Cutting Through the Noise with Jason Ray

Paperless Parts
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At Paperless Parts, we help custom part manufacturers thrive in an industry that’s constantly evolving. While every shop is unique, the challenges you face—rising costs, cybersecurity risks, and shifting regulations—are shared across the industry. You don’t have time to sift through everything, but staying informed is critical. That's why our CEO & Co-Founder Jason Ray launched the Cutting Through the Noise video series. With so much information (and misinformation) out there about manufacturing, we're getting straight to the point when breaking down macro trends and hot industry topics—all in short, digestible videos.

  1. 3d ago

    How to Stay Disciplined While Demand Explodes

    "Pick a target product, go after that, make relationships with your customers, and make money." Manufacturing demand is strong, but more work does not automatically mean your shop is ready to grow. In this episode of Cutting Through the Noise, Jason Ray sits down with Matt Newman, President of Athena Manufacturing, to talk about what it takes to manage growth when business is moving fast; Athena has grown 50% this year and now employs roughly 250 people. Matt has spent nearly 20 years at Athena, working his way from controller through engineering, program management, business development, and ultimately into the president's seat. Jason and Matt get into: Why many shops overestimate their true capacity utilization How Athena has approached automation, from its first FMS line to cobots and robotic welding Where Matt sees a real use for AI today, and where he thinks shops may be getting ahead of themselves Why he stopped solving problems for his management team and started making them bring him solutions How Athena is building its own pipeline of machinists and welders through apprenticeships and local high school programs What Matt is seeing in the manufacturing M&A market as shops look for faster ways to add people and capacity The financial discipline required to grow without getting too far over your skis About Athena Athena Manufacturing is an AS9100D-registered precision machining and fabrication company based in Austin, Texas, serving aerospace, defense, and technology customers. The company has more than 8,700 source-controlled assemblies in service and has worked as an approved supplier to major defense contractors for more than a decade. Learn more at athenamfg.com Interested in joining the Athena team? Reach out to hr@athenamfg.com  Interested in working with Athena? Reach out to sales@athenamfg.com Learn more about Paperless Parts at paperlessparts.com

  2. 3d ago

    Cutting Through the Noise: How to Stay Disciplined While Demand Explodes

    "Pick a target product, go after that, make relationships with your customers, and make money." Manufacturing demand is strong, but more work does not automatically mean your shop is ready to grow. In this episode of Cutting Through the Noise, Jason Ray sits down with Matt Newman, President of Athena Manufacturing, to talk about what it takes to manage growth when business is moving fast; Athena has grown 50% this year and now employs roughly 250 people. Matt has spent nearly 20 years at Athena, working his way from controller through engineering, program management, business development, and ultimately into the president's seat. Jason and Matt get into: - Why many shops overestimate their true capacity utilization - How Athena has approached automation, from its first FMS line to cobots and robotic welding - Where Matt sees a real use for AI today, and where he thinks shops may be getting ahead of themselves - Why he stopped solving problems for his management team and started making them bring him solutions - How Athena is building its own pipeline of machinists and welders through apprenticeships and local high school programs - What Matt is seeing in the manufacturing M&A market as shops look for faster ways to add people and capacity - The financial discipline required to grow without getting too far over your skis About Athena Athena Manufacturing is an AS9100D-registered precision machining and fabrication company based in Austin, Texas, serving aerospace, defense, and technology customers. The company has more than 8,700 source-controlled assemblies in service and has worked as an approved supplier to major defense contractors for more than a decade. Learn more at athenamfg.com Interested in joining the Athena team? Reach out to hr@athenamfg.com Interested in working with Athena? Reach out to sales@athenamfg.com Learn more about Paperless Parts at paperlessparts.com

  3. Apr 13

    What's Quietly Shaping Your Shop’s Brand? - Cutting Through the Noise Ep. 12

    In manufacturing, reputation is everything. A big part of your reputation is shaped by your brand, but too many shops still think of branding as just their logo and website. In reality, a lot more goes into it, and those signals can shape how potential customers perceive your business before they ever even speak with you. The way you quote, communicate, follow up, and position your business all contributes to the impression you leave. In this episode of Cutting Through the Noise, Jason Ray is joined by Anne Marie Tracey, Director of Marketing Solutions at Paperless Parts, to unpack some of the less obvious things shaping your shop's brand, for better or worse. From an outdated website to vague messaging, slow follow-up, and even the way you present your capabilities online, there are plenty of signals buyers pick up on before they ever contact your team. Jason and Anne Marie also cover: - How #ai is changing search behavior - Why keeping your online presence current matters more than ever - What it means to be more intentional about your brand - How to think about your ideal part profile and why it matters - How old marketing habits may be holding shops back Learn more about Paperless Parts' specialized marketing solutions for job shop manufacturers: www.paperlessparts.com/manufacturing-marketing/

