The unemployment rate today is very low. So, for those of us competing for talent, it's hard to come across people that are looking for new opportunities. It's especially difficult in the manufacturing world where we're competing against some really glamorous organizations like Amazon, Google, and Microsoft.

So, on this episode of the Industrial + Manufacturing podcast, Christine Thatcher, VP of Human Resources at TW Metals, came on the show to talk about manufacturing companies can recruit and retain top talent.

Here are some of the issues we covered: 

• Why it's so difficult to recruit in the manufacturing sector right now
• What are TW's plans to address this challenge
• Creating your own employee brand
• Outside resources you can leverage in your recruitment strategy

Sales leaders can learn a lot from baseball coaches. And music teachers. And theater directors. Anyway, you get the idea. 

On this episode of the Industrial + Manufacturing podcast I sat down with James Fyles to talk about how sales leaders can become great coaches.

James is currently Assistant Professor of Practice — Sales and Marketing at Stetson University. 

What we talked about:

• The problem with most sales coaching
• How sales leaders can create an environment where reps want to be coached
• How coaching differs from training
• Tools you can use to prepare for those coaching conversations with your reps

Checkout these resources we mentioned during the podcast:

• James' LinkedIn
• Todd's LinkedIn

You can find this interview, and many more, by subscribing to the Industrial + Manufacturing podcast on Apple Podcasts, on our website, or on Spotify.

It's clear to see the impact recent US tariffs are having on numerous imported and exported commodities.

What effect have past and present duties had specifically on the metal industry?

Joe DeVincentz, Supply Chain Manager at TW Metals, fills us in on the first episode of The Industrial & Manufacturing Podcast #Metals.

In this episode, we cover:

• Anti-dumping duties
• Countervailing duties
• Details surrounding Section 232

Tariffs.  Import duties & taxes. 

Government regulations. 

How do these things impact the acquisition and supply chains of #metals distributors? 

Thankfully for us all, Bob Mraz & Tony Amabile from TW Metals are here to clear up a few misconceptions, answer some questions, and have a lot of fun while doing it. 

They're going to talk about a wide range of topics including: 

• How the current tariffs are impacting metals distribution
• The role of aerospace manufacturing in their industry
• Behind the scenes information around the supply chain and distribution process

On the last episode of the Industrial + Manufacturing podcast we talked about your why — the mission of your company. Today, we're talking about your what. Because your what is key to growing your business.

What you do isn't what you sell. It's what you do to improve the lives of your customers. So, to really grow your business, you've got to engage and build relationships with people that need that help. On this episode we're covering the first steps you need to take to do that.

A lot of manufacturing companies buy an expensive capital asset, then spend 80-90% more than what they buy on actually maintaining, servicing, and operating that asset. 

There's a better way.

In this episode Guneet Bedi, Chief Revenue Officer at relayr, talks about how manufacturers have a golden opportunity with IoT and how adopting an "equipment as a service" mindset can set you apart in an industry dominated by legacy equipment.

Industrial and manufacturing marketing is really about them—not you.

That's the number one thing to understand before you even consider implementing marketing and sales projects to grow your business.

Sounds easy, right?

But the reality is, this is the number one area where industrial and manufacturing companies miss. Listen in as co-host Todd Hockenberry shares 2 questions you should ask to make sure you're marketing for your customer and not your own company.

Consider an industry like agriculture. Over the years, they've made several big leaps, mostly focused on improving the yield you can get out of the same square foot of land.

Manufacturing has made some leaps like that to improve yield on the line. But really, not much has changed in the past 20-30 years. Until now. 

Amar Hanspal and his team over at Bright Machines are reimagining manufacturing. They're focused on writing software to enable what they call intelligent factories. The goal is to increase yield on the line, without really increasing cost. Amar came on this episode of the Industrial + Manufacturing podcast to talk about their approach, it's benefits, and the risks of not moving forward.

What if your company could be saving millions? With IIOT, it's not unrealistic. 

On this episode of the Industrial + Manufacturing podcast, Spencer Cramer, CEO and President of Ei3, shares how Ei3 is using technology like AI to generate large savings for their industrial customers. 

We covered topics like: how companies like Hilton have generated $1B in savings with IIOT, how manufacturing companies are applying IIOT to generate savings, and how you can use IIOT to create a better experience for your customers.

Retrieving data today can work with lots of different types of machines: smart machines, smart machines with "trapped" data, and even "dumb" machines that require a sensor.

Andrew Scheuermann, CEO and Co-Founder of Arch Systems, is doing great work in this area for his customers. In this episode, Andrew talks about how IoT has evolved and how getting data from your machines in real-time can help your company leap forward in innovation.