The Shop Floor, Top Floor Talk Show: Casual Convos with Manufacturing Pros

In this episode of Shop Floor, Top Floor Talk Show, host Josh Santo sits down with Ed Rocha, Quality Director at Schaeffler. They explore the practical realities of leading quality in manufacturing, from handling major escalated issues to organizing teams for better results. Ed shares how his job means finding strategy in the chaos—whether that’s breaking down big problems or making sure the right people own the work.

Ed explains why quality teams succeed when they balance the voice of the customer with the needs of the business. He describes how a leader can set the tone by being the toughest critic in the room, but also by preparing teams to anticipate customer needs. Ed also dives into the importance of process audits and actionable ownership, using stories from his own experience to show how small lessons drive ongoing improvement.

The conversation closes with a look at how quality leaders can avoid repeating the same year, and why adapting your language for executives makes your message land. Ed leaves listeners with a leadership lesson: focus less on having all the answers and more on building teams that learn to solve problems together.

In this episode of Shop Floor, Top Floor Talk Show, host Josh Santo sits down with Attrayee Chakraborty, Quality Systems Engineer at Analog Devices. They explore how quality teams can shift from a reactive, “firefighting” mode to a proactive, problem-solving mindset. Attrayee shares how she balanced urgent daily demands with long-term process improvements, using tools like quality plans and the Eisenhower Matrix to prioritize and get buy-in across teams.

Attrayee describes her approach to building strong quality plans rooted in real user feedback, not just compliance. She explains how involving stakeholders early and often helps maintain engagement, even as priorities shift. The conversation covers the challenge of keeping people invested, the importance of making everyone feel heard, and the payoff of moving toward a culture where issues are solved before they grow.

Attrayee also discusses the role of corrective and preventive actions (CAPA) and the need for clear problem statements, critical thinking, and accountability. She reflects on how AI can support documentation but can’t replace the human judgment needed for real quality improvements. Throughout, Attrayee offers practical advice for creating lasting change and building quality into every part of the process.

In this episode of Shop Floor, Top Floor Talk Show, host Josh Santo sits down with Bruce Gane, Safety Manager at Morrow Steel. Together, they explore the realities of managing safety in manufacturing, where production pressures often push safety down the list of priorities. Bruce shares his approach to creating a strong safety culture—one built on open conversations with employees, careful audits, and a focus on finding and fixing root causes before they become serious issues.

Bruce explains why most injuries are preventable and why he avoids calling them accidents. He describes how real change starts when teams look beyond compliance and invite frontline workers to share ideas and concerns. Through stories from his career, Bruce highlights the challenges of balancing productivity, quality, and safety, emphasizing that companies often value output over worker well-being until it’s too late.

Throughout the conversation, Bruce offers practical advice on building trust, recognizing warning signs of poor culture, and keeping safety at the table alongside quality and productivity. His philosophy centers on listening, acting on every concern—no matter how small—and making sure everyone goes home safe at the end of the day.

In this episode of Shop Floor, Top Floor Talk Show, host Josh Santo sits down with Rick Davis, Chief Manufacturing and R&D Officer at Morgan Foods. They explore how true culture and leadership shape daily life and long-term success in manufacturing. Rick explains why he focuses on people, quality, safety, and cost, but always starts by building trust and understanding what “winning” means for the whole team.

Rick shares why culture is not just a slogan or a set of KPIs, but the foundation for sustained results. He describes the danger of “false culture” — where surface-level engagement masks deeper issues — and how real progress comes from empowering everyone to improve. He argues that leaders must listen, act on feedback, and involve people at every level to define success and drive change that lasts.

Through stories from his own career, Rick highlights the value of mentorship, accountability, and making work easier for others. He closes with practical advice for leaders and frontline teams alike: invest in people, stay connected, and never underestimate the power of small actions to shift culture.

Many companies struggle with quality because they try to run before they can walk. They jump to sophisticated tools and systems before mastering the basics. This often fails to solve the root cause of their problems.

In this episode of Shop Floor, Top Floor Talk Show, Josh Santo speaks with Thiago Roveri, Director of Quality at RR Donnelley. Thiago explains why a strong foundation is essential for any quality initiative. He outlines the "walking" basics all manufacturers should have in place. These include clear process mapping, disciplined root cause analysis, 5S programs, and creating a visual factory that speaks for itself.

Thiago shares a powerful story about improving a factory's productivity from 60% to 90%. The team achieved this not by adding technology, but by addressing the operators' fundamental needs. Listen to learn how to assess your operation and build a quality culture from the shop floor to the top floor.

