Manufacturing Talks

Eric joins us once again for Episode 81! We chat about the recent news of the $10 billion share buyback at GM, the continuing news of the huge scaling back of the pork-laden Ford battery plant in Michigan, and general discussion of how those companies seem to be going off the rails. Eric also offers his take on the recent clean energy legislation that Michigan Democrats have foisted on the state. Tune in and check out the whole show - you'll be glad you did! And check out Eric's work at https://starkmanapproved.com/. This episode aired originally on YouTube on December 12, 2023.

Guru on all things power generation Meredith Angwin comes back to the show, this time to focus entirely on the big points of her superb book, *Shorting the Grid: The Hidden Fragility of Our Electric Grid.* (https://www.amazon.com/Shorting-Grid-Hidden-Fragility-Electric/dp/1735358002/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1702947902&sr=8-1) Tune in to learn all about the cockamamy regulations and horribly skewed incentives that have our power producers doing all kinds of crazy stuff. Learn why wind and solar absolutely make prices for electricity skyrocket every time (hint: backup for when the wind doesn't blow and the sun doesn't shine!), why batteries and/or pumped hydro won't save us, and why our current tendency to rely on gas to bail out the renewables is courting disaster. Oh, and hear why your host's home state of Michigan is headed for blackouts! Here are a few other links referred to in the show: The Spectator article about Meredith: https://thespectator.com/topic/meredith-angwin-power-grid-prophet-energy/ Jason Hayes's article about Michigan's stupid new power generation mandates: https://www.mackinac.org/blog/2023/michigan-lawmakers-should-aim-for-the-least-harmful-net-zero-plan Mackinac Center for Public Policy: https://www.mackinac.org/ This episode aired originally on YouTube on December 19, 2023.

I can't believe I got to Episode 75 before doing anything on bicycles! But we went big - Tony Karklins, CEO of Time Bicycles and Cardinal Cycling Group, joined us for a great discussion of my favorite sport! Tony digs into: - His own background and how he got to be where he is - including owning his own bike shop as a teenager! - Why pretty much all bike making went to Asia back at the beginning of the century - How Europe has already gotten a start on bringing bicycle manufacturing back - especially Portugal - Why he's bullish on his prospects for bringing some of that production back to America - Where he thinks the bike making hot spots for the US will be - What can be made here and what can't - His growth plans for the Time Bicycles brand Along with checking out the whole show and hearing all about what Tony has to say about the bike business in general and making them here in America, you should also check out this link: https://www.google.com/search?q=perfection+in+every+strand&oq=perfection+in&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUqBggBECMYJzIGCAAQRRg5MgYIARAjGCcyBwgCEAAYgAQyBwgDEAAYgAQyBwgEEAAYgAQyBwgFEAAYgAQyBwgGEAAYgAQyBwgHEAAYgAQyBwgIEAAYgAQyBwgJEAAYgAQyBwgKEAAYgAQyBwgLEAAYgAQyBwgMEAAYgAQyBwgNEAAYgAQyBwgOEAAYgATSAQkxMDkzOGowajSoAgCwAgA&client=ms-android-samsung-rvo1&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:a74a8778,vid:5bQQqJ3r20E,st:0 And you can find Time Bicycles right here: https://shop.timebicycles.com/ This episode aired originally on October 31, 2023.

Manufacturers uniquely rely on affordable, reliable energy for their business models. Unfortunately, legislators in Michigan's House of Representatives just last week passed a bill that will make our electricity a lot more expensive and a lot less reliable. Here are the basics: Even before last week's bill, Michigan was already on a path to big problems, with plans to shut down all coal our plants by 2032. They generated 30% of our electricity in 2021, and that was before the Palisades nuclear plant shut down (now folks are desperately trying to reopen that to help keep the lights on). The new bill mandates 100% "clean" energy by 2040, including 60% from renewables like wind and solar. The new bill doesn't, however, contain an actual plan for how we'll do that and still have reliable energy. Wind has a capacity factor here of about 40%, and solar even less - during December and January, it drops below 10%. Oh, natural gas can still be used - as long as it also incorporates carbon capture and storage, a technology that doesn't even exist at scale for grid-level electricity generation. It's like our legislators just handed us a pile of cloth and ropes, and needle and thread, and told us to jump out of an airplane. What's the very likely result? Blackouts, almost certainly starting in the next several years as our coal plants shut down. Manufacturers in Michigan need to start laying in plans accordingly. This episode aired originally on Nov. 7, 2023.

