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Todd is a marketing and business strategist, writer, speaker, radio show host and producer, and distance runner. Connect with him on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google+.

About Todd Schnick

Todd is a marketing and business strategist, writer, speaker, radio show host and producer, and distance runner. Connect with him on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google+.

Doug Tingle of 1888 Mills: Global and US textile market leader!

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Doug TingleA pleasure to welcome Doug Tingle to Manufacturing Revival Radio! Doug is the co-founder and Vice Chairman of the Board of Managers of 1888 Mills.

1888 Mills is a leading global manufacturer of home and commercial textiles catering to the retail, hospitality and healthcare markets worldwide. They are also proud to operate the largest remaining towel mill in the United States.

Some highlights from the conversation:

1. Doug shares the story of how the company was founded, the significance of the name 1888 Mills, as well as rundown of their products and the markets they serve.

Screen shot 2013-05-07 at 12.03.52 PM2. When everyone was off-shoring, 1888 Mills launched and manufactured here. Doug explains the advantages of why.

3. Doug describes a major new initiative from Wal-Mart, a “Made in the USA” campaign.

4. We discuss the innovation, technology, automation in their work, as well as the need for skilled labor.

5. Despite 1888 Mills commitment to local manufacturing, they are a global organization, and we discuss the impacts of their global reach.

Today’s show sponsor!

6. We discuss the critical distinction between real initiatives to invest in “buying American,” verses just waving the flag and pretending to be patriotic.

7. Doug lists all the factors that must be considered when making up the price of production and manufacturing, to help us better understand the costs of global verses locally produced.

8. We discuss the impacts of regulation, corporate tax policy, and our educational system as potential roadblocks in the further revitalization of US manufacturing. And this ties into a discussion on how to become more competitive in global trade.

9. Doug shares the value of associations such as today’s sponsor, the Georgia Association of Manufacturing.

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Thanks for listening!

Mike Anderson and TenCate Protective Fabrics: What it is like to do business focusing on saving lives

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Mike Anderson

Joined in the studio today by Mike Anderson, the Vice President of Operations of TenCate Protective Fabrics. TenCate Protective Fabrics develops and produces the most comprehensive range of proven, high performance fabrics used to make protective clothing. They serve the first responder, military (currently in theater), and industrial markets with protective fabrics.

Some highlights from the show:

1. “The thrill of doing work that saves lives…”
2. Leading the revival of not only Georgia, but the US textile industry!
3. Comfort, durability, and protection – what they look for in the latest, most innovative fibers.
4. TenCate is a 308 year-old company (a new Dreamland Radio Network record), which has survived by adapting and innovating with the times. Why does their culture of research and development and innovation matter?
5. Innovation in the manufacturing process itself…

TenCate

6. The textile industry in Georgia is rebounding strong, and jobs are starting to come back!
7. A discussion around the necessity – and the challenges – of having a global company.
8. The challenge of finding skilled labor…
9. Uses of different technologies in their manufacturing process.
10. A discussion around the benefits of belonging to the Georgia Association of Manufacturers.

This episode is brought to you by:
GAM Logo

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Or subscribe to our show in iTunes here. If you enjoyed the show, please leave a comment and a positive customer rating too. Much appreciated!

Thanks for listening!

Manufacturing Revival on ReferencePointTV!

Last week, Todd and I were blessed to appear on ReferencePointTV, to discuss this show, what we’ve learned so far, and where manufacturing goes from here. Here is the show:

MRR friend Dave Kocharhook was the host of the show, and it was indeed a pleasure to spend some time with him to discuss the state of manufacturing.

On the show, we discussed a few of these topics:

1. Why we launched MRR in the first place.
2. The USA used to build everything. But where do we go now that we are in a global economy.
3. Offshoring vs. Reshoring; and the impacts of both.
4. The potential impacts of the Makers movement.
5. The old school manufacturing jobs are gone. You need a different education now.
6. The need to bring back the apprenticeship.
7. Making manufacturing sexy again.

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Announcement: New Seminar Alert: How Can We Make Manufacturing “Enticing”?

Karin Lindner

Karin Lindner

MRR contributor Karin Lindner has created a book overflowing with tools and resources to share with everyone regardless of age, career, stage of life or background – we can all change and we all have the capacity to create positive change within our immediate circle of influence that will tremendously impact the big picture!

