Podcasts about Manufacturing

Dr Lauren Colenso-Semple is back to tackle a series of current trends, narratives, and pseudoscientific claims in fitness and wellness, including:-Is there any quality human research on “wellness peptides”-What are wellness peptides-Why are they becoming more popular-Is there any evidence to suggest that muscle building is any different for women than men-Is there any evidence that birth control affects muscle growth-Is there any difference in protein timing needs for muscle growth in women-Are there notable differences in muscle fibre type between men and women-Is there any association between testosterone levels and lean mass and strength in women-Does menopause accelerate muscle loss-Is creatine as potent as it's currently hyped-Is there any evidence to support cycle syncing-Why is messaging around unique physiological differences so appealing to women-Why are some fitness and wellness “professionals” incentivized to brand around differences in men's and women's training physiology-Are there differences in injury risks across the phases of menstrual cycles-Do vibration plates have any benefits-Is calling out female creators for spreading misinformation by other women “mean girl behaviour”-And much moreIG: @drlaurencs1CHAPTERS01:00 What Are Wellness Peptides and Why They're Trending02:00 How Peptides Work in the Body03:00 Drug Development and Approval Process04:00 Unapproved Peptides in the Wellness Market07:00 Biological Risks and Tumor Concerns08:00 Limited Human Data and Research Quality09:00 Placebo Effects and Pain Resolution10:00 Drug Approval vs Evidence Reality11:00 Placebo Surgery Example and Mind-Body Effects12:00 The “Wild West” of Peptide Research13:00 Manufacturing and Dosing Risks14:00 Why Peptides Became Popular15:00 Normalization of Injectables and “Natural” Marketing20:00 Branding Differences Between Approved Drugs and Peptides24:00 Historical Drug Regulation Context25:00 Are Muscle Gains Different Between Men and Women?26:00 Molecular and Physiological Similarities Between Sexes27:00 Muscle Fiber Type Complexity30:00 Genetics vs Training Adaptation33:00 Athlete Caliber vs Sex Differences37:00 Creatine Performance Effects38:00 Creatine and Clinical Populations39:00 High Dose Creatine Considerations42:00 Testosterone Myths and Hypertrophy43:00 Menopause and Muscle Loss45:00 Measuring Testosterone and Lab Variability46:00 PCOS and Testosterone Levels47:00 Research Gaps in PCOS and Performance48:00 Menstrual Cycle Strength Research Discussion51:00 Why Cycle Syncing Messaging Is Appealing52:00 Marketing Incentives and Female Targeting53:00 Diet Culture Parallel and Behavior Change54:00 Individualization vs Simple Prescriptions55:00 Age vs Training Factors That Actually Matter58:00 Vibration Plates — Claims vs Evidence59:00 Exercise vs Passive Modalities01:01:00 Injury Risk Across Menstrual Cycle PhasesSUPPORT THE SHOWIf this episode helped you cut through confusion in fitness and wellness claims, you can support the show by:• Subscribing and checking out more episodes• Sharing it on your social media (tag me — I'll respond)• Sending it to a friend who's overwhelmed by conflicting adviceFOLLOW ANDREW COATESInstagram: @andrewcoatesfitnesshttps://www.andrewcoatesfitness.comPARTNERS AND RESOURCESRP Strength App (use code COATESRP)https://www.rpstrength.com/coatesJust Bite Me Meals (use code ANDREWCOATESFITNESS for 10% off)https://justbitememeals.comMacrosFirst – FREE Premium TrialDownload MacrosFirst and during setup you'll be asked “How did you hear about us?”Type in: ANDREWKNKG Bags (15% off)https://www.knkg.com/Andrew59676Versa Gripps (discount link)https://www.versagripps.com/andrewcoatesTRAINHEROIC – FREE 90-Day TRIAL (2 steps)Go to https://www.trainheroic.com/liftfreeReply to the email you receive (or email trials@trainheroic.com) and let them know Andrew sent you

I just discovered how to make $100K+ per year in Ghana without even living there—and you can start with as little as $40K for 3-10X returns. This conversation with Ben changed everything I thought I knew about building wealth in Africa.Beachfront property for $40K that costs $500K in America? Business opportunities with minimal effort? This is the wealth-building strategy nobody's talking about. Watch until the end—this could change your financial future.

The Today in Manufacturing Podcast is brought to you by the editors of Manufacturing.net and Industrial Equipment News (IEN).This week's episode is brought to you by the fintech pioneers at Klear. When demand outpaces the funding needed to sustain growth, manufacturers run into what is known as the “success trap."The success trap is all too common. Enterprises invest heavily to fill orders while waiting weeks for payment. This dynamic can create a deficit in working capital that forces many to make decisions that lead to delivery delays and frustrated customers.Check out this report, "The Success Trap: Why Fast-Growing Manufacturers Fail," to learn how manufacturers can avoid these types of barriers in growing their business.Every week, we cover the three biggest stories in manufacturing, and the implications they have on the industry moving forward. This week:- Offshoring Critic to Move Ohio Manufacturing to China- Cargill to Shutter Wisconsin Plant, Cut More than 200 Jobs- Wind Turbine Graveyard in Texas Sparks LawsuitIn Case You Missed It- Small Aircraft Went from Concept to Flight-Ready Prototype in 71 Days- Robotic Dog Made in China Gets Indian University Kicked Out of AI Summit- Security Breach: Hybrid Warfare is Upon You Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out a lot by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast, you can reach any of us at David, Jeff or Anna [at] ien.com, with “Email the Podcast” in the subject line.

Episode 213 with Sander de Klerk, CEO and Founder of The Good Roll, a fast growing ecosystem reshaping the global paper industry through circular production, ethical sourcing, and socially inclusive solutions rooted in Africa.Recently named EY Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year 2024, Sander is building far more than a sustainable consumer brand. What began as The Good Roll, producing tree friendly toilet paper from recycled paper, has evolved into a fully integrated value chain anchored in Ghana. At the heart of the model is bamboo pulp production, working with thousands of farmers and creating hundreds of jobs while supplying sustainable raw materials to producers across Africa and Europe.Sander explains how The Good Roll is challenging traditional extractive trade models by retaining value at source and positioning Africa as a serious player in global manufacturing. From building production capacity in Ghana to connecting African processing with European markets, he shares the realities of scaling industry across continents. We explore why sanitation must be viewed not only as a public health issue but as a foundational economic priority, and how sustainability can move from being perceived as a cost to becoming a competitive growth strategy.What We Discuss With SanderThe future of Africa in global manufacturing and how circular production models can increase value retention on the continent.The commercial case for bamboo as a scalable industrial input in sustainable packaging and paper production.How sanitation infrastructure links directly to economic participation and workforce productivity.Designing impact driven businesses that balance ESG commitments with profitability and investor confidence.New financing pathways for African industrial ventures beyond traditional bank lending.Did you miss my previous episode where I discuss How Africa Can Become a Global Remote Work Hub: AI, Employer of Record & The Future of Work? Make sure to check it out!Connect with Terser:LinkedIn - Terser AdamuInstagram - unlockingafricaTwitter (X) - @TerserAdamuConnect with Sander:LinkedIn - Sander de Klerk and Talenteum.com / The Good Roll | B CorpWebsite -  thegoodroll.co.ukMany of the businesses unlocking opportunities in Africa don't do it alone. If you'd like strategic support on entering or expanding across African markets, reach out to our partners ETK Group: www.etkgroup.co.ukinfo@etkgroup.co.uk

In this special guest episode, Andrew sits down with Russell Watkins, co-founder of Sempai. Andrew first met Russell at the Gemba Summit in Belfast, where Russell delivered a keynote titled “10 Lightbulb Moments from Working with Toyota Japan and UK.” After cornering him at lunch with a notebook full of questions, Andrew knew this had to become a podcast conversation.They explore:What Russell learned apprenticing under a direct student of Taiichi Ohno and why he was told to “stop reading and start doing”Why you don't learn lean from books alone (but why books still matter)How to actually observe work on the Gemba, and why empty workstations don't tell the full storyThe danger of “putting lipstick on a pig” by optimizing rework instead of eliminating the need for itWhy “Fix What Bugs You” works and where it falls short without strategic directionA practical introduction to Hoshin Kanri (policy deployment) for small manufacturersHow to connect shop-floor improvements to real business needsThe power of visual defect analysis—even without formal data systemsFour simple questions that reveal the strength (or weakness) of your SOPsHow to handle the 20-70-10 dynamic when rolling out lean initiativesWhy humility and “opening the kimono” as a leader builds trust and cultural momentumThis conversation bridges the gap between the Two Second Lean community and traditional Toyota Production System thinking, offering practical insight for small and mid-sized manufacturers who want to move beyond local optimization and align improvement with long-term business survival.Links:The explainer on Hoshin Kanri/policy deployment that Russell mentioned

1. Stevenson-Yang 1: The Evolution of China's Economic Transformation. Anne Stevenson-Yang recounts her 1994 Xi'an visit, contrasting tattered manufacturing exhibits with the impoverished, stagnant office culture she witnessed during her 1985 arrival. Guest: Anne Stevenson-Yang.

Gregory Zuckerman highlights Moderna's desperate struggle for funding and manufacturing equipment, which was finally resolved by a massive Wall Street investment during the pandemic's peak. 5

Chris Holman welcomes back Tom Kelly, President & CEO, Automation Alley, Troy, MI. This time around is their Integr8 2026 discussion: Welcome back Tom, briefly remind the Michigan business community what Integr8 is and how it has evolved? From a business leader's perspective, what makes the 2026 Integr8 Series different from other manufacturing or tech events? How should manufacturers think about balancing technology investments with workforce readiness as AI and automation accelerate? Which of the 2026 roundtable topics do you think will have the most immediate impact on Michigan manufacturers' bottom lines? What practical takeaways can small and midsize manufacturers expect from the Integr8 playbooks and discussions? For companies considering sponsorship or participation, what's the real business value of being part of these roundtable conversations? » Visit MBN website: www.michiganbusinessnetwork.com/ » Subscribe to MBN's YouTube: www.youtube.com/@MichiganbusinessnetworkMBN » Like MBN: www.facebook.com/mibiznetwork » Follow MBN: twitter.com/MIBizNetwork/ » MBN Instagram: www.instagram.com/mibiznetwork/ Automation Alley announces 2026 Integr8 Roundtable Series focused on the technologies redefining manufacturing Six curated roundtables will explore AI, data, automation and global manufacturing trends – with workforce transformation integrated across all topics TROY, Mich., 2025 – Automation Alley, Michigan's Digital Transformation Insight Center, today announced its 2026 Integr8 Series featuring six thought-provoking roundtables focused on the technologies, strategies and global forces shaping the future of digital transformation. 2026 Integr8 Roundtable Series Each roundtable will generate a companion playbook summarizing key insights and strategies from the discussion. The 2026 series includes: February – Vibe Manufacturing: Where AI Meets Additive Exploring the convergence of artificial intelligence and additive manufacturing and how “Vibe Manufacturing” is shaping the next generation of production. March – Industrial Intelligence: Making Data Work on the Factory Floor Examining how manufacturers can move from data overload to actionable insight through smarter, connected systems. April – The Next Industrial Workforce: What Jobs Will the Future Demand? Addressing how AI and automation are transforming the nature of work and what it means for future talent pipelines. May – Trade, Tariffs & Tension: Manufacturing in a Fractured Global Economy Discussing how manufacturers can remain agile and competitive amid shifting trade dynamics and geopolitical uncertainty. August – Automation in the Real World: Aligning Supply Chain & Strategy Highlighting how companies are successfully integrating automation across complex multi-tiered supply chains. September – Digital Defense: Cybersecurity Strategies for Small and Midsize Manufacturers Focusing on practical, scalable approaches to protect connected factories from evolving cyber threats. Roundtable participation will be limited so that attendees are better able to participate in meaningful discussions. Manufacturers of all sizes as well as companies within the technology, government, academia and professional services industries are encouraged to request an invitation to be considered. Companies can find the full agenda with full descriptions of each roundtable and request an invitation at https://integr8series.com/. Sponsorship Opportunities Available The 2026 Integr8 Series offers a unique opportunity for companies to showcase their thought leadership and elevate their brand visibility among manufacturing and technology leaders. Exclusive sponsorship opportunities are available for each roundtable, providing sponsors with direct engagement with key decision-makers and positioning their organizations as leaders in digital transformation. Visit https://integr8series.com/sponsorship/ or contact Automation Alley at sponsorships@automationalley.com.

In today's world where every imaginable product can appear at your doorstep with the click of a button, the art that goes into manufacturing those products is increasingly overlooked.  Tim Minshall is a professor of innovation at the University of Cambridge and the author of How Things Are Made: A Journey Through the Hidden World of Manufacturing. As head of the Institute for Manufacturing, Tim is shaping the future leaders of manufacturing and reinforcing the critical role manufacturing plays in today's world.  In this conversation, Tim and Greg discuss the disconnect happening between modern-day consumers and the products they buy, plus the misconception that manufacturing has declined. They also delve into the complexity and fragility of manufacturing systems, the role of education in manufacturing, challenges in reviving manufacturing, and the future of manufacturing and software integration.  *unSILOed Podcast is produced by University FM.* Episode Quotes: Bridging the gap between idea and implementation 08:09: The narrative has got a bit confused. This idea that there is a thing called innovation where you have got all the great science and technology and all this cool stuff happening, and that is brilliant. And then there is a bit, which is now implement, or we can call that manufacturing and, as you say, not without its challenges to scale and support software at scale. It is a non-trivial challenge. But if you are scaling up the production process for a new cell therapy to treat cancer or scaling up the production of, a novel semiconductor approach using, I do not know, compound semiconductors, there is, as you say, massive physical challenges involved there, so, but to me that is all part of the same innovation story. You go from the idea and the market opportunity all the way through is part of the innovation story. There is not this neat line in the middle which goes, yes, we have done with the innovation, now we manufacture. Have we become disconnected from how manufacturing happens? Every single thing we can see, unless it is a plant, a rock, an animal, or another human, has been manufactured...All of these things have been manufactured, and so there has been a slight worrying thing that has happened, certainly in the UK, and I suspect a little bit in the US as well, which is we have become disconnected from how that happens. And the more we become disconnected from it, the less we appreciate how incredibly clever it is. What are one of the biggest challenges facing manufacturing? 16:39: One of the biggest challenges facing manufacturing is. Getting good people to want to work in factories. Surely step one is making it visible. If you do not know it and you have not seen it, you are unlikely to just go, oh, I want to get involved in manufacturing. You need to have seen it. Repositioning manufacturing as the thing that drives solution 23:24: We have to reposition manufacturing as the thing that drives solutions. It is the thing that pushes us to deal with the energy transition. It allows us to deal with our multiple healthcare crises. It is what allows us to deal with sustainability challenges, all of these, it allows us to deal with the defense challenges. Geopolitics at the moment is pointing to extremely important role for manufacturing. We would rather not be in this situation, but it is an absolute truth. Show Links: Recommended Resources: I, Pencil Breakneck: China's Quest to Engineer the Future by Dan Wang  Why Isn't the Whole World Developed? Lessons from the Cotton Mills by Gregory Clark Jeff Immelt | unSILOed John Taylor Ha Joon Chang | unSILOed Guest Profile: Faculty Profile at University of Cambridge's Institute for Manufacturing Professional Profile on LinkedIn Profile on X Guest Work: How Things Are Made: A Journey Through the Hidden World of Manufacturing – A Guide to Sustainable Innovation - US Your Life Is Manufactured: How We Make Things, Why It Matters and How We Can Do It Better - UK  Google Scholar Page Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

If you haven't streamed the full episode yet, make sure you don't miss it.Optimizing for Meaning: What Industrial Engineering Teaches Us About Balance and BurnoutIn this thoughtful and refreshingly honest conversation, Aly Kamel, an industrial and management engineering student at the Arab Academy for Science and Technology, explores how core industrial engineering principles like input-process-output, value-added analysis, and constraint management can be applied to something far more personal: balance, burnout, and sustainable ambition.Aly challenges the idea that success means maximizing output at all costs. Instead, he reframes burnout not as a personal failure, but as a predictable system outcome, and one that can be redesigned.Industrial engineering isn't just about factories and supply chains. It's a mindset for designing systems that last.And the most important system you'll ever design… might be yourself.Learn more about The Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE)Problem Solved on LinkedInProblem Solved on YouTubeProblem Solved on Instagram

Though uncertainty still surrounds the Trump administration’s pharmaceutical import tariffs, the trade rhetoric set off a clear response across the industry in 2025. Drugmakers accelerated U.S. manufacturing plans, pushing production higher as companies looked to insulate their supply chains. Now, with many of those moves already underway, that breakneck pace is expected to level off through 2026 and 2027, according to a recent outlook from Atradius. In this week’s episode of "The Top Line," Fierce Pharma’s Fraiser Kansteiner speaks with Brady McKinney, an underwriter for Atradius' pharmaceuticals sector focusing on the Americas, about the credit insurer's recent industry report. McKinney explains how tariff concerns drove last year’s manufacturing surge and why Atradius expects a period of stabilization ahead. He also discusses how companies are weighing the risk of future trade flare-ups and what that could mean for production, investment and credit conditions across the sector. To learn more about the topics in this episode: Global pharma manufacturing output surged in '25 in 'front-loading' response to US tariff threats: report FDA emphasizes drug ingredients, production pledges as it debuts PreCheck manufacturing program In quick reversal, Trump calls off tariff threat related to Greenland pursuit 3 biopharma CEOs explain why they are 'authentically optimistic' for 2026 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

US President Trump reportedly weighs limited strike to force Iran into nuclear deal, according to WSJ; President considers a range of military options but says he still prefers diplomacy.European equities rebound from Thursday's losses, Moncler supports the luxury sector; US equity futures taking impetus from its EZ counterparts.USD slightly firmer, GBP mildly benefits on strong Retail Sales/PMIs, JPY weaker post-CPI.A UK surplus supports Gilts while Bunds fade from highs as Manufacturing returns to expansion.Crude slightly softer as focus remains on US and Iran; Precious metals maintain their shine amid geopolitical uncertainty.Looking Ahead, highlights include US S&P Flash PMIs (Feb), US PCE/GDP (Dec/Q4), Canadian Retail Sales (Jan), SCOTUS Opinions day (potential decision on President Trump's IEEPA tariffs). Speakers include Fed's Logan & Bostic.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk

Can a domestically based manufacturing industry meet the needs of the defense sector?

Brian Szytel from The Bahnsen Group recaps a modest down day in markets—Dow down 267 points, S&P 500 down 0.25%, and Nasdaq down 0.33%—while noting the market remains up on the week. The 10-year yield edged down to about 4.07% amid expectations that a new Fed chair in May could eventually bring short-term rate cuts. He discusses rising Middle East tensions and increased U.S. presence tied to Iran, which has helped push crude higher (about 6% over two days; up ~15% YTD), but argues energy's strong performance is primarily driven by supply/demand fundamentals and well-run businesses, with the sector up ~23% YTD and 95% of names above their 200-day moving average. He highlights leadership from defensives like energy, industrials, staples, and materials—often a late-cycle signal—while technology and communication services lag, with only ~40% of names above their 200-day averages; he notes some software valuations have compressed from mid-30s multiples to low-20s. Economic updates include better-than-expected initial jobless claims (206k vs 220k), a wider December trade deficit (over $70B vs ~56B expected), a stronger Philly Fed manufacturing reading, and weaker pending home sales. He closes by answering a question on non-GAAP vs GAAP P/E ratios, explaining non-GAAP adjusts for one-time items to estimate normalized earnings, while cautioning that recurring “anomalies” can make non-GAAP misleading and require careful analysis. 00:00 Market Close Recap: Indexes Dip, Rates Steady 00:52 Energy Sector Strength: Oil Headlines vs Real Fundamentals 02:08 Sector Rotation & Valuations: Defensives Lead, Tech Lags 03:30 Economic Data Roundup: Jobs, Trade, Manufacturing, Housing 04:07 Viewer Q&A: Non-GAAP vs GAAP P/E Ratios Explained 05:28 Wrap-Up & Weekend Sign-Off Links mentioned in this episode: DividendCafe.com TheBahnsenGroup.com