Mark Stemmy joins us for our Episode 77 to talk about all things cycling. He's the founder of Optimized Cycling Solutions (https://optimizedcycling.com/), "a bicycle studio focused on bespoke products and services, offering custom frames and complete bikes, built in the U.S.A. and Italy." Plus he's spent decades in the business, and he talks about that history he has with the industry. He goes into great detail about the headwinds the bicycle business is facing these days and why it's got a lot of the players very nervous. And he tells us the hot trends that will carry the industry forward, as well as his own plans for how he's going to negotiate the rocky road ahead. If you're a bike nut, you should tune in for a major fix of cycling geekiness! And if you're not, you should tune in for one whale of an educational episode! This episode aired originally on YouTube on November 14, 2023.

Joe Goral keeps our big day of livestreaming moving, joining us for our Episode 68, recorded live from the floor of the Motion + Power Technology Expo at Huntington Place in downtown Detroit. Joe shares the ins and outs of his company, Bourn & Koch, a machine tool outfit. They make parts for a bunch of machines made by companies that are now out of business, having bought the intellectual property and design drawings for a whole bunch of them. They are literally keeping part of our industry working! Tune in and check out the whole thing! This episode aired originally on YouTube on October 18, 2023.

Our big day at the American Gear Manufacturers Association's Motion + Power Technology Expo was rolling right along as we progressed through the afternoon! Beau Hallavant sat down with us for Episode 69 and told us all about his company, WD Bearing Group. Now, you may think ball bearings are an industry that's pretty locked down and disruption-proof, but think again. By doing things differently, WD Bearing has chalked up a growth rate that almost anyone will envy. (It's saying a lot when their Director of Sales is thinking maybe a little LESS growth might be okay...) Tune in and hear all about how they made that happen! (Bonus points if you can name the movie this episode's title is a quote from - put it in the comments, please!) This episode aired originally on YouTube on October 18, 2023.

Ruthie Johnston from Croix Gear & Machining in Hudson, Wisconsin, kept our afternoon of livestreaming from the American Gear Manufacturers Association's Motion + Power Technology Expo at Huntington Place in Detroit moving right along! She joined us for our Episode 70, and told us how she quite unexpectedly took the CEO role at her company when her husband passed away unexpectedly. But she got through the rough times and has continued to make the business more successful. And now she's sharing that success by helping develop the community there in Hudson and to assist young people along the skilled trade path. Tune in and check out! This episode aired originally on YouTube on October 18, 2023.

John Perrotti is CEO of Gleason Corporation in Rochester, New York. He sat down to chat with us for Episode 71, in the middle of the afternoon during our full day of livestreaming from the American Gear Manufacturers Association's Motion + Power Technology Expo at Huntington Place in Detroit. John's company makes machines like grinders and cutters. They make tools for those machines, too. They make workholding systems for the jobs. They make metrology equipment to check on what the machines make. They make software for those systems. And they make some gears themselves, too - plastic ones, some so small you can barely see them. Whew! Yeah, Gleason does a lot. John does a great job walking us through all of that, plus telling us about some of the opportunities and challenges he's seeing in the industry. This was an awfully educational episode! Tune in and see for yourself! This episode aired originally on YouTube on October 18, 2023.

We were getting close to the end of our livestreaming day at the MPT Expo in Detroit when Michael Cinquemani joined us for our Episode 72. Michael brings us full circle on what's represented at this show put on by the American Gear Manufacturers Association. We started with forging and heard from machine makers, toolmakers, and the people who make both gears and bearings. Michael's company puts it all together, making power transmissions and gearing systems for industrial applications and more. Heck, our host is a mechanical engineer and even he had trouble keeping up with everything Michael had to say! In addition to running his company, Michael also serves as the Chairman of the Board at the AGMA, so he shared his thoughts on the organization and what it does for industry and its members. Great stuff - do check it out! This episode aired originally on YouTube on October 18, 2023.