Please come and attend this inspiring and game changing full-day seminar.

Karin is determined to inspire any person or company that has the willingness to overcome functional blindness to see the opportunities. You will recognize the need of a new tool set, a new skill set and a whole new way of thinking in this manufacturing era. Imagine what this will take? We have to change the lens through which we view the world.

Click here for details on Karin’s seminar.

Nigel Southway: Taking Back Manufacturing!

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Nigel Southway

A pleasure to welcome Nigel Southway to the show!

Nigel is the Chair of the Toronto Chapter of the Society For Manufacturing Engineers.

On the show, Nigel offers a state of the union for manufacturing in Canada; explains the mission behind the Society of Manufacturing Engineers; answers the question of how do we inspire our youth to get excited about manufacturing and engineering; what we need to do to get globalization done right; and the related battles behind intellectual property; we discuss the SME initiative Taking Back Manufacturing (the Canadian version of reshoring); the importance of an integrated apprenticeship program…

“It takes longer to develop and grow an engineer, than a doctor…”

To learn more about Nigel’s work, visit SME-TBM here!

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Thanks for listening!

Joel Leonard: If We Are Going To Prosper, We Have To Produce!

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Joel Leonard

Joel Leonard

Happy to welcome Joel Leonard to the show. Joel is a maintenance evangelist, and a workforce development consultant.

On the show, we discussed the next generation of skilled technicians; what exactly is a maintenance evangelist, and why that work is so important; how we make manufacturing appealing and exciting for people again; the skills gap we are facing; and are we in a skills crisis?

We continue with things we need to do to improve education, workforce training, and where we begin to address the problems; “What we watch is what we become;” SkillTV and it’s purpose; what can manufacturers themselves do to excite the next generation (training and internships); and “We’ve got to get students out of the classroom and into the real world to expose them to what’s possible.”

You can learn more about Joel at SkillTV.net and the Crisis Corner blog.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

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Or subscribe to our show in iTunes here. If you enjoyed the show, please leave a comment and a positive customer rating too. Much appreciated!

Thanks for listening!

Tom Peters: Training The Manufacturers Of Tomorrow!

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Tom Peters

Tom Peters

A pleasure to welcome Tom Peters to the show! Tom is the Director of Business Operations for Symbol Training Institute.

[from their website:] Symbol Job Training, Inc. is a Chicago-based educational organization which builds partnerships with businesses and students to transform lives through quality education. Symbol Job Training, Inc. provides education and hands-on training in Programming, Setup & Operation of CNC (Computerized Numerical Control) machines.

On the show, we discussed several topics including: the lack of skilled labor, and what to do about it; how do you define skilled labor; how do we prepare our children for the manufacturing jobs of today and tomorrow; does access to technology give today’s kids a leg up; what sorts of people is Symbol training; Symbol offers individual training, but also customized training for organizations; Tom talks about Symbol’s job placement record (stellar!); the future in online training; and customizing training for organizations.

Symbol is heavily involved with our community of servicemen and women who are returning back to civilian life and we are seeing an uptick in our enrollment in veterans. We want to encourage more veterans to join the manufacturing industry since they already have the requisite skill set of being mechanically inclined and having a great work ethic. Manufacturing requires a certain level of discipline and this is something that the military instills in an individual.

To learn more about the Symbol Training Institute, click here.

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To be notified by email when a new show featuring a cool, hip manufacturer (like the one above) is published, join our mailing list here!

Or subscribe to our show in iTunes here. If you enjoyed the show, please leave a comment and a positive customer rating too. Much appreciated!

Thanks for listening!

Jim Logue of Therm-Omega-Tech, Inc., A Lean Manufacturing Case Study

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Excited to welcome Jim Logue, the President of Therm-Omega-Tech, Inc., to the show.

[from their website] As a world leader in the design and manufacture of self-actuating temperature control valves for more than 25 years. We serve a multitude of industries and, as a result, our valves create solutions for a wide gamut of applications. Therm-Omega-Tech, Inc. has been the standard for the rail industry for over 25 years protecting billions of dollars of equipment every year.

therm omega tech

SHOW NOTES + HIGHLIGHTS:

1. Jim, a former CPA by trade, ended up President of a manufacturer. He discusses the transition into that role, and makes the case that any good business person can thrive in manufacturing!

