Info

Making Chips Podcast for Manufacturing Leaders

Manufacturing is challenging, but if you are connected to a community of leaders, you can elevate your skills, solve your problems and grow your business! MakingChips was launched in 2014 to equip and inspire the metalworking nation. Hundreds of episodes and a million downloads later, it’s an industry-leading source of information, inspiration, and entertainment for manufacturing leaders of all types. It’s hosted by Jason Zenger and Nick Goellner, two multi-generational manufacturing leaders, and they’re joined by a rotating panel of expert guests – including Titan Gilroy (TITANS of CNC), John Saunders (NYC CNC), Mark TerryBerry (Haas Automation), and many more. Join us as we tackle the topics that keep you up at night - leadership, operations, technology, growth, workforce development and culture.
RSS Feed Subscribe in Apple Podcasts
Making Chips Podcast for Manufacturing Leaders
2024
March
February
January


2023
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2022
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2021
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2020
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2019
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2018
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2017
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2016
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2015
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2014
December


All Episodes
Archives
Now displaying: June, 2016
Jun 28, 2016

We are happy to announce that this is the first episode of MakingChips shot entirely with video. We want to thank Chuck Shroeder and IMTS for coming to our studio and making all of us look good. Video segments of this episode are soon to come.

On this episode of MakingChips, we have the pleasure of sitting down with Cassie Haupers, Vice President at Swiss Precision Machining. SPM is an ISO 9001:2008 certified company that serves many different industries including: medical, dental, aerospace and automotive and fiber optics industries. Growing up in the manufacturing world, Cassie wants to continue her family tradition and build the business for the next generation.

Topics of discussion in this week's episode include: Cassie's history and background with SPM, SPM's expansion into a new facility, driving and defining company culture, overcoming bumps in the road, succession planning, communicating your vision to your company, women in manufacturing, and working with family.

Episode Structure:

  • [02:30] - Manufacturing News
  • [05:40] - Mastermind Series
  • [07:23] - IMTS 2016
  • [08:16] - Introducing Cassie Haupers
  • [10:15] - Cassie’s Progression at SPM
  • [10:40] - What is Swiss Precision Machining?
  • [14:18] - Driving the Culture at SPM
  • [17:15] - Proving Yourself
  • [19:57] - A Fresh Start
  • [25:36] - Roadblocks and Challenges of Moving the Company
  • [31:20] - Women in Manufacturing
  • [32:45] - Background in IT
  • [35:09] - Working With Family
  • [37:15] - Conclusion of Episode

Mentioned in this Episode:

We Want to Hear From You, The Metalworking Nation:

  • jim@makingchips.com
  • jason@makingchips.com
  • ryan@makingchips.com
  • Telephone: (312) 725-0245
Jun 22, 2016

On part 2 of this episode of MakingChips, we continue our discussion with Bill Strauss, Senior Economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. Topics discussed in this episode include the world economy, energy prices and their impact on manufacturing, borrowing and loans, education, growth rate, future economic trends, and the millennial generation.

Episode Structure:

  • [01:30] - Manufacturing Renaissance
  • [03:35] - Energy Production and Manufacturing
  • [06:05] - "The Good Old Days"
  • [07:30] - The Two Ways to Economic Growth
  • [10:45] - Educated Workforce
  • [15:00] - Gradual Improvement
  • [16:15] - Quick Fire Questions for Bill
  • [18:40] - A Glimpse into the Future
  • [21:55] - Millennial Generation’s Effect on Manufacturing
  • [23:45] - Conclusion of Episode

We Want to Hear From You, The Metalworking Nation:

  • jim@makingchips.com
  • jason@makingchips.com
  • ryan@makingchips.com
  • Telephone: (312) 725-0245
Jun 15, 2016

On part 1 of this 2 part episode, we have a conversation with Bill Strauss. Bill is a senior economist and economic advisor in the economic research department at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. His research papers include analysis of the manufacturing sector, the automotive sector, the Midwest regional economy, the trade-weighted dollar, business cycles and Federal Reserve payments operations.

Bill shares his experience working with the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago and how it relates to manufacturing. We also discuss the highly anticipated MakingChips Mastermind and Workshop series, Jim shares his experience working with SkillScout,  and we discuss the future of automation in Manufacturing News.

