A century ago, two cookware companies were born 12 miles apart in Wisconsin. One was bought right after World War II by a door-to-door salesman who converted it back to cookware after it had been repurposed for munitions. Today, those two companies have merged into SynergyOps, a 115-year-old legacy manufacturer with first through fourth generation employees still walking the factory floor.

David Duecker, President of SynergyOps, joins the show from the factory floor in West Bend to discuss the company's evolution, their approach to automation, and what reshoring can look like for manufacturers. He explains how West Bend evolved with consumer demand over the decades, expanding into appliances like coffee makers and popcorn poppers, but when appliances started moving overseas in the 80s, they made a critical decision: divest and double down on their core strength, high-quality cookware.

David's vision for the factory of the future isn't lights-out automation, it's highly automated with the people they have today, just doing different jobs. He also shares why manufacturing sustainability isn't just about solar panels and water recycling; it's about corrugated boxes coming from five miles down the road instead of across an ocean.

In this episode, find out:

• How SynergyOps retains institutional knowledge across four generations of employees
• Why David looks for problem solvers who are intuitive and curious during hiring
• David's vision for the factory of the future: highly automated, but still powered by people
• How his background as a customer in the bike industry shapes his approach to contract manufacturing
• The chemistry problem the cookware industry is trying to solve around PFAS-free non-stick coatings
• Why tariffs and COVID got manufacturers seriously rethinking single-source supply chains
• How partnering with Moraine Park Technical College helps build the next generation of skilled craftspeople
• Why Synergy Ops brings retirees back to lead tours and train new hires

Enjoying the show? Please leave us a review here. Even one sentence helps. It’s feedback from Manufacturing All-Stars like you that keeps us going!

Tweetable Quotes:

• “As organizations, we’re always looking to expand or go to our adjacencies to try and grow our market. Sometimes it’s important to focus on your core and what you’re really good at. Go all in on that and penetrate the market that way.”
• “The factory of the future for us is highly automated with the people we have today, who are able to solve problems and make an impact every day, but they may just be doing a different job.” 
• “We never talk about the sustainability of manufacturing in the US. People often think about it in terms of water, air and gas, but sustainability can also mean cutting down on air, freight or ocean travel time too.”

Links & mentions:

• SynergyOps, a contract manufacturer and private label partner with over a century of manufacturing history in West Bend, Wisconsin, specializing in cladded stainless steel and cast aluminum cookware for established and emerging brands.
• Moxa, delivering the reliable and secure connectivity foundation that advanced analytics and AI depend on, with solutions in edge connectivity, industrial computing, and network infrastructure.  

Make sure to visit http://manufacturinghappyhour.com for detailed show notes and a full list of resources mentioned in this episode. Stay Innovative, Stay Thirsty.

1 more event in 2025. Dozens of events ahead in 2026. Stay Innovative, Stay Thirsty.

Forget the hyperscalers replacing tens of thousands of jobs. For manufacturers with 20 or 50 employees, AI isn’t about cutting headcount, it’s about finding ways to get ahead when you can’t necessarily afford to scale your team. As Dr Richard Barnhouse, President and CEO of Waukesha County Technical College (WCTC) puts it: figure out the things you hate to do and apply AI to that. 

This episode was recorded live at WCTC's Applied AI Lab, featuring a roundtable with Dr Barnhouse, Amanda Payne from the Waukesha County Business Alliance, Guido Mazza from ITER IDEA, and Caleb Bryant, a student pivoting into AI after 20 years in lending. The panel explores how small manufacturers are practically applying AI today, from eliminating scheduling headaches to streamlining quoting and contracts.

Guido shares how one plastic manufacturer eliminated internal conflict by letting an algorithm handle shift scheduling across dozens of constraints, while Amanda reveals that 50% of Waukesha County businesses are already adopting or strategizing around AI; and over 90% of them have 50 or fewer employees. Caleb delivers one of the episode’s sharpest lines: AI doesn’t steal jobs, it steals tasks.

In this episode, find out:

• Why even free ice cream for life won't get buy-in, but removing a universal pain point will
• How a plastic manufacturer used AI to manage dozens of scheduling constraints and avoid internal conflict
• The three common reactions people have to AI and why two of them stem from the same root cause
• What Dr. Barnhouse warns about AI early-adopters when vetting consultants and programs
• Why the real ROI on some AI projects isn't money saved, but conflict avoided
• Why manufacturers are mostly implementing AI on the office side (quoting, contracts, and legal documents) for now
• The intersection of robotics, humanoids, and quantum computing that's coming faster than most realize

Enjoying the show? Please leave us a review here. Even one sentence helps. It’s feedback from Manufacturing All-Stars like you that keeps us going!

Tweetable Quotes:

• “Start with the basics. Think about your company’s most repetitive or boring tasks and see if there’s an AI solution that could be applicable. Then, you have to differentiate and decide what the benefits are between automation or an AI agent for those tasks.” - Guido Mazza
• “The easiest way to get started is identify a single pain point that everyone in the company can’t stand, something so far down that not even the boss understands how it contributes to the bottom line. If you can mitigate that pain point, your team will understand how AI can help them focus on more important tasks.” - Dr Richard Barnhouse
• “There are usually three reactions to AI. People either embrace it, underestimate it or are intimidated by it. What AI does is breed creativity. And once you understand it a little bit more, you start to see all the different things it can be used for both in industry and your personal life.” - Caleb Bryant

Links & mentions:

• Waukesha County Technical College, one of the region’s leaders in workforce development, offering 170+ programs and customized employer training, including Wisconsin’s first comprehensive AI training and a world-class Applied AI Lab.
• Waukesha County Business Alliance, a long-standing, member-driven organization advancing economic growth and strengthening the business environment in Waukesha County through advocacy, development, engagement, and growth.
• ITER IDEA, delivering affordable and powerful cloud services that help businesses innovate and enhance workflow efficiency through seamless integration with existing technologies.
• Moxa, delivering the reliable and secure connectivity foundation that advanced analytics and AI depend on, with solutions in edge connectivity, industrial computing, and network infrastructure.  
• Industrial Marketing Summit 2026, an annual three-day gathering where manufacturing and industrial marketers connect to share practical insights, learn emerging strategies, and build community with peers facing similar challenges. 

Make sure to visit http://manufacturinghappyhour.com for detailed show notes and a full list of resources mentioned in this episode. Stay Innovative, Stay Thirsty.

Two podcast hosts walk into a recording studio and explore what it actually takes to get real stories out of robotics pioneers, why humanoids might not need to do everything to be useful, and where the real optimism in automation lies.

Brian Heater, Managing Editor at A3 and host of the Automated podcast, joins the show to share what he's learned from candid conversations with industry pioneers like Rodney Brooks and Brad Porter. We discuss why robots don't need to be fully general purpose to be useful, why timing matters when adopting new technology, and why stepping away to return with fresh eyes applies as much to workflows as it does to building anything.

The conversation also explores the human side of automation: exoskeletons helping people become mobile again, prosthetics inspired by a childhood encounter in Pakistan, and wearables being developed for Parkinson's patients. These applications (along with aging in place and caregiver shortages) are what give Brian optimism about where robotics is headed.

In this episode, find out:

• Why most robotics journalism misses the mark and what Brian advises new reporters to avoid
• What Amazon-level scale actually looks like compared to everyone else
• What industry pioneers think about humanoid robots and timing adoption
• How exoskeletons, prosthetics, and Parkinson's solutions are driving real impact
• Why knowing when to step away and return with fresh eyes applies to building anything
• The human stories from Automated that show why this technology matters
• Brian’s optimism about the future of automation

Enjoying the show? Please leave us a review here. Even one sentence helps. It’s feedback from Manufacturing All-Stars like you that keeps us going!

