Making Chips Podcast for Manufacturing Leaders

When do you ask customers to pay their invoices? How do you ask your customers to pay their invoice(s)? Collecting on a debt that's owed is an art and a science. You have to be careful so you don't lose a customer. In this episode of MakingChips, we cover a recent frustrating situation I dealt with that should have been handled differently—because they just might lose me as a customer. Don't miss this episode to hear the whole story! – Jim Segments [3:06] What's happening at ZENGERS and Carr Machine & Tool [7:12] Using discretion in your collection tactics [9:10] Manufacturing news: Indiana leads nation on manufacturing job growth [15:37] The reason why we're talking about collection tactics [23:58] How we evaluate our collection tactics [26:51] Who is handling accounts receivable? Resources mentioned on this episode Indiana is leading the nation on manufacturing job growth Connect With MakingChips www.MakingChips.com On Facebook On LinkedIn On Instagram On Twitter On YouTube

In this podcast, guests Mike Allison and Ryan Howard discuss strategies for finding and retaining top talent in manufacturing. They also explore the importance of prioritizing employee strengths, meeting customer demands through processes, and achieving high-output results. The speakers share insights on motivation, performance, and gamification in the workplace, as well as tracking performance metrics and putting ideas into action in manufacturing.

Do you struggle to sleep at night? Do you lay in bed and think about work and show up in the morning exhausted? Guess what—sleepy leaders are NOT better leaders. I'm going to share why I think that and how manufacturing leaders can get higher-quality shut-eye in this episode of MakingChips. Because if you're not getting enough sleep, it's like being drunk on the job. And if you're drunk, you're certainly not MakingChips, and you're not making money. BAM! Segments [3:40] What's happening in our businesses [6:24] What's keeping you up at night? [8:05] Why sleep is important to your overall health [13:17] My tips to help you achieve better sleep [23:42] Jim's tips to help you sleep at night [29:16] Some tips that experts recommend Resources mentioned on this episode How drunk are you without sleep? CEOs: A Sleep Culture at Work Is a Competitive Advantage Connect With MakingChips www.MakingChips.com On Facebook On LinkedIn On Instagram On Twitter On YouTube

I met Jamie and Lee Marzilli at ProShop ERP's happy hour event while we were at IMTS 2022. When I heard how they founded and grew a machine shop as a married couple, I knew we needed to have them as guests on MakingChips. So in this episode, Jamie and Lee share their background in machining and how they built Marzilli Machine from the ground up. Don't miss hearing about their grassroots success story! Segments [2:35] A husband and wife team on MakingChips! [5:31] The definition of teamwork (makes the dream work) [6:05] Recruiting and hiring in our businesses [9:12] The Hawkeye Community College visit [10:30] How rising inflation impacts manufacturing [14:37] Introducing Jamie and Lee Marzilli [16:37] How Jamie got started in manufacturing [24:01] Jamie's temporary stint selling cars [28:05] How Jamie and Lee started their shop [34:40] Navigating a business and a marriage [39:06] The vision for the future of Marzilli Machine Resources mentioned on this episode Michael Watkins and David Capkovitz from EBITDA Growth Systems (EGS) 5 Steps to Detoxify a Toxic Work Culture, According to New MIT Research Marzilli Machine Connect With MakingChips www.MakingChips.com On Facebook On LinkedIn On Instagram On Twitter On YouTube

Kelsey Heikoop and Paul Van Metre met in an entry-level engineering class. They hit it off right away—while simultaneously falling in love with machining. Once they graduated college, they started their own machine shop. How did that lead to founding ProShop ERP? They share the ProShop ERP origin story—full of overcoming challenges to reach success—in this episode of MakingChips! Segments [2:17] Our aha moments from IMTS [5:49] Manufacturing news: Uptick in production [7:12] Learn more about Kelsey Heikoop and Paul Van Metre [15:54] From growing a custom machine shop to creating an ERP [19:08] Selling the idea of ProShop ERP to a developer [25:44] What helped them overcome their struggles [30:44] Onboarding ProShop ERP with their first customer [34:37] The outstanding success of ProShop Resources mentioned on this episode Connect with Kelsey Heikoop on LinkedIn Connect with Paul Van Metre on LinkedIn Connect With MakingChips www.MakingChips.com On Facebook On LinkedIn On Instagram On Twitter On YouTube

