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Most people ask how to start a systems integrator. Rich Kuechenmeister has effectively built one five times, and the lesson is that the parent business decides what you become.Rich is owner and partner at Fishbone Technical Services. Before that he built automation groups inside a semiconductor equipment OEM, an automation components manufacturer, a products distributor, and a custom machine builder where he stood up a UL 508A panel shop from nothing. Each of those businesses sold something different, and that changed the engineering. At a machine builder the machine is the dog and the controls are the tail. At a distributor you build toolkits so somebody else can build the solution, handcuffed to the lines you carry. Rich argues that constraint is what made him good, because a single vendor solution is easy while four component areas from four vendors is where real integration lives.His definition of a control systems integrator stays traditional. SCADA and below, field instrumentation through PLC and HMI, bridging a little into MES. Fishbone works line control, process control on boilers, pumps and valves, and material handling where suppliers ship a motor and a few sensors and nothing more.The business advice is specific. He would rather have one $100,000 project than ten $10,000 projects, because that is one project management cycle instead of ten. He cautions against mixing maintenance work and capital projects without a plan, since context switching between a vision system callout and a pump control program burns budget on both. Dave adds the pattern he keeps seeing: come in at the bottom and you get saved in the phone as the maintenance guy, never the capital project guy. Rich hires on desire, attitude and aptitude, and admits he was once the bottleneck himself.Looking ahead, he expects acquisitions to keep rolling up integrators and leaving a void underneath, since a twenty person firm will not get out of bed for the projects a five person firm lived on. On AI he is practical. He turned three day estimates into eight estimates in a single day, but insists code writing is a subset of the job. He is also still doing a PLC-5 conversion and a DeviceNet upgrade.About Rich KuechenmeisterRich Kuechenmeister is owner and partner at Fishbone Technical Services, a nationwide remote technical services company he co-founded in 2021 with business partner Robert Summers. Fishbone is based in Texas and covers plant engineering and control systems integration from field instrumentation through PLC, HMI and SCADA, with some MES. Rich began his career in the United States Navy working on radars, servos and guidance systems, then spent three decades in industrial automation building engineering groups before starting Fishbone.https://fishbonetechnical.comTimestamps0:00 Introduction2:20 Inside Fishbone Technical Services5:20 From the Navy to OEMs, distributors and machine builders9:00 Becoming unafraid and starting a company15:40 What a control systems integrator actually is20:40 How the parent business shapes the work31:40 Filling the sales hopper and qualifying projects36:40 Maintenance work versus capital projects43:00 Hiring for desire, attitude and aptitude48:20 Letting go of the client relationship56:20 Distributors, acquisitions and the void they leave1:04:40 AI, estimating and reverse engineering PLC codeReferencesPrOTect IT All by Aaron Crow: https://www.amazon.com/PrOTect-All-Plain-Spoken-Cybersecurity-Protecting/dp/B0HBM3F4XSISA/IEC 62443 Series of Standards: https://www.isa.org/standards-and-publications/isa-standards/isa-iec-62443-series-of-standardsAbout Your HostsVladimir Romanov is a co-host of The Manufacturing Hub Podcast and the founder of Joltek, an independent manufacturing and industrial automation consulting firm specializing in modernization strategy, digital transformation, and workforce development. Joltek works with manufacturers and investors to de-risk modernization and build the internal capability to sustain results.Connect with Vlad: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vladromanov/Want to go deeper? Vlad and the team at Joltek have covered related topics here:System Integrators: https://www.joltek.com/blog/system-integratorsEngineer to Entrepreneur in Manufacturing Technology: https://www.joltek.com/blog/engineer-entrepreneur-technology-business-manufacturingDave Griffith is a co-host of The Manufacturing Hub Podcast and founder of Capelin Solutions, an industrial automation firm helping manufacturers adopt smart manufacturing technology. He brings 15 years of experience in industrial automation and digital transformation.Connect with Dave: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davegriffith23/Subscribe to Manufacturing Hub: https://www.manufacturinghub.liveLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/manufacturing-hub-networkYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ManufacturingHub
This week’s guest is psychology researcher and lecturer Dr. John Hunter, joining the show to talk about intensive self-help seminars–known as “large group awareness trainings,” or LGATs–and the emotions they produce. He shares about his personal experience with bipolar disorder and hypomania, and how the LGAT his employer sent him to seemed to induce a state of hypomania in its attendees. John explains his dopamine hypothesis, why these trainings feel so euphoric at the end (and how rarely people tend to genuinely transform in the long-term), and how some folks have even entered prolonged manic states after attending an LGAT. But also, as always: how it’s not completely black and white.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
September – here we are and the volatility starts. Bear Invasions – is this something we should pay attention to? Target is in the hotseat, Good-Good too. Bombing Iran again. PLUS we are now on Spotify and Amazon Music/Podcasts! Click HERE for Show Notes and Links DHUnplugged is now streaming live - with listener chat. Click on link on the right sidebar. Love the Show? Then how about a Donation? PayPal.Donation.Button({ env:'production', hosted_button_id:'JJJHP2GDEJC7J', image: { src:'https://www.paypalobjects.com/en_US/i/btn/btn_donateCC_LG.gif', alt:'Donate with PayPal button', title:'PayPal - The safer, easier way to pay online!', } }).render('#donate-button'); Follow John S. Dvorak on X Follow Andrew Horowitz on X Warm-Up - September - here we are and the volatility starts - Bear Invasions - is this something we should pay attention to? - Target is in the hotseat, Good-Good too - Bombing Iran again - and again. Markets - Bonds - moving higher - Warsh and Bessent challenged - NVDA earnings - price hikes - Employment Report coming this Friday - Dell earnings - WOWWWW! DHU MAILING LIST! - Go to DHUnplugged.com LAKE AMERICA - Google Maps now shows "Lake America" to U.S. users after the federal naming change. - Canadian users still see "Lake Ontario"; users elsewhere see both names. - Canada did not adopt the change, setting up an easy cross-border naming fight. OIL / IRAN - Last week - Oil dropped more than 3% as traders viewed tougher Iran sanctions as less disruptive than renewed military escalation. - Brent fell to roughly $88.58 and WTI to about $82.36. - Washington stopped short of immediately targeting major Chinese banks buying Iranian oil. - Markets also reacted to hopes for improved navigation through the Strait of Hormuz. ---- OH WAIT>>>> IRAN - FIGHT IS ON - We are back bombing and they are retaliating - We retaliate, they bomb - Threat: President Trump in phone interview with Fox News reporter repeats that if Iran retaliates, they will be hit harder, but he adds that if Iran retaliates for a third time "they will be totally wiped out as a country"; says any deal with Iran will not be "worth the paper it is printed on" - Oil Up ... DICK'S / FOOT LOCKER - Dick's shares plunged about 30% after earnings and guidance disappointed. - Core Dick's comps rose 4.9%, but Foot Locker comps fell 3.6%. - Management blamed weak sneaker launches, stale inventory and a highly promotional footwear market. - Dick's has already taken more than $500 million in charges tied to the Foot Locker turnaround. BASEBALL CARDS GO CASINO - Online "repack" platforms let customers buy randomized graded cards and immediately sell them back. - Prices can range from roughly $25 to thousands of dollars per pack. - The model increasingly resembles gambling: randomized payoff, instant resale value and repeat play. - Arena Club, Fanatics and others are pushing deeper into a market already generating billions in transactions. GOVERNMENT-OWNED STOCKS - Stocks with U.S. government backing face new legal and political risk around Washington taking equity stakes. - Intel surged after government investment plans surfaced; MP Materials also jumped after a Pentagon stake. - Trilogy Metals soared after a government deal, then gave back much of the move. - A lawsuit challenging the Intel arrangement could have implications for similar federal equity deals. CHINA INDUSTRIAL PROFITS - China's industrial profits rose 11.2% year over year in July. - Profit growth slowed from 15.1% in June but remained strong. - Manufacturing profits rose nearly 19%, while mining profits jumped roughly 35%. - Strong factory profits continue to contrast with weak property and domestic-demand signals. DELL EARNINGS GUIDANCE - Earnings we great - Guidance out of control - Dell sees Q3 mid-point EPS of $6.50 vs $4.46 FactSet Consensus; sees mid-point of revs at $49.00 bln vs $41.36 bln FactSet Consensus - Dell sees FY27 mid-point EPS of $25.50 vs $18.99 FactSet Consensus; sees revs mid-point of $192 bln vs $174.05 bln FactSet Consensus TARGET HALLOWEEN BACKLASH - Target pulled a children's clown costume after complaints that it resembled blackface imagery. - The company apologized and said it was reviewing how the product cleared internal approval. - The controversy adds another brand-management problem after several politically charged merchandise fights. LEGO BOOM - Lego first-half revenue jumped 21% to about $6.5 billion. - Net profit rose 32%, while consumer sales increased 22%. - More than 330 new products helped drive demand across Star Wars, Formula 1, Botanicals and other franchises. - Lego continues gaining share while expanding stores and manufacturing capacity. WAIT - WE'RE BOMBING IRAN AGAIN - U.S. forces struck Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island near the Strait of Hormuz, the first U.S. attack on Iran in several weeks. - Iran retaliated with missile attacks