Finally! The end of our broadcasting day came at Huntington Place in Detroit on Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023, where we did all-day interviews at the Motion + Power Technology Expo put on by the American Gear Manufacturers Association. We finished strong! Forest City Gear's Kika Young, CEO, and Jared Lyford, Director of Operations, joined us to talk about their gearmaking shop in Roscoe, Illinois, just north of Rockford. It's a great story about a family-owned business that's been successful and shown that Americans can still manufacture with the best of 'em. Forest City serves industries ranging from food & beverage to medical to defense to, yes, space! It's certainly no small thing when your company's gears are instrumental to the rousing success of America's Mars rovers, right? Tune in and hear Kika and Jared tell all about it. This episode aired originally on YouTube on October 18, 2023.

I learned about the Great Lakes Boat Building School while on a sailing adventure with the Boy Scouts several years ago, when we spent the night docked in Hessel, just a few miles away from Cedarville, where the school is located. For Episode 74, we have Nikki Storey, the school's president, here to tell us all about the history of the GLBBS, what ultra-cool programs they have going on now, what other plans they have for the future, and how on earth this woman from a landlocked farming community wound up running this innovative school for building and maintaining boats! It's marvelous stuff! Nikki is a ball of fire, and she's chock full of fascinating info about the GLBBS and the boating industry, and about the gorgeous community the school calls home. She tells all about the amazing work the school is doing, in conjunction with its corporate partners, to build the maritime industry's workforce. (She mentions this work by the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable along the way: https://www.nmma.org/press/article/24487?utm_source=Currents&utm_medium=orr&utm_campaign=orr) You can learn even more about the GLBBS here: https://glbbs.edu/ Tune in and check out the whole thing! This episode aired originally on YouTube on October 24, 2023.

Matt Croson, President of the AGMA, joins us once again for our Episode 65, recorded live from the floor of the Expo at Huntington Place in downtown Detroit! Matt kicked off a whole day of livestreamed interviews, telling us what the show is all about and what the AGMA does for its membership. Plus there's a little talk about heavy metal music! Tune in and check out the whole thing! This episode aired originally on YouTube on October 18, 2023.

Lori Brown and Cindy Hall join us for our Episode 66, recorded live from the floor of the Expo at Huntington Place in downtown Detroit! Lori and Cindy tell us all about their company, Clifford-Jacobs Forging in Champaign, Illinois. We put them in as our first company interview because forging is the earliest step in gearmaking that was represented at the show! Learn all about what the process is and why it's so important, and how their company is a very special place to work. Plus there's a little MORE talk about heavy metal music AND REO Speedwagon! Tune in and check out the whole thing! This episode aired originally on YouTube on October 18, 2023.

Nicole Wolter, CEO of HM Manufacturing (who does LOTS of other stuff too!), joins us once again for our Episode 67, recorded live from the floor of the Motion + Power Technology Expo at Huntington Place in downtown Detroit. Nicole tells us all about her family-owned machine shop that makes gears and more. Plus she tells us all the fabulous work she does to support manufacturing in her community and far beyond! She might mention golfing, too. Tune in and check out the whole thing! This episode aired originally on YouTube on October 18, 2023.

Mark Mills joins us again, this time for what was our first livestream episode! Maybe you missed the live show, but here it is in all its glory. He's a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, a physicist with a background in mining and manufacturing. Last time he told exactly why there won't be near enough minerals for the "energy transition." Now he's hear to tell us a whole bunch more. Mark deals the harsh truth on: - Why we should be optimistic - Technology that will actually make things better, as covered in his book (link below) - Why EVs aren't as clean or simple as you might think, and why they're going to send our automotive jobs overseas - Why the recent dial-back of net zero goals in the UK matters - Flying cars and walking cars! It's a deep (but also often funny) episode, and well worth your time! Check it out, and do check out Mark's book too. (I've got my copy!) https://www.amazon.com/Cloud-Revolution-Convergence-Technologies-Economic-ebook/dp/B08YPX96ZF/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3L2MQ5GGJEJH5&keywords=mark+p+mills&qid=1695684361&sprefix=%2Caps%2C85&sr=8-1 PS - many thanks for her excellent work as our producer on this one to Gail Robertson, Chief Curiosity Officer at GailNow and at her Curious Minds web show - do check it out too! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9jTAajk7XaEYerR5ZqrWWg This episode aired originally on YouTube on September 26, 2023.

