Manufacturing Happy Hour

Chris Luecke
  • 4.9 (104)
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Welcome to Manufacturing Happy Hour, the podcast where we get real about the latest trends and technologies impacting modern manufacturers. Hosted by industry veteran Chris Luecke, each week, we interview makers, founders, and other manufacturing leaders that are at the top of their game and give you the tools, tactics, and strategies you need to take your career and your business to the next level. We go beyond the buzzwords and dissect real-life applications and success stories so that you can tackle your biggest manufacturing challenges and turn them into profitable opportunities. Stay Innovative, Stay Thirsty.

  1. 2D AGO

    283: From Craft to Manufacturing: How Crafted Glory’s Kwadwo Som-Pimpong Is Scaling a Furniture Business While Working the Night Shift

    Kwadwo Som-Pimpong started making furniture in 2015 because he bought a house with no furniture and decided to build his own. A decade later, he runs Crafted Glory, a small-batch luxury furniture brand blending West African artistry with Scandinavian design, while working 10-hour shifts at Eaton as a fabrication supervisor. In this episode, Chris sits down with Kwadwo to trace the journey from those first end tables built in a garage to a full-scale business. The conversation covers how Kwadwo manages the constraints of four to five hours in the shop each day, including three strategies he has put in place, a clipboard for tracking time and tasks, using Claude to reflect and connect the dots on the 40-minute drive home, and a networking story from New York that turned one photo on Instagram into a series of interior design projects. He also walks through the Echoes of the Forest project, two pieces made from trees uprooted by Hurricane Helene, one already installed in Biltmore Forest Town Hall and one headed for Asheville’s historic YMI Cultural Center. In this episode, find out: How Kwadwo got into furniture making in 2015 out of necessity, moving into a house with no furniture and discovering he’d rather build his own, and how that organic beginning grew into Crafted Glory How his dual engineering degree from Carnegie Mellon gives him the mindset and the resilience to keep working through problems that feel unsolvable What he observed visiting Hellman Chang’s manufacturing plant in Georgia, component part numbers, scan systems, work cells, and 5S, and how it changed what scaling from craft to production can look like while keeping the handmade element intact How 12 years as a fabrication supervisor at Eaton translated directly into running his own team, applying method sheets and time studies, and building standard operations that let someone else step in and do what he does The three strategies he uses to manage four to five hours of shop time per day alongside a 10-hour shift: a clipboard for time tracking, Claude for end-of-day reflection, and deliberate networking that turned one New York visit into a pipeline of interior design projects The Echoes of the Forest project, how Hurricane Helene uprooted thousands of trees across Asheville and led to two commissions: a mantle from a fallen walnut tree installed in Biltmore Forest Town Hall, and an outdoor bench headed for the historic YMI Cultural Center Enjoying the show? Please leave us a review here. Even one sentence helps. It’s feedback from Manufacturing All-Stars like you that keeps us going! Tweetable Quotes: “Now I see where I’m spending my time, I see how long each piece takes me. If I know the time, that translates into my pricing. If I get my pricing right, that moves me closer to being free from working another job.” “I use AI a lot in helping with organization — Claude specifically. At the end of the day, on my 40-minute drive home, I dictate what happened in the studio, my reflections, the challenges I faced. I love how Claude draws connections and builds on your whole story, your whole journey.” “I aspire to have an operation where I still maintain the craft element of what I’m doing, but it is systematized such that I can step away, bring someone in, train them to the documentation, and they can come in and do the same thing that I do.” Links & mentions: Crafted Glory, small batch luxury handmade furniture brand that crafts sustainable hardwood artistic furniture inspired by West African artistry and Scandanavian design Biscuit Head, an incredible biscuit-centric breakfast joint with roots in Asheville, NC Make sure to visit http://manufacturinghappyhour.com for detailed show notes and a full list of resources mentioned in this episode. Stay Innovative, Stay Thirsty. Mentioned in this episode: Mfg Happy Hour's GOLDEN STATE TAKEOVER Tour Don't miss Manufacturing Happy Hour on tour this May 2026 as we head across the state of California. We'll be hitting the Bay Area on 5/19, Modesto on 5/20, and Los Angeles on 5/21. Live podcasts and parties in every city. Get your tickets today. Manufacturing Happy Hour on Tour