In aerospace and defense, a structural shift in global manufacturing is underway. Supply chains are strained, skilled labor is scarce, and production backlogs are testing relationships between OEMs and suppliers across the globe. So the industry is being forced to look for answers in new places. One of those places is India.  What started as an engineering and software hub is rapidly becoming something much larger.  A manufacturing powerhouse capable of delivering aerospace-grade quality, advanced digital operations, and the scale required to support global demand. In this highlight episode, I revisit my conversation with the co-founder and CEO of Jeh Aerospace, Vishal Sanghavi.  He explains why major suppliers are moving work to India, how credibility is earned with Western customers, and why the opportunity ahead is bigger than a simple cost advantage. You'll also learn: Why labor shortages in the U.S. are accelerating permanent shifts in manufacturing geography How pairing India's talent base with modern digital infrastructure changes what suppliers can deliver What it takes to overcome skepticism and prove reliability to Western aerospace customers Why the companies that win will think beyond arbitrage and build technology leverage How India's momentum could reshape the global supplier map for decades Why, with market demand, policy movement, and geopolitics aligning, the window of opportunity is now   About the Guest Vishal R. Sanghavi is the co-founder & CEO of Jeh Aerospace. He has been a leader in the aerospace and defense (A&D) industry for nearly two decades. He co-founded Jeh Aerospace in 2022 with his long-time colleague Venkatesh Mudragalla. This US-based company manufactures aerospace and defense components to address the industry's global supply chain constraints. Vishal is on a mission to transform aerospace manufacturing by harnessing the power of advanced technologies like robotic automation, AI, and AR/VR, and leveraging the vast talent pool of countries like India through friend-shoring. He is building Jeh Aerospace into a new-age technology-driven manufacturing company that will deliver stringent-quality flying parts 10x faster, better, and cheaper. Vishal's entrepreneurial journey began at the renowned Tata Group, where he built and led large multimillion-dollar businesses and became one of the youngest CXOs for the group. He spearheaded numerous aerospace businesses during his tenure, including the Tata Boeing Joint Venture (JV), Tata Sikorsky JV, and Tata Lockheed JV, which manufacture large, complex aerospace systems. To learn more, visit https://jeh.aero/.    About Your Host Craig Picken is an Executive Recruiter, writer, speaker, and ICF Trained Executive Coach. He is focused on recruiting senior-level leadership, sales, and operations executives in the aviation and aerospace industry. His clients include premier OEMs, aircraft operators, leasing/financial organizations, and Maintenance/Repair/Overhaul (MRO) providers, and since 2008, he has personally concluded more than 400 executive-level searches in a variety of disciplines. Craig is the ONLY industry executive recruiter who has professionally flown airplanes, sold airplanes, and successfully run a P&L in the aviation industry. His professional career started with a passion for airplanes. After eight years' experience as a decorated Naval Flight Officer – with more than 100 combat missions, 2,000 hours of flight time, and 325 aircraft carrier landings – Craig sought challenges in business aviation, where he spent more than 7 years in sales with both Gulfstream Aircraft and Bombardier Business Aircraft. Craig is also a sought-after industry speaker who has presented at Corporate Jet Investor, International Aviation Women's Association, and SOCAL Aviation Association.    For more aerospace industry news & commentary: https://craigpicken.com/insights/.  To learn more about Craig Picken, visit https://craigpicken.com/.  

On this episode, Bryan Hassin, CEO of DexMat, joins the show to discuss Galvorn – a next-generation conductive material designed for high-performance, weight-constrained applications across aerospace, defense, automotive, and data infrastructure. Their latest funding marks a transition point for the company, from deep materials R&D into production scale and customer qualification. Bryan has spent his career working at […] The post Introducing Galvorn: The Lightest, Strongest and Most Conductive Material on the Planet first appeared on Composites Weekly. The post Introducing Galvorn: The Lightest, Strongest and Most Conductive Material on the Planet appeared first on Composites Weekly.

The decision to bootstrap a business or raise venture capital is not just financial. It is physics. You are choosing which system to operate within, which rules will govern your company, and whose incentives will shape your options at every inflection point. Rob Taylor has lived both realities. He spent years building venture-backed companies, raising millions in institutional capital. His brother Chris bootstrapped a company for 20 years and owned nearly 100% at exit. They sold their companies the same year and ended up in roughly the same place financially. The question is what do you optimize for, and the nature of that question is changing daily in the age of AI. Recorded live at Red Fridge Society.The Agenda0:00 Intro + Defining Bootstrap vs. VC 7:23 Is Your Business VC-Backable 11:54 The Ecosystem You Gain with Institutional Capital 15:03 The Ownership Curve 20:36 Control and Governance 26:24 Disruption in the AI Era 32:41 How Fund Size Shapes Investment Behavior 37:43 The Bootstrap-VC Overlap 40:54 Choosing Your Partner 45:14 The Incremental Approach to RaisingGuest LinksRob Taylor: LinkedIn, Silverton PartnersRed Fridge Society -------------------Austin Next Links: Website, X/Twitter, YouTube, LinkedInEcosystem Metacognition Substack

Welcome to Manufacturing Greatness with Trevor Blondeel, where we work with organizations to manufacture greatness by leveraging resources you already have to achieve greater retention, productivity, and profits. To learn more, visit www.manufacturinggreatness.com and click here to subscribe to Trevor's monthly newsletter. Now, let's jump in! In this episode, Bruce Mayhew, corporate trainer, keynote speaker, executive coach, and author, shares insights on manufacturing leadership, communication skills, and trust building for Operations Managers, Production Managers, Manufacturing Managers, and Shift Supervisors. You'll learn why traditional command-and-control leadership no longer works in today's plants — and how curiosity-driven leadership, authentic communication, and continuous improvement help manufacturing leaders close the skills gap, strengthen employee engagement, and drive real team performance. Bruce breaks down how everyday leadership behaviors directly impact culture, safety, accountability, and results — especially as manufacturing organizations face labor shortages, workforce challenges, and generational shifts on the shop floor. This conversation connects soft skills with operational excellence, showing leaders how to move from reaction to intention, from blame to curiosity, and from siloed management to connected leadership. 01:30 – As generational shifts place millennials in leadership roles, it can create tension between siloed leadership and collaborative, flatter manufacturing cultures. 03:49–Purpose and meaning drive effective leadership, stronger relationships, and healthier workplace culture. 06:12–Disconnects between executives and the shop floor weaken teamwork and long-term manufacturing performance. 07:19–Self-awareness and emotional intelligence enable leaders to adapt communication styles across manufacturing teams. 08:58–Respect on the shop floor comes from meeting people where they are, not talking down to them. 09:44–High performance in manufacturing is unlocked through meaningful conversations rather than top-down directives. 16:27–Transparency grows when leaders listen first and elevate frontline voices. 18:33-  Shared pride in quality and reputation strengthens team identity and manufacturing excellence. 20:15–Curiosity-driven leadership replaces blame-focused problem solving with appreciative inquiry. 23:31–Positive exploration increases engagement by empowering teams instead of punishing them. 25:09 - Accountability works best when leaders replace interrogation with curiosity-based performance conversations. Connect with Bruce Mayhew Visit his website Find him on LinkedIn Following him on Instagram @bruce.mayhew

The Transformation Ground Control podcast covers a number of topics important to digital and business transformation. This episode covers the following topics and interviews:   Oracle's Cloud Supply Chain Capabilities, Q&A (Darian Chwialkowski, Third Stage Consulting) Industry 4.0 Why Software Best Practices Do Not Exist   We also cover a number of other relevant topics related to digital and business transformation throughout the show.  

George Wright II interviews Jake Hadlock, founder and owner of Nutrient, a fast-growing contract manufacturer, and host of the Bottom Line podcast/YouTube show. Jake shares his path into supplements through his grandfather's influence, early work in marketing at a supplement brand, and a shift toward product development and formulation consulting that led to building a manufacturing business. They discuss how many supplement products are similar and how brand, marketing, and team execution often separate winners, while long-term success still depends on product experience and efficacy. Jake explains why proprietary blends can be misleading, how ingredients are listed from greatest to least within a blend, and how brands may “fairy dust” desirable ingredients. 00:37 Jake's Origin Story: Family, Formulation & Finding the Path02:11 Behind the Scenes of Supplements: What Really Sets Brands Apart03:50 Proprietary Blends Explained: ‘Fairy Dusting' & Label Red Flags06:55 What Makes Companies Last: Innovation, Trends & Staying Ahead08:37 AI in Formulation: Faster Copycats vs Real-World Product Experience10:06 Efficacy vs Compliance vs Marketing: How Brands Play the Game12:06 The Operator Mindset: Supply Chain, Production & Making It Work14:50 Scaling Nutrient: Building the Team, SOPs & Systems to GrowThanks for listening, and Please Share this Episode with someone. It would really help us to grow our show and share these valuable tips and strategies with others. Have a great day.George Wright III“It's Never Too Late to Start Living the Life You Were Meant to Live”FREE Daily Mastermind Resources:CONNECT with George & Access Tons of ResourcesGet access to Proven Strategies and Time-Test Principles for Success. Plus, download and access tons of FREE resources and online events by joining our Exclusive Community of Entrepreneurs, Business Owners, and High Achievers like YOU.Join FREE at DailyMastermind.comFollow me on social media Facebook | Instagram | Linkedin | TikTok | YoutubeGrow Your Authority and Personal Brand with a FREE Interview in a Top Global Magazine HERE.‍About the Guest:Jake Hadlock is a growth-focused entrepreneur and manufacturing executive in the health and wellness industry. As the CEO of Nutriient, Jake leads one of the fastest-growing contract supplement manufacturers in the United States, helping emerging and established brands bring high-quality nutritional products to market.Jake is known for his candid insights into the realities of retail, capital strategy, and the competitive dynamics of the wellness space. He has shared his expertise on industry platforms, including the podcast Retail War Games, where he discusses manufacturing economics, brand positioning, and scaling strategies in today's marketplace.Guest ResourceWebsite: Nutriient.bizLinkedIn: Jake HadlockYouTube: Bottom Line

