations & Engineering Manager at Advanced Precision Anodizing, to talk about scaling a finishing operation without losing the culture, quality, and customer service that made it successful in the first place.

Cody shares how APA grew from a 20-person shop running on QuickBooks and tribal knowledge into a 70-person operation with expanded capabilities, stronger visibility, and a foundation built for long-term growth.

The conversation covers operational scaling, retaining top talent, customer communication, automation, lead times, ERP implementation, and what it takes to build a manufacturing business that can continue growing without sacrificing service.

Topics include:
• Growing from 20 to 70 employees
• Why customer communication matters
• Building and retaining a strong core team
• Scaling operations with Steelhead ERP
• Improving visibility and reducing wasted time
• Managing lead times and expedites
• Expanding capacity and pursuing NADCAP
• The role of automation and data tracking in manufacturing growth

Learn more about Steelhead: https://gosteelhead.com

#Manufacturing #MetalFinishing #Anodizing #JobShop #ERPSoftware #SteelheadTechnologies #ShopTalk

Chapters:
00:00 Intro
01:17 Cody’s background in metal finishing
05:56 What Advanced Precision looked like in 2017
08:42 Growing from 20 to 70 employees
10:00 The hardest part of scaling a finishing operation
12:13 Why APA moved away from QuickBooks
13:37 Improving visibility and customer communication with Steelhead
15:12 Building and retaining a strong core team
18:33 Quality, on-time delivery, and customer expectations
21:23 Scaling revenue without scaling headcount
24:01 How the customer portal improves customer service
27:52 Expanding capacity and pursuing NADCAP
30:59 Managing expedites and customer lead times
33:44 The future of Advanced Precision Anodizing
40:27 Financing growth and reinvesting into the business
42:37 Final thoughts on scaling with Steelhead

Modernizing a 70-person aerospace finishing shop is no small task.

In this episode of Steelhead Shop Talk, James Bull of Sullivan Precision Metal Finishing shares how their team approached upgrading systems, improving visibility, and building processes that can scale with the business.

From managing complexity on the shop floor to meeting the demands of aerospace work, this conversation breaks down what it really takes to move from outdated systems to a more controlled, data-driven operation.

What you’ll learn:
• The challenges of running and modernizing a large finishing shop
• How better systems improve visibility across operations
• What it takes to scale processes in aerospace manufacturing
• Why structure and consistency matters as shops grow

Learn more about Steelhead:
https://gosteelhead.com

Do you often find your shop battling capacity overloads and overdue jobs?

In this episode of Steelhead Shop Talk, host Dean Halonen is joined by Jarrod Wiesen, President and Owner of Coatings Plus, to discuss capacity planning and scheduling.

Jarrod shares how aligning his shop around a clear scheduling process helped eliminate bottlenecks, improve visibility, and get the entire operation moving in sync.

From his journey into metal finishing to the tools and strategies driving growth today, this episode breaks down how better planning leads to better outcomes across the shop floor.

In this episode of Steelhead Shop Talk, host Dean Halonen sits down with John Mosser, Founder of Triscend Partners, to talk about one of the biggest decisions a shop owner can make — selling their business.

John works with manufacturing companies across the country, helping owners prepare for a successful exit by connecting strong businesses with the right buyers and creating positive outcomes for everyone involved.

In this episode of Shop Talk, host Dean Halonen sits down with Ken Hannem, Project Manager at D&K Powder Coating in Mankato, MN — a shop recognized for its quick turnaround, exceptional quality, and disciplined approach to margins.

The discussion dives deep into job costing — how to balance fair margins with competitive pricing and use real costing data to catch margin leaks early. Ken explains how D&K decides when to improve a process versus when to adjust pricing, builds customer trust by staying fair (and even lowering prices when it makes sense), and keeps the shop accountable with accurate time tracking.

From protecting capacity for high-value customers to paying people well while staying profitable, Ken breaks down job costing in practical, plain-spoken terms.

Shop Talk brings you authentic conversations with manufacturers — real shops, real results.

Recorded live at Revenue Riptide, Using Digital Manufacturing to Compete and Win features a panel hosted by Chet Halonen, with guests Natalie Hurd of Champion Enterprises, Mark Rydzy of Pauway Corporation, and Cody Whitehead of Advanced Precision Anodizing.

Together, they explore how digital manufacturing technology is helping job shops boost efficiency, strengthen customer relationships, and gain a competitive edge.

The Steelhead Audio Archive highlights authentic voices from manufacturers leading the next wave of operational excellence and growth across North America.

Recorded live at Revenue Riptide, Andrew Kossowski of Veterans Metal shares how his team has embraced change to foster sustainable business growth.

From leadership transitions to process improvement, Andrew discusses the strategies that helped Veterans Metal evolve, strengthen their culture, and drive performance in an ever-changing manufacturing landscape.

The Steelhead Audio Archive highlights real stories from job shops across North America — exploring how modern manufacturers are transforming the way they work, grow, and lead.