    47 min

  2. APR 7

    282: Inside a Warehouse Automation Project: How Sumitomo Drive Technologies Is Transforming Logistics and Reshoring Operations

    Running out of warehouse space doesn’t always mean you need more of it. For Sumitomo Drive Technologies, it meant rethinking the whole operation from the ground up. In this episode of Manufacturing Happy Hour, Chris sits down remotely with Tony Barlett and Shawn Lambert from Sumitomo Drive Technologies for an inside look at a live warehouse automation project underway at their Chesapeake, Virginia headquarters. The project combines AutoStore, an automated storage and retrieval system, with automated guided vehicles to compress 30,000 square feet of high-bay racking into a 7,500 square foot footprint, with robots handling the picking and every transaction flowing through a single digital interface. The conversation runs from the 2021 decision all the way through to where the project stands today. The business case, the technology choices, and what it takes to bring automation into a facility that has run on pen and paper for years. They get into the workforce question too. What this means for the people on the floor, how Sumitomo plans to grow 50 percent over the next five years without scaling headcount at the same rate, and why the digital foundation they're building now is what makes AI integration possible later. In this episode, find out: How a customer demo in 2021 sparked the decision to stop expanding Sumitomo Drive Technologies' warehouse footprint and automate instead, and what it took to get from that first look to a live projectWhat the AutoStore system does at a practical level, and how a simple analogy made the technology immediately understandable for anyone who hasn’t seen itHow condensing 30,000 square feet of high-bay racking into a 7,500 square foot cube changes what growth looks like for the businessHow moving from pen-and-paper operations to a single digital interface changes day-to-day work for every person on the warehouse floorThe company’s plan for its existing workforce, and how it expects to grow 50 percent over the next five years with roughly the same headcount it has todayWhy the AI boom has not changed the scope of this project, and why building connected digital infrastructure now is the precondition for AI integration down the roadThe three pieces of advice Tony and Shawn would pass on to any manufacturer considering an automation project of this scale Enjoying the show? Please leave us a review here. Even one sentence helps. It’s feedback from Manufacturing All-Stars like you that keeps us going! Tweetable Quotes: "If you're not doing this from an automation standpoint, you're missing the boat. It is the wave of the future, the labor force shortages are not going away, and they're only going to get more difficult." - Tony Barlett"You can't start looking into this soon enough. The more prepared you are for a project of this scale, the better off you're going to be, not just plugging in the automation, but how it connects to your ERP, your processes, your AGVs." - Shawn Lambert"AI doesn't do anything for you when you're dealing with pen and paper. Get into a more technological age first, get your software systems in place, and then you can integrate AI to turn static decisions into dynamic ones." - Shawn Lambert Links & mentions: Sumitomo Drive Technologies, dedicated to providing the highest quality power transmission products, gearboxes, gearmotors, and services to industrial companiesAutoStore, automated storage and retrieval system (ASRS) that uses the power of warehouse robots for 24/7 order fulfillment within a cubic layoutSwisslog, logistics automation; they design, manufacture, and optimize automated logistics solutions across the supply chainNansemond Brewing, craft brewery in downtown Suffolk, VAAllgood Lounge, premiere bar and party spot in Athens, GA Make sure to visit http://manufacturinghappyhour.com for detailed show notes and a full list of resources mentioned in this episode. Stay Innovative, Stay Thirsty. Mentioned in this episode: Party with Manufacturing Happy Hour! Join Manufacturing Happy Hour on tour, or at one of our famous EXTRA INNINGS conference afterparties (co-hosted with Jake Hall, The Manufacturing Millennial). Join The Party

    43 min

  3. MAR 31

    281: How AI-Powered Predictive Maintenance Enhances Operational Reliability with Colin Morris of MaintainX

    AI-powered predictive maintenance has been on the radar for years, but for most facilities, it still hasn’t fully landed. Chris sits down remotely with Colin Morris, Senior Director of Solution Consulting at MaintainX, the AI-powered maintenance and asset management platform built for the industrial frontline. Colin has spent eight years working in this space, long enough to have watched maintenance shift from an afterthought to a strategic asset across North American manufacturing. They cover the real barriers to AI adoption in maintenance: unstructured data sitting across disconnected systems, outdated assumptions about what predictive tools should deliver, and the foundational steps most facilities skip before they’re ready. Colin walks through what parts data to collect and why, how maintenance has evolved from cost center to cost saver, and where agentic AI is taking the industry next, including what scheduling looks like when an agent does the first pass and a human approves the plan. In this episode, find out: Whether today’s manufacturers have the data infrastructure AI actually needs, and why having data and having usable data are two very different thingsThe gap between what AI-driven predictive maintenance promises and what tends to happen when facilities try to put it into practiceWhy a predictive system that shows no faults can mean things are working exactly as they should, and how confirmation bias leads teams to misread that signalThe foundations most facilities skip when digitizing, and why jumping ahead without them creates problems that are hard to undoWhat parts information every facility should have on record, why it matters more than most teams realize, and what happens when a critical component is not cataloguedHow maintenance’s status has changed over eight years, from a cost center most facilities avoided spending on, to a core part of a facility’s digital strategyWhat AI looks like across maintenance operations today and where it genuinely adds value versus where human judgment still needs to lead Enjoying the show? Please leave us a review here. Even one sentence helps. It’s feedback from Manufacturing All-Stars like you that keeps us going! Tweetable Quotes: “A lot of customers do have the data. The biggest challenge is it’s super unstructured and in different systems, so getting it into a format AI can actually use is still a huge challenge.”“People expect predictive maintenance to surface issues, but if an asset is running well, nothing’s going to happen. No insights are sometimes good insights. That means things are operating the way they should.”“Historically, about 60% of a technician’s time is admin work. If you can give even 10–20% of that time back, that’s a huge gain in actual wrench time.” Links & mentions: MaintainX, helping industrial teams manage work orders, asset performance, parts, and labor with AI-driven insights that reduce downtime and boost operational excellenceNick Haase on Manufacturing Happy Hour, episode 206 featuring MaintainX’s Co-Founder and the company’s first appearance on the podcastLeft Field Brewery, established in Toronto in 2013 and brews a series of baseball-inspired, distinct and full-flavoured beers Make sure to visit http://manufacturinghappyhour.com for detailed show notes and a full list of resources mentioned in this episode. Stay Innovative, Stay Thirsty. Mentioned in this episode: Party with Manufacturing Happy Hour! Join Manufacturing Happy Hour on tour, or at one of our famous EXTRA INNINGS conference afterparties (co-hosted with Jake Hall, The Manufacturing Millennial). Join The Party

    33 min

  4. MAR 24

    280: How to Create a Manufacturing Ecosystem of Support with Matt Bogoshian, Executive Director at the American Manufacturing Communities Collaborative (AMCC)

    Most regions have pockets of manufacturing strength. Very few have a manufacturing ecosystem. Matt Bogoshian has spent 15 years trying to change that. In this episode of Manufacturing Happy Hour, host Chris Luecke sits down remotely with Matt Bogoshian, Executive Director of the American Manufacturing Communities Collaborative (AMCC) – the nation’s only designated National Manufacturing Community of Practice. Matt brings the on-the-ground experience of someone who has spent years helping communities across the US turn good intentions into real, durable systems change. Together they dig into the Big Six elements that every thriving regional manufacturing ecosystem needs, the five steps to creating lasting systems change, and why trust is the one precondition that has to come before everything else. Matt also shares the story of ‘What’s So Cool About Manufacturing’, a program getting middle school students inside real factories and changing how the next generation sees manufacturing careers. In this episode, find out: What it takes to build a regional manufacturing ecosystem of support, and why it requires more than any single organization or initiativeWhy the ‘American project’ can’t succeed long-term without a strong base of manufacturing priority products, and what that means for every community in the USThe five steps to creating lasting systems change: relationship building, storytelling, strategy, activation, and the critical step most initiatives never reachWhy trust is the precondition for every other element of ecosystem buildingWhat the Big Six elements of a thriving manufacturing ecosystem are, and why most regions are underperforming in at least four of themHow the Big Six framework helps diagnose where any region stands, and what coordination looks like when it’s workingWhy the gap between regions that thrive and those that don’t is rarely about resources, and what it’s really aboutHow ‘What’s So Cool About Manufacturing’ is changing how young people see manufacturing careers, and why there’s no ceiling on where those careers can go Enjoying the show? Please leave us a review here. Even one sentence helps. It’s feedback from Manufacturing All-Stars like you that keeps us going! Tweetable Quotes: “The American project is not going to thrive long term unless we have a strong cornerstone of manufacturing priority products.” – Matt Bogoshian“Trust is the coin of the realm. Having trusted relationships is really a precondition to everything else.” – Matt Bogoshian“There’s no ceiling on how high a kid could go in manufacturing.” – Matt Bogoshian Links & mentions: American Manufacturing Communities Collaborative (AMCC), representing a coalition of nationwide communities with the shared goal of revitalizing American manufacturingThe Buena Vista, opened in 1916, this corner spot in San Francisco serves its signature Irish coffee alongside American staples Make sure to visit http://manufacturinghappyhour.com for detailed show notes and a full list of resources mentioned in this episode. Stay Innovative, Stay Thirsty.

    42 min

  5. MAR 17

    279: The Creative Process: Building Relationships and Businesses That Last, Live from The Argo in Milwaukee, WI

    What happens when a multimedia entrepreneur and a concert venue owner sit down for a live podcast? A good conversation – with a couple beers – about creativity, grit, and what it really takes to build something that lasts. In the first live episode of the year, recorded at The Argo in Milwaukee as part of Manufacturing Happy Hour’s 10-year anniversary, host Chris Luecke sits down with two longtime friends: Andrew J. Coate, co-founder of The Argo (a 700-capacity venue his team transformed from a historic 1950s cinema in under seven months), and Michael O’Sullivan, Creative Director at Motivation Media. Together they dig into the creative process, building businesses from the ground up, co-founder dynamics, and the long-term friendships that shape your best work. Later in the episode, manufacturing veterans and friends of the show, Kyle Mahan (Former Vice President and General Manager of the Automation Division at Wauseon Machine) and Bill Berrien (CEO at Pela Global Precision) join the stage to bring it all back to the shop floor. In this episode, find out: How Michael O’Sullivan and Andrew J. Coate have known each other since high school on the south side of Chicago, and how their paths kept crossing through business and creativity over more than two decadesWhat it means to build a creative business in industries you wouldn’t expect, and why B2B and manufacturing are some of the most exciting places to be creativeTurning creativity into a daily habit. Why practice, not talent, is the real shortcut, and how both guests built their creative muscles over timeHow constraints drive better creative decisions, and why that’s one of the most transferable lessons to the manufacturing floorThe “done is better than perfect” mindset: balancing flexibility with process discipline when you’re building something newWhat the manufacturing industry looks like from behind a camera lens, and why storytelling is one of the industry’s most underused assetsHow Kyle Mahan (EP235) and Bill Berrien (EP160 & EP268) would apply the night’s creative lessons directly to industrial sector Enjoying the show? Please leