Lean Built: Manufacturing Freedom

Henry Holsters and Pierson Workholding
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Two successful entrepreneurs talk about manufacturing, lean principles, and the freedom they are pursuing in life and business.

  1. 4 DAYS AGO

    Make Defects to Eliminate Defects | Lean Built - Manufacturing Freedom E134

    Jay and Andrew unpack a provocative quote from Shigeo Shingo: “If you don’t know why defects are occurring, make some defects.” It sounds like lean heresy at first. But they explore why some defects are treasures and others are just carelessness. The real question: are you reacting to problems under pressure or deliberately creating space to uncover them before they cost you? Along the way, they talk about a cantaloupe-sized rat’s nest choking a dust collector, moving machines and uncovering years of accumulated waste, the power (and danger) of acronyms in lean culture, and practical Fusion CAM workflows for maintaining standards across machines.

    39 min

  2. 9 FEB

    Why Goodwill Beats Winning in Business | Lean Built - Manufacturing Freedom E133

    The way you treat people in business often matters more than the deal itself. Andrew and Jay talk about what happens when something breaks, an emergency hits, or you need a favor...and why companies that build goodwill get help while others get ignored. Drawing on real shop experience, customer behavior, game theory, and a Godfather analogy, they challenge the idea that business is a zero-sum game and argue that collaboration, trust, and shared wins quietly determine who survives and who doesn’t. Before that they catch up on what’s happening in their shops, covering recent machine work, air and power challenges, and small automation ideas to reduce wasted effort. They talk through using AI for internal software, quoting, and understanding business data; they also talk through websites, first-mover advantage, practical 3D printing workflows, and more.

    50 min

  3. 2 FEB

    The Quiet Way Lean Improvements Fail | Lean Built - Manufacturing Freedom E132

    What does a good lean elevator pitch sound like? Why do small, well-intentioned improvements end up causing problems later (hint: it helps to document things)? And how do owners listen closely to customers without losing sight of the long-term direction they’re trying to steer the business toward? In this episode of Lean Built, Jay and Andrew talk through those questions. Along the way, they discuss why intermittent problems are usually the result of stacked variables, not single root causes, why experience and judgment still matter even as systems and data improve, and much more.

    52 min

  4. 26 JAN

    Just Because You Can Cut It Doesn’t Mean You Should Quote It | Lean Built - Manufacturing Freedom E131

    Andrew and Jay walk through a situation a lot of shop owners have faced: a brutally tight print that can be machined but can’t be verified with confidence. At least not without the right metrology, systems, and alignment with the customer. Instead of rushing a quote or ghosting the RFQ, this is the kind of situation you have to handle like an owner. In other words, slow down, ask uncomfortable questions, protect the relationship, refuse to roll the dice on quality. Andrew and Jay dig into that and a lot more, from CMM alignment war stories to probing macros, SMED, automation vs. operator error, and why a shop full of green lights doesn’t always mean things are healthy. The thread running through all of it is simple: speed, precision, and profit are decided long before the spindle starts turning.

    49 min

  5. 19 JAN

    When Simple Systems Beat Smart Ones | Lean Built - Manufacturing Freedom E130

    Jay and Andrew talk through everyday shop systems that seem simple until they aren’t: HVAC, shutdown routines, checklists, timers, and light automation. They compare notes on where “smart” solutions help and where they quietly create new problems, especially when reliability, safety, and human behavior matter more than elegance.

    34 min

  6. 12 JAN

    Business Growth Isn’t a Solo Game | Lean Built - Manufacturing Freedom E129

    Andrew and Jay talk about why relationships matter a lot in business. Sometime more than products, systems, or raw talent. They dig into the practical value of local relationships for staying informed and connected as decisions get made around you. From there, the conversation ranges across manufacturing, housing, leadership, parenting, and team dynamics. They also discuss when a product is finished enough to release, why over-tinkering stalls progress, and the role of people who know when to stop refining and move things forward. The episode closes with a clear-eyed look at AI in business: where it’s useful, where it falls short, and why responsibility still sits with the owner.

    48 min

  7. 5 JAN

    Andrew Is Fired: Letting Go of the Owner-Hero Trap | Lean Built - Manufacturing Freedom E128

    As 2026 begins, Andrew and Jay take a look at one of the most dangerous traps for founders and small shop owners: becoming the hero who always steps in to save the day. Andrew introduces a personal document he titled “Andrew Is Fired,” a deliberate decision to remove himself from roles that feel productive but quietly limit growth. The conversation explores why constantly “going above and beyond” can actually be a form of selfishness, how undocumented processes turn leaders into bottlenecks, why clarity around ownership matters more than raw effort, and more.

    33 min

  8. 29/12/2025

    The Point of Lean is People | Lean Built - Manufacturing Freedom E127

    In this end-of-year episode, Jay and Andrew unpack all kinds of things: Why business owners are wired to over-promise at the buzzerThe difference between employee thinking and owner thinkingCalendars, automation, and why “the best calendar is sometimes no calendar”Paying people well, shutting down between Christmas and New Year’s, and using PTO wiselyNet terms, cash flow, and refusing to be a bank for bigger companiesWhy some founders need to sign checks or take tech support calls to stay groundedThe danger of over-optimizing leadership—and losing the human sideTracking improvement with marbles instead of spreadsheets

    1h 15m
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About

Two successful entrepreneurs talk about manufacturing, lean principles, and the freedom they are pursuing in life and business.

Information

  • Creator
    Henry Holsters and Pierson Workholding
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    134
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025

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