From Route 66 Plans To Leak Dealbreakers: Big-Event Travel Strategy, RV Buying Red Flags, Holding Tank Truths, and A Behind-the-Scenes Look at Manufacturing.Planning a trip around America's 250th anniversary, the Route 66 centennial, or major World Cup events? John DiPietro talks with Woodall's Campground Magazine editor Ben Quiggle about what's coming up, why pricing and availability may get wild, and how to plan smarter by booking early, and looking beyond the most obvious campgrounds.Then, Jim and Rene sit down with master certified mobile RV technician Zeb Hahn, for a clear-eyed breakdown of what goes wrong most often in both new and used rigs. They cover repeat problem areas, what to look – and listen – for during a walk-through, the maintenance that prevents expensive damage, and the dealbreakers that should make any buyer walk away.For The RV Entrepreneur segment, Rose and Glynn welcome Ricky Stewart from Unique Camping + Marine for a surprisingly fun and very useful conversation about holding tanks, and the business behind this leading additive manufacturer. Ricky explains why some popular “old school” advice can backfire, what actually causes smells and sensor issues, and why their number one recommendation is simpler than people think: use more water.Bob Zagami wraps the episode with Willie Miller, General Manager at Forest River Plant 410, sharing what it looks like to expand product lines while protecting quality, how manufacturers think about the customer journey, and why follow-through after the sale matters more than the branding on the front cap.Get Complete Show Notes & Full Transcripthttps://podcast.rvlife.com/rvlife153/Connect & Learn Morehttps://facebook.com/rvlifepodcast/https://instagram.com/rvlifepodcast/https://www.facebook.com/groups/rvlifemovementBe A Guest or  Share Your Story!https://podcast.rvlife.com/contactSpecial Discount Codes: Click Link & Use Code* RV LIFE Pro 25% off at check out

Mads Buchardt founded Buchardt Audio with a vision of offering high-end sound and Scandinavian design at the best possible price. Known for “big sound in compact designs,” many of Buchardt's speakers are handcrafted in their woodshop in Denmark using the finest Danish oak, and their loudspeakers exemplify the minimalist aesthetic that is a hallmark of Scandinavian design.Simon talks with Mads about how Buchardt Audio is delivering on its vision by offering speakers that sound incredible, are visually stunning, and a great value.We Want to Hear from You!Have a topic, craft category, or craft company you'd like to see us cover? Email us here to share those or any other thoughts you have about CRAFTED.RELATED LINKS:Blister Craft CollectiveBecome a BLISTER+ MemberHeaven 11Floreo Coffee CoBuchardt AudioTOPICS & TIMES:Growing up with Music (6:03)Getting into Hi-Fi (8:04)Founding Buchardt Audio (9:42)Mads' First Speakers (12:08)What are Passive Radiators? (12:55)Staying Small & Running Lean (16:53)Early Challenges (18:53)Big Sound in a Compact Design (22:22)Manufacturing in Silkeborg (25:30)Buchardt's Masterpiece: the E50 (27:14)Active Speakers (43:57)What's Next for Buchardt Audio (55:36)SEE OUR OTHER PODCASTS:Blister CinematicBikes & Big IdeasGEAR:30Blister PodcastBLISTER NEWSLETTER:Get It & Our Weekly Gear Giveaways Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jeff Schwartz of Schwartz Performance joins us again to share updates on his builds, platforms they work on, and some stories about his early days of racing. Take your build up a whole new level with 6XD Gearbox: https://6xdgearbox.com Code "Minnoxide5" for 5% off High Performance Academy: https://hpcdmy.co/Minnoxide Use code "MINNOX" for 55% off ANY course Use Code "MINVIP" for $300 of the MINVIP Package Tuned By Shawn: https://www.tunedbyshawn.com Code "Minnoxide" for 5% off! Ship With Sure Thing Logistics: https://www.surethinglogistics.net MORE BIGGER Turbo T-Shirts:  https://www.minnoxide.com/products/more-bigger-t-shirt  

In this episode of the Workforce 4.0 podcast, host Ann Wyatt engages with Sadiq Panjwani, SVP of Machine Vision Cameras Group at Teledyne FLIR, to discuss the transformative impact of machine vision and automation in manufacturing. They explore the challenges and opportunities presented by emerging technologies, the rise of physical AI, the importance of human-robot collaboration, and the evolving skill sets required for the future workforce. Sadiq emphasizes the need for empathy and agility in organizations to successfully integrate new technologies and retain talent. The conversation also touches on the significance of interoperability and standardization in manufacturing processes. In This Episode:-00:00: Introduction to Machine Vision and Manufacturing-00:30: Welcoming Sadiq Panjwani, Teledyne-04:51: Breaking Down The Future Of Automation And Manufacturing-09:39: The Rise Of Physical AI and Human-Robot Collaboration-14:31: AI In Manufacturing: Unpacking The Timeline Shift-19:02: Connecting The Data Dots In Real Time-28:30: Uncovering Generational Challenges For Most Legacy Manufacturers-31:37: Closing Thoughts And Point of Contact-32:30: Workforce 4.0 OutroMore About Sadiq:Sadiq Panjwani has extensive work experience in various leadership roles within prominent companies. Sadiq currently serves as the Vice President and General Manager of the Machine Vision Cameras Group at Teledyne FLIR, where he has helped lead the global business division for integrated imaging solutions. Before joining Teledyne, Sadiq worked at GE, where he held several senior positions, including the Senior Commercial Director at GE Digital. Above all, Sadiq is committed to delivering decisive action in responding to evolving customer needs, uncovering market trends and mobilizing resources to deliver best-in-class and cost-effective technology solutions. This includes designing and driving initiatives that increase productivity, competitive differentiation and customer engagement while reducing costs and creating disruptive strategies. To learn more about Sadiq, connect with him here.

Buck dives into the themes behind his new book, Manufacturing Delusion. Buck looks at both past and present examples of brainwashing, totalitarian tactics, weaponized law, and mass delusion. He argues that manipulated belief, not natural threats, is the greatest danger to freedom today. Get your copy of Manufacturing Delusion: How the Left Uses Brainwashing, Indoctrination, and Propaganda Against You here: https://a.co/d/02X8RBaL Never miss a moment from Buck by subscribing to the Buck Sexton Show Podcast on IHeart Radio, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts! Connect with Buck Sexton:Facebook – / bucksexton X – @bucksexton Instagram – @bucksexton TikTok - @BuckSexton YouTube - @BuckSexton Website – https://www.bucksexton.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rea Ann Silva couldn't patent Beautyblender, so she built brand recognition stronger than IP. Learn how she scaled, without investment, to sales every 12 seconds. Subscribe and watch Shopify Masters on YouTube!Sign up for your FREE Shopify Trial here.

The Trump administration is deliberately plunging Cuba into a national and humanitarian crisis, and the US-imposed blockade of oil imports is wreaking havoc on daily life for Cubans. In this urgent episode of The Marc Steiner Show, Marc speaks with Cuban journalist and documentary filmmaker Liz Oliva Fernández about the unfolding nightmare in Cuba and what the international community can do to stop it.Guest:Liz Oliva Fernández is a Cuban journalist with the outlet Belly of the Beast, and she is the presenter of documentary series The War on Cuba, for which she won a Gracie Award. Apart from her journalism and filmmaking, Oliva Fernández is a dedicated anti-racist and feminist activist.Additional links/info:Belly of the Beast website, Facebook page, Instagram, and YouTube channelBelly of the Beast, The War on CubaAl Jazeera Staff & Reuters, Al Jazeera, “Waste piles up in Cuba as US-imposed fuel blockade halts collection trucks”Amy Goodman, Democracy Now!, ““Policy of aggression”: Cuba's U.N. ambassador denounces U.S. oil blockade, push to topple government”Credits:Producer: Rosette SewaliStudio Production: Cameron GranadinoAudio Post-Production: Stephen FrankBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-real-news-podcast--2952221/support.Help us continue producing radically independent news and in-depth analysis by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer.Follow us on:Bluesky: @therealnews.comFacebook: The Real News NetworkTwitter: @TheRealNewsYouTube: @therealnewsInstagram: @therealnewsnetworkBecome a member and join the Supporters Club for The Real News Podcast today!

We're here for a CHIPS Act megapod, in person with Mike Schmidt and Todd Fisher, the director and founding CIO of the CHIPS Program Office, respectively. We discuss… The mechanisms behind the success of the CHIPS Act, What CHIPS can teach us about other industrial policy challenges, like APIs and rare earths, What it takes to build a successful industrial policy implementation team, How the fear of “another Solyndra” is holding back US industrial policy, Chris Miller's recent interest in revitalizing America's chemical industry. This post is a collaboration with the Factory Settings Substack: https://www.factorysettings.org/. Subscribe for more insights from former CHIPS Program Office leaders! Suno song link: https://suno.com/s/wwVYK10LfrAD5zK2 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of The Kula Ring, Jeff White and Carman Pirie sit down with David Kilzer, founder and principal of Strategic Transformation Advisors, to explore the convergence of artificial intelligence and advanced humanoid robotics. Drawing on more than 50 years of experience in automation, David shares why this technological shift may dwarf previous revolutions like the internet and smartphones. The conversation dives into what makes AI-enabled humanoid robots fundamentally different from traditional industrial automation, why change management and human readiness are critical to success, and how manufacturers can begin preparing today. David introduces the concept of the “Humanoid Readiness Quotient,” a framework to help organizations assess their preparedness for this emerging era. The discussion also explores open-source robot operating systems, the importance of data infrastructure, and the competitive implications of dramatically lower operating costs. This episode is a forward-looking, practical guide for manufacturing leaders who want to navigate and capitalize on the coming transformation. To hear more from David on this fascinating topic, please give his Tedx talk a look, you can find that here.

