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: January, 2018
Jan 24, 2018

Hello Metalworking Nation! We are excited to bring back Phil and David from Orbitform as we conclude our interview with a detailed discussion on Orbitform's continuous process improvements. We'll talk about the steps that your manufacturing business can take to start implementing continuous process improvements. In manufacturing news, we give our take on the newly passed tax reform bill and it's impact on manufacturing in the United States. We also share some exciting news about the future of MakingChips.

Episode Outline:
[00:01] - IMTS 2018
[04:37] - Manufacturing News
[10:30] - Continuous Improvement Initiative
[14:00] - The First Steps
[17:32] - Bonus Incentive Plan
[20:43] - Kill The Castings
[25:27] - Hone Your Skills
[26:34] - Driving the Profitability
[30:48] - Automating The Process
[33:49] - Looking at the Data
[36:00] - Conclusion of Episode
[38:43] - The MFG Meeting 2018

Links Mentioned in this Episode:
IMTS 2018 - Register Today!
Digital Manufacturing and Design Innovation Institute (DMDII)
Orbitform
Eli (Eliyahu) Goldratt “The Goal”
Phil Sponsler | LinkedIn
David Shirkey | LinkedIn
Carr Machine and Tool | Case Studies
The MFG Meeting 2018

We Want to Hear From YOU, The Metalworking Nation:
• Jim@makingchips.com
• Jason@makingchips.com
• Ryan@makingchips.com
Telephone: (312) 725-0245

Jan 17, 2018

Hello Metalworking Nation! We are excited to bring you part two of our interview with David Shirkey and Phil Sponsler of Orbitform. David and Phil walk us through their process of grading potential acquisitions. We'll also hear about their active involvement in The Assembly Trade Show and how they quantify their ROI. Later on, we learn about David's discovery of the MakingChips Podcast, as he explains the takeaways their business has received from the show.

Episode Outline:
[00:01] - IMTS 2018
[02:52] - The Trade Show
[08:50] - Quantifying ROI
[10:21] - Distinguishing Clients
[13:50] - Looking at Acquisitions
[16:46] - Grading Possible Acquisitions
[20:25] - Hearing about MakingChips
[25:03] - Michigan Manufacturer of the Year

Links Mentioned in this Episode:
IMTS 2018 - Register Today!
Digital Manufacturing and Design Innovation Institute (DMDII)
Orbitform
The Assembly Show
Workshop for Warriors
Phil Sponsler | LinkedIn
David Shirkey | LinkedIn

We Want to Hear From YOU, The Metalworking Nation:
• Jim@makingchips.com
• Jason@makingchips.com
• Ryan@makingchips.com
Telephone: (312) 725-0245

Jan 10, 2018

Hello Metalworking Nation! On today’s episode, we welcome two very special guests from Orbitform to the MakingChips Podcast. We are pleased to welcome Phil Sponsler (President of Orbitform) and David Shirkey (Manager of Strategic Initiatives). Orbitform (Jackson, Michigan) manufacturers custom assembly machines and assembly systems to customers and industries around the world.

Phil and David tell us the story of how Orbitform was started and how they got involved with the company. We'll hear some insights on Orbitform's remarkable success following the great recession and how they developed an internal CRM software system that created unprecedented efficiency in their business. In Manufacturing News, we continue to talk about the industry's growing optimism as U.S. Manufacturing accelerates to it's best year in over a decade.

Episode Outline:
[00:01] - IMTS 2018
[03:50] - Manufacturing News
[04:43] - Anything New at ZENGERS?
[07:06] - What’s New With Jim?
[08:50] - Introducing David Shirkey
[09:39] - Introducing Phil Sponsler
[10:38] - The Story of Orbitform
[11:38] - What Is Orbital Riveting
[16:27] - Coming Out of the Recession
[17:49] - Phil’s Initial Journey
[19:14] - Marketing vs Sales Driven
[20:41] - Driven Process
[22:15] - Orbistix Mission
[24:21] - What is a "Form Fix”
[26:20] - Orbitform’s CRM Efficiency
[31:43] - 98% Utilization

Links Mentioned in this Episode:
Digital Manufacturing and Design Innovation Institute (DMDII)
Manufacturing News
Orbitform
Ballistix
Theory of Constraints
Division of Labor in Sales
Sales Process Engineering
Eli (Eliyahu) Goldratt “The Goal”
Phil Sponsler | LinkedIn
David Shirkey | LinkedIn

We Want to Hear From YOU, The Metalworking Nation:
• Jim@makingchips.com
• Jason@makingchips.com
• Ryan@makingchips.com
Telephone: (312) 725-0245

1