Episode Structure:

  • [03:20] - Manufacturing News
  • [06:10] - MakingChips Events
  • [07:30] - MakingChips Workshop
  • [08:28] - IMTS 2016 Registration
  • [10:22] - SkillScout at CARR Machine
  • [13:45] - Introducing Bill Strauss
  • [15:30] - Bill’s Role at the Federal Reserve
  • [17:58] - The Rust Belt
  • [19:15] - The 12 Cities
  • [20:33] - Specializing in Manufacturing
  • [21:20] - Explaining the Federal Reserve
  • [24:15] - Board of Directors / Advisory Council
  • [26:25] - The Media
  • [28:30] - Investing in Performance
  • [31:15] - Foreseeing the Future of Manufacturing
  • [32:25] - Conclusion of Episode

Mentioned in this Episode:

We Want to Hear From You, The Metalworking Nation:

  • jim@makingchips.com
  • jason@makingchips.com
  • ryan@makingchips.com
  • Telephone: (312) 725-0245
Jun 8, 2016

Today on MakingChips: We welcome a very special VIP guest to our show,  Sean Holt - President for the Americas at Sandvik Coromant. Sean has more than twenty years of engineering, business development and management experience. He is currently responsible for Sandvik Coromant's organization in North and South America. Sean shares his background with us, his history with Sandvik, and weighs in on what he believes defines a great manufacturing leader. We also discuss the importance of communication, the future of cutting tools, and what we can do to change the perception of manufacturing. Jim and Jason talk about MakingChips' highly anticipated Mastermind Series & Workshop, and we share more information about the upcoming International Manufacturing Trade Show (IMTS 2016).

Episode Structure:

  • [02:40] - Manufacturing News - mitchell lace manufacturing
  • [04:45] - What’s New with Jason?
  • [06:05] - MakingChips Mastermind Series
  • [08:15] - IMTS 2016
  • [09:35] - News at ZENGERS
  • [12:00] - Introducing Sean Holt
  • [14:20] - Sean’s Background
  • [16:30] - What Defines a Great Manufacturing Leader?
  • [19:15] - Diversifying Key Industries
  • [23:33] - Communication is Critical
  • [25:25] - Future of Cutting Tools
  • [28:25] - Changing Perception of Manufacturing
  • [30:57] - Engaging the Younger Generations
  • [33:02] - Opportunities in the Future
  • [35:15] - Utilizing Podcasts for Communication
  • [38:00] - Conclusion of Episode

Mentioned in this Episode:

We Want to Hear From You, The Metalworking Nation:

  • jim@makingchips.com
  • jason@makingchips.com
  • ryan@makingchips.com
  • Telephone: (312) 725-0245
Jun 1, 2016

We're all familiar with Murphy's Law; "Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong". We've talked about this extensively in a previous MakingChips episode on crisis management, but what can you do to make sure that your manufacturing company is covered in the event that something goes wrong?

"It's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when."

From equipment breakdowns, to customer and employee claims of injury,  you need to be equipped with the knowledge of what kind of coverage you'll need for the challenges you face as a Manufacturing Leader. The reality is that many manufacturers have limited knowledge on the subject, and are often hesitant to reach out to their insurance agency. What can the metalworking nation learn from the insurance industry?

On this episode of MakingChips, we talk about insurance and risk management with Marc Alberico and Steve Lorenzini of The Daniel and Henry Company. Marc and Steve share their extensive knowledge of risk solutions for the manufacturing industry and provide an answer to a MakingChips listener's question. In manufacturing news, we talk about the future of automation and it's business implications.. Jim and Jason share details of two very special MakingChips events as we look forward to IMTS 2016.

Episode Structure:

  • [03:25] - Manufacturing News
  • [06:45] - Mastermind Series
  • [08:05] - MakingChips at IMTS 2016
  • [09:35] - Introducing Steve and Marc
  • [11:36] - Answering Rob Trout’s Email
  • [13:05] - How did this collaboration begin?
  • [19:06] - OSHA Compliance
  • [21:15] - Understanding the Depth of Your Business
  • [24:38] - “The Sheep in Wolf’s Clothing”
  • [26:30] - Product Liability (Prototype vs Medical)
  • [32:15] - Misclassified Areas
  • [38:15] - When to Call the Insurance Company
  • [40:40] - Conclusion of Episode

Mentioned in this Episode:

We Want to Hear From You, The Metalworking Nation:

  • jim@makingchips.com
  • jason@makingchips.com
  • ryan@makingchips.com
  • Telephone: (312) 725-0245
1