POV: You’re a woman with an entrepreneurial edge. You want to start a business. Why not consider the manufacturing industry? There are only 6,431 women-owned manufacturing businesses in the United States (representing just 2% of all manufacturing companies). 20% of them are minority-owned. This industry needs a woman’s perspective and expertise.
So what does it take to get into the industry? Nicole Wolter—the President & CEO at HM Manufacturing—shares her advice for budding female entrepreneurs in this episode of MakingChips.
POV: You’ve decided to start the process of implementing automation in your machine shop—but it isn’t as easy as flipping a switch. It’s a process that consists of failing forward and learning from every mistake. Tom Schroeder—the Executive Vice President at PBC Linear—joins us in this episode of Lights Out to share how to prioritize flexibility when you invest in and begin to implement automation in your shop. Because if you’re not making the right chips, you’re not making money.
– Nick
There are around 17,000 contract manufacturing job shops in the US. That sounds pretty great, right? The truth is that growth is down 16% since 2008. Now, more than ever, we need new entrepreneurs in the manufacturing industry. Matthew Nix, Paul Van Metre, Drew Crowe, and Mike Payne join me in this roundtable discussion to talk about the vast opportunities available, how to take advantage of them, and why manufacturing leaders should encourage and grow entrepreneurs from within their businesses. Because if manufacturing isn’t growing, we aren’t MakingChips, and we aren’t making money. BAM!
– Nick Goellner
How can leadership remain connected to what’s happening on the shop floor? At Nix, we’ve found a creative way to bridge a gap that many businesses experience. We’ve implemented a program that allows our front line to address problems and propose solutions so that their everyday real-world problems are being fixed. Dakota Hunt and Jack Henry Hagan return to share how this program has positively impacted them and the business.
– Matthew Nix