Manufacturing M&A

Mike Fritz
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Manufacturing M&A Building Valuable Manufacturing Companies MM&A is the podcast for manufacturing owners, operators, investors, and acquisition entrepreneurs who want to build stronger, more valuable industrial businesses. Hosted by Mike Fritz— manufacturing operator, growth strategist, and CEO of American Precision Partners, MM&A dives into the real-world strategies behind buying, scaling, operating, and selling manufacturing companies. After acquiring 9 companies in just 37 months, Mike brings a rare operator-first perspective to the world of manufacturing M&A. This isn’t theory from Wall Street. It’s practical insight from inside the shop floor, leadership meetings, due diligence processes, customer negotiations, and operational turnarounds that determine whether a company creates value — or destroys it. Each episode explores the systems, leadership structures, financial drivers, operational disciplines, customer strategies, and growth decisions that make manufacturing companies scalable, transferable, and valuable. Whether you’re preparing to buy your first company, scale through acquisition, or eventually sell your business, MM&A gives you the operator-focused playbook for building a manufacturing company that lasts. Buy.  Build.  Grow.  Exit.

Episodes

  1. Nov 4

    Episode 5: Built for Exit - Run Your Shop Like You'll Sell It

    Mike Fritz's new book, Built for Exit: The Five Value Drivers That Make Manufacturing Businesses Worth More, is out this week. In this solo episode, Mike walks through the framework behind it — the one he uses as a buyer, owner, and advisor to judge whether a manufacturing business is truly transferable. The central question: What makes one manufacturing company worth far more than another with similar revenue? You'll hear: • Why a quality of earnings review looks at where revenue comes from, not just how much there is • A deal where diligence showed earnings landing about a million dollars below expectations — and the reason • The customer concentration thresholds Mike uses, and how he's working down a customer that was 75% of a business • How to find exactly where your business depends on you, and how to decouple from it • Real differentiators beyond quality and on-time delivery • What growth runway looks like from a buyer's side of the table • Which value drivers to work on first The key idea: run your shop like you'll sell it. The reasons people buy a business are the reasons owners love to own one. Build for that, and you may decide you never want to sell. Get Built for Exit on Amazon: https://a.co/d/0d8Ew634 Subscribe to the Manufacturing M&A Podcast for new episodes twice a month. Connect with Mike Fritz Email: mike.fritz@americanprecisionpartners.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikefritzinvestor/ Follow the Manufacturing M&A Podcast on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mma-podcast/

  2. Oct 20

    Episode 4: Precision Business—Build a Machine Shop Worth Owning

    Most machine shops are built by people who are excellent at making parts. Far fewer are built to run, grow, or sell without the owner. In this episode of the Manufacturing M&A Podcast, host Mike Fritz talks with Paul Van Metre, former machinist and shop owner, builder of the ProShop ERP system, and author of the new book Precision Manufacturing, Precision Business. Paul shares what he learned from his own exit and from hundreds of conversations with shop owners. Mike adds what he sees from the M&A side, including a shop he recently watched being taken apart because the systems were never put in place. You'll hear: - Why technical skill and business skill are two different things - The revenue ceilings owners hit when they stay in the weeds - Why getting paper out of the shop and office comes first - Systems for sales, quoting, contract review, rev control, procurement, and planning - Delivering invoices that get paid, not just good parts - Capturing tribal knowledge before experienced people retire - Putting the right people in the right roles, including the owner - Where to learn: books, podcasts, other shop owners, and vetted outside experts  The big idea: the systems that make a shop worth buying are the same ones that make it more profitable and a better place to work today. Subscribe so you don't miss an episode. New episodes publish on the first and third Tuesday of each month. Connect with Paul Van Metre LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulvanmetre/ Grab Paul’s new book Precision Manufacturing, Precision Business (available on Amazon): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HH3NCD41 Follow the Machine Shop Mastery podcast on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/machine-shop-mastery/home/ Follow the MakingChips podcast on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/makingchips/posts/ Follow the ProShop ERP System on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/proshoperp/home/ Connect with Mike Fritz Email: mike.fritz@americanprecisionpartners.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikefritzinvestor/ Follow the Manufacturing M&A Podcast on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mma-podcast/

