The Planning Desk: The ACT before ManufACTuring

Tyler W Grefe
  • 5.0 (5)
  • Business

This is a new podcast that will be discussing manufacturing planning and how it can help transform your manufacturing company by becoming a strategic partner not just another transaction.

Episodes

  1. Aug 30

    S1EP09 Leadership in Planning: Building Scalable Structures

    In this episode I talk about the planning structure and what it takes to sustain growth.

  2. Jul 20

    S1EP08 Where Quality Meets Planning - Lessons from Regulated Manufacturing (feat. Justin Straub)

    Tyler sits down with Justin Straub to explore how quality and planning drive material flow in aerospace, defense, and medical manufacturing. Compliance, traceability, supplier qualification, and the lessons every manufacturer can borrow from the industries that had to get it right first.

  3. May 31

    S1E7 Digital Transformation: AI Agents, Digital Twins & Paperless ERP

    Episode 7 of The Planning Desk goes deep on digital transformation from the planning chair — and we're not giving you the vendor pitch version. In this episode, Tyler Grefe covers where AI scheduling and planning assistants actually are in 2026, walks through three real proof-of-concept stories from manufacturing environments, and gives an honest, unfiltered look at the risks and opportunities every planning leader needs to understand before making a move. What we cover: Where AI scheduling genuinely is today — and what's being oversold Three real proof-of-concept stories from the shop floor The digital twin that almost modeled the wrong factory The AI agent that said no to a customer order — and was right The last 6% of paper that survived 12 years of paperless initiatives The risks vs. opportunities framework every planning leader needs Three actions to take this week — not concepts, actual actions If you're a planner, scheduler, or supply chain leader trying to figure out where AI actually fits in your operation — this episode was built for you.

  4. May 24

    S1EP06 The Planning Desk: The Act before ManufACTuring The People Side: Communication Across Planning, Engineering, and Quality

    In this episode we discuss the importance of clear and concise communication.

  5. Mar 23

    S1EP05 The Planning Desk: The Act before ManufACTuring On Forecast and the use of AI.

    We discuss forecasting and discussed how you could introduce AI into the organization around forecasting.

  6. Jan 26

    S1EP04 Load and Capacity: The Balancing Act

    In this episode, I was able to interview Matt Stewert, a Site manager of a local manufacturing company in the twin cities.  He brought a unique take on load and capacity.  We were able to talk a few challenges that have come up and some of the P&L impact that it could have if you are not aligned with your load and capacity.

  7. Jan 12

    S1EP03 The Role of the Planner: The Unsung hero of the Shop Floor

    This episode will discuss everything from Standard of Work for planners to KPI's for the department and how to get them to be proactive instead of reactive.

  8. Jan 6

    S1EP02 From Whiteboards to ERP: The Evolution of Planning Tools

    This episode traces the evolution of manufacturing planning-from manual boards and spreadsheet to ERP, analytics and emerging AI tools.  WE unpack where most manufacturers get stuck, what digital maturity really looks like, and how modern planning systems can unlock visibility, control and scalability.

  9. Jan 6

    S1EP01 The Backbone of Manufacturing: Why Planning Matter

    In this opening episode, we breakdown why manufacturing success is won or lost long before a part reaches the shop floor.  We explore how effective planning shifts organizations from constant firefighting to controlled execution- and why planning is the true backbone of high-performing manufacturing operations

  • 9 Episodes

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
5 Ratings

About

This is a new podcast that will be discussing manufacturing planning and how it can help transform your manufacturing company by becoming a strategic partner not just another transaction.

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