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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.
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Making Chips Podcast for Manufacturing Leaders
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Now displaying: January, 2023
Jan 31, 2023

This is a good time of year to start thinking about your sales pipeline and hunting for new business. Prospecting is one of the most important things you can do to grow your business—but it’s also something that everyone hates—even salespeople. So what is the concept of “Fanatical” prospecting? How do you bite the bullet and get started? We share some tips in this episode of MakingChips. Because if you’re not prospecting, you’re not growing, and if you’re not growing—you’re not MakingChips. BAM!

– Nick

Segments

  • [0:20] Learn how Thomas™ can work for you
  • [4:45] What’s happening in our businesses
  • [5:42] Manufacturing News: Aerospace Industry Outlook
  • [11:22] Why prospecting is an important piece of the sales puzzle
  • [15:16] The concept of “Fanatical Prospecting”
  • [18:32] Top performers utilize time blocking
  • [23:37] How to start fanatically prospecting 
  • [26:53] Balancing prepwork and numbers 
  • [29:26] Why a recession is the best time to prospect

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Jan 24, 2023

Are you conducting performance reviews in your business? Have you found a way to structure them to be useful? In this episode of MakingChips, Jason and I talk about how we structure our performance reviews, why we do them consistently, and why they matter. Your teams need to be performing at a high level. Why? If they’re not achieving their goals, they’re not MakingChips, and if they’re not MakingChips, we’re not making money! BAM!

– Nick

Segments

  • [0:16] Get 25% off an annual Thomas™ subscription with code CHIPS25
  • [2:33] Jason’s favorite manufacturing memory from 2022
  • [4:08] Announcing one of our guest hosts for 2023
  • [8:03] Manufacturing News: U.S. manufacturing needs federal funding
  • [13:51] Implementing a self-review alongside performance reviews
  • [20:10] The #1 thing I learned from our performance reviews
  • [22:28] Making sure performance reviews are a good use of time
  • [25:33] Why peer reviews can be a useful tool to gauge performance
  • [28:23] Start implementing performance reviews in your business

Resources mentioned on this episode

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Jan 17, 2023

ChatGPT is a chatbot that is making waves in artificial intelligence. It’s not your typical chatbot that produces canned robotic answers. So in this episode of MakingChips, we put ChatGPT to the test. We asked the bot five questions about manufacturing and its answers will surprise you.

Plus, we share how this AI can be useful to the manufacturing nation. Because if you're not taking advantage of technology, you’re not MakingChips, and if you’re not MakingChips, you’re not making money. BAM!

– Jason

Segments

  • [0:20] Get 25% off an annual Thomas™ subscription with code CHIPS25
  • [3:45] Why Mike Payne is excited about ChatGPT
  • [7:27] MakingChips is alternating guest hosts to bring different perspectives
  • [7:45] Manufacturing News: Statistics about chatbots
  • [9:44] Learn more about ChatGPT, its functions, and its limitations
  • [12:47] Question #1: How do I lead the manufacturing company of the future?
  • [14:52] Question #2: What are the best technologies for automating a machine shop? 
  • [16:50] Question #3: How can robots increase efficiency in a machine shop?
  • [17:39] Question #4: How do you choose between a co-bot and a robot? 
  • [19:56] Question #5: What is the #1 podcast for manufacturing leaders?
  • [20:40] Our observations about the usefulness of ChatGPT for manufacturers

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Jan 3, 2023

Are you looking for a way to give back to your local community? We started MakingChips as a way to serve the manufacturing nation with no strings attached. Mike Payne—the President of Hill Manufacturing & Fabrication—found a unique way to do just that. He and his team started fostering dogs last year as a way to give back to their community. How has it gone? How has it also benefited his team? We share his unique story—and why giving back is so important for manufacturing leaders to embrace—in this episode of MakingChips. Because if you’re not giving back, you’re not MakingChips, and if you’re not MakingChips, you’re not making money. BAM!

– Jason

Segments

  • [0:17] Get 25% off an annual Thomas™ subscription with code CHIPS25
  • [3:40] Manufacturing News: Bringing Manufacturing Closer to Home
  • [7:36] Introducing today’s guest Mike Payne of Hill Manufacturing & Fabrication
  • [9:42] Why Hill Manufacturing’s team is fostering hound dogs
  • [13:58] How fostering hound dogs is benefitting Mike’s team
  • [15:58] What happens when a foster dog isn’t a good fit? 
  • [18:02] How dog fostering ties into serving the community
  • [20:51] Balancing business objectives with being a good citizen

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