In case you missed it when it was actually live... For our second-ever live broadcast, Eric joined us once again to talk about the hot manufacturing topics of today. Tune in and hear him discuss the UAW strike and the missteps of automakers like GM and Ford. (CEO pay and recalls, anyone?) He covers some of the positives and negatives of Stellantis too. He also gives us some lowdown on EVs and some of the misconceptions around the jobs situation with them and how they stack up against hybrids. And he waxes poetic about the now-delayed (at best) battery plant Ford was trying to build in Michigan. Tune in and check out the whole thing! It will be worth your while! This episode aired originally on YouTube on October 12, 2023.

Jason Hayes from the Mackinac Center for Public Policy joined us for Episode 63 to talk about how so much of what we hear about the environment and energy just ain’t so, and how the false narratives are driving some really bad decisions, especially for manufacturers. He’s an outdoorsman and a former backcountry ranger and forester. He has multiple degrees in environmental science and has specialized in energy production. Now he’s the Director of Energy and Environmental Policy with the Mackinac Center. He joined us to talk about why having access to “abundant, affordable, reliable sources of energy” is critical for our society’s well-being–and is also critical to maintaining our high levels of environmental quality too. A key point: those trying to sell us on wind and solar aren’t admitting to manufacturers who currently run 24 hours a day, seven days a week, that now they’ll have to adjust to making products “when the weather allows.” He highlights one of the subjects we’ve been hammering, that of Germany and its destructive Energiewende environmental policy that has seen the country shutter all its nuclear facilities and build out enormous amounts of renewable generating capacity, and now has skyrocketing energy prices and ongoing de-industrialization. He also covers the policies here in our shared home state of Michigan, which have us on a similar path to Germany’s. Oh, and he points out that recycling isn’t all it’s cracked up to be either. And finally, he gives us the real lowdown on the causes of wildfires. Hint: it’s not a “climate crisis.” Tune in for a rousing counter-narrative discussion! And do check out the Mackinac Center’s superb work at the first link below, and Jason’s page there at the second one. https://www.mackinac.org/ https://www.mackinac.org/about/staff/752 Note: the "context" added by YouTube to this video is false: https://www.ssb.no/en/natur-og-miljo/forurensning-og-klima/artikler/to-what-extent-are-temperature-levels-changing-due-to-greenhouse-gas-emissions/_/attachment/inline/5a3f4a9b-3bc3-4988-9579-9fea82944264:f63064594b9225f9d7dc458b0b70a646baec3339/DP1007.pdf This episode aired originally on YouTube on October 3, 2023.

Your host Jim Vinoski is flying solo again on this one, talking about why the claims that renewables and power storage saved the day in Texas this summer are complete hogwash. This one's critical. Because what's playing out in Texas is soon going to be playing out everywhere: more and more unreliable power generation, less and less reliable generation, and lots of people lying trying to cover up the coming disaster. Watch the whole thing, and please like, share, and subscribe to hear a lot more coming about the disaster in the making when it comes to energy in the Western world. This episode aired originally on YouTube on September 5, 2023.

Meredith Angwin, author and speaker, joins us for Episode 60 to tell us why she thinks our fragile electric grids are soon going to be failing us. Since she predicted the failure of the Texas grid during the winter storm a couple years ago, you probably ought to be listening to her. Plus she actually wrote the book on the subject: Shorting the Grid: The Hidden Fragility of Our Electric Grid. As she says, "Grid insiders know how fragile the grid is becoming. Unfortunately, they have no incentive to solve the problems because near-misses increase their profits." What's the culprit causing the problems? Wind and solar, whose inherent unreliability are destabilizing power generation, and whose relegation of our formerly reliable generating technologies to backup generation are making the unreliable too. Tune in and learn all the ugly details, and find out about what you need to be doing about our pending disaster. This episode aired originally on YouTube on September 12, 2023.