  4. Mar 26

    One MEC, One Mission - Cutting Through the Noise Ep. 11

    As the #1 fabricator in the U.S. for 15 consecutive years, with more than 80 years in business, 2,300+ employees, and 26 locations nationwide, Mayville Engineering Company (MEC) brings a unique perspective on what it takes to modernize at scale. In this episode of Cutting Through the Noise, Paperless Parts CEO Jason Ray talks with Daniel Bourquin, MEC's Chief Information Officer, about the work behind building one modern manufacturing enterprise. Jason and Daniel talk about unifying systems across a growing multi-site organization, rethinking lead-to-order as a core value stream, and approaching transformation under MEC's "One MEC, One Mission" approach. They also get into change management, partner selection, and why AI should be treated as a capability built into the business, not just another piece of software to buy. Learn more about MEC: https://www.mecinc.com/ Learn more about Paperless Parts: https://www.paperlessparts.com/

  5. Mar 20

    An Update on the State of AI in Manufacturing - Cutting Through the Noise Ep. 10

    Meta is putting $600 billion dollars into AI infrastructure over the next five years. If you bought $600 billion dollars worth of CNC machines, how many parts would you have to make - and what would you have to charge - to pay them off? In this episode of Cutting Through the Noise, Jason Ray is joined by Scott Sawyer, Paperless Parts Co-Founder & Chief Scientist, to unpack what all the AI hype actually means for manufacturers. Yes, the technology is moving fast. Yes, it is incredibly powerful. And yes, there is a real argument that AI may be as cheap as it is ever going to be right now. But that does not mean manufacturers should become overly dependent on it, start replacing critical people, or ignore the processes and business fundamentals that actually make technology valuable in the first place. Learn how Paperless Parts is approaching AI: https://www.paperlessparts.com/artificial-intelligence-in-paperless-parts/ And visit our website to learn more: https://www.paperlessparts.com/

  6. Feb 9

    10 CMMC-Related Questions to Ask Every Software Vendor - Cutting Through the Noise Ep. 9

    In this episode of Cutting Through the Noise, Jason is joined by Paperless Parts' CISO (Chief Information Security Officer), Colton Ericksen. Jason and Colton cover the 10 most essential CMMC and cybersecurity-related questions all manufacturers should ask any software vendor they're considering working with. Stream the episode now, or view a copy of the list of 10 questions, complete with links to key resources and references, here: https://www.paperlessparts.com/wp-content/uploads/10-CMMC-Related-Questions-to-Ask-Every-Cloud-Based-Software-Vendor-Youre-Considering-Partnering-With.pdf Learn more about Paperless Parts' approach to cybersecurity and CMMC compliance here: https://www.paperlessparts.com/cmmc/

  7. Jan 12

    A Reshoring Reality Check with Bill Berrien - Cutting Through the Noise Ep. 8

    U.S. manufacturing is "coming back," but not in the way most people picture. In this episode of Cutting Through the Noise, Paperless Parts Co-Founder & CEO Jason Ray sits down with Bill Berrien, owner of Pindel Global Precision and founder of Liberty Precision, to talk about what Bill is seeing on the front lines of precision manufacturing. They cover: - Why profitability is the foundation of supply chain resilience, and how shops can avoid the "death spiral" of low-margin work by getting disciplined about their ideal part profile, quoting, and pricing. - Why the future of manufacturing is highly automated and driven by a smaller, highly trained, higher-paid workforce. - Bill's perspective on the culture side of transformation, including why shops should "hire for attitude, train for skill." - Why lifelong upskilling is non-negotiable as automation and AI accelerate. Learn more about Paperless Parts: https://www.paperlessparts.com/ Learn more about Pindel Globel Precision: https://www.pindel.com/ Subscribe for more conversations with people building the future of manufacturing.

  8. 12/30/2025

    The 2026 Supplier Readiness Playbook - Cutting Through the Noise Ep. 7

    Earlier this year, Paperless Parts surveyed 200 precision manufacturers about key trends shaping the custom part manufacturing industry. We used that data to compile our 2026 Build-to-Print Supplier Readiness Report: https://www.paperlessparts.com/wp-content/uploads/2026-SupplierReadinessReport.pdf If you're an OEM or Tier 1 supplier, this is a direct line into what's really top of mind for your supply base, and includes actionable strategies for strengthening supplier relationships and building competitive advantages over the course of the next two years. In this episode of Cutting Through the Noise, Jason Ray and Paperless Parts' VP of Business Development, Ken Cowan, share their biggest takeaways from the report, including: - Why supply chain "resiliency" really means elasticity - The fallacy of "generic capacity" and the true cost of switching suppliers - How OEMs can reduce risk without simply paying more per part - A playbook for building a supply base that can handle shocks Want to learn how Paperless Parts can help your supply base? Visit our website today: https://www.paperlessparts.com/

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About

At Paperless Parts, we help custom part manufacturers thrive in an industry that’s constantly evolving. While every shop is unique, the challenges you face—rising costs, cybersecurity risks, and shifting regulations—are shared across the industry. You don’t have time to sift through everything, but staying informed is critical. That's why our CEO & Co-Founder Jason Ray launched the Cutting Through the Noise video series. With so much information (and misinformation) out there about manufacturing, we're getting straight to the point when breaking down macro trends and hot industry topics—all in short, digestible videos.

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