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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: February, 2023
Feb 28, 2023

Where have we been? Where are we now? Where are we going? These three questions are a simple way to structure how we communicate the vision for our company. But to reach the goals we’ve outlined in our vision, we need a plan. And then we need to work the plan. 

During our upcoming annual sales summit, I’ve asked my sales teams to create growth roadmaps for their goals and objectives. In this episode of MakingChips, I’ll share how we’re going to structure our roadmaps and how you can make the process work for you. Because if you don’t plan the work, you’re not MakingChips, and if you don’t work the plan, you’re not making money. BAM!

– Nick

Segments

  • [3:22] New Segment: Where in the world is Tony Gunn? 
  • [9:10] Jason’s “Where, where, where” structure
  • [10:34] The Lean Setup Guide from ProShop 
  • [11:13] The format for our annual sales summit
  • [21:44] Thomas™ supplier analytics dashboard

Resources mentioned on this episode

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Feb 21, 2023

We know that 2023 is going to be a challenge. After all, a recession is being purposefully orchestrated. The Fed is trying to curb inflation. And truthfully, recessions are a normal part of the economic cycle. Will a recession negatively impact the manufacturing industry? Or will we be left untouched? Will a recession actually lead to new opportunities for the metalworking nation? In this episode of MakingChips, we continue with our recession obsession, because if you’re not MakingChips, you’re not making money. BAM! 

Segments

  • [0:10] The Lean Setup Guide from ProShop
  • [1:32] Is a recession being purposefully orchestrated?
  • [3:03] Manufacturing News: 3M cutting 2500 manufacturing jobs
  • [5:53] We share why recessions are normal
  • [8:08] Why is a recession going to happen?
  • [11:07] How is this impacting the manufacturing industry?
  • [13:27] How can you transform your company in 2023?
  • [15:24] Learn about the Industrial Buying Engine (IBE)

Resources mentioned on this episode

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Feb 14, 2023

Reflecting on the past and learning from it helps shape our future decisions as leaders—both personally and professionally. I’ve worked in my family business for 25 years and recently spent some time reflecting on what I’ve learned. 

So in this episode of MakingChips, I share 10 things I’ve learned during my time at ZENGERS. You need to learn and grow alongside your team. If they aren’t learning and growing with you, you won’t be effectively MakingChips. And if you’re not MakingChips, you aren’t making money. BAM!

– Jason 

Segments

  • [0:19] The Lean Setup Guide from ProShop
  • [3:54] Reflections on 25 years at ZENGERS
  • [5:52] Manufacturing News: Tesla announces $3.6 billion investment
  • [7:30] Why social media is for interacting
  • [8:55] #1: Give your team a reason to wake up in the morning
  • [10:18] #2: Don’t be afraid to blow things up and start a new business model
  • [11:02] #3: Respect your mentors while being yourself
  • [12:40] #4: Leaders need to acknowledge and own their influence
  • [13:54] #5: Do something every day to keep learning
  • [15:33] #6: Work a defined number of hours per week
  • [19:08] #7: Collaborate from the heart, not the contract
  • [20:06] #8: Hire a rockstar team with common values 
  • [20:49] #9: Give your team autonomy to free you up 
  • [21:53] #10: People are everything in your business 
  • [23:03] Learn about the Industrial Buying Engine (IBE)

Resources mentioned on this episode

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Feb 7, 2023

As a manufacturing leader, one of the most important things you can do is hire the right people. As I’ve been working through the recruiting process, I started to realize that it closely parallels the sales process. And if you excel as a salesperson, you’ll find it easier to recruit than you think. In this episode of MakingChips, we talk about recruitment in manufacturing. Because if you can't build the right team, you’re not MakingChips, and if you’re not MakingChips, you’re not making money. BAM!

Segments

  • [0:15] The Lean Setup Guide from ProShop
  • [1:37] We’re building a recording space at ZENGERS
  • [3:53] Manufacturing News: GM to Sink Over $900M Into 4 Plants
  • [9:23] The parallels between LinkedIn Recruiter and Sales Navigator
  • [13:27] The list-building and prospecting process is the same
  • [14:14] Prospecting and recruiting are the same grind
  • [17:43] You have to qualify prospects and recruits 
  • [19:33] Prospecting and recruiting are both about building trust
  • [21:20] Get 25% off an annual Thomas™ subscription with code CHIPS25
  • [22:28] Both sales and recruiting require extensive negotiation

Resources mentioned on this episode

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