Quality departments often get viewed as the company police force, creating tension and conflict across manufacturing organizations. In this episode of Shop Floor, Top Floor Talk Show, host Josh Santo speaks with Steve Povenz, former Director of Quality at Shape, who breaks down why this perception develops and how to fix it.

Steve explains the root causes behind adversarial quality relationships. Competing metrics between departments create natural conflicts. When manufacturing gets measured solely on throughput while quality focuses on corrective actions, teams work against each other instead of together. Poor engagement from quality professionals who stay at their desks rather than on the shop floor makes the problem worse.

Steve demonstrates how vulnerability creates partnership. He transformed a struggling plant by telling the operations manager that her problems became his problems. Steve joined every safety investigation and improvement effort, proving quality adds value beyond finding problems. The partnership delivered a 60% drop in customer incidents and major cost reductions.

In this episode of Shop Floor, Top Floor Talk Show, host Josh Santo sits down with manufacturing executive JD Marhevko. They discuss the link between shop floor activities and business results. JD explains how process changes affect scrap rate, warranty, and efficiency. These factors directly translate into a company's margin and capacity.

JD shares leadership lessons from her grandfather, a union tool and die maker. She explains why leaders must respect the expertise of frontline workers—the people with "chips in their shoes." This philosophy shapes her servant leadership approach. She identifies natural leaders within a facility and collaborates with them to solve problems systemically.

To gain support for new initiatives, JD stresses the need to speak the language of business. She details her strategy of partnering with the finance team to prove the value of quality improvements. By presenting a clear, one-page proposal that shows financial impact, teams can secure the buy-in needed for change.

In this episode of the Shop Floor, Top Floor Talk Show, host Josh Santo sits down with Gary Jing, Site Quality Manager at nVent, to discuss practical approaches to quality management in manufacturing. Gary shares his unique perspective, shaped by his experience in continuous improvement, operations, and quality roles. He emphasizes the importance of balancing stakeholder expectations with specifications, particularly in high-tech environments where rapidly changing technology can lead to misaligned goals.

Gary introduces the concept of viewing quality through a "stakeholder lens," expanding the traditional customer focus to encompass everyone impacted by a product or process. He champions the combined use of Lean and Six Sigma methodologies as a powerful "one-two punch" for process improvement. Gary explains how Lean's straightforward approach, combined with Six Sigma's data-driven analysis, can create positive synergy.

Finally, Gary highlights a common oversight in root cause analysis: the lack of consideration for return on investment. He suggests incorporating ROI assessment into root cause analysis and FMEA processes to better prioritize actions and align teams. This practical advice helps drive effective problem-solving and ensures that quality efforts contribute to overall business success.

Quality is often misunderstood. Many view quality control as a cost center, limited to inspections and reactive problem-solving. On this episode of the Shop Floor, Top Floor Talk Show, Mike Fank, quality manager at Wisconsin Metal Parts, challenges this narrow perspective with host Josh Santo. Mike argues for a broader view of quality, encompassing the entire organization, from the shop floor to the top floor.

Mike emphasizes that quality should be a way of operating, not just a set of tools. He encourages a proactive approach where production teams own quality and use data-driven methods to improve processes. This shift requires clear communication and shared goals between quality and production. Instead of focusing on checking boxes, quality professionals should strive to build a quality culture.

Mike highlights the importance of leadership support and continual improvement. He advocates for making quality easy and using tools like checklists to reinforce positive behaviors. By embracing these principles, organizations can transform quality from a burden into a driver of performance and a source of competitive advantage.

In this episode of Shop Floor, Top Floor Talk Show, host Josh Santo sits down with Daniel Castilla to discuss a mechatronics approach to quality management in manufacturing. Daniel, (Former) Director, Powertrain Quality & Customer Satisfaction, explains mechatronics as the intersection of multiple engineering disciplines, including mechanical, electrical, and software engineering, with a focus on systems thinking. He emphasizes the importance of considering the human element in these systems.

Daniel highlights how quality management can benefit from a mechatronics perspective, advocating for a systemic approach that embeds quality throughout the entire process. He challenges the traditional view of quality as a separate function, suggesting it should be an integral part of the input, not just an attribute of the output. This holistic view promotes collaboration between different teams and specializations, breaking down silos and fostering a more integrated approach to problem-solving.

The conversation also explores the common misperceptions about quality management and the role of technology in improving quality processes. Daniel touches on the importance of adapting communication to different stakeholders and overcoming the tendency to oversimplify complex challenges. He expresses excitement about the future of quality, particularly the advancements in Quality 4.0 and the potential of AI and digital twin technology.