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Making Chips Podcast for Manufacturing Leaders

Making Chips Podcast for Manufacturing Leaders

By: MakingChips LLC
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 Manufacturing is tough—but you don’t have to go it alone. If you're leading a manufacturing business, you face constant pressure: staying competitive, adopting new tech, managing people, and driving growth. MakingChips helps you tackle those challenges head-on. Since 2014, we’ve been equipping manufacturing leaders with the knowledge and inspiration they need to succeed. With hundreds of episodes and over a million downloads, MakingChips is a top resource for the metalworking nation—covering leadership, operations, technology, and workforce development. If making chips is part of your daily grind, this is your podcast. Join hosts Nick Goellner, Mike Payne, and Paul Van Metre for real talk on the issues that matter most. Career Success Economics Management Management & Leadership
Episodes
  • Strategic Growth & Vision: Building a High-Performing Machine Shop with Peter Doyle, 485

    Strategic Growth & Vision: Building a High-Performing Machine Shop with Peter Doyle, 485
    Sep 22 2025
    In this special MakingChips Machine Shop MBA episode, we sit down with Peter Doyle—CEO of Hirsch Precision—to unpack what it takes to grow and transform a machine shop with purpose. From his roots as an Air Force officer to leading a former Top Shops award winner, Peter has blended strategy, structure, and heart into a roadmap any shop leader can learn from. Peter shares why strategic vision is more than a slogan on a wall. He explains how his team at Hirsch Precision focuses on high-mix, low-volume work, invests heavily in sales and marketing, and positions themselves as partners to engineers—not just parts suppliers. This shift has generated a steady stream of new business opportunities while maintaining the discipline required for regulated industries like aerospace and medical. Throughout the conversation, Peter emphasizes the importance of deliberate decisions: building customer-centric processes, developing leaders, hiring wisely, and implementing technology and certifications that align with their mission to “improve quality of life through precision manufacturing solutions.” For machine shop owners, managers, and future leaders, this episode is a blueprint for balancing risk with reward—how to create a strategic growth vision, win the right customers, and build a resilient team ready for the next decade of manufacturing innovation. Segments (2:42) Peter’s career journey from Air Force officer to Deloitte consultant to manufacturing leader(4:32) Lessons from Top Shops benchmarking—how to interpret the data and use it to guide strategy(5:53) Defining strategic growth: vision, customer focus, structure, agility, and leadership development(9:04) Building a sales and marketing engine—brand refresh, website upgrade, CRM adoption, and content strategy(10:57) Join us at Top Shops 2025 in Charlotte, NC! (11:53) Deciding to purchase and expand the business—risk appetite, growth targets, and new facility(14:15) Aligning the team with a growth vision (overcoming skepticism and making decisive calls)(15:32) Hiring experienced business development talent and shifting from craft focus to customer experience(19:30) Implementing HubSpot CRM, learning to be externally focused, and building scalable marketing systems(23:00) The difference between doing sales and managing sales—lessons in leadership at the customer interface(27:00) Grow your top and bottom line with CliftonLarsonAllen(27:40) Moving beyond the buyer—how Peter built relationships with engineers and C-suite leaders(30:00) Choosing industries and customers that inspire—medical devices, surgical robotics, aerospace, and more(36:20) Translating customer-centric thinking into technology investments and equipment decisions(39:46) Balancing machine tool brand standardization with flexibility and innovation(42:40) Leadership evolution—learning to delegate, empower, and coach for high performance(45:31) SMART goals and performance management—aligning individual metrics with company-wide strategy(47:56) Closing reflections on creating a strategic growth vision and inspiring the next generation of shop leaders(49:19) Why you need to join us at MTForecast Resources mentioned on this episode Peter’s episode on Machine Shop MasteryJoin us at Top Shops 2025 in Charlotte, NC! Discount code: MAK20Grow your top and bottom line with CliftonLarsonAllen (CLA) Why you need to join us at MTForecast Connect With MakingChips www.MakingChips.comOn FacebookOn LinkedInOn InstagramOn TwitterOn YouTube
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    51 mins
  • Requirements Review: How Paperless Parts’ is Making Sure You Never Miss a Critical Detail, 484