2. Jim, and Therm-Omega-Tech, is a big advocate of lean manufacturing, and he discusses their lean journey.

3. Founded to serve the North American railroad market, Therm has recently transitioned into industrial. Jim discusses this evolution, and the strategy behind it. There is strength in diversifying your product lines, including getting into the OEM market.

4. Despite being a traditional manufacturing, serving some established markets, they are evolving their go-to-market strategy to keep up with the modern age of sales and marketing.

5. Jim goes deeper on lean manufacturing, indicating that it is less about cutting waste, and more about culture. And you won’t believe how it has increased revenues…

6. Jim talks about the resurgence of American manufacturing, and what Therm did to buck the trends and thrive through the economic downtown.

7. 95% of the material produced by Therm is made on-site in their plant. Jim discusses why this is so, and why this is important to the future growth of the company.

8. Jim talks about the struggle to find talent to fill jobs with the right skills and knowledge, and what they do to train members of their team…including implementing a significant internship program.

9. You can learn more about Therm-Omega-Tech here.

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Or subscribe to our show in iTunes here. If you enjoyed the show, please leave a comment and a positive customer rating too. Much appreciated!

Thanks for listening!

Chris Anderson: The Makers Movement And The New Manufacturing

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A pleasure to welcome Chris Anderson to the show! Chris is the Editor-in-Chief of Wired Magazine, best-selling author of The Long Tail and Free.

Chris AndersonBut today, he joins us to talk about his latest work, Makers: The New Industrial Revolution.

SHOW NOTES + HIGHLIGHTS:

1. “If I can run a factory…anybody can.”

2. What is the Makers movement? “The web generation meets the real world.”

3. “A new innovation model has been born…”

4. What are some of the new technologies that are going to make this happen?

Chris Anderson5. Can the average guy on the street get access to these new tools, or more importantly, have an understanding of what is really possible?

6. “The file menu goes from saying print, to now saying make.”

7. How can a traditional, bricks-n-mortar manufacturer tap into this Makers movement?

8. Open source, open hardware, and the patent/copyright issues that may crop up…

9. The web ended the monopoly of mass media. Now, the mass manufacturing monopoly may be ending too.

10. Chris references the following during the broadcast: GeekDad, DIY Drones, and MFG.com.

11. You can purchase Chris’ book here (affiliate link):

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To be notified by email when a new show featuring a cool, hip manufacturer (like the one above) is published, join our mailing list here!

Or subscribe to our show in iTunes here. If you enjoyed the show, please leave a comment and a positive customer rating too. Much appreciated!

Thanks for listening!

Karin Lindner: Making Manufacturing Sexy Again!

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Karin LindnerA pleasure to welcome Karin Lindner to the show. Karin is a speaker, author, corporate coach, and Founder of Karico Performance Solutions.

She is also the author of the new book, How Can We Make Manufacturing Sexy? And she joined us to talk about her new book…

SHOW NOTES + HIGHLIGHTS:

1. Bringing the human aspect back to manufacturing.

2. Importance of closing the communication gap.

3. How CAN we make manufacturing sexy?

4. What are we talking about here? Making a future career in manufacturing sexy? Making existing companies in the industry sexy? Or both?

5. Much work to be done in changing perceptions about manufacturing. It is, actually, very exciting to work in manufacturing today, with new technologies, cleaner factories, etc. Manufacturers themselves have to tell a better story…

6. How important is internal communications?

7. What else can we do to demonstrate to young people about the exciting future of manufacturing?

8. What kind of reaction is she getting from the old-school veterans of the manufacturing space, about a message of making manufacturing SEXY?

9. Is increasing productivity sexy?

10. “Every member of the team is responsible to making manufacturing sexy. Not just executives.”

11. Click here to learn more about Karico Performance Solutions.

12. You can purchase Karin’s book here (affiliate link):

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To be notified by email when a new show featuring a cool, hip manufacturer (like the one above) is published, join our mailing list here!

Or subscribe to our show in iTunes here. If you enjoyed the show, please leave a comment and a positive customer rating too. Much appreciated!

Thanks for listening!