  3. Oct 6

    Episode 3: What Buyers Really Look for in a Manufacturing Business | IMTS 2026

    A profitable manufacturing company isn't automatically a valuable one. Buyers want to know what happens when the owner steps away. Recorded live at IMTS in Chicago, Mike Fritz sits down with Dave from EBITDA Growth Systems to unpack the factors that can strengthen — or quietly destroy — the value of a manufacturing business. Dave started welding and machining train car wheels at just 13 years old before going on to build, operate, and sell businesses of his own. Today, he works with manufacturing owners to improve performance and build companies that are less dependent on the person at the top. In this episode, Mike and Dave dig into: • Why owner dependency creates risk for buyers • How to decouple yourself from day-to-day operations • The "vacation question" Mike asks acquisition targets • Why customer concentration can dramatically reduce valuation • How ERP systems, standardized processes, and clean financials strengthen a business • Why revenue alone doesn't determine what a company is worth • How leadership depth and company culture show up during due diligence • What owners can start doing now to make their businesses more transferable • Dave's approach to helping owners increase the value of their companies • The philosophy behind Mike's new book, Built for Exit, launching this November The goal isn't simply to make your company sellable. It's to build a company that runs better, creates more value, and gives you options when the time eventually comes to step away. As Mike puts it: "Run your company like you're gonna sell it even if you never do." 🎧 Listen now on the Manufacturing M&A Podcast. #Manufacturing #ManufacturingMA #MachineShop #BusinessValuation #ExitPlanning #EBITDA #MergersAndAcquisitions #IMTS2026

  4. Aug 25

    Episode 2: Don’t Buy a Company Until You Listen to This

    The value in manufacturing M&A is made on the purchase. Not the exit. In Episode 02, Mike Fritz, who's bought shops at multiples as low as 1.56x, lays out the full buying framework: how to know what to look for, how to avoid the landmines, and how to make sure every deal moves you toward your actual goal. Key topics covered: Why jumping multiple brackets beats growing revenue every timeHow to start with the end in mind before you ever open a financial statementFirst acquisition vs. bolt-on- why the rules are completely differentWhat a growth play looks like (good capabilities, solid customers, low capacity)The key man trap and how one seller's relationships can torpedo your deal post-closeVertical integration- why it's brilliant in theory and dangerous without the right operational team "I have never hit a target I did not know was there. And a lot of times in acquisitions, we don't think about it like that." Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube and all major podcast platforms. Connect with Mike Fritz Email: mike.fritz@americanprecisionpartners.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikefritzinvestor/ Follow the Manufacturing M&A Podcast LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/manufacturing-ma-podcast/

  5. Aug 4

    PILOT EPISODE: Why Most Manufacturing Companies Will Never Sell

    The Manufacturing M&A Podcast is here — and we're starting with a gut check. Most machine shops will never sell. Owners spend decades building something they can't exit, and most of them don't find out until it's too late. Episode 1 is about changing that. I'm Mike Fritz. I've bought nine manufacturing companies, sold several, and spent my career helping shop owners prep and exit their businesses the right way. This podcast is the resource I wish I'd had when I started — practical, no fluff, straight from the shop floor. In this episode, we cover: Why so many shops end up just piecing off the equipmentThe 6 things buyers are actually evaluating when they look at your shopWhy customer concentration is a deal-killer even with 20-year customersHow decoupling yourself from operations moves your multiple from 2x to 4xWhat documented systems actually mean — and why "having systems" isn't enoughWhy landing a long-term contract is one of the best times to consider an exit"The value of your business rises the more decoupled you are from the operation." New episodes drop on the first and third Tuesdays of every month. Subscribe so you don't miss one. Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and all major podcast platforms. Connect with Mike Fritz Email: mike.fritz@americanprecisionpartners.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikefritzinvestor/ Follow the Manufacturing M&A Podcast LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/manufacturing-ma-podcast/

  • 5 Episodes

About

Manufacturing M&A Building Valuable Manufacturing Companies MM&A is the podcast for manufacturing owners, operators, investors, and acquisition entrepreneurs who want to build stronger, more valuable industrial businesses. Hosted by Mike Fritz— manufacturing operator, growth strategist, and CEO of American Precision Partners, MM&A dives into the real-world strategies behind buying, scaling, operating, and selling manufacturing companies. After acquiring 9 companies in just 37 months, Mike brings a rare operator-first perspective to the world of manufacturing M&A. This isn’t theory from Wall Street. It’s practical insight from inside the shop floor, leadership meetings, due diligence processes, customer negotiations, and operational turnarounds that determine whether a company creates value — or destroys it. Each episode explores the systems, leadership structures, financial drivers, operational disciplines, customer strategies, and growth decisions that make manufacturing companies scalable, transferable, and valuable. Whether you’re preparing to buy your first company, scale through acquisition, or eventually sell your business, MM&A gives you the operator-focused playbook for building a manufacturing company that lasts. Buy.  Build.  Grow.  Exit.

Information

  • Creator
    Mike Fritz
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    5
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Mike Fritz
  • Show Website
    Manufacturing M&A

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