targeting U.S. bases in Jordan, restarting direct military exchanges. - Oil jumped more than 2%; Brent moved back above $90 and WTI above $85. - The Strait remains the key issue: roughly 20% of global oil shipments pass through it, so actual disruption to tanker traffic matters more than the headlines. IRAN SANCTIONS - Treasury warned countries doing business with Iran could face secondary sanctions and loss of access to the dollar system. - Scott Bessent described the campaign as an "economic D-Day." - Treasury sanctioned dozens of people, companies and vessels but initially avoided major Chinese financial institutions. - The expanded sanctions reach oil, shipping, gold, aviation, technology and digital assets. JOBS REPORT / FED TEST - August payrolls hit Friday after July shocked with a 23,000 job decline. - Expectations are for only modest job growth, making revisions and the unemployment rate especially important. - Fed rate-hike odds jumped after Kevin Warsh's hawkish Jackson Hole comments; a strong jobs number could push them higher. - JOLTS, ADP and ISM data provide several previews before Friday. Love the Show? Then how about a Donation? PayPal.Donation.Button({ env: 'production', hosted_button_id: 'JJJHP2GDEJC7J', image: { src: 'https://www.paypalobjects.com/en_US/i/btn/btn_donateCC_LG.gif', alt: 'Donate with PayPal button', title: 'PayPal - The safer, easier way to pay online!' } }).render('#donate-button-2'); THE CLOSEST TO THE PIN for SpaceX (SPCX) Winners will be getting great stuff like the new "OFFICIAL" DHUnplugged Shirt! FED AND CRYPTO LIMERICKS See this week's stock picks HERE Follow John C. Dvorak on Twitter Follow Andrew Horowitz on Twitter
Andrew, Ben, and Tom debate whether markets are facing real chaos or just noise as oil jumps back to $90 on Iran tensions, ISM manufacturing cools, and midterm uncertainty builds, plus Elon Musk's G20 remarks on AI and power constraints.Join our live YouTube stream Monday through Friday at 8:30 AM EST:http://www.youtube.com/@TheMorningMarketBriefingPlease see disclosures:https://www.narwhal.com/disclosures
Karin Lindner has spent fourteen years trying to make manufacturing attractive to the people who work in it, and she says it is still not there. Her new book, Making Manufacturing Sexy, argues that most manufacturing leaders are not leading. They are surviving, stuck in a system that rewards firefighting. Karin and Trevor both worked at Magna. In this conversation they get into what actually changes a plant, and it is not the equipment. Karin shares the coaching tagline she uses with every client, be curious rather than furious, and the story of a general manager who described himself as passionate when what he meant was that he lost control under pressure. Trevor tells the story of the whiteboard he once wrote on, and the shop floor leader whose feedback stopped him cold. They walk through the five non-negotiable shifts from the book, starting with the way you open your very next production meeting, and finishing with the one every leader avoids: stop tolerating what hurts performance. Karin's line to sit with: we judge ourselves by our intentions and we judge others by their actions. Making Manufacturing Sexy by Karin Lindner is available now. Find Karin on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/karinlindner and at karicosolutions.com. Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe at manufacturinggreatness.com/subscribe and get bonus content in our newsletter! Connect with Trevor: LinkedIn
The Transformation Ground Control podcast covers a number of topics important to digital and business transformation. This episode covers the following topics and interviews: Your System Integrator Profits When You Skip Planning Open Source, AI, & the Planning Phase Excel Is Still the World's #1 ERP System We also cover a number of other relevant topics related to digital and business transformation throughout the show.
Bringing research, prototyping, production, and shipping under one roof can turn American manufacturing into a faster engine for water innovation.Rob Gledhill, CEO of Blue-White Industries, offers an inside look at how the Huntington Beach company develops and manufactures equipment used in water and wastewater treatment.Blue-White produces chemical metering pumps, flow meters, instrumentation, and complete chemical-feed systems for drinking water, industrial processes, and wastewater facilities.Its Studio 53 research department brings engineers together with production workers, customer-service representatives, returns specialists, and customers to sketch ideas and rapidly test prototypes.When rising demand strained production, employees built a second assembly line in three days and doubled manufacturing capacity within two weeks.The same emphasis on simplicity reduced one developing product from about 30 parts to 11 while cutting its production timeline from 16 weeks to one week or less.Production 3D printers, CNC machines, injection-molding equipment, welders, and laser cutters allow the company to make many components in-house instead of waiting for parts delayed in international supply chains.Engineers also follow products into the field to see how operators use, misuse, or modify them, turning those observations into the next round of design changes.The tour shows that “Made in America” can be more than a label of origin. It can also be a manufacturing strategy built around speed, supply-chain resilience, institutional knowledge, and continuous improvement.waterloop is a nonprofit news outlet exploring solutions for water sustainability.
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(00:00:00) - Intro (00:03:54) - Rajat's heroes and influences (00:05:21) - Introducing Chef Robotics (00:07:22) - Why food manufacturing is a massive opportunity (00:08:11) - Industry graveyard: why previous food robots failed (00:13:24) - Manufacturing over restaurants as go-to-market (00:14:50) - Current customers and what the robots make (00:16:07) - High-mix vs low-mix manufacturing (00:18:52) - Labor shortage and the reality of the job (00:20:55) - The research phase before starting Chef (00:24:24) - Building the early team (00:27:05) - The complexity of food manipulation (00:28:48) - Stealth mode and lack of competitors (00:31:15) - Ghost kitchens around the world (00:33:33) - Long-term vision and expansion strategy (00:37:23) - Where value accrues: hardware vs software vs models (00:43:03) - Impact on consumers: cheaper and safer food (00:46:50) - The future of home cooking (00:51:21) - Specialized robots vs humanoids (00:54:55) - Urgency as founder job number one (01:04:51) - Where to follow and get involved Links: Eric Jorgenson LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/erjorgenson Twitter / X — https://x.com/EricJorgenson Website — https://www.ejorgenson.com/ Rajat on X - https://x.com/RajatBhageria Rajat on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajatbhageria/ Chef Robotics - https://www.chefrobotics.ai/ To support the costs of producing this podcast: >> Buy a copy of the Navalmanack: www.navalmanack.com/ >> Buy a copy of The Anthology of Balaji: https://balajianthology.com/ >> Buy a copy of The Book of Elon: https://www.elonmuskbook.org/ >> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage >> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun >> Join the free weekly email list at ejorgenson.com/newsletter >> Text the podcast to a friend >> Or at least give the podcast a positive review to help us reach new listeners! Important Quotes from the podcast on Business and Entrepreneurship There is no skill called “business.” Avoid business magazines and business classes. - Naval Ravikant You have to work up to the point where you can own equity in a business. You could own equity as a small shareholder where you bought stock. You could also own it as an owner where you started the company. Ownership is really important. Everybody who really makes money at some point owns a piece of a product, a business, or some IP. That can be through stock options if you work at a tech company. That's a fine way to start.
3 Takeaways from my conversation with Deniz Kent, CEO of Prolific Machines: 1. Moonshot thinking starts with a real problem. Deniz saw conflict over resources and asked: what if cells could make everything we need? That question built a company. 2. The best technology has the lowest cost AND highest quality. When those two things align — adoption follows. Every time. 3. Assemble people smarter than you. Deniz conceived the idea. Then got out of the way and hired scientists better than himself. That's leadership. --- About Deniz Kent, PhD • Co-Founder & CEO, Prolific Machines (Oct 2020–Present). Conceived the core technology, built the leadership team, and secured $90 M+ from top-tier investors including Breakthrough Energy Ventures, In-Q-Tel, Ki Tua Fund, Mayfield. • GSK, Scientist (Sep 2014–Sep 2015). Developed in-vitro monocyte-derived dendritic cell models to investigate tolerogenic receptors. • University of Bristol, Tumour Immunology Researcher (Sep 2014–Sep 2016). Investigated adenosinemediated suppression of CD8⁺ T cells. • UMass Medical School, Visiting Scholar (Jun 2019–Dec 2019). Advanced collaborative research on hepatic cell models. Domain expertise & credentials • Conceived the vision for optogenetic bio- manufacturing and moved to the U.S. to co-found and lead Prolific Machines. • PhD, Centre for Stem Cells & Regenerative Medicine, King's College London ('16–'20). Co-discovered a novel human liver stem cell population (Segal & Kent et al., Nat Comm 2019). Led first high-throughput small-molecule screen on iPSC-derived hepatocytes—identifying 7 novel hits, 2 under patent. • Technical specialties include optogenetics, single-cell RNAseq, iPSC differentiation, AI-driven bioprocess optimization Notable awards & recognitions • Deniz is a member of Founder's Pledge and was appointed to the World Economic Forum's Bioeconomy Initiative. Connect with Jon Dwoskin: Twitter: @jdwoskin Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jonathan.dwoskin Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thejondwoskinexperience/ Website: https://jondwoskin.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jondwoskin/ Email: jon@jondwoskin.com Get Jon's Book: The Think Big Movement: Grow your business big. Very Big! Connect with Deniz Kent, PhD: Website: https://www.prolific-machines.com X: https://x.com/prolificmachine LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/prolific-machines *E - explicit language may be used in this podcast.