    Requirements Review: How Paperless Parts’ is Making Sure You Never Miss a Critical Detail, 484
    Sep 17 2025
    If you’ve ever lost sleep wondering whether you missed a critical detail in a quote—or felt the adrenaline of winning a job only to realize you underpriced it—this MakingChips episode is for you. Recorded live at FABTECH 2025, Nick sits down with Jason Ray, founder of Paperless Parts, to unveil a breakthrough tool that promises to transform how shops handle complex RFQs, drawings, and bills of materials. Over the past decade, Paperless Parts has become synonymous with solving bottlenecks in estimating and quoting. Their mission has been clear: empower people—not replace them—with software designed to make quoting faster, smarter, and less risky. In this conversation, Jason shares how their latest release takes that vision even further by surfacing critical requirements buried inside complex drawings and bills of materials. This episode is full of relatable stories and practical lessons. Jason explains how the new “Requirements Review” functionality captures tribal knowledge, accelerates mentoring, and helps shops avoid underpricing jobs while improving their RFQ triage process. Nick and Jason also dig into the big picture: the hype cycle of AI in manufacturing, the importance of trust and customer retention, and the future of Paperless Parts—including “historical intelligence” and next-level shop insights. Whether you’re a shop owner, estimator, or manufacturing leader, you’ll leave this episode with actionable takeaways for quoting more accurately, prioritizing the right work, and scaling your business intelligently. Segments (0:53) “I Love Big BOMs”: How Paperless Parts tackles large bills of materials=(2:27) Bottlenecks in quoting and estimating—and why Paperless Parts was built(6:05) AI hype vs. reality in manufacturing software(7:39) Quote faster, smarter, and more consistently with Paperless Parts(9:20) “AI makes recommendations, humans make decisions”(12:38) Introducing “Requirements Review” to surface critical details in drawings(14:41) Capturing tribal knowledge and accelerating mentoring before retirements(17:13) Why missing something on a print leads to underpricing and margin compression(18:45) Using AI to read complex drawing packages and trigger shop-specific rules(20:22) Solving simpler problems first: best practices for adopting AI in manufacturing(22:14) Why you should join us at MTForecast 2025(23:42) Quoting faster without over-engineering or missing key details(25:02) RFQs are getting larger—how to triage and prioritize the right work(26:47) Building an “ideal part profile” and learning to say no to non-fit work(29:54) Safety, flow state, and the hidden costs of taking on bad-fit jobs(30:53) Cash flow realities of contract manufacturing and avoiding high-risk mistakes(32:32) Aligning Paperless Parts’ incentives with customer success and retention(34:38) Value-based sales process and proving ROI before the sale(38:00) Emotional ROI for shop leaders and software founders alike(40:08) Why customer success is tied to clear ROI targets and ongoing support(42:27) Selling change management, not just a tool—how Paperless implements software(45:32) Looking ahead: Paperless Parts’ upcoming user conference and “historical intelligence”(49:32) Resources mentioned on this episode Quote faster, smarter, and more consistently with Paperless PartsJoin us at MTForecast 2025Achieve the 7 Habits of Successful Workholding with SMW AutobookRequirements Review Press Release Connect With MakingChips www.MakingChips.comOn FacebookOn LinkedInOn InstagramOn TwitterOn YouTube
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    51 mins
  • Building a Winning Team: Matt Wardle’s Blueprint for Machine Shop Success, 483

    Building a Winning Team: Matt Wardle’s Blueprint for Machine Shop Success, 483
    Sep 15 2025
    Every machine shop leader knows you can buy the best equipment, implement cutting-edge automation, and have bulletproof processes—but without the right team and culture, growth will stall. In this episode of MakingChips Machine Shop MBA, we talk with Matt Wardle, President of JD Machine, about how he transformed a small Utah shop into a 210-person powerhouse by prioritizing people and culture over everything else. Matt’s story shows what happens when leadership takes workforce development seriously. From his early days as a 10-person shop owner watching competitors poach his talent, to becoming a two-time Top Shops winner recognized for HR and culture, Matt has built a system for attracting, training, and retaining the kind of people who make growth possible. We dive deep into JD Machine’s unique approach to workforce development: Department of Labor-approved apprenticeship programs, high school counselor outreach, profit-sharing models, mentorship incentives, and cultural rituals like celebrating apprenticeship completions with a “Masters Jacket.” The result? A company that not only keeps top talent but grows its own leaders from within. If you’ve ever wondered how to build a resilient shop culture where employees feel invested, customers trust your team, and growth becomes sustainable, this conversation delivers the blueprint. Matt shows that “winning” in manufacturing isn’t just about throughput or margins—it’s about building people who build the business. Segments (0:58) Introducing Matt Wardle of JD Machine: from 10 employees to a 210-person operation(4:30) Early lessons in retention and the shift from poaching talent to building a pipeline(7:44) Why you should register and see us at AMT’s MTForecast(11:41) Community outreach: hosting school counselors, sponsoring robotics, and changing perceptions(17:10) Open houses, virtual field trips, and branding your shop to future employees(15:00) Mentorship structure, incentives for trainers, and celebrating completions with the “Masters Jacket”(19:20) Tracking the right metrics: turnover, reviews, skill increases, and retention as KPIs(22:58) Apprenticeship program design: 8,000 hours, Department of Labor approval, and clear pay raises(27:57) Grow your top and bottom line with CliftonLarsonAllen(28:32) How small shops can scale their workforce systems over time(30:18) Building your own curriculum: Tooling U, NTMA U, Titans of CNC, and customizing courses(31:50) Encouraging on-the-job learning during machine cycle times(34:10) Mentorship structure and incentives for experienced machinists training apprentices(36:05) Recruiting under-18 students through legislative partnerships and state risk management(37:52) How NTMA chapters create collaboration and make SkillsUSA more impactful(39:35) Balancing competitive pay with margins and long-term stability(43:58) Profit-sharing and open-book management to drive engagement and retention(44:44) Lessons learned from losing good employees and being proactive about retention(49:55) Matt’s closing thoughts: people who align with your core values become your greatest asset (51:40) The countdown is on: See us at Top Shops 2025 in Charlotte, NC Resources mentioned on this episode JD MachineConnect with Matt on LinkedInWhy you should check out AMT’s MTForecastMatt’s episode on Machine Shop Mastery (all about culture)Grow your top and bottom line with CliftonLarsonAllen (CLA)The countdown is on: See us at Top Shops 2025 in Charlotte, NC (code MAK20 for 20% off) Connect With MakingChips www.MakingChips.comOn FacebookOn LinkedInOn InstagramOn TwitterOn YouTube
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    53 mins
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