How do you make an industry event a worthy investment for your business? Can you prepare ahead of time to see an ROI? What should you avoid doing when you're attending an event? In this episode of MakingChips—with IMTS fresh on our minds—we talk about the dos and don'ts for industry events. You have to be strategic because if you're not making chips, you're not making money. BAM! – Nick Segments [1:09] What's happening in our lives [4:42] Hear our manufacturing news [9:49] What we're reading right now [11:37] The ROI of industry events [15:27] Craft a social media campaign [16:47] Set appointments ahead of time [18:12] Prepare specific questions [19:32] Bring a guest with you [21:12] The "don'ts" you need to avoid Resources mentioned on this episode Kiplinger Letter Good to Great The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win Selling the Price Increase The Terminal List ProShop ERP Connect With MakingChips www.MakingChips.com On Facebook On LinkedIn On Instagram On Twitter On YouTube

I believe if you find your passion you will have a successful and fruitful career. I didn't realize what my true passions were until later in life. In this episode of MakingChips, each of us will break down and share with the metalworking nation what we are passionate about. Because if you're not passionate about what you're doing, you're not living to your full potential. And if you're not happy with your job, you're not making chips, and if you're not making chips, you're not making money. BAM! — Jim Segments [3:21] The definition of "finding your passion" [3:53] What's happening in our lives [8:05] Manufacturing News [13:56] What we're passionate about [22:35] Be realistic about your passions Resources mentioned on this episode Biden signs China competition bill to boost U.S. chipmakers NAM Facts About Manufacturing Connect With MakingChips www.MakingChips.com On Facebook On LinkedIn On Instagram On Twitter On YouTube

In the final special edition episode of MakingChips recorded live at IMTS, we sit down with Craig Zoberis of Fusion OEM and RoboJob USA and Derek Goodwin with Trinity Robotics Automation to talk about a paradigm shift in the industry: Automation. We cover the difference between pallet automation and machine tending, implementing automation, and calculating the true ROI of automation. Automation can increase spindle utilization and help your shop make more chips to make more money. BAM! Segments [2:54] Learn more about Craig Zoberis and Derek Goodwin [5:13] The difference between pallet automation and machine tending [9:23] The first step toward lights-out manufacturing [16:19] Is automation easy to program and implement? [20:41] Is the cost of automation a barrier to entry? [22:26] How many untended hours can you achieve? [30:00] RoboJob USA and Trinity Robotics Automation complement each other Resources mentioned on this episode Connect with Craig Zoberis on LinkedIn Connect with Derek Goodwin on LinkedIn ProShop ERP Amper Robot ROI Calculator Connect With MakingChips www.MakingChips.com On Facebook On LinkedIn On Instagram On Twitter On YouTube

Have you implemented a machine monitoring system in your machine shop? Do you know how to leverage the data to make meaningful improvements in your shop? CEO and Co-founder of Amper Technologies Akshat Thirani joined us live at IMTS to talk about how his company has simplified machine monitoring and made it accessible to every shop. The bottom line is that your shop can take the data from machine monitoring to become more efficient, immediately. Because if you're not efficient, you're not making enough chips, and you're not making money! Segments [5:07] We welcome Akshat Thirani to the IMTS stage! [6:49] Why Akshat developed Amper Technologies [8:24] How machine monitoring changed Carr's KPIs [10:21] Making machine monitoring simple and accessible [18:30] How machine monitoring changed Jim's shop [24:31] The data that can be extracted from machine monitoring [26:05] The length of time to see the ROI of Amper [28:20] Why you need a machine monitoring system Resources mentioned on this episode Amper Connect with Akshat Thirani on LinkedIn Connect With MakingChips www.MakingChips.com On Facebook On LinkedIn On Instagram On Twitter On YouTube

What would the shop of the future look like? What's more exciting—hardware or software? What can manufacturing leaders learn from B2C businesses? In this special LIVE episode at IMTS 2022, we chat with special guests Mike Payne with Hill Manufacturing and Eike Huebner with Ellison Technologies about what they would do with their shops if they had 10 million dollars to spend. Listen to this episode to find out what the machine shop of the future looks like. You need to use technology to make chips efficiently because if you're not making chips, you're not making money! BAM! Segments [1:49] The US is on the cutting edge of manufacturing [2:30] Learn more about each of our guests [3:50] What would the shop of the future look like? [6:24] The future is focused on software development [9:12] Mike's background in software and data collection [11:35] How Mike and Eike would build the shop of the future [15:16] How Mike doubled the size of his machine shop [16:48] What manufacturing leaders can learn from B2C [19:05] The impact of technology on additive manufacturing [22:06] Why style of CNC machine tools should you invest in? [25:40] What is a human-machine interface? [27:30] Mike and Eike's call to action to the manufacturing nation Resources mentioned on this episode Mike Payne with Hill Manufacturing Eike Huebner with Ellison Technologies ProShop ERP Amper Technologies Connect With MakingChips www.MakingChips.com On Facebook On LinkedIn On Instagram On Twitter On YouTube