Bob Worsley doesn't let the grass grow under his feet! First he founded Skymall and sold it to Rupert Murdoch. Then he ran successfully for an Arizona state Senate seat. And now he's tackling the housing crisis. His new company Zennihome, is using robotic automation to make small housing units, built on the dimensions of shipping containers, "live larger" by making spaces truly multi-purpose. And his two models are designed to be connected together to make everything from a larger single-family home to a multi-story apartment building! They also include green features to make them some of the most sustainable dwellings out there. And perhaps most important, they're designed to be mass-produced using advanced manufacturing, which will keep costs down and quality up! I was so impressed by the story, I wrote it up for Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jimvinoski/2023/07/21/zennihome-uses-factory-robotics-and-home-automation-to-fight-the-housing-crisis/ And now I'm happy to be joined by Bob for my Episode 61. Tune in and learn all about what this true innovator is bringing to our housing market, which is desperate to be disrupted! And do check out the ZenniHome website below, where you can see video of the house's automated features: https://zennihome.com/ This episode aired originally on YouTube on September 19, 2023.

Jason is owner and consultant out at Industrial Solutions Arizona, braving the brutal Phoenix heat after growing up in southeastern Ohio, helping manufacturers improve what they do! He joined us to talk all about it for our Episode 57. Jason learned the only way you really can: by working for 20 years himself right out on the factory floor! He talks about why Lean efforts fail and how you can prevent that from happening to you, and what Lean tools are the best for those getting started. And he talks some really smart stuff on involving the front-line workers and on how leaders right up to the very top have to be involved! Find out more about what he does here: https://www.isiworld.net/ And tune in for the whole thing! You'll be glad you did! This episode aired originally on YouTube on Aug. 22, 2023.

Terry joins us for Episode 58. He was the third generation leader at his family's machine tool business, Iverson & Company, for most of his career. Then he took a challenge to connect with young people and help sell manufacturing as a great career path, and he was off to the races! He founded CHAMPION Now, an advocacy to reach out to America's youth. Its focus? Here it is in Terry's own words, from the CHAMPION Now website: "CHAMPION Now® exists to change the image of manufacturing from the unrealistic, stereotypical 'dark and dirty' industry to one that is filled with extremely technology, advanced innovations, and exhilarating and good paying careers available for the next generation." Terry went on to write not just one, but TWO books about his efforts: Finding America’s Greatest Champion and Inspiring Champions in Advanced Manufacturing. Tune in and hear Terry tell all about what you can do as an industry leader. You're needed in the effort! You'll learn about things like opening up your company's doors to help youth learn what manufacturing is all about, and partnering with local schools to help educate kids about their career opportunities and what schooling they need to go after them. There's a link below to the CHAMPION Now website, where you can learn more and find out about both of Terry's books. There's also a link to the Kickstarter campaign where you can help launch the second book. And there's Terry's email address too! Take up the challenge, just like Terry did! CHAMPION Now website: https://championnow.org/ Kickstarter campaign to help launch Terry's second book: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1381700333/inspiring-champions-in-advanced-manufacturing Terry's email: tiverson@iversonandco.com This episode aired originally on YouTube on Aug. 29, 2023.

Allan and his team have been working for years on a way to bypass the need for years of aging in brown spirits. Now they've found it, and he joins us for our Episode 54 to tell all about it. You can try his stuff for yourself! The company now has a whiskey specifically formulated for cocktails called W.K. Reed. You can pick some up at the link: https://gacraftspirits.com/products/w-k-reed-whiskey-750ml Get some, give it a try, and come back here to give your feedback via the comments section! This episode aired originally on YouTube on Aug. 1, 2023.

Sure, he appears regularly on Neil Cavuto's and Maria Bartiromo's shows, but now he's hit the big time: Manufacturing Talks! Investment strategist and small-government true believer Luke Lloyds joins us for Episode 55 to talk about why so much is going wrong with our economy, what we need to do to fix it, and what manufacturers in particular ought to know! Plus we talk about bourbon and cigars, rock music, and a whole lot more! Trust us, this one is a great show! This episode aired originally on YouTube on Aug. 8, 2023.