Our guest today is an expert in industrial real estate with JLL in the Indianapolis MSA. It is obvious that she knows this market inside and out and she's able to share her market expertise with us. We're able to learn the answers to questions like: What is tenant sentiment when they approach a lease negotiation? What are the industrial leasing patterns? What does the development pipeline look like? How is leasing activity? https://www.linkedin.com/in/abigail-sievers-ab987226/ Email Jonathan with comments or suggestions:podcast@thesourcecre.comOr visit the webpage:www.thesourcecre.com*The audio of this podcast is never generated by AI. However, some of the show notes and images may have been generated using AI tools.

Optimizing for Meaning: What Industrial Engineering Teaches Us About Balance and BurnoutWe talk a lot on Problem Solved about optimizing systems, improving processes, and designing better organizations.But what happens when the system you're trying to design… is your own life?In this thoughtful and refreshingly honest conversation, Aly Kamel, an industrial and management engineering student at the Arab Academy for Science and Technology, explores how core industrial engineering principles like input-process-output, value-added analysis, and constraint management can be applied to something far more personal: balance, burnout, and sustainable ambition.Aly challenges the idea that success means maximizing output at all costs. Instead, he reframes burnout not as a personal failure, but as a predictable system outcome, and one that can be redesigned.Together, we discuss:Why high achievers are especially prone to burnoutHow “value-added” thinking applies to your daily lifeThe difference between intensity and sustainabilityWhy constraints should be treated as design inputs, not weaknessesAnd how to optimize for meaning — not just productivityIndustrial engineering isn't just about factories and supply chains. It's a mindset for designing systems that last.And the most important system you'll ever design… might be yourself.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

The Trump administration is deliberately plunging Cuba into a national and humanitarian crisis, and the US-imposed blockade of oil imports is wreaking havoc on daily life for Cubans. In this urgent episode of The Marc Steiner Show, Marc speaks with Cuban journalist and documentary filmmaker Liz Oliva Fernández about the unfolding nightmare in Cuba and what the international community can do to stop it.Guest:Liz Oliva Fernández is a Cuban journalist with the outlet Belly of the Beast, and she is the presenter of documentary series The War on Cuba, for which she won a Gracie Award. Apart from her journalism and filmmaking, Oliva Fernández is a dedicated anti-racist and feminist activist.Additional links/info:Belly of the Beast website, Facebook page, Instagram, and YouTube channelBelly of the Beast, The War on CubaAl Jazeera Staff & Reuters, Al Jazeera, “Waste piles up in Cuba as US-imposed fuel blockade halts collection trucks”Amy Goodman, Democracy Now!, ““Policy of aggression”: Cuba's U.N. ambassador denounces U.S. oil blockade, push to topple government”Credits:Producer: Rosette SewaliStudio Production: Cameron GranadinoAudio Post-Production: Stephen FrankBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-marc-steiner-show--4661751/support.Follow The Marc Steiner Show on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.Help us continue producing The Marc Steiner Show by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer.Sign up for our newsletterFollow us on BlueskyLike us on FacebookFollow us on TwitterDonate to support this podcast

Marley Kayden and Sam Vadas turn to the latest AI headlines under the surface of Tuesday's trading day, from analyzing Amazon's (AMZN) stretch of weakness to Micron's (MU) struggle to add manufacturing capacity. ======== Schwab Network ========Empowering every investor and trader, every market day.Options involve risks and are not suitable for all investors. Before trading, read the Options Disclosure Document. http://bit.ly/2v9tH6DSubscribe to the Market Minute newsletter - https://schwabnetwork.com/subscribeDownload the iOS app - https://apps.apple.com/us/app/schwab-network/id1460719185Download the Amazon Fire Tv App - https://www.amazon.com/TD-Ameritrade-Network/dp/B07KRD76C7Watch on Sling - https://watch.sling.com/1/asset/191928615bd8d47686f94682aefaa007/watchWatch on Vizio - https://www.vizio.com/en/watchfreeplus-exploreWatch on DistroTV - https://www.distro.tv/live/schwab-network/Follow us on X – https://twitter.com/schwabnetworkFollow us on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/schwabnetworkFollow us on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/schwab-network/About Schwab Network - https://schwabnetwork.com/about

We're here for a CHIPS Act megapod, in person with Mike Schmidt and Todd Fisher, the director and founding CIO of the CHIPS Program Office, respectively. We discuss… The mechanisms behind the success of the CHIPS Act, What CHIPS can teach us about other industrial policy challenges, like APIs and rare earths, What it takes to build a successful industrial policy implementation team, How the fear of “another Solyndra” is holding back US industrial policy, Chris Miller's recent interest in revitalizing America's chemical industry. This post is a collaboration with the Factory Settings Substack: https://www.factorysettings.org/. Subscribe for more insights from former CHIPS Program Office leaders! Suno song link: https://suno.com/s/wwVYK10LfrAD5zK2 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Self-healing composites have been talked about for years, but sometimes a piece of research comes along that looks meaningfully different. This week, Andy Tomaswick, a science journalist, joins the show to discuss his recent article, “The Composite That Heals Itself 1,000 Times.“ It highlights a self-healing composite material developed by researchers at North Carolina State University […] The post This New Composite Heals Itself (1,000 Times) first appeared on Composites Weekly. The post This New Composite Heals Itself (1,000 Times) appeared first on Composites Weekly.

Today, I am speaking with the founder of a rather unique RV manufacturer which specializes in creating double-hulled fiberglass travel trailers. Scott Hubble, is the CEO of Awaken RV in Apple Creek, Ohio. He started the company as the result of what he called a midlife thought. He reached a point where he realized he was not having as much fun as he used to, and Scott wanted to build something around a community-driven RV niche. That search led him to the fiberglass trailer community, where he saw opportunity to create a new kind of RV. Scott said their first model is called the Morningstar, and he described it as a double-hull, dual-axle, fiberglass-molded travel trailer designed with comfort, capability and a more rugged look. In this interview, Scott explains what “double hull” construction means, why it matters for strength and insulation, and how Awaken RV is trying to deliver an RV that is fully-equipped right from the start. Scott broke down the practical benefits of Awaken RV's double-hull fiberglass design, including how the exterior and interior shells create multiple insulation points that can help with comfort in colder weather and hotter seasons. He shared more details about the Morningstar and the company's philosophy that everything is standard, with a focus on building a trailer that is ready for real travel and extended use. Scott said it is reasonable for buyers to pick up their RVs about five months after placing an order; however, some situations are running closer to three to five months depending on dealer slots. He also outlined Awaken RV's 5-3-1 warranty, which he explained is five years structural, three years craftsmanship, and one year on components. However, some components have even longer manufacturer warranties. To learn more, visit www.awakenrv.com or email the company at info@awakenrv.com. The company does give tours, and Workampers can call 330-778-0004 to schedule a visit. Today's episode is brought to you by the featured employers at Workamper.com  These Workamper Employers have taken the extra step to share some photos and detailed information about their Workamper programs with you. Check them out today! Opportunities exist for solos, couples and families, whether they are full-time, part-time, seasonal or even long-term jobs. Some are income opportunities and others involve volunteering at locations throughout the United States.  Go to www.workamper.com/fe to meet the featured employers today. If you are an employer seeking to hire Workampers, then you can learn how to benefit from year-round recruiting by becoming a Featured Employer. Visit www.workamper.com/fedetails. That's all for this week's show. Next time, I will be speaking with the owner of a New England campground who is looking for several Workampers to assist his mostly seasonal guests this summer. I will have that interview on the next episode of The Workamper Show. Thank you for listening!