Tweetable Quotes:

• “I’m hoping that as robotics and automation become a little bit more mainstream, the coverage itself will start to mature. As more journalists enter the field, they’ll hopefully be a little more familiar with the technology.”
• “I’ve written about what success means in scaling a few times. The jump from pilots and assembly onsite takes a lot, not to mention being able to do so reliably and safely. I’ve spoken to a lot of smart people, and it seems as though we may underestimate what it’s going to take to get there.”
• “It comes back to the human element. The end goal of a lot of manufacturing is to make people’s lives easier. People who are actively looking for solutions to problems, whether its climate change or aging in place, there are big problems we’re facing that have potentially good technological solutions.”

Links & mentions:

• Automated with Brian Heater, robotics, AI, and automation are rapidly reshaping the world around us; veteran tech journalist Brian Heater digs into stories behind the technologies with the people who built them.
• Nardwuar, the Human Serviette, a Canadian journalist and musician, well-known for his candid approach to shows and interviews with celebrities and politicians. 

Make sure to visit http://manufacturinghappyhour.com for detailed show notes and a full list of resources mentioned in this episode. Stay Innovative, Stay Thirsty.

Robots are becoming more and more mainstream in manufacturing, but most organizations still think of them with sci-fi imagery rather than everyday tools. The gap isn't in the technology, it's in how we prepare people to work alongside it.

Jason Gryszkowiec from St. Onge Company and Ben Perlson from ABB Robotics join us to discuss why successful automation deployments focus on making robotics more digestible for everyday workers.

Jason emphasizes that the biggest challenge isn't the technology, it's ensuring supervisors understand both the capabilities and limitations of the systems they're managing, while Ben explores how future developments like AI and voice control could bridge the gap from fixed path programming to more dynamic, adaptive systems.

The conversation covers why skipping change management creates bigger problems than the technology solves. Both Jason and Ben share practical approaches to starting with automation, from modular pilots that validate technology and training needs, to understanding how enterprise operations differ from Mom-and-Pop shops who need more hands-on partner support along their automation journey.

In this episode, find out:

• Why shortcuts during implementation create bigger issues for end users
• How operators and supervisors are being upskilled and reskilled to manage new types of automation
• The importance of getting high-potential employees involved early as super users
• Why you need a champion at the site who enables automation projects to succeed
• How modular implementations helps validate technology and training needs before roll-out
• The risk management approach to introducing automation without killing operations with downtime
• How ABB Robotics’ four-level project segmentation helps meet customers where they are

Enjoying the show? Please leave us a review here. Even one sentence helps. It’s feedback from Manufacturing All-Stars like you that keeps us going!

Tweetable Quotes:

• “The biggest hiccup or problem we typically see is a lack of successful change management. What very frequently happens is that shortcuts are taken during the implementation process which makes it less digestible for the people that end up using the system day in day out.” - Jason Gryszkowiec
• “When we talk about upskilling and reskilling, it’s about making people more comfortable to work alongside automation and to handle basic troubleshooting and fault correction. There’s still going to be different roles for different skillsets, but it’s about bringing people along the automation journey, rather than throwing them in the deep end.” - Ben Perlson
• “With experimental or new technology, do a pilot. Go out, confirm the concept, bring it in, test it out, and confirm it. This not only gives you a chance to confirm the economic feasibility and validate the technology, but as an organization, you can understand what training and SOPs need to look like before roll-out.” - Jason Gryszkowiec

Links & mentions: 

• The Robotics Group (TRG) are leading manufacturers, integrators, consultants, and component suppliers of robotic solutions designed specifically for warehousing and distribution applications. 
• ABB Robotics, one of the world's leading robotics suppliers offering industrial and collaborative robots, autonomous mobile robots, and intelligent software solutions for industries including automotive, electronics, and logistics.
• St. Onge Company, a world-recognized supply chain strategy and logistics consulting firm.
• Listen to episode 78, “Overcoming Technology Hesitancy with Plus One Robotics CEO Erik Nieves”.