"It's really that investment to transition from a legacy industry into a future industry…that is aiming to drive more sustainability and manufacturing processes and products overall…One of the things that we fundamentally see as being important in this economic shift, and we say it in this Practical Guide to the Green Economy, is that this transition we believe will favor places that make things.… and we want to make them better and more sustainable." Bethia Burke on Electric Ladies Podcast As communities seek economic growth and manufacturing jobs, a recent study found that manufacturing jobs related to clean energy and using environmentally-friendly practices are helping drive economic growth. What exactly are so called "green jobs," where are they really making a difference? Listen to Bethia Burke, President, The Fund For Our Economic Future, share the findings of their study - and lessons for other communities - in this fascinating discussion with Electric Ladies host Joan Michelson, which first aired last year. They also share insightful career advice. You'll hear about: What their study found about "green jobs" and local economies, including job (re)training. What lessons other communities can take from Ohio's experience – including in their Practical Guide to the Green Economy. Why manufacturing based on sustainable business attracts more workers, enhances communities and helps people stay where they are. How the Infrastructure Investment Act, Inflation Reduction Act and CHIPS Act have been huge boosts to Ohio – and how other communities can tap them too. Plus, insightful career advice, such as… "Often we put women in these do-gooder roles, and, these socially beneficial roles, and they take significantly lower salaries because part of what they want to achieve is service and positive societal benefits forward.…(but) ask for a higher salary, even if it is in a social service oriented sector.… I think any woman in any job, whatever she is trying to achieve…take whatever you think your level is, and add at least 20% because you're definitely underselling yourself." Betha Burke on Electric Ladies Podcast Subscribe to our newsletter to receive our podcasts, blog, events and special coaching offers.. Read Joan's Forbes articles here. You'll also like: 6 Ways Sustainability Can Help Businesses Navigate Tough Times - with Workiva and KPMG experts. Women's Trillions Drive New Economic Values - with LGT Private Bank advisor Silvia Bastante de Unverhau How Michigan Leveraged the Inflation Reduction Act incentives for Record Economic Growth - with Michigan Chief Growth Officer, Hilary Doe How Energy Policy Can Drive Economic Growth - with Congresswoman Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania, Co-Chair of the Bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus Nuclear Energy As A Growth Sector - with President of the Nuclear Energy Institute, Maria Korsnick, a nuclear engineer who also ran a reactor. Subscribe to our newsletter to receive our podcasts, blog, events and special coaching offers.. Thanks for subscribing on Apple Podcasts or iHeartRadio and leaving us a review! Follow us on Twitter @joanmichelson
Welcome back to another episode of Data Driven! This time, hosts Andy Leonard and Frank La Vigne sit down with Jim Spignardo, Director of Cloud Strategy and AI Enablement at ProArch, to explore the transformative role of AI and data engineering in critical industries. From the challenges of bringing modern AI solutions into traditional sectors like power generation and manufacturing, to the real-world impact of tools like Copilot, this episode dives deep into automation, return on investment, and the importance of outcome-driven technology adoption.Along the way, Jim Spignardo shares hands-on stories and key lessons learned, such as how modernization happens gradually in high-stakes environments, and why ROI modeling and project management are crucial to successful innovation. Whether you're curious about Azure AI Foundry or the future of workplace automation, this is an episode packed with practical insights and tales from the cutting edge of AI implementation.LinksJim on LinkedIn -https://www.linkedin.com/in/spignardo/Watch on YouTube -https://youtu.be/XBDpsi4f0YYTime Stamps00:00 ROI Journey with Copilot04:57 Building with Azure AI Foundry08:23 Implementing AI for Power Plants12:22 Discussing 19.2K networks in power plants14:00 Ensuring data security in devices17:59 Cloud integration for IT operations23:30 Discussing RPO, RTO, and ROI modeling24:48 Switching from hobbyist to manufacturing30:15 Introducing our AI platform Vector34:34 AI Spend and ROI Dashboard36:47 Improving meeting notes integration40:48 AI in Manufacturing for Troubleshooting45:41 Managing AI Tool Adoption47:51 Tracking ROI and user intensity52:03 Consulting firms spotting product chances55:17 Increasing delivery speed with AI56:55 Automating the house routine
Georgina Woodley, Chief Insight Officer at Custology Insights and creator of the Human Energy Intelligence framework, joins The Manufacturing Employer to explore the power of invisible human factors in manufacturing workplaces. Georgina shares why traditional engagement efforts often miss the mark, and how leaders can better recognize and respond to hidden stress, declining energy and emotional dynamics before they impact productivity or retention. She shares practical strategies for measuring team energy, fostering joy and creating conditions where people consistently bring their best.Find more information on Joy-O-Meter here: https://www.custology-insights.com/joy-o-meterAccess Joy Lift: 7 Pathways to Unleash More Joy here: https://www.the-transformation-initiative.com/joy-lift
Season 7 of Problem Solved kicks off with Guy Primus, an industrial engineer whose career has taken him from technology and business to Hollywood, virtual reality, entrepreneurship and AI.Primus joins Problem Solved to talk about the systems-thinking mindset that has connected his unconventional career and why defining the right problem may be more important than solving it. He shares how an early lesson from Georgia Tech professor Don Ratliff helped him understand the possibilities of industrial engineering, and how those same skills later influenced his work at companies including Microsoft, Starbucks and in the entertainment industry. The conversation explores the intersection of creativity and engineering, using AI to accelerate innovation, understanding the human side of technology, and finding opportunities to apply analytical thinking in unexpected places. Primus also reflects on entrepreneurship, leadership and the importance of combining what you're good at with what genuinely interests you. Learn more about The Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE)Problem Solved on LinkedInProblem Solved on YouTubeProblem Solved on InstagramProblem Solved on TikTokProblem Solved Executive Producer: Elizabeth GrimesInterested in contributing to the podcast or sponsoring an episode? Email egrimes@iise.org
Susan Spence, Chair, ISM Manufacturing PMI, details how the latest manufacturing data points to a cooling economy. While still in expansion, new orders and backlogs are down, and sentiment has deteriorated. Inflation and tariffs remain significant concerns, particularly in the computer and electronics sectors, with some respondents finding current conditions more challenging than the COVID-19 pandemic.======== Schwab Network ========Empowering every investor and trader, every market day. Subscribe to the Market Minute newsletter - https://schwabnetwork.com/subscribeDownload the iOS app - https://apps.apple.com/us/app/schwab-...Download the Amazon Fire Tv App - https://www.amazon.com/TD-Ameritrade-...Watch on Sling - https://watch.sling.com/1/asset/19192...Watch on Vizio - https://www.vizio.com/en/watchfreeplu...Watch on DistroTV - https://www.distro.tv/live/schwab-net...Follow us on X – / schwabnetwork Follow us on Facebook – / schwabnetwork Follow us on LinkedIn - / schwab-network About Schwab Network - https://schwabnetwork.com/about
With CAMX just a few weeks away, it’s a perfect time to revisit one of our previous conversations with Daniel Murphy of Alcove Media on a topic that every exhibitor should be thinking about: how do you actually generate business from a trade show? Many companies invest tens of thousands of dollars exhibiting at events, but simply showing […] The post CAMX Is Coming: Here's A Smarter Strategy for Trade Show ROI first appeared on Composites Weekly.
WBSRocks: Business Growth with ERP and Digital Transformation
Send us Fan MailMake-to-order manufacturers operate with a production model in which manufacturing begins only after a confirmed customer order is received, requiring close coordination across quoting, planning, procurement, production, and fulfillment. Unlike make-to-stock organizations that build inventory in anticipation of future demand, make-to-order businesses align operations around individual customer requirements, making accurate planning and execution critical to meeting delivery commitments and controlling costs. Although make-to-order is often grouped with engineer-to-order or project manufacturing, each represents a distinct operational model with different product complexity, planning horizons, and ERP requirements, making it essential to select a system that supports the specific demands of the business.In this episode, our host Sam Gupta discusses the top make-to-order manufacturing ERP systems In 2026. He also discusses several variables that influence the rankings of these ERP systems. Finally, he shares the pros and cons of each ERP system.Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHepPi2IKgIQuestions for Panelists?