Allen, Rosemary, and Yolanda discuss Ming Yang’s proposed $1.5 billion factory in Scotland and why the UK government is hesitating. Plus the challenges of reviving wind turbine manufacturing in Australia, how quickly a blade factory can be stood up, and whether advanced manufacturing methods could give Australia a competitive edge in the next generation of wind energy. Sign up now for Uptime Tech News, our weekly newsletter on all things wind technology. This episode is sponsored by Weather Guard Lightning Tech. Learn more about Weather Guard’s StrikeTape Wind Turbine LPS retrofit. Follow the show on YouTube, Linkedin and visit Weather Guard on the web. And subscribe to Rosemary’s “Engineering with Rosie” YouTube channel here. Have a question we can answer on the show? Email us! The Uptime Wind Energy Podcast brought to you by Strike Tape, protecting thousands of wind turbines from lightning damage worldwide. Visit strike tape.com And now your hosts.  Allen Hall: Welcome to the Uptime Wind Energy Podcast. I’m your host Allen Hall, and I’m here with Yolanda Padron and Rosemary Barnes, and we’re all in Australia at the same time. We’re getting ready for Woma 2026, which is going to happen when this release is, will be through the first day. Uh, it’ll, it’s gonna be a big conference and right now. We’re so close to, to selling it out within a couple of people, so it’ll be a great event. So those of you listening to this podcast, hopefully you’re at Wilma 2026 and we’ll see, see you there. Uh, the news for this week, there’s a number of, of big, uh, country versus country situations going on. Uh, the one at the moment is [00:01:00] ING Yang in Scotland, and as we know, uh, Scotland. It has been offered by Ming Yang, uh, to build a factory there. They’re put about one and a half billion pounds into Scotland, uh, that is not going so well. So, so they’re talking about 3000 jobs, 1.5 billion in investment and then. Building, uh, offshore turbines for Britain and the larger Europe, but the UK government is hesitating and they have not approved it yet. And Scotland’s kind of caught in the middle. Ming Yang is supposedly looking elsewhere that they’re tired of waiting and figure they can probably get another factory somewhere in Europe. I don’t think this is gonna end well. Everyone. I think Bing Yang is obviously being pushed by the Chinese, uh, government to, to explore Scotland and try to get into Scotland and the Scottish government and leaders in the Scottish government have been meeting with, uh, [00:02:00] Chinese officials for a year or two. From what I can tell, if this doesn’t end with the factory in Scotland. Is China gonna take it out on the uk? And are they gonna build, is is me gonna be able to build a factory in Europe? Europe at the minute is looking into the Chinese investments into their wind turbine infrastructure in, in terms of basically tax support and, and funding and grants of that, uh, uh, aspect to, to see if China is undercutting prices artificially. Uh, which I think the answer is gonna be. Yes. So where does this go? It seems like a real impasse. At a moment when the UK in particular, and Europe, uh, the greater Europe are talking about more than a hundred gigawatts of offshore wind,  Yolanda Padron: I mean, just with the, the business that you mentioned that’s coming into to the uk, right? Will they have without Min Yang the ability to, to reach their goals?  Allen Hall: So you have the Siemens [00:03:00] factory in hall. They have a Vestus factory in Hollow White on the sort of the bottom of the country. Right. Then Vestus has had a facility there for a long time and the UK just threw about 20 million pounds into reopening the onshore blade portion of that factory ’cause it had been mothballed several months ago. It does seem like maybe there’s an alternative plan within the UK to stand up its own blade manufacturing and turbine manufacturing facilities, uh, to do a lot of things in country. Who I don’t think we know. Is it Siemens? Is it ge? Is it Vestus or is it something completely British? Maybe all the above. Rosemary. You know, being inside of a Blade factory for a long time with lm, it’s pretty hard to stand up a Blade factory quickly. How many years would it take you if you wanted to start today? Before you would actually produce a a hundred meter long offshore blade,  Rosemary Barnes: I reckon you could do it in a year if you had like real, real strong motivation [00:04:00] Allen Hall: really. Rosemary Barnes: I think so. I mean, it’s a big shed and like, it, it would be, most of the delays would be like regulatory and, you know, hiring, getting enough people hired and trained and that sort of thing. But, um, if you had good. Support from the, the government and not too much red tape to deal with. Then, uh, you know, if you’ve got lots of manufacturing capability elsewhere, then you can move people. Like usually when, um, when I worked at LM there were a few new factories opened while I was working there, and I’m sure that they took longer than, than a year in terms of like when it was first thought of. But, um, you know, once the decision was made, I, I actually dunno how long, how long it took. So it is a guess, but it didn’t, it didn’t take. As long as you would think it wasn’t. It wasn’t years and years, that’s for sure. Um, and what they would do is they don’t, you know, hire a whole new workforce and train them up right from the start. And then once they’re ready to go, then they start operating. What they’ll do to start with is they’ve got, you know, like a bunch [00:05:00] of really good people from the global factories, like all around, um, who will go, um, you know, from all roles. And I’m not talking just management at all, like it will include technicians, um, you know, every, every role in the factory, they’ll get people from another factory to go over. And, um, you know, they do some of the work. They’re training up local people so you know, there’s more of a gradual handover. And also so that you know, the best practices, um, get spread from factory to factory and make a good global culture. ’cause obviously like you’ve got the same design everywhere. You want the same quality coming out everywhere. Um, there is, as much as you try and document everything should be documented in work instructions. That should make it, you know, impossible to do things wrong. However, you never quite get to that standard and, um. There is a lot, a lot to be said for just the know-how and the culture of the people doing the um, yeah, doing the work.  Allen Hall: So the infrastructure would take about a year to build, but the people would have to come from the broader Europe then at [00:06:00] least temporarily.  Rosemary Barnes: That, that would be the fastest and safest way to do it. Like if it’s a brand new company that has never made a wind turbine before and someone just got a few, you know, I don’t know, a billion dollars, and um, said, let’s start a wind turbine factory, then I think it’s gonna be a few years and there’s gonna be some learning curve before it starts making blades fast enough. And. With the correct quality. Um, yeah. But if you’re just talking about one more factory from a company that already has half a dozen or a dozen wind turbine blade factories elsewhere in the world, then that’s where I think it can be done fast.  Allen Hall: This, uh, type of situation actually pops up a lot in aerospace, uh, power plants, engines. The jet engines on a lot of aircraft are kind of a combined effort from. Big multinational companies. So if they want to build something in country, they’ll hook up with a GE or a, a Honeywell or somebody who makes Jet engines and they’ll create this division and they’ll [00:07:00] stand this, this, uh, plant up. Maybe it’s gonna be something like that where GB energy is in the middle, uh, providing the funding and some of the resources, but they bring in another company, like a Siemens, like a Vestas, like a GE or a Nordex even to come in and to. Do the operational aspects and maybe some of the training pieces. But, uh, there’s a, there’s a funding arm and a technical arm, and they create a standalone, uh, British company to go manufacture towers to go manufacture in the cells to manufacture blades. Is that where you think this goes?  Rosemary Barnes: It depends also what kind of, um, component you’re talking about. Like if you’re talking about, I, I was talking a specific example of wind turbine blades, which are a mediumly complex thing to make, I would say, um. Yeah. And then if you go on the simpler side, when turbine towers, most countries would have the. Rough expertise needed, um, to, to do that. Nearly all towers at the moment come out of [00:08:00] China, um, or out of Asia. And with China being the, the vast bulk of those. Um, and it’s because they’ve got, aside from having very, very cheap steel, um, they also have just got huge factories that are set up with assembly lines so that, you know, there’s not very much moving of things back and forth. So they have the exact right bit of equipment to do. The exact right kind of, you know, like rolling and welding and they’re not moving tower sections around a lot. That makes it really hard for, um, for other countries to compete. But it’s not because they couldn’t make towers, it’s because they would struggle to make them cheap enough. Um, so yeah, if you set up a factory, you know, say you set up a wind turbine, um, factory in, uh, wind turbine tower factory in Australia, you, you could buy the equipment that you needed for, you know, a few hundred million dollars and, um. You could make it, but unless you have enough orders to keep that factory busy, you know, with the, the volume that you need to keep all of that [00:09:00] modern equipment, uh, operating just absolutely around the clock, your towers are gonna be expensive out of that facility. So that’s kind of the, that it’s cost is the main barrier when it comes to towers  Allen Hall: with Vestus in Mitsubishi recently having a partnership and then ending that partnership. It would seem like Vestus has the most experience in putting large corporations together to work on a, an advanced wind turbine project is they would, it would make sense to me if, if, if Vestus was involved because Vestus also has facilities in the uk. Are they the leading choice you think just because they have that experience with Mitsubishi and they have something in country or you think it’s somebody else? Is it a ge  Rosemary Barnes: My instinct is saying Vestas. Yes,  Allen Hall: me too. Okay.  Rosemary Barnes: Ge. It’s wind turbine Manufacturing seems to be in a bit of a, more of an ebb rather than a flow right now, so I [00:10:00] mean that’s, that’s probably as much as what it’s based on. Um, and then yes, like the location of, of factories, there are already some vest, uh, factories, vest people in the uk so that would make it easier. : Delamination and bottomline failures and blades are difficult problems to detect early. These hidden issues can cost you millions in repairs and lost energy production. C-I-C-N-D-T are specialists to detect these critical flaws before they become expensive burdens. Their non-destructive test technology penetrates deep into blade materials to find voids and cracks. Traditional inspections completely miss. C-I-C-N-D-T Maps. Every critical defect delivers actionable reports and provides support to get your blades back in service. So visit cic ndt.com because catching blade problems early will save you millions.[00:11:00] Allen Hall: Can you build a renewable energy future on someone else’s supply chain? Well, in Australia, the last domestic wind tower manufacturers are down. Last year, after losing a 15 year battle against cheaper imports from China, now the Albanese government wants to try again, launching a consultation to revive local manufacturing. Meanwhile, giant turbines are rising in Western Australia’s. Largest wind farms soon to power 164,000 homes. Uh, the steel towers, blades and the cells, they all arrive on ships. And the question is whether that’s going to change anytime soon. Rosemary?  Rosemary Barnes: Yeah, it’s, uh, it’s a topic I’ve thought about a lot and done a fair bit of work on as well, local manufacturing and whether you should or shouldn’t, the Australian government does try to support local manufacturing in. General, um, and in particular for renewables, but they focused much more on solar and [00:12:00] batteries. Um, with their manufacturing support, Australian government and agencies like a uh, arena, Australian Renewable Energy Agency have not traditionally supported wind like at all. It bothers me because actually Australia is a fantastic place to be developing some of these supporting technologies for wind energy and even the next generation of wind energy. Um, technologies, we, not any manufacturing. There are heaps of, um, things that would make it more suitable Australia, like just actually a really natural place to develop that. The thing about Australian projects is that they are. Big. Right. That makes it really attractive to developers because like in Europe where they’re, you know, still building wind, but you know, an onshore wind farm in Europe is like a couple of turbines here or there, maybe five, like a big wind farm would be 10, 10 turbines over there. Um, in Australia it’s like a hundred, 200 turbines at a time. Um, for onshore also choosing. Really big turbines. Australians, for some reason, Australian developers really like to [00:13:00] choose the latest technologies. And then if we think about some of the, um, you know, like new supporting technologies for existing wind turbines, like, you know, let’s, um, talk about. O and m there’s a whole lot of, um, o and m technologies, and Australia’s a great place for that too because as Australia wind farms spend so much on o and m compared to other countries. So a technology provider that can improve some of those pain points can much quicker get like a positive, um, return on investment in Australia than they would be able to in somewhere like America or, or Europe. So I think it makes sense to develop here  Allen Hall: with the number of wind farms. Rosie, I, I completely agree with you and. When we were talking about the war Dge wind Farm, which is the Western Australian wind farm that’s gonna expand, they’re adding 30 turbines to provide 283 megawatts. That’s like a nine and a half megawatt machine. Those are big turbines. Those are new turbines, right? That’s not something that’s been around for a couple years. They’ve been around for a couple of months in, in terms of the lifespan of, of wind [00:14:00] turbines. So if Australia’s gonna go down the pathway of larger turbines, the, the most advanced turbines. It has to make sense that some of this has, has to be developed in country just because you need to have the knowledge to go repair, modify, improve, adjust, figure out what the next generation is, right? I don’t know how you, this happens.  Rosemary Barnes: We see some examples of that. Right. And I think that Fortescue is the best example of, um, companies that are trying to think forward to what they’re going to need to make their, you know, they’ve got ambitious plans for putting in some big wind farms with. Big wind turbines in really remote locations. So they’ve got a lot of, um, it’s a lot of obvious challenges there. Um, and I know that they’re thinking ahead and working through that. And so, you know, we saw their investment in, um, nbra wind, the Spanish company and in particular their nbra lift. The bit of the tower that attaches to the rotor. It looks [00:15:00] pretty normal. Um, but then they make it taller by, um, slotting in like a lattice framework. Um, and then they jack it up and slot in another one underneath and jack it up and slot in another one underneath. So they don’t need a gigantic crane and they don’t need, um, I mean, it’s still a huge crane, but they don’t, they don’t, it doesn’t need to be as, as big because, you know, the rotor starts, starts off already on there by the time that the tower gets su to its full height. So, um, yeah, it’s a lot. That’s an innovative solution, I think, and it would, I would be very surprised if they weren’t also looking at every other technology that they’re gonna need in these turbines.  Allen Hall: If Australia’s gonna go down the pathway of large turbines on shore, then the manufacturing needs to happen in country. There’s no other way to do it. And you could have manufacturing facilities in Western Australia or Victoria and still get massive turbine blades shipped or trucked either way. To [00:16:00] wherever they needed it to go. In country, it would, it’s not that hard to get around Australia and unlike other countries like, like Germany was a lot of mountains and you had bridges and narrow roads and all that, and it, it’s, it’s much more expansive in Australia where you can move big projects around. And obviously with all the, the mining that happens in Australia, it’s pretty much normal. So I, I just trying to get over the hurdle of where the Albanese government is having an issue of sort of pushing this forward. It seems like it’s a simple thing because the Australian infrastructure is already ready. Someone need to flip the switch and say go.  Rosemary Barnes: I don’t know if I’d say that we’re we’re ready. ’cause Australia doesn’t have a whole lot of manufacturing of anything at the moment. It’s not true that we have no manufacturing. That’s what Australians like to say. We don’t manufacture anything and that’s not true. We do manufacture. We have some pretty good advanced manufacturing. If you just look at the hard economics of wind turbine manufacturing in Australia of solar panel manufacturing, battery manufacturing. Any of that, it is cheaper to just get it from China, not least [00:17:00] because some of the, um, those components are subsidized by the, the Chinese government. If you start saying, okay, we’re gonna have local manufacturing, like, you can either, you can achieve that either by supporting the local manufacturing industry, you know, like giving subsidies to our manufacturing. Or you could, um, make a local content requirement. Um, say things, you know, if you want project approval for this, then it has to have so much local content. You have to do it really carefully because if you get the settings wrong, then you just end up with very, very expensive, um, renewable energy. And at the moment, especially wind is. Expensive, and I think it’s still getting more expensive in Australia. It has been since, basically since the pandemic. If you then said, we’ve gotta also make it in Australia, then you add a bunch more costs and we would just probably not have wind energy then, so, uh, or new, new wind energy. So there needs to be that balance. But I think that like, even though you can say, okay, cheapest is best, it is also not good to rely on. [00:18:00] Exclusively on other countries, and especially not on just one other country to give you all of your energy infrastructure. If it was up to me, I would be much more supporting the next wave of, um, technologies. I would really love to see, you know, a new Australian. Wind turbine blade manufacturing method. Like at some point in the next decade, we’re going to start getting, uh, advanced manufacturing is gonna make it into wind turbine blades. It’s already there in some of the other components.  Allen Hall: Wait, so you just said if we were gonna build a factory in Scotland, it would take about a year. Why would it take 10 years to do it in Australia? Australia’s a nice place to live.  Rosemary Barnes: No, I didn’t say that. It would, it would take teens. I said in, sometime in the next decade around the world, wind turbine blades are basically handmade, right? They, you know, there are some, um, machines that are helping people, but you know, you have a look at a picture of a wind turbine blade factor and there’s, you know, there’s 20 people walking over, walking over a blade, smoothing down glass. And at some point we’re gonna start using advanced manufacturing methods. I [00:19:00] mean, there are really advanced composite manufacturing methods. Um, you know, with, um, individual fiber placement and 3D printing with, um, continuous fibers. And that’s being used for like aerospace components a lot. It’s early days for that technology and there is no barrier to the technologies to being able to put them, you know, like say on a GaN gantry that just, you know, like ran down the length of a whole blade like that, that could be done. If it was economic, that’s the kind of technology that Australia should be supporting before that’s the mainstream, and everybody else has already done it, right? You need to find the next thing, and ideally not just one next thing, but several next things because you’re not gonna, you don’t know ahead of time, um, which is gonna be the winner. Allen Hall: That hasn’t been the tack that China has taken, that the latest technology in batteries is not something that China is producing today. They’re producing a generation prior, but they’re doing it at scale. At some point they, the Chinese just said, we’re stopping here and we’re gonna do this, this kind of [00:20:00] battery, and that’s it. And away we go. If we keep waiting until the next generation of blade techniques come out, I think we’re gonna be waiting forever.  Rosemary Barnes: I don’t think why I think. Do, you know, make the next generation of, of blade bio technologies?  Yolanda Padron: I think it makes sense for someplace like Australia, right? Because we, we’ve talked about the fact that like here, you, you have to consider a lot of factors in operation that you don’t have to consider in other places, especially for blades, right? So if you can eliminate all of those issues, for the most part that are happening in the factory at manufacturing, then that can really help boost. The next operational projects.  Allen Hall: So then what you’re saying is that. There are new technologies, but what stage are they at? Are they TRL two, TRL five, TRL seven. How close is this technology because I’d hate for Australia to miss out on this big opportunity.  Rosemary Barnes: Frown Hoffer has actually just published an article recently, uh, [00:21:00] about some, I can’t remember if it was fiber, um, tape placement or if it was printed, small wind turbine blades. Small wind is a nice, like, it’s a, a nice bite-sized kind of thing that you can master a lot quicker than you can, you know, you can make a thousand small wind turbines and learn a lot more than making 100 meter long blade. That would probably be bad because it’s your first one and you didn’t realize all of the downsides to the new technology yet. Um, so I, I think it is kind of promising, but. In terms of, yeah, like a major, like in terms of let’s say a hundred meter long blade that was made with 3D printing, that would be terra, L one. Like it’s an idea now. Nobody has actually made one or, um, done, done too much. Um, as far as I know. I think you could get, could get to nine over the next year. Like I said, like I think sometime in the next decade will be when that, when that comes.  Allen Hall: Okay. If you, you didn’t get to a nine that quickly. No, it is possible. Yeah. You gotta put some money into it.  Rosemary Barnes: If someone wants to give me, [00:22:00] you know, enough money, then I’ll make it. I’ll make it happen. I’ll, I would, I would absolutely be able to make that happen, but I don’t know when it’s gonna be cheap enough.  Allen Hall: I would just love to see it. If, if, if you’ve got a, if you’ve got a, a factory, you got squirreled away somewhere in the. Inland of Australia that is making blades at quantity or has the technology to do that. I would love to see it because that would be amazing.  Rosemary Barnes: Technologies don’t just fall out of the sky, you know, like they, you, you, you force them into existence. That’s what you, that’s what you do. You know what this comes down to? Have you ever done the, is it Myers-Briggs where you get the, like letters of your personality? You and I are in opposite corners inside some ways.  Allen Hall: That wraps up another episode of the Uptime Wind Energy Podcast. If today’s discussion sparked any questions or ideas, and it surely should, we’d love to hear from you. Reach out to us on LinkedIn, particularly Rosie, so it’s Rosemary Barnes on LinkedIn. Don’t forget to subscribe to who you never miss an episode. And if you found value in today’s conversation, please leave us a review. It really helps other wind [00:23:00] energy professionals discover the show. For Rosie and Yolanda, I am Alan Hall, and we’ll see here next week on the Uptime Wind Energy Podcast.

