The Manufacturing Executive

One of the biggest challenges in the industry today?Upskilling the country’s workforce for careers in advanced manufacturing.Training centers and technical schools need to step in to fill the skills gap, but many of them are still training for the jobs of yesterday.It’s time to modernize workforce education.Kathy Walker, Founder & CEO of eKentucky Advanced Manufacturing Institute (eKAMI), joins the show to discuss eKAMI’s innovative and unconventional training program, which is upskilling eastern Kentucky’s workforce after years of declining employment in the mining industry.In this episode, we discuss:- eKAMI’s role in workforce development and training- Why we need to modernize workforce education- Potential career paths for eKAMI graduates- Why soft skills are equally importantSubscribe to The Manufacturing Executive on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for The Manufacturing Executive in your favorite podcast player.

There’s no shortage of orders for most manufacturers out there —The problem is finding the talent to help fill them.How do we finally close the manufacturing skill gap?Mike Nager, Founding Member of the Solution Center within Festo Didactic, which helps students learn hands-on manufacturing skills through its innovative Learning Factory, believes it all starts with education — and manufacturers need to do a better job educating.In this episode, we discuss:- The root of the skills gap- The 3 paths to a career in manufacturing- How Festo Didactic is helping to make more students aware of the what manufacturing can offerSubscribe to The Manufacturing Executive on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for The Manufacturing Executive in your favorite podcast player.

At the outset of the pandemic, trade shows were one of the many facets of business imperiled by the crisis.But every crisis presents an opportunity for innovation.And for today’s guests, Clive White, CEO, and Zach Person, General Manager, at Ensitech, a company that heavily relies on trade shows for garnering business, pushing past the initial pandemic panic ultimately paid off — fast forward to today, and they’ve revolutionized the trade show booth.They join me to discuss:- Their digital-analog hybrid trade show booth- How they stayed well-prepared for the inevitable technological hurdles they knew they’d face- How their innovative approach can be applied to other facets of businessSubscribe to The Manufacturing Executive on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for The Manufacturing Executive in your favorite podcast player.

There are a couple of super easy ways to totally flop at a trade show:Not having a live demo. Not having enough personnel. Not prioritizing relationships. Not being selective with products. Not having strategic marketing on the other 363 days of the year. Not understanding the economics of the entire endeavor.Okay... more than just a couple.In this episode, I interview Gorilla76’s Matthew Sciannella, Thinker & Strategy Director, and Jon Franko, Thinker & Founder, about all things trade shows.In this episode, we discuss:- The future of trade shows in light of the recent past- What makes a successful booth- Why marketers should help their customers network with each other- Some trade show math about whether it’s worth it- Smaller footprints, bigger impact    Check out these resources we mentioned:- Matthew’s article, “The economics of your trade show are broken. Here’s the fix.”- The Industrial Market News Show    Subscribe to The Manufacturing Executive on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for The Manufacturing Executive in your favorite podcast player.

What manufacturers should do is stop moaning about the lack of skilled talent and start partnering with grade schools (yes, as young as eighth grade) to show young people, especially young women, how amazing it is to build a career in manufacturing and engineering.But how?In this episode, I’m speaking with Meaghan Ziemba, Owner, Copywriter, and Copyeditor at Z-Ink Solutions and Host at Mavens of Manufacturing, about her calling to create an educational network to inspire youth to pursue manufacturing.In this episode, we discuss:- Meaghan’s career journey into marketing for manufacturers- Strategies for attracting youth to manufacturing and engineering- Creating a work culture to support women and parentsCheck out these resources we mentioned:- Meaghan’s podcast- Meet the Makers tour- National Association of Manufacturers (NAM)- Technology & Manufacturing Association (TMA)...Subscribe to The Manufacturing Executive on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for The Manufacturing Executive in your favorite podcast player.

You probably don’t need another reminder that the pandemic changed the world — when it comes to manufacturing, the deepening labor shortage and increased supply chain difficulties are obvious.And there are two ways you can think about these issues:You can either hope that they’re temporary and wait for them to get better — or you can face the world as it currently is and do something about it.Today, I’m speaking with Rob Tracy , Consultant at Rob Tracy Consulting and author of How to Fix a Factory, and for him, the c hoice is easy — let’s do something about it.In this episode, we discuss:- The root of the supply chain and labor issues- 4 ways to proactively do something to address them- Why now is a good time to rethink your organization’s operating systemSubscribe to The Manufacturing Executive on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for The Manufacturing Executive in your favorite podcast player.

Traditionally, marketing teams in manufacturing have depended on CRM supply data to get a picture of their customers.However, there’s an untapped well of customer insights that many overlook: IoT data from manufacturing facilities. Using this data, marketers can target specific campaigns to specific customer bases and create messaging that truly resonates with customers.In this episode, I sit down with Jan Pingel , Product Leader of Digital Solutions at Ingersoll Rand , to talk about how IoT is opening up new opportunities to get a deeper view of customers and learn valuable things you don’t normally learn about them.Join us as we discuss:-Industry 4.0 Club -Using IoT data in marketing-Data privacy and data security concernsResources we mentioned during the podcast:- Industry 4.0 Club - SME.org - Arcweb.com - Isa.org - IEEE.org Subscribe to The Manufacturing Executive on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for The Manufacturing Executive in your favorite podcast player.

If you think ecommerce isn’t for you, you’re wrong.You need to leverage ecommerce immediately (arguably with pricing, too) to increase your visibility and make it easy for your ideal buyer to make a buying decision on a Friday at midnight online. In this episode, I interview Curt Anderson , eCommerce Evangelist for Manufacturers at Ecommerce MGMT , about why ecommerce matters so much for manufacturers — today more than ever before.Join us as we discuss:-Why manufacturers should quit being “the best kept secret”-Curt’s 3-prong approach to ecommerce-SEO and keyword strategies for digital immigrants-An opinionated view of pricingSubscribe to The Manufacturing Executive on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for The Manufacturing Executive in your favorite podcast player.

Only a tiny fraction of your total addressable market is ready to buy right today.Does that mean you ignore everyone else?Of course not. You need to get their attention, gain their trust and when it’s time to buy, they’ll turn to you…But only if you make it easy.There’s no guest today, just me, Joe Sullivan, your dutiful host and Thinker & Founder at Gorilla 76, and in this episode, I’ll be going over the 8 ways you can make it easier for your buyers to buy.Subscribe to The Manufacturing Executive on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.

There is no reason manufacturing needs to be dominated by men — even if it, historically, always was.Yet today, as other sectors become more representative, one look around most manufacturing sites and you’ll notice the lack of women immediately. Why are we lagging behind? And more importantly, what can we do about it?My guest today, Lesley Ledwell Dukelow , Company President at Ledwell, is a 4th-generation female leader of a family-owned manufacturing business and she has some ideas about how we can tackle the gender gap in manufacturing.In this episode, we discuss:-Supply chain issues in the wake of COVID-Why the labor shortage demands we hire from more underrepresented groups, including women-Why women are less represented in manufacturing and what we can do about itTo ensure that you never miss an episode of The Manufacturing Executive, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.