In this episode of the Crazy Wisdom Podcast, host Stewart Alsop sits down with TJ Marbois, founder of Tobiko, for a wide-ranging conversation that spans LLMs, data sovereignty, knowledge management tools like Obsidian, and Terence McKenna's ideas about an increasingly weird future. They explore how AI is simultaneously centralizing power through data control while decentralizing software development capabilities, allowing more people to build their own tools and escape big tech ecosystems. Drawing on his experience at Apple's special projects group (the team that built the iPod and later iPhones), TJ discusses his vision for personal AI assistants—what he calls the "R2-D2 belongs to you" principle—where advanced technology serves individuals rather than corporations. The conversation touches on everything from quantum encryption and local manufacturing with ESP32 microcontrollers to the economics of future society, biometric data unions, and why distributed trust matters more than ever as we approach what both describe as an increasingly strange technological inflection point. Visit Tobiko's site at tobiko-pbc.ghost.ioTimestamps00:00 Stewart introduces TJ Marbois from Tobiko, discussing LLMs, data sovereignty, knowledge management, and the tension between centralization and decentralization in AI05:00 TJ explains the R2-D2 belongs to you concept and why personal AI assistants need maternal alignment, caring about humans like mothers care for children10:05 Discussion of how LLMs will shrink and improve while emphasizing the sentient loop concept for building loyal personal AI agents rather than corporate controlled systems15:00 Exploring digital nervous systems for humanity, social networks as infrastructure, and humans as cavemen with iPhones navigating unprecedented technological complexity20:00 TJ discusses data unions for sovereign data ownership, inverting insurance models where AI helps extend healthspan, and maximizing truth seeking through collective data25:30 Money as social construct, crypto enabling value system reengineering, and working toward Star Trek's post scarcity replicator economy from the ground up30:40 Capital formation challenges, corporatism versus true capitalism, and pessimism about current systems reaching limits while seeking new models35:00 Solar power democratization, ESP32 microcontrollers enabling local manufacturing, and the replicator future through distributed maker communities and open source robotics40:00 Science fiction as roadmap, Isaac Asimov and Arthur C Clarke warnings, and building collaborative futures rather than centrally controlled dystopias with useless eaters45:00 Encyclopedia to LLM transition, information quality concerns, local training importance, and NVIDIA's incentive to put GPUs everywhere for personal AI agents50:00 Corrupted financial incentives, protecting vulnerable people from technological exploitation, and benevolent technologists building systems that honor humanity and children55:00 Hardware validation for owned robots, Starlink dependencies, assembly language abstraction toward natural language programming, and preventing AI escape scenarios58:00 Tobiko as AI toy company building sentient loop interactions similar to Xerox PARC GUI moment, emphasizing maternal AI alignment and cross cultural human collaborationKey Insights1. The concept of R2D2 belonging to you represents a critical vision for the future of artificial intelligence and personal technology. When thinking about robots and AI assistants that follow us around and know everything about us, the question of ownership becomes paramount. These systems will know incredibly intimate details about our lives, from our health data to our daily habits, and if they are controlled by centralized corporations or governments rather than individuals, we lose fundamental sovereignty over our own information. The science fiction of Star Wars and Star Trek provides roadmaps for how we should think about these technologies, showing us both the positive possibilities and the warnings we need to heed about centralized control.2. Local AI models and distributed computing represent a pathway to technological sovereignty that is becoming increasingly viable. While large language models currently run primarily in centralized data centers, the technology is rapidly advancing toward a future where powerful models can run locally on personal computers and devices. This shift is crucial because it means individuals can have full control over their AI assistants without relying on API calls to external servers. Combined with open source infrastructure and open weight models, this creates the foundation for truly personal AI that cannot be controlled or monitored by external parties, whether corporations or governments.3. Data unions and collective data ownership offer an alternative model to current centralized data collection practices. Rather than having individual data harvested by large tech companies who profit from it, the concept of data unions suggests people could collectively pool their data for specific beneficial purposes while maintaining ownership and control. For example, in healthcare, millions of people could share anonymized biometric data to train medical AI systems that are incentivized to keep people healthy rather than treat them when sick, inverting the current insurance model to align incentives with actual health outcomes rather than profit from illness.4. The democratization of manufacturing and robotics through accessible technologies like ESP32 microcontrollers and local fabrication tools is creating new possibilities for distributed production. Just as desktop printers seemed impossible to early printers who controlled book production, we are approaching an era where individuals and small communities can manufacture sophisticated electronic devices and robots locally. This includes the ability to use language models to generate code for microcontrollers, order custom PCBs, and use desktop machines for component placement. While high quality manufacturing will still require larger operations, this gradiation of capability allows for much more local innovation and reduces dependence on centralized manufacturing.5. The concentration of power in technology, finance, and industry has reached levels that are unhealthy for both society and even for those who hold the power. When profit and control become too concentrated in the hands of a few entities, it creates a cancerous dynamic that threatens the stability of the entire system. History shows us warnings about the military industrial complex and other concentrated power structures, and now we are seeing similar patterns emerge in the tech industry. The solution requires building technology from the ground up that empowers individuals and communities, focusing on basics like food production, energy generation, and local manufacturing rather than increasing dependence on centralized systems.6. The provenance and quality of information is becoming a critical challenge as AI systems become more sophisticated and reality itself becomes harder to verify. We are rapidly approaching a point where video calls and digital interactions will be indistinguishable from AI generated fakes, which is why figures like Sam Altman have invested in systems like Worldcoin to verify human identity. However, this verification capability should not be centralized in the hands of single companies. End to end encryption and quantum encryption technologies need to be preserved and expanded to allow humans to communicate and verify information peer to peer without centralized intermediaries who could manipulate or control the flow of information.7. The future of human computer interaction is evolving toward sentient loop systems where machines have sensory input, real time learning, context understanding, and continuous operation in service of human needs. Self driving cars represent the first widespread consumer facing example of this architecture, with onboard computers that must function independently while occasionally connecting to networks. The critical question is whether these systems will be aligned to benefit their human users like a caring mother as AI pioneer Geoffrey Hinton suggests, or whether they will be controlled by centralized powers. The technologists building these systems have a responsibility to be benevolent and build structures that serve humanity rather than concentrate power, helping to create a future more like Star Trek than Terminator.
The news of Texas covered today includes:Our Lone Star story of the day: Little Jimmy “The Creep” Talarico is an amalgam of most every confused social spasm of our nation's unmoored youth and stuck-in-adolescence adult population since the years that brought the fully anti-American deconstructionist Obama movement to the forefront.Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.Dallas Fed survey shows Texas' manufacturing sector “accelerates” in August.Governor Abbott jumps on the anti-Flock spy camera bandwagon. Welcome, even if it is much later than it should have been.Attorney General Ken Paxton Supports Pause of 765-kV Transmission Line Buildout Pending Legislative ReviewListen on the radio, or station stream, at 5pm Central. Click for our radio and streaming affiliates.www.PrattonTexas.com
The Today in Manufacturing Podcast is brought to you by the editors of Manufacturing.net and Industrial Equipment News (IEN).This episode is brought to you by Siemens. Small and medium-sized manufacturers encounter the same industry-wide pressures as large manufacturers: rising costs, labor shortages, and growing operational complexity. But conventional digital transformation programs are often out of reach for smaller manufacturers due to budget, time, and skills constraints.This paper from ARC Advisory Group, "How Siemens Is Positioning Xcelerator for Small-Medium Manufacturers," outlines a more practical way for these manufacturers to do more with less and see results faster.Download "How Siemens Is Positioning Xcelerator for Small-Medium Manufacturers" right now. Every week, we cover the three biggest stories in manufacturing, and the implications they have on the industry moving forward. This week:- Freedom and Glory Featured in New Episode of 'Made in America'- Ohio Manufacturer Files Defamation Lawsuit Over 1-Star Google Review- Illegal Cookie Factory Caught Substituting Charcoal for CocoaIn Case You Missed It- Chinese Humanoid Robots Smash Human Records in Sprint, High Jump- Yellow School Bus Faces New Reality- SpaceX to Build World's Largest Spaceport in LouisianaNew Segment: Executive Q&A with Michael J. DeVoney, OptiCribMichael J. DeVoney is the executive vice president of OptiCrib. DeVoney flew to Madison, Wisconsin, last week to be in studio to discuss physical AI warehouse automation, "grab and go MRO," critical spares management and Amazon's new robotics manufacturing facility in Austin—as well as fears over the ecommerce giant entering the B2B industrial market. Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. And to email the podcast, you can reach any of us at Jeff, Anna or David@ien.com, with “Email the Podcast” in the subject line. Subscribe to our daily and weekly newsletters.
Digital Stratosphere: Digital Transformation, ERP, HCM, and CRM Implementation Best Practices
Eric Wiklendt, of Speyside Equity, a private equity firm that acquires and grows mid-market manufacturing and industrial businesses.Through capital investment and hands-on operational support, Eric works with founders, family-owned companies, and management teams to improve performance, strengthen leadership, and create long-term growth.Now, Eric's work across multiple deals and portfolio companies demonstrates what it really takes to balance strategy, pressure, and hands-on problem-solving in complex businesses.And while the world of private equity can be fast-moving and unpredictable, Eric is helping manufacturing companies become stronger, more scalable, and better positioned for the future.Here's where to find more:https://speysideequity.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericwiklendt/________________________________________________Welcome to The Unforget Yourself Show where we use the power of woo and the proof of science to help you identify your blind spots, and get over your own bullshit so that you can do the fucking thing you ACTUALLY want to do!We're Mark and Katie, the founders of Unforget Yourself and the creators of the Unforget Yourself System and on this podcast, we're here to share REAL conversations about what goes on inside the heart and minds of those brave and crazy enough to start their own business. From the accidental entrepreneur to the laser-focused CEO, we find out how they got to where they are today, not by hearing the go-to story of their success, but talking about how we all have our own BS to deal with and it's through facing ourselves that we find a way to do the fucking thing.Along the way, we hope to show you that YOU are the most important asset in your business (and your life - duh!). Being a business owner is tough! With vulnerability and humor, we get to the real story behind their success and show you that you're not alone._____________________Find all our links to all the things like the socials, how to work with us and how to apply to be on the podcast here:https://linktr.ee/unforgetyourself
Confidence does not have to come after success.It can be built before the results arrive.In this episode of The Level Up Podcast, Paul Alex breaks down how new entrepreneurs can create authority through preparation, knowledge, and self-belief even when they do not yet have a massive track record.The market is not only judging where you have been.It is judging whether you understand the problem and can create the right solution.That means preparation can become your first source of confidence.In this episode, you'll learn:• Why confidence comes from preparation more than past success• How deep knowledge can compensate for a lack of experience or case studies• Why understanding your customer's pain points builds credibility• How strong self-belief can improve the way you sell, negotiate, and leadThe truth is simple:You do not need millions in the bank to carry yourself with certainty.Study the industry.Know the problem.Prepare relentlessly.Communicate your value clearly.The more evidence you create through knowledge and execution, the less you have to depend on outside validation.Confidence is the first capital you raise.Build the belief.Deliver the value.Let the results catch up.Your Network is your NETWORTH!Make sure to add me on all SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS:Instagram: https://jo.my/paulalex2024Facebook: https://jo.my/fbpaulalex2024YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGhDAD1JyGGzSQUPD9lc9HQLinkedIn: https://jo.my/inpaulalex2024Looking for a secondary source of income or want to become an entrepreneur? Check out one of my companies below to see if we can help you:www.CashSwipe.comFREE Copy of my book “Blue to Digital Gold - The New American Dream”www.officialPaulAlex.com
The legend goes that gangster "Machine Gun" Kelly coined the term "G-Men" when he begged federal agents not to shoot during his 1933 arrest — but the real story is a lesson in institutional myth-making. This episode traces how J. Edgar Hoover's Bureau and a cooperative press turned a routine capture into a branding coup months after the fact. It's a case study in how authority, narrative control, and media complicity combine to shape public memory long before anyone had a Twitter account.
On this episode of Vitality Radio, Jared pulls back the curtain on what it really takes to run an independent supplement company. Vitality Nutrition is celebrating 49 years in business, but 2026 has brought manufacturing delays, supply chain challenges, and some frustrating out-of-stocks. Jared explains why staying independent and debt-free matters, why Vitality is transitioning to new manufacturers, and why he refuses to compromise ingredient quality just to make production easier. You'll also hear a special limited-time offer for you loyal listeners. It's an inside look at the business of supplements and where Vitality Nutrition is headed next. Products:25% off all products from this COLLECTION: https://vitalitynutrition.com/collections/first-25 for the first 10 days after this show airs! Use code: first25 Rebuild Functional Beef Bone Broth ProteinNow Foods Monk FruitAdditional Information:573: Protein Showdown: Whey, Collagen, Bone Broth, Plant Based, and Beyond! Visit the podcast website here: VitalityRadio.comYou can follow @vitalitynutritionbountiful and @vitalityradio on Instagram, or Vitality Radio and Vitality Nutrition on Facebook. Join us also in the Vitality Radio Podcast Listener Community on Facebook. Shop the products that Jared mentions at vitalitynutrition.com. Let us know your thoughts about this episode using the hashtag #vitalityradio and please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts. Thank you!Just a reminder that this podcast is for educational purposes only. The FDA has not evaluated the podcast. The information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. The advice given is not intended to replace the advice of your medical professional.This podcast is produced by DrTalks.comhttps://drtalks.com/podcast-service/
We review fresh new stock ideas in Energy, Manufacturing, and Big Food from US News, Barron's and CFRA. We also cover the blowout earnings numbers from AI giant Nvidia, a new price target, and what it means for the AI segment and the rest of the market.
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.volts.wtf/subscribeEven as he has torn down climate policy, Donald Trump has normalized the use of more powerful & aggressive tools of economic statecraft, like equity stakes in private companies, new federal authorities, and sovereign wealth funds. The Roosevelt Institute recently issued a collection of 17 essays exploring how a future administration could use the tools Trump has assembled for decarbonization. I talk with Todd Tucker, editor of and contributor to the volume, about these new industrial planning tools.Chapters:00:00 – Introduction02:32 – Did Biden's green policy prove durable?09:39 – The Defense Production Act and the Sable pipeline14:59 – Whether to leave the DPA on the table15:35 – Executive orders and the durability problem19:01 – Whether the Supreme Court treats Democrats differently22:03 – Executive power and a disempowered Congress25:05 – Senate malapportionment and filibuster reform29:43 – Court reform and the major questions doctrine34:13 – Manufacturing vs. deployment42:52 – Permitting, abundance, and theory of power49:20 – Public ownership and the U.S. Steel golden share55:22 – What state capitalism could look like for green ends59:56 – Shelley Welton on utilities as planning tools1:02:42 – Speed vs. deliberation before 2029
Rob is the Vice President and Founder of Smarter Finance USA, an equipment financing firm dedicated to helping small and mid-sized businesses secure the capital they need to purchase equipment and grow. With more than 20 years of experience in financial analysis, business valuation, and financial services, Rob founded the company to bring greater transparency and straightforward guidance to the equipment financing industry. Rob combines a strong financial background—with a Bachelor's degree in Economics from the University of California, Irvine, an MBA in Finance from Pepperdine University, and completion of CFA Level II—with practical, real-world lending expertise. He is also the host of The Smarter Business Finance Podcast and has been featured by industry publications and podcasts including Manufacturing.net, FreightWaves, Business.com, Overdrive, and The Lead Pedal Podcast, where he shares insights on equipment financing, trucking finance, and common funding mistakes made by business owners. Rob's perspective would be especially valuable for conversations around equipment financing, commercial lending, trucking finance, business growth strategies, and how entrepreneurs can avoid common financing pitfalls while accessing capital. During the show we discuss: Why equipment should generate enough cash flow to justify its cost How to evaluate the ROI of an equipment purchase How to determine whether renting or financing equipment makes more sense How to identify when equipment financing is likely to improve cash flow How to avoid overextending the business with debt How to spot predatory short-term financing How to recognize a potential deposit scam How to identify an FMV lease You can explore more about Rob here: Website: https://www.smarterfinanceusa.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-misheloff/
#1055 What if an idea inspired by a college “emotional support hamster” could eventually land your product on shelves in more than 2,000 stores across the country? In Part 1 of this two-part episode, host Brogan Williams sits down with Ethan Haber, founder and CEO of Happy Habitats, to unpack how he turned a simple question — “Why can't you walk your hamster?” — into a growing small-pet products company now carried by major retailers like Petco. Ethan shares how he validated his idea, navigated years of manufacturing setbacks, and kept going through COVID delays and an eight-month shipping nightmare before finally reaching profitability in 2026. He also breaks down what it takes to launch a physical product, why trade shows and honest customer feedback are so valuable, and how years of persistence, cold outreach, and relationship-building helped Happy Habitats expand into more than 2,000 retail doors across the country! What we discuss with Ethan: + From college idea to Petco + Reinventing the hamster ball + Validating a product idea + Manufacturing a physical product + Surviving major production delays + Breaking into retail stores + Trade shows and buyer relationships + Testing products with strangers + Cold outreach and persistence + Reaching 2,000+ retail doors Thank you, Ethan! Check out Happy Habitats at HappyHabitats.net. Purchase Happy Habitats Burrow Bricks. Follow Ethan on TikTok. Get your FREE 5 Minute Business Plan at MillionaireUniversity.com/Plan To get exclusive offers mentioned in this episode and to support the show, visit MillionaireUniversity.com/Sponsors Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Lucas and TJ are back for Episode 101 of Edge & Flow. This week they dive into Enduro production, manufacturing efficiency, CNC machines, and scaling a small knife shop. They also discuss knife drops, online lotteries, and the challenges that come with having more demand than product.
Oil and gas automation runs on royalty accounting as much as process control. Dustin Symes explains how that shapes every SCADA decision JPI Solutions makes.Canadian oil and gas is structured differently than most assume. In the US mineral rights usually sit with individuals, so custody transfer draws a hard line between upstream and midstream. In Canada the provinces hold most rights, so a producer can gather 100 wells into one plant and sell to a pipeline company there. That lands on the automation: much of the SCADA data collection exists to answer who is paying whom and how much royalty is owed. Once a well is drilled, automation might find 5 to 10 percent off nameplate, so the work protects a long production tail rather than chasing throughput.Mining behaves nothing like it. Thinner margins, $100 million capital projects, an hour long elevator ride down, underground space running 20 miles across. Those are small cities: control systems cover substations, air monitoring and lighting as well as conveyors and pumps. Mining clients want programmers on site rather than remote, and they buy for continuity: a major vendor PLC paired with their DCS, meant to last 20 years. Horizontal drilling has rescaled oil and gas, from one well and a dozen sensors to a 32 well pad carrying 300 IO, pushing designs toward redundant PLCs and ring networks. The genuinely new technology lands on the data layer, where MQTT and report by exception are displacing polled Modbus.Dustin set two gates before his first hire: enough cash banked to make that person whole for a month or two, and enough overload to have work worth delegating. He hired out of the instrumentation program at SAIT rather than a 15 year instrument mechanic. When he weighed taking on partners, dozens of people advised against it. He brought in Dan and Brent Lawther anyway in 2018, went from five people that spring to ten by the fall, and says JPI would not exist without them.His hardest won lesson is unglamorous. Communication is the only consistent complaint he has ever had from a customer. Nobody complains about the code. They complain that nobody told them it was finished. On AI, JPI is decompiling Rockwell files into shutdown keys and landing 85 to 90 percent of the way there on a good prompt, and running log analysis across FactoryTalk directory, HMI and historian logs to find real root causes. He expects PLC code to become text so it can be version controlled like software, and customers to treat that as baseline within five years.About Dustin SymesDustin Symes is Chief Technology Officer at JPI Solutions, a Calgary based systems integrator serving oil and gas and mining clients across North America from four offices in Alberta, BC and Saskatchewan. A Red Seal journeyman electrician who moved into automation, he founded JPI in 2017. JPI covers process control from the sensor to the HMI, then up into SCADA and corporate data.https://www.jpisolutions.caTimestamps0:00 Introduction5:50 Why he started JPI Solutions10:50 Oil and gas primer: upstream, midstream, downstream12:50 What makes mining automation different16:10 Where JPI sits in the automation stack28:30 Bigger well pads, redundant PLCs and MQTT41:20 Bringing on partners when nobody recommended it51:10 Communication as the only consistent complaint1:04:40 The future of integration, AI and knowledge graphsReferencesRadical Candor by Kim Scott: https://www.amazon.com/Radical-Candor-Kick-Ass-Without-Humanity/dp/1250103509Creativity, Inc. by Ed Catmull: https://www.amazon.com/Creativity-Inc-Overcoming-Unseen-Inspiration/dp/0812993012ThredCloud: https://www.thredcloud.comAbout Your HostsVladimir Romanov is a co-host of The Manufacturing Hub Podcast and the founder of Joltek, an independent manufacturing and industrial automation consulting firm specializing in modernization strategy, digital transformation, and workforce development. Joltek works with manufacturers and investors to de-risk modernization and build the internal capability to sustain results.Connect with Vlad: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vladromanov/Want to go deeper? Vlad and the team at Joltek have covered related topics here:System Integrators: https://www.joltek.com/blog/system-integratorsPLC Scan Cycles and SCADA Polling: https://www.joltek.com/blog/plc-scan-cycles-polling-scada-systems-dataDave Griffith is a co-host of The Manufacturing Hub Podcast and founder of Capelin Solutions, an industrial automation firm helping manufacturers adopt smart manufacturing technology. He brings 15 years of experience in industrial automation and digital transformation.Connect with Dave: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davegriffith23/Subscribe to Manufacturing Hub: https://www.manufacturinghub.liveLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/manufacturing-hub-networkYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ManufacturingHub
What if the reason nobody applies has nothing to do with what you pay? In new research across the United States and Canada, concerns about physical safety ranked as the number one barrier to even considering a job in manufacturing. Pay came in fourth. Trevor assumed that was a perception problem, an old black-and-white picture nobody had bothered to correct. So he went looking for proof, and could not find any. The people closest to the industry name safety right alongside everybody else. What he found instead was a gap inside the plant. Employees named physical safety at forty percent. Managers, forty. Executives, thirty-three. The people who approve the capital are the least likely to name the barrier keeping people off the floor, and it is not because they do not care. An executive learns about the floor through a report and a recordable rate. An operator learns about it through their body. Same plant, two completely different pictures. Trevor tells the story of a hundred-person meeting where somebody raised a hand to say he could not get gloves, and what it took to find out why. Then three questions to take back to your plant. A practical look at manufacturing recruiting, the manufacturing labor shortage, and manufacturing team leadership for plant managers, operations leaders, and frontline supervisors.
This week the Nüvoices podcasting team is thrilled to share a special crossover podcast episode from The Polycrisis. Our Nüvoices podcast interview with Kate McKenzie, co-founder of The Polycrisis, an independent publication, newsletter, and podcast, aired on June 2, 2026, and can be found here. Stay tuned for new Nüvoices episodes next month as we start our fall season.—Learn more about this episode of The Polycrisis, originally aired on April 15, 2026, here. A key theme of our first podcast series is that China's world-changing production of clean energy and electrification tech had little to do with solving climate change or even being seen as a leader in climate diplomacy. Instead, it's mostly a byproduct of the country's economic strategy and quest for energy independence.But the US has also played a big role in China's strategy. The two countries were in a pro-globalisation, free-trade partnership back in 2001 when China joined the WTO; but the global financial crisis, the US shale boom, and increasing hawkishness from US administrations of both sides were all factors in the central Chinese government's decisions to become a high end electrotech manufacturer, and to ramp up its energy security with clean and local power.Subscribe to the podcast: Apple; Spotify; all platform links.Featured this episode: Jessica Chen Weiss - Professor of China Studies and the faculty director of the Institute for America, China, and the Future of Global Affairs at Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, DC.Jake Werner - Director of the East Asia Program, Quincy Institute for Responsible StatecraftHosted by Tim Sahay and Kate MackenzieProduced by Sarah AllelyOriginal music by Russell StapletonMixed by Bethany StewartContact us at: polycrisispodcast (at) gmail.com OR the.polycrisis (at) gmail.com
The Transformation Ground Control podcast covers a number of topics important to digital and business transformation. This episode covers the following topics and interviews: Turn AI Off and Your Business Won't Miss a Beat The AI Bubble Meets Your Contract (Scott Bickley, Info-Tech Research Group) The Discount They Can Take Back Overnight We also cover a number of other relevant topics related to digital and business transformation throughout the show.
After more than 300 conversations across Machine Shop Mastery, MakingChips, and Manufacturing Transformed, I wrote a book. It's called Precision Manufacturing, Precision Business, and I keep saying "we" wrote it because that's the truth. I got the words onto the page, but the hard lessons, ideas, and wisdom came from this community. The premise is simple: you'd never ship a titanium part at 99% accuracy, so why run your business that way? Shops obsess over holding dimensions, but that same precision doesn't always carry into quoting, planning, scheduling, procurement, or contract review. That gap is the opportunity. In this episode, I share my journey in manufacturing, starting in 1997 with six college friends, a second mortgage, one Haas VF4, and very little idea what we were doing. The discipline I write about didn't come from a textbook. It came from getting things wrong and having people willing to tell us why. I'll also give you a sneak peek inside the book, covering everything from niching down and estimating to culture, compliance, and quote-to-cash. It's about building a business that runs with the same discipline as the machines and has real value whether you ever sell it or not. Precision Manufacturing, Precision Business launches September 1, just before IMTS, at disciplinetoprofit.com. More than 50 people from the shows are quoted in it, and if you want a signed copy, come find me at the ProShop booth or the MakingChips booth in the South Hall. What's Covered in this Episode (0:00) I announce the book, and why the credit belongs to the metalworking nation (1:02) Why a book after more than 300 conversations across three podcasts (3:21) The premise behind "Precision Manufacturing, Precision Business" (4:19) What changes when you apply shop floor discipline to business processes (6:26) My journey in the industry, from Pro CNC to ProShop ERP, and podcasting (13:16) Part one: Why manufacturing is the hardest business in the world (16:37) Part two: The E-Myth, the Goal, and the machinist to owner gap (17:09) Part three: Sales as a system, niching down, and the riches in the niches (19:10) Part four: People, culture, growth ceilings, and compliance (21:03) Part five: Quote to cash, Top Shops, and building a business worth buying (23:11) Mitch Free on leadership and accountability outrunning technology (24:36) Who the book is for, the September 1st launch, and disciplinetoprofit.com Resources Mentioned Discipline to Profit Website IMTS ProShop ERP The E-Myth by Michael Gerber The Goal by Eliyahu Goldratt Top Shops benchmarking program by Modern Machine Shop Connect with Paul Van Metre ProShop ERP Connect on LinkedIn Machine Shop Mastery MakingChips Manufacturing Transformed
For more than a decade, the federal government's biggest tool for accelerating clean energy hasn't been a grant or a loan. It's been the tax code. Tax credits have driven the buildout of wind, solar, and now a much wider range of technologies, like storage, nuclear, and advanced manufacturing. But there's a catch: most of the companies earning those credits don't have enough tax liability to actually use them themselves. A clean energy developer can be sitting on tens of millions of dollars in value that's slowly losing worth simply because they can't cash it in. In 2022, the Inflation Reduction Act tried to fix that by making these credits transferable for the first time ever — sellable directly, for cash, to a company that can use them. It created a brand-new, multi-billion-dollar market overnight, with no playbook and no established way for buyers and sellers to even find each other. Our guest today set out to build the infrastructure this new market needed. Alfred Johnson is the Co-Founder and CEO of Crux, an AI-native capital platform for clean energy and manufacturing infrastructure. Crux got its start in transferable tax credits, and has since expanded into tax equity investment and debt origination, leveraging software, data, and AI to cover the full capital stack for energy and manufacturing infrastructure. Alfred grew up around politics in Washington, DC, and spent nearly two decades moving between government, finance, and technology before his wife, Emily, pushed him to build something in clean energy. In our conversation, Alfred walks me through his journey, and what it takes to build the capital markets infrastructure this country needs to power its clean energy future. Today, Crux has raised more than $77 million, grown to more than 120 employees, and facilitated nearly $10 billion in transactions across the clean energy economy. About Powerhouse Innovation and Powerhouse Ventures Powerhouse Ventures backs seed stage founders building the future power system across energy, infrastructure, and AI. If you are thinking about building something in this space, get in touch with our team. Powerhouse Innovation is a best in class consulting firm, powered by the strongest energy innovation network, data and team in our industry. We partner with world's leading corporations, investors, and utilities to source and evaluate disruptive startups shaping the future of energy and industry. To hear more stories of founders building our energy abundant future, hit the “subscribe” button and leave us a review.
"The first rule of tactical gear is you gotta look cool wearing it—followed closely by making sure it actually does its job." Episode Summary In this episode of The Gun Experiment, I sit down with Big Keith for an in-depth conversation about the world of ballistic protection, manufacturing challenges, and what it takes to build a company focused on American innovation. We're joined by Alex Poythress, CEO of Ballistic Armor Co., who shares his fascinating journey from marketing entrepreneur to leading a cutting-edge ballistics company. From the differences between materials like Kevlar and polyethylene to the realities of bringing production stateside, this episode is packed with insights for anyone interested in body armor, helmets, and personal protection tech. We also talk about industry myths, the importance of building company culture, and what's on the horizon for helmet technology. Call to Action Make sure you subscribe to The Gun Experiment on Spotify, YouTube, and Instagram so you never miss an episode. If you enjoyed this conversation, share the show with your friends and check out our merch at thegunexperiment.com. Don't forget to visit our sponsors and show them some love! Show Sponsors HSM Ammunition — Reliable, quality ammo for all your training and personal defense needs. Visit hsammunition.com. OFT (Onsite Firearms Training) — Top-tier firearms instruction with a strong pedigree. Learn more at OFTLLC.us. Key Takeaways Building a brand is important, but building and maintaining a strong company culture is even harder and more crucial for long-term success (15:00). Alex Poythress' journey from marketing to CEO highlighted the need to move manufacturing from overseas to the US for quality control and transparency (19:32). Law enforcement's ballistic protection needs are specific—off-the-shelf military helmets may not be the best fit (20:17). The pitfalls of the “Made in America” label: it doesn't always guarantee quality unless backed up by genuine standards (23:32). Comfort and protection are not mutually exclusive. Helmet comfort is about more than weight—it's about the right pad design and materials (36:06). Demand for armor fluctuates with world events; police and first responders increasingly need access to reliable helmets (52:20). Ballistic helmets and body armor have a shelf life—proper care and timely replacement are critical for safety (54:49). Access to body armor is a Second Amendment issue in some states; ongoing legislation and restriction efforts must be watched closely (55:11). Guest Information Alex Poythress — CEO of Ballistic Armor Co. Visit: ballisticarmorco.com Instagram: @BallisticArmorCo For cutting-edge ballistic helmets, bump helmets, and accessories made with a commitment to innovation and American manufacturing. Keywords ballistic helmets, body armor, law enforcement gear, ballistic protection, American manufacturing, Alex Poythress, Ballistic Armor Co., tactical helmets, helmet innovation, NIJ certification, Kevlar vs polyethylene, personal defense equipment, police gear, helmet testing standards, made in the USA, PPE, firearm safety, tactical gear, helmet pads, police protection, ballistic helmet care, Second Amendment armor laws
Optic plates are one of those things that seem simple but are anything but. I sat down with Jordan Flemming from Arise Manufacturing to gain some understanding about what makes plates fail and how to ensure you have the best user experience. Log into Practical Shooting Training Group to watch the video feed for the podcast, view the content linked in the show notes, and ask follow up questions at http://pstg.us/
Gene therapy only works if the cargo reaches the right cells intact. Adeno-associated viruses (AAV) and lipid nanoparticles have carried the field this far, but both share a constraint: the particle is taken up into an endosome, and the payload has to escape that compartment before it is degraded. Endosomal escape is where a large share of the dose is lost, and it is why delivery, not the genetic construct, is usually the thing that limits the therapy. Lipid nanoparticles carry a second constraint, since they tend to accumulate in the liver, which narrows the diseases they can reach. What if the particle never entered that way at all?Jitendra Kumar, Lead Scientist for Chemistry and Process Development at Entos Pharmaceuticals, works on a platform that fuses directly with the cell membrane and releases its cargo straight into the cytosol. He came to nanoparticle design the long way, through fifteen years of structural biology on the prion protein in Frankfurt and Edmonton, which is why he thinks about particle size, packaging and diffusion the way he does.Key topics discussed:Jitendra's career background in structural biology and journey to Entos Pharmaceuticals (03:18)The scientific motivation and challenges of working with prion proteins and breaking down complex diseases (04:55)Genetic medicine approaches: gain-of-function vs. loss-of-function, and the role of siRNA, ASOs, and gene delivery (06:27)The FAST protein platform: origins, function, and advantages for drug delivery (07:56)Manufacturing differences compared to LNPs, including the introduction of recombinant membrane protein production and related CMC complexity (09:55)Scale-up and production challenges for membrane proteins, and strategies for clinical supply (11:21)Clinical development progress: Phase 1/2 studies with the platform, especially for COVID vaccine delivery (12:23)Focus areas for the technology, including selective lung delivery and leptin therapy for lipodystrophy (13:12)Lessons for small biotech companies in phase 1/2 manufacturing strategy, technology transfer, and the value of an experienced network (14:31)Balancing process robustness with speed in new biotech ventures (16:02)The importance of identifying “pause steps” and must-have vs. nice-to-have features in early manufacturing processes (17:15)Smart insight: Jitendra's takeaway for startups: for early phases, find a partner who genuinely understands your tech and can move at your pace rather than defaulting to a big CDMO, treat your network as infrastructure, and build the ability to run production in-house. The one thing that's never up for negotiation is process robustness. The real question isn't robustness vs. speed, but how many checkpoints and safe pause points you build in so you can have both.If this conversation got you thinking about how novel delivery vehicles reach the cell — and what it takes to carry one from bench through CMC, scale-up, and regulatory review — these four episodes go deeper:Episodes 125 - 126: How to Enhance Cell Engineering Using Mechanical Intracellular Delivery with Armon ShareiEpisodes 231 - 232: From IND to BLA: The Biologics CMC Decisions That Determine Regulatory Success with Henri KornmannEpisodes 89 - 90: Scale-Up Secrets: Cracking the Code of AAV Production with Ahmed YoussefEpisodes 71 - 72: Effective Outsourcing: How Small Biotech Companies Can Thrive with Mark MelvilleConnect with Jitendra Kumar:LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jkumar2Email: jitendra.kumar@entospharma.comWebsite: www.entospharma.comFree 5-day email course, The CMC Failure Chain: the five recurring CMC mistakes that put your promising program at risk → Get it hereSupport the show
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American manufacturing is growing—but who will fill the jobs? In this episode of Manufacturing Talk Radio, host Lewis A. Weiss sits down with Carolyn Lee of the Manufacturing Institute to examine one of the biggest challenges facing U.S. manufacturing: building the skilled workforce needed to support new investment, advanced technology, automation, and AI. Manufacturing has faced a structural talent shortage for years, with hundreds of thousands of open jobs across the industry. At the same time, reshoring, onshoring, new plant investments, artificial intelligence, robotics, and advanced manufacturing technologies are changing the skills employers need. So where will the next generation of manufacturing workers come from? Carolyn explains why automation and AI aren't replacing the need for people—they're changing the skills people need to succeed. She and Lou discuss how manufacturers can attract new talent, upskill existing employees, and build stronger workforce pipelines in their own communities. They also explore: Why manufacturing continues to struggle with a skilled labor shortage How AI, robotics, and automation are changing manufacturing jobs Why manufacturers need to invest in employee training and upskilling Manufacturing careers that don't necessarily require a four-year college degree The growing importance of technical education and Earn & Learn programs How manufacturers can attract younger generations Veterans and other overlooked sources of manufacturing talent Second-chance hiring and its potential to expand the workforce Why workforce development must happen at the local level What manufacturers can do now to prepare for the future Carolyn also challenges outdated perceptions of manufacturing. Today's facilities and careers can look dramatically different from the traditional image of factories and assembly lines. Modern manufacturing needs technicians, engineers, programmers, maintenance specialists, operations professionals, HR, finance, communications, and many other skilled roles. The future of American manufacturing isn't simply about building more factories or installing more technology. It's about developing the people and skills needed to keep those factories running, innovating, and growing. If you're a manufacturer, workforce development professional, educator, student, parent, or anyone interested in the future of American manufacturing, this is a conversation you won't want to miss. Subscribe to Manufacturing Talk Radio for conversations with the leaders, experts, and innovators shaping the future of manufacturing. Topics: U.S. manufacturing, manufacturing workforce shortage, skilled labor shortage, manufacturing jobs, AI in manufacturing, manufacturing automation, robotics, workforce development, skilled trades, advanced manufacturing, manufacturing careers, reshoring, onshoring, employee training, upskilling, Manufacturing Institute, future of manufacturing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Fabian Alefeld interviews Brandon Brodie, co-founder and CEO of Annihilator Broadheads, about how an Idaho elk hunt and a lost bull sparked a new broadhead concept sketched by Brandon's future partner Micah. They describe turning the 2D sketch into plastic CAD prototypes via Boise State, a makeshift “wind tunnel” test using Instant Pot steam, and early performance goals of flight, penetration, durability, and lethality. Field and improvised tests (steel drum, long-range accuracy, animal kills) plus third-party fluid dynamics modeling suggested Annihilator's design created unusually large high-pressure and low-tension effects. After major supply failures with investment casting and metal injection molding - causing shortages, high scrap rates, and lost dealers - Brodie brought manufacturing in-house, adopting metal laser powder bed fusion, improving repeatability and enabling new geometries like the Katana. He outlines ongoing innovation, potential adjacent products, and plans to leverage Annihilator's additive capabilities for partnerships and contract manufacturing. 02:26 Elk Camp Origin 06:43 Sketch to Prototype 11:36 Instant Pot Wind Test 14:44 Performance Pillars 18:41 Steel Drum Proof 22:45 Real Hunt Validation 26:45 Fluid Dynamics Breakthrough 30:41 Engineering Led Marketing 33:32 Manufacturing Growing Pains 34:27 Industry Award Surprise 35:53 COVID Demand Crunch 36:54 Casting Supplier Failures 39:40 MIM Tooling Disaster 42:30 Additive Breakthrough 46:35 Learning Metal Printing 49:55 Repeatability and Materials 52:56 Katana Broadhead Innovation 57:49 Scaling R&D Team
Sterile ophthalmic manufacturing is facing growing demand as more preservative-free therapies move through development, while manufacturers also contend with increasingly stringent expectations around contamination control, inspection, and quality. Blow-fill-seal (BFS) technology offers a closed, highly automated approach that can reduce contamination risks while producing billions of unit doses at scale. In this episode of Off Script, we spoke with Jody Chastain, CEO of The Ritedose Corporation, about the role of BFS in the future of sterile ophthalmic manufacturing. Chastain discussed how automation is improving manufacturing speed and container integrity, why packaging decisions are increasingly being made earlier in development, and how manufacturers are adapting to evolving FDA expectations and Annex 1 principles. He also explored manufacturing redundancy, AI-enabled quality operations, automated inspection, and the future of BFS technology.
The Today in Manufacturing Podcast is brought to you by the editors of Manufacturing.net and Industrial Equipment News (IEN).This episode is brought to you by Siemens. Small and medium-sized manufacturers encounter the same industry-wide pressures as large manufacturers: rising costs, labor shortages, and growing operational complexity. But conventional digital transformation programs are often out of reach for smaller manufacturers due to budget, time, and skills constraints.This paper from ARC Advisory Group, "How Siemens Is Positioning Xcelerator for Small-Medium Manufacturers," outlines a more practical way for these manufacturers to do more with less and see results faster.Download "How Siemens Is Positioning Xcelerator for Small-Medium Manufacturers" right now. Every week, we cover the three biggest stories in manufacturing, and the implications they have on the industry moving forward. This week:- 5 Notable Cars That Won't Be Around Next Year- Engine Debris to Blame for Broken Boeing Window That Sucked Out Passenger- Tyson to Close 2 Facilities, Cut 3,200 JobsIn Case You Missed It- AI Companies Look to Ocean as Place to Put More Data Centers- Meat Processor Accused of Dumping Animal Blood, Waste Into Nearby Waters- How UAV Technology Can Help Combat the Growing Cargo Theft CrisisPlease make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. And to email the podcast, you can reach any of us at Andy, Nolan or David@ien.com, with “Email the Podcast” in the subject line. Subscribe to our daily and weekly newsletters.
Peter Parsons sits down with Mike Kubacki and Elliot Keas of IACMI, the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing and Innovation, to talk about how they're building the next generation of the manufacturing workforce. Mike directs the METAL program and Elliot directs the ACE program, and together they break down how these initiatives connect academia, industry, and government to close the skills gap in advanced manufacturing.They dig into the K through 12 outreach efforts getting kids hands-on with sand casting and machining before they ever set foot in a factory, why foundries have declined 40 percent over the past 20 years and what that means for national defense, and the career paths (apprenticeships, boot camps, internships) that can lead to a six figure salary without a four year degree. Mike and Elliot also share their own winding paths into manufacturing, from wire bonding microelectronics for space and defense projects to leading 600,000 square feet of manufacturing operations.This is part one of a two part conversation. Join us next episode as we continue the discussion with Mike and Elliot.Learn more:IACMI.org MetalForAmerica.org americascuttingedge.org
Digital Stratosphere: Digital Transformation, ERP, HCM, and CRM Implementation Best Practices
Season 9, Episode 1: Can Detroit become America's greatest urban comeback story? To kick off Season 9 of No Cap, we sit down with Jared Fleisher, CEO of Bedrock, to break down the future of Detroit, Cleveland, and large-scale city building. Jared shares how Bedrock, founded by Dan Gilbert, has invested billions across 140+ properties and 21M+ SF while helping reshape Detroit's urban core. Whether you're interested in public-private partnerships, downtown revitalization, GM's move to Hudson's Detroit, or the future of the Renaissance Center, this episode is a must-listen. Join us as we dive into conviction, civic commitment, riverfront development, and what it really takes to rebuild a city at scale. Shoutout to our sponsor, WareSpace — turning underused industrial, flex, office, and big-box properties into micro warehouse space for small businesses. TOPICS 00:00 - Season 9 Premiere with Jared Fleisher 05:00 - Dan Gilbert's Conviction in Detroit 10:52 - Bedrock's 21M SF Portfolio 16:49 - The Renaissance Center Challenge 22:38 - GM, Hudson's Detroit, and Civic Commitment 27:06 - Rebuilding Detroit's Riverfront 33:17 - Public-Private Partnerships and Brownfield Financing 41:48 - Innovation Districts and Talent 45:05 - Defense, Manufacturing, and Detroit's Next Chapter 48:06 - Downtown Dallas and Why Cities Need Strong Cores For more episodes of No Cap by CRE Daily visit https://www.credaily.com/podcast/ Watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NoCapCREDaily About No Cap Podcast Commercial real estate is a $20 trillion industry and a force that shapes America's economic fabric and culture. No Cap by CRE Daily is the commercial real estate podcast that gives you an unfiltered ”No Cap” look into the industry's biggest trends and the money game behind them. Each week co-hosts Jack Stone and Alex Gornik break down the latest headlines with some of the most influential and entertaining figures in commercial real estate. About CRE Daily CRE Daily is a digital media company covering the business of commercial real estate. Our mission is to empower professionals with the knowledge they need to make smarter decisions and do more business. We do this through our flagship newsletter (CRE Daily) which is read by 65,000+ investors, developers, brokers, and business leaders across the country. Our smart brevity format combined with need-to-know trends has made us one of the fastest growing media brands in commercial real estate.
Jim McTague reports Lancaster County's diverse economy—spanning tourism, agriculture, light manufacturing, and healthcare—is showing signs of notable resilience. While heavy July rains and high fuel costs temporarily slowed business, economic activity stabilized in August. Local tourist destinations like Kitchen Kettle Village report strong traffic, attracting over a million visitors annually with unique local goods and food. Lower gasoline prices have also arrived just in time to boost back-to-school shopping. Meanwhile, high inflation is driving steady consumer traffic to Costco for essentials, and local hotels remain heavily booked on weekends through October. (4)
In this episode the hosts analyze a niche underwater camera housing manufacturer whose poor marketing may be hiding an exceptional acquisition opportunity, debating whether the real value lies in modernizing sales rather than operations.Business Listing – https://www.bizbuysell.com/business-opportunity/highly-scalable-underwater-imaging-manufacturer-for-sale/2439426/Welcome to Acquisitions Anonymous – the #1 podcast for small business M&A. Every week, we break down businesses for sale and talk about buying, operating, and growing them.Looking to build a professional website in minutes? Try Wix: https://wix.pxf.io/c/6898629/3115214/25616?trafcat=templateHubSpot is the backbone for how businesses scale without chaos. Try them out here: https://go.try-hubspot.com/OeG9VrSubscribe for more episodes: https://www.youtube.com/@AcquisitionsAnonymousPodcast?sub_confirmation=1Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://www.acquanon.com/newsletterSponsors:Inzo TechnologiesBuying a business means inheriting years of technology decisions. Inzo Technologies helps acquisition entrepreneurs evaluate IT and cybersecurity risk during due diligence and provides a practical 30-day stabilization plan after closing. Learn more at https://inzotechnologies.com/etaFRANZY - Thinking about buying a franchise instead of an independent business? FRANZY is a free platform built for acquisition-minded entrepreneurs who want to explore franchise ownership without broker bias. FRANZY matches you with franchise opportunities based on your capital, goals, and lifestyle—and includes free coaching from experienced franchise operators. If you're exploring ETA but want a structured, system-driven alternative, check out https://franzy.com/ Could a 50+ year-old underwater imaging manufacturer be one of the most overlooked acquisition opportunities on the market? Michael Girdley, Mills Snell, and guest Brad Weimert from Quiet Light break down a California-based business listed for $1 million with approximately $986K in revenue, $167K in cash flow, and more than $450K in inventory included. The company designs specialized underwater camera housings and imaging systems for customers ranging from Hollywood productions to research organizations and military clients.The discussion quickly shifts away from the financials and toward the real story: a business with an impressive reputation that appears to be marketed incredibly poorly. The hosts debate whether the company is an operations-first manufacturer that simply never learned modern marketing—and whether the right buyer could dramatically grow revenue through e-commerce, YouTube, Meta, and content marketing.Along the way, Brad shares candid lessons from representing hundreds of business sellers, explains why so many listings fail to tell the real story, and outlines exactly how he would structure an offer—including a lower all-cash purchase price and inventory consignment—to unlock an attractive deal.Key Highlights:- Underwater imaging manufacturer listed for $1M with roughly $167K SDE and $986K revenue- Nearly $452K in inventory creates major discussion around valuation and deal structure- Hosts believe weak marketing—not weak products—may be the biggest issue- Brad explains how honest brokerage advice differs from overpromising sellers unrealistic valuations- Creative acquisition ideas include cash offers, inventory consignment, and turning the business into a modern marketing machineSubscribe to weekly our Newsletter and get curated deals in your inboxAdvertise with us by clicking hereDo you love Acquanon and want to see our smiling faces? Subscribe to our Youtube channel.Do you enjoy our content? Rate our show!Follow us on Twitter @acquanon Learnings about small business acquisitions and operations.For inquiries or suggestions, email us at contact@acquanon.com