Faith Driven Investor Podcast - Episode 216Join hosts Richard Cunningham and Luke Roush as they sit down with Steve Cook, Executive Managing Director of LFM Capital, for a deep dive into the state of US manufacturing and the reshoring revolution transforming American industry. From the deck of an aircraft carrier to the shop floor to private equity boardrooms, Steve brings a unique perspective on what it takes to build manufacturing companies that strengthen both portfolios and national security.Key Investment Topics:The economics of reshoring: Why major manufacturers are bringing supply chains back to the USLFM Capital's operator-led approach to buyout private equity in manufacturingHow tariffs, supply chain disruptions, and geopolitical tensions are reshaping investment opportunitiesWhy aerospace, defense, and B2B manufacturing offer compelling risk-adjusted returnsThe role of leadership and operational excellence in driving EBITDA margins and enterprise valueInterest rates, deal flow, and the creative structuring required in today's PE marketPowerful Quotes:"We won World War One and Two predominantly because we had a strong industrial base that could step up and pivot when the country needed it. We're woefully unprepared for World War Three." - Steve Cook"It costs more to hire an English-speaking manager in China than it does in the US today. Labor cost equilibrium is happening faster than anyone expected." - Steve Cook"The absolute worst form of ownership I've ever seen is 50/50. Someone has to make the final decision - that's true in a company and true in a marriage." - Steve CookEpisode Description:What does it take to rebuild American manufacturing in an era of global uncertainty? Steve Cook knows firsthand. As a former Navy fighter pilot who flew combat missions during Desert Shield, then an operations leader at Dell managing 2,200 manufacturing employees, Steve brings unparalleled shop floor DNA to private equity investing. Now leading LFM Capital - a buyout firm exclusively focused on US manufacturing - he's witnessing the early stages of a reshoring revolution that could reshape both the American economy and investment portfolios.This episode cuts through the headlines to reveal what's really happening on the ground with US manufacturing. Steve explains why companies are finally bringing production back home, which industries offer the most compelling opportunities, and how LFM's operator-first approach generates returns by elevating leadership and operational excellence rather than financial engineering. From the impact of Liberation Day tariffs to the quiet convergence of global labor costs, from AI's limited role on today's shop floor to the creative deal structures emerging in a higher interest rate environment, this conversation delivers actionable insights for investors seeking exposure to the manufacturing renaissance.Steve also vulnerably shares lessons from Genesis on leadership, partnership, and the biblical principles that shape both his marriage and LFM's investment philosophy - including why 50/50 ownership structures consistently fail and what that reveals about decision-making authority in both business and family.Guest Background:Steve Cook is Executive Managing Director of LFM Capital, a Nashville-based private equity firm investing exclusively in US manufacturing companies. A graduate of the US Naval Academy and MIT's Leaders for Manufacturing program, Steve flew F/A-18s off aircraft carriers for seven years before transitioning to operations leadership roles at Dell and venture-backed technology companies. At LFM, he leads a team of operators and engineers who partner with manufacturing CEOs to build enterprise value through operational excellence, not financial engineering. Steve and his wife Shannon live in Nashville and are active members of Long Hollow Church.

Editor's note: Download and listen to the audio version below and click here to subscribe to the Today in Manufacturing podcast.The Today in Manufacturing Podcast is brought to you by the editors of Manufacturing.net and Industrial Equipment News (IEN).This week's episode is brought to you by the fintech pioneers at Klear. When demand outpaces the funding needed to sustain growth, manufacturers run into what is known as the “success trap."The success trap is all too common. Enterprises invest heavily to fill orders while waiting weeks for payment. This dynamic can create a deficit in working capital that forces many to make decisions that lead to delivery delays and frustrated customers.Check out this report, "The Success Trap: Why Fast-Growing Manufacturers Fail," to learn how manufacturers can avoid these types of barriers in growing their business.Every week, we cover the three biggest stories in manufacturing, and the implications they have on the industry moving forward. This week:- Stellantis Sells Half of $3.7B EV Battery Plant for $100- Waymo Workers in Philippines Are Helping Stumped 'Driverless' Cars- Rockwell Automation Picks City for New Million-Square-Foot Manufacturing FacilityIn Case You Missed It- Honda Developing Energy Efficient AI Chip to Help Eliminate Vehicle Crashes- Infusing Asphalt with Plastic Could Help Roads Last Longer- Smart Underwear Could Help Treat Intestinal Health Issues Please make sure to like, subscribe and share the podcast. You could also help us out a lot by giving the podcast a positive review. Finally, to email the podcast, you can reach any of us at David, Jeff or Anna [at] ien.com, with “Email the Podcast” in the subject line.

In this episode, Etienne Nichols sits down with Edwin Lindsay, a seasoned MedTech operator and QARA leader, to discuss the systemic challenges facing the pediatric medical device market. Following a personal experience in a neonatal ward, Edwin highlights the stark reality that many pediatric treatments rely on adult devices adapted off-label, often leading to safety risks and clinical inefficiencies.The conversation delves into the "mismatch" of the pediatric market: these devices require the same rigorous regulatory and quality standards as adult products but offer significantly lower financial upside due to smaller patient populations. This creates a barrier for investors and manufacturers, leaving clinicians and nurses to "work miracles" with tools that aren't always fit for purpose.Despite these hurdles, Edwin shares an optimistic vision for the future. He discusses his initiative to build a collaborative network of experts—including regulatory consultants, testing houses, and grant writers—willing to provide pro-bono or at-cost support for pediatric startups. The goal is to create a streamlined regulatory roadmap that prioritizes patient safety without the prohibitive costs that currently stall innovation.Key Timestamps00:45 – The "Pediatric Gap": Why pediatric devices have adult-level requirements but lower ROI.03:12 – Personal Insight: Edwin's experience in the hospital and the "Guinness philosophy" of giving back.05:30 – The danger of adhesives and adapting adult materials for newborn skin.08:15 – Building a pediatric volunteer network: Testing houses and consultancies stepping up.11:40 – Regulatory Roadmaps: Navigating the age variability from premature infants to adolescents.14:50 – Off-label usage risks and the "mindset shift" required for manufacturers.18:25 – Micro-timestamp: The FDA's Humanitarian Device Exemption (HDE) and P-Sub programs.21:10 – Real-world clinical friction: Alarm fatigue and sensor sensitivity in NICU settings.25:40 – The hidden costs: Manufacturing complexity, multiple SKUs, and low-volume production.Quotes"We need to give clinicians the correct tools to work their miracles. They don't want to use products off-label; they want devices actually designed for the children they are saving." - Edwin Lindsay"If you have a pediatric project, there is a community behind you. We are breaking down the barriers of risk and cost because these babies deserve a chance." - Edwin LindsayTakeawaysRegulatory Flexibility: Utilize specific FDA pathways like the Humanitarian Device Exemption (HDE) and the Pediatric Submissions (P-Sub) program to gain early feedback and specialized guidance.Collaborative Cost-Sharing: Seek out "altruistic" partners; many testing houses and manufacturers are willing to work at-cost or under different financial models for pediatric-specific innovations.Design for Sensitivity: Pediatric innovation isn't just about miniaturizing adult tech—it requires solving unique issues like alarm fatigue and skin sensitivity (e.g., non-damaging adhesives).Workflow Integration: Engage the "head nurse" early in R&D to ensure the device fits into the high-stress environment of a pediatric ward without adding to clinical fatigue.ReferencesFDA HDE Program: A regulatory pathway for devices intended for diseases or conditions that affect small populations.Greenlight Guru: The industry-leading platform for QMS & EDC solutions, helping MedTech companies maintain...

Jay and Andrew unpack a provocative quote from Shigeo Shingo: “If you don't know why defects are occurring, make some defects.”It sounds like lean heresy at first. But they explore why some defects are treasures and others are just carelessness. The real question: are you reacting to problems under pressure or deliberately creating space to uncover them before they cost you?Along the way, they talk about a cantaloupe-sized rat's nest choking a dust collector, moving machines and uncovering years of accumulated waste, the power (and danger) of acronyms in lean culture, and practical Fusion CAM workflows for maintaining standards across machines.

In this CPQ Podcast episode, Frank Sohn sits down with Nils Olsson, Chief Strategy, Product, and Customer Officer at Tacton, to discuss how Tacton is evolving beyond traditional CPQ into a broader platform for configurable products. Nils shares his unique perspective as a former Tacton customer who joined the company in 2015, and explains why staying close to manufacturing customers—through regular conversations across North America, Europe, and Japan—is central to Tacton's strategy. He outlines why 2026 will be a transformative year, with new offerings planned not only for CPQ, but also for engineering, order fulfillment, and services. The conversation also explores how customers are responding to Tacton's recent acquisitions of Variantum and Serenytics, and where AI is delivering real value today. Rather than replacing core CPQ logic, AI is primarily being used to support product modeling, helping customers turn unstructured data into usable configuration knowledge faster and with less effort. Additional topics include hybrid sales models in manufacturing, the shift from ETO to CTO, and why trust, security, and enterprise certifications matter more than ever. Topics covered: The shift from CPQ to end-to-end configurability AI adoption in real-world CPQ projects Manufacturing sales and automation trends What's next for Tacton in 2026 A must-listen for anyone tracking the future of CPQ, configurable products, and manufacturing transformation.

Agade: The AI-Powered Wearable Robots That Protect Workers, Not Replace Them AI Meets Human CraftsmanshipThere's something poetic about a technology born to help people with muscular dystrophy finding its second life on factory floors and logistics warehouses. That's the story of Agade, an Italian deeptech startup that began as a research project at Politecnico di Milano and evolved into something far more ambitious: a mission to preserve human craftsmanship in an age of automation.I sat down with Lorenzo Aquilante, CEO and co-founder of Agade, to talk about their journey from healthcare innovation to industrial exoskeletons—and what it was like showcasing their latest product at CES 2026.The origin story matters here. Back in 2017, researchers at Politecnico di Milano started developing exoskeletons for people affected by muscular dystrophy. They created something different—a semi-active model powered by AI that recognizes when a user is lifting and responds accordingly. It wasn't just about motors and sensors. It was about intelligence.Then companies came knocking. Manufacturing firms, logistics operations, industries where human workers still matter because their skills, experience, and judgment can't be replaced by machines. They saw potential. Why not use this technology to protect the people doing the heavy lifting—literally?Agade was founded in 2020 with a clear mission: preserve craftsmanship against the physical toll of material handling. Not replace humans. Protect them.The company now has two products. The first, launched in 2024, focuses on shoulder assistance. The second—the one they brought to CES 2026—targets the lower back, which makes sense when you consider that back pain is practically an occupational hazard for anyone moving materials all day.What makes Agade's approach different is that semi-active AI system. The exoskeleton knows when you're lifting. It responds. It's not just a passive brace or a fully motorized suit that takes over. It's somewhere in between—smart enough to help, light enough to wear all day.Lorenzo emphasized something that resonated with me: the importance of feedback. From day one, Agade has been obsessed with real-world testing. Not lab conditions. Actual workers doing actual jobs. Because the buyer isn't the user—companies purchase these for their employees—and that creates a unique dynamic. You need both sides to believe in the technology.The CES experience brought that home. There's always the initial wow factor when someone sees a wearable robot with motors and sensors. But the real work happens after the demo, when users tell you what needs to improve. That's where the collaboration lives.And here's what struck me most about this conversation: Agade isn't trying to remove humans from the equation. They're trying to keep humans in it longer, healthier, and more capable. In a world racing toward full automation, there's something refreshing about a company betting on human skill—and building technology to protect it.The products are available globally. You can reach Agade through their website at agadexoskeletons.com, find them on LinkedIn and other social channels, and even arrange trials before committing to a purchase.For those of us watching the intersection of AI, robotics, and human labor, Agade represents a different path. Not humans versus machines. Humans with machines. Tools that amplify rather than replace.That's a story worth telling.Marco Ciappelli interviews Lorenzo Aquilante, CEO & Co-Founder of Agade, for ITSPmagazine's Brand Highlight series following CES 2026.>>> Marcociappelli.comGUESTLorenzo Aquilante, CEO and co-founder of Agadehttps://www.linkedin.com/in/lorenzo-aquilante-108573b0/RESOURCESAGADE: https://agade-exoskeletons.comAre you interested in telling your story?▶︎ Full Length Brand Story: https://www.studioc60.com/content-creation#full▶︎ Brand Spotlight Story: https://www.studioc60.com/content-creation#spotlight▶︎ Brand Highlight Story: https://www.studioc60.com/content-creation#highlightKEYWORDSAgade, exoskeleton, CES 2026, wearable robotics, AI, future of work, industrial exoskeleton, made in Italy, workplace safety, deeptech, robotics. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Brandon Weichert predicts the next major shift involves pairing reliable AI with accurate robotics to replicate human hands, lowering costs but potentially displacing American workers across manufacturing sectors.1958

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