Make sure to visit http://manufacturinghappyhour.com for detailed show notes and a full list of resources mentioned in this episode. Stay Innovative, Stay Thirsty.

Many manufacturers are taking the wrong approach to artificial intelligence, picking the wrong implementation partners, and in general, not preparing their data effectively.

In this interview, Aaron Lober - VP of Marketing at CADDi - is going to share what AI can realistically do for a manufacturing company and how to properly prepare for an AI implementation.

It’s rare to find someone whose career spans 18 years in automotive manufacturing and venture capital, but Charly Mwangi, Partner at Eclipse Ventures, has done exactly that. His journey from the factory floor at Toyota, Nissan, Tesla and Rivian to backing hard tech companies gives him a perspective many VCs don’t have.

We sit down with Charly to explore how first principles thinking (questioning assumptions and getting back to root causes) drives real innovation in manufacturing.

He walks us through Tesla’s early days when they were asking questions nobody in the automotive industry had thought to ask, like whether robots could be programmed to work faster or if there was a better way to design for manufacturing.

The conversation covers what Eclipse looks for in the founders they support, why being scrappy can lead to better manufacturing decisions, and why old manufacturing principles need rethinking as the industry flows in the opposite direction.

In this episode, find out:

• How first principles thinking challenges manufacturing assumptions and unlocks innovation
• Why asking “why not?” opens possibilities that “that’s how it’s always been done” closes off
• The critical relationship between product design and manufacturability that many companies overlook
• What Charly learned about manufacturing during his time at Toyota and Nissan
• Why being capital-constrained can force creativity and focus in manufacturing
• The questions Tesla asked that nobody in automotive had thought to ask before
• What Eclipse Ventures looks for in the founders they back and why that matters for hard tech companies

Enjoying the show? Please leave us a review here. Even one sentence helps. It’s feedback from Manufacturing All-Stars like you that keeps us going!

Tweetable Quotes:

• “I was ten years into my career when Elon was asking questions that had never been asked in automotive before. By forcing us to think about things from a first principle, we started identifying levers like part consolidation that are now commonplace in manufacturing today.”
• “Most folks design a factory as just what’s inside the shell, but then you end up with over-built systems that don’t speak to each other. If you design it as one product, like how a vehicle would be designed, there are more synergistic opportunities to simplify the utilities and make them complimentary.”
• “Manufacturing until recently has always flowed towards low labor costs and consolidation in pursuit of economies of scale. But now it’s flowing in the other direction, so that means you can’t depend on previous principles and how manufacturing has always been designed.”

Links & mentions:

• Eclipse Ventures, partnering with entrepreneurs boldly transforming the essential industries that define and propel economies. 
• Nexiforge, reindustrializing America with AI-Powered factories for contract manufacturing.

Make sure to visit http://manufacturinghappyhour.com for detailed show notes and a full list of resources mentioned in this episode. Stay Innovative, Stay Thirsty.

Sustainability goals are everywhere in manufacturing; net-zero by 2030, carbon neutral by 2035. While many manufacturers have set ambitious targets, the gap between goals and execution remains a challenge, especially when sustainability projects compete with production priorities for capital.

Eric Spink and Shiva Subramanya from Veregy join the show to talk about energy transition and what it looks like in practice. Energy used to be just another line item and the cost of doing business, now it's tied to resilience, sustainability, and a company's long-term strategy.

One key insight from the conversation was how the equipment on the perimeter of your manufacturing floor (think compressed air systems, boilers, refrigeration, and HVAC) consumes 60-80% of your plant's total energy.

But manufacturers typically don't have expertise in these support utilities, which is why they get overlooked for efficiency opportunities.

We dive into real projects, including a five-plant dairy operation where AI can predict steam demand based on production data. Plus, how performance contracting allows manufacturers to fund these projects using energy savings rather than tying up capital.

In this episode, find out:

• Why energy has evolved from an expense to a strategic priority
• How perimeter equipment consumes 60-80% of plant energy but often receives the least attention
• Why sustainability projects typically compete with production priorities for budget
• How performance contracting uses energy savings to fund improvements without capital investment
• The low-hanging fruit in most plants, such as compressed air leaks, lighting upgrades, and controls optimization
• What happens when you connect production data with utility systems using AI and advanced controls
• Real examples from dairy processing that delivered significant energy savings

Enjoying the show? Please leave us a review here. Even one sentence helps. It’s feedback from Manufacturing All-Stars like you that keeps us going!

Tweetable Quotes:

• “Traditionally, manufacturing companies have relied on their own capital to implement sustainability projects. But they always compete with productivity goals. With performance contractors, companies can now use the savings from energy reductions and put their capital elsewhere but still implement energy efficiency projects.” - Eric Spink
• “Upgrading control systems by putting in PLC-based controls, and adding instrumentation and metering really allows all these systems to consume a lot less energy. Historically these have yielded very high paybacks, between one and a half and two years in many cases.” - Eric Spink
• “Having a sustainability goal is important, but having a sustainability plan is key. The sustainability plan needs to include how the organization is going to implement it and how it’s going to be funded year-on-year.” - Shiva Subramanya

Links & mentions:

• Veregy, an award-winning decarbonization company providing turnkey engineering and construction services to reduce energy costs through efficiency upgrades, smart building technology, EV infrastructure, and clean energy solutions.
• Skillwork, a premier staffing agency providing skilled industrial technicians on a contract basis to augment facility teams across 30+ states for elevated impact and decreased downtime.
• Fortinet, securing the world's largest enterprises, service providers, and government organizations with broad, integrated, and automated protections across the entire digital attack surface from production floor to cloud.

Make sure to visit http://manufacturinghappyhour.com for detailed show notes and a full list of resources mentioned in this episode. Stay Innovative, Stay Thirsty.

What's better than a live podcast? I live podcast AND a factory tour. For today's episode, we dove into Fathom Digital Manufacturing's Hartland, WI facility before a discussion with industry experts.

The automotive industry has come a long way from three-piece suits and mechanical production lines. Twenty-five years ago, manufacturers weren't thinking about EVs, tool changers, or the complexity we see today. Those who weathered 2008 will tell you: when the next downturn comes, it won't be your sales pitch that saves you, it'll be whether you were a true partner to your customers.

This episode was recorded Oktoberfest-style at RAM Solutions, featuring eight industry leaders discussing what's transforming automotive manufacturing. Mitch Yencha and Scott Hunter share timeless lessons from surviving 2008, while Tanner Boyko and Jim Marlowe highlight the insane amount of innovation happening right now, from the safest cars in history to new EV players entering the space.

Paul Otto and Andy Johnson reveal how AI is finally unlocking value from terabytes of welding data generated daily, while John Macdonald and Markus Weckbach from STÄUBLI explain why you need proactive planning with Plans B and C ready. They also cover why technologies like AMRs, AGVs, and gigacasting have finally crossed the adoption threshold.

In this episode, find out:

• How team culture and customer empathy helped manufacturers survive 2008
• Why automotive has been having the supply chain conversation since Henry Ford's assembly line days
• How AI is analyzing terabytes of welding data daily to optimize quality
• Why cobots, camera programming, and automated forklifts are creating new job opportunities
• What gigacasting is and how it's eliminating spot welding by casting car bodies in 3-5 components
• Why trade roles like maintenance and electricians are seeing a resurgence
• The proactive vs. reactive approach needed when running hundreds of jobs per hour
• How RAM Solutions trains hands-on with STÄUBLI equipment to fully support customers

Enjoying the show? Please leave us a review here. Even one sentence helps. It’s feedback from Manufacturing All-Stars like you that keeps us going!

Tweetable Quotes:

• “You have unbelievable technology coming into the automotive industry. It might be perceived as stagnant but that’s just not true. There’s a wide range of opportunities for anybody with any type of background to participate in this space.” – Scott Hunter
• “We talk about AI, but you still have to know the basics and know how to work with your hands. You need to know how to weld or operate a robot. You need to know the core foundation principles before you can take the next step.” – Paul Otto
• “We’ve always had a ton of automative data but the next step has been how to get it into a format so data scientists can use it and draw conclusions from it. Now the number crunchers can use AI tools to drive decision making on the manufacturing’s floor.” – Andy Johnson

Links & mentions:

• RAM Solutions, LLC, providing specialized automation solutions and 24/7 technical support across North America, with expertise in robotic tool changers, collision sensors, pneumatic systems, and overhead lifting equipment.
• STÄUBLI, a global mechatronic solution provider delivering robotics, electrical connectors, fluid connectors, and textile solutions across nearly every industry with long-term support in 28 countries.
• G.E Schmidt, a global leader in resistance welding solutions providing complete spot, seam, and projection welding systems with proprietary technologies for automotive and industrial manufacturers across the U.S., U.K., and Mexico.
• Moxa, delivering the reliable and secure connectivity foundation that advanced analytics and AI depend on, with solutions in edge connectivity, industrial computing, and network infrastructure 

Make sure to visit http://manufacturinghappyhour.com for detailed show notes and a full list of resources mentioned in this episode. Stay Innovative, Stay Thirsty.

Data centers are popping up all over the country, and for good reason. Capacity is doubling every three to four years, equipment is booked years out, and the race for AI computing power is creating opportunities that didn't exist five years ago.

Keith Hutchens from Barry-Wehmiller Design Group joins us to discuss how data centers are driving manufacturing activity across the entire supply chain. He compares this moment to building railroads in the 1800s or the oil boom of the 1970s and how we're witnessing transformative infrastructure that's reshaping American industry.

The conversation covers why "mission critical" means something different in data centers, with downtime costing millions per hour. Keith explains how modularity is revolutionizing construction timelines, why industrial controls are replacing commercial systems, and how different data center builders each have varying priorities when it comes to speed, cost, and density.

Keith also shares BW Design Group's approach to managing massive site teams and their philosophy of "truly human leadership” which has informed how they develop leaders, prevent burnout, and foster collaboration, even with former competitors.

In this episode, find out:

• Why data center growth is creating supply chain strain across all manufacturing sectors
• How modularity enables building before location selection and faster deployment
• The differences between colocation, startup, and hyperscaler data center priorities
• Why industrial PLCs are replacing commercial DDC controls in mission-critical applications
• How the Barry-Wehmiller Design Group manages 70-person teams on single sites
• The shift from competition to collaboration in tackling massive projects
• Why leadership development needs the same rigor as engineering training

Enjoying the show? Please leave us a review here. Even one sentence helps. It’s feedback from Manufacturing All-Stars like you that keeps us going! 

Tweetable Quotes:

• “I consider it almost like building railroads in the 1800s or the oil boom in the 1970s. This is the next transformative infrastructure that's coming to America.”
• “Mission critical definition is [how] downtime is not an option. Losses can be millions of dollars per hour or just result in, major safety concerns.”
• “Don’t fear collaboration, even with people you thought were traditional competitors. It’s such a different market that there really is room for everyone and you should be ready to open your mindset to that.”

Links & mentions:

• Connect with Keith Hutchens, Partner at Barry-Wehmiller Design Group: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kthutchens/
• BW Design Group, partners with manufacturing and technology companies in the food and beverage, life-sciences, advanced-technology, and industrial sectors, delivering fully-integrated strategy, architecture, engineering, construction and system-integration services: https://www.bwdesigngroup.com/

Make sure to visit http://manufacturinghappyhour.com for detailed show notes and a full list of resources mentioned in this episode. Stay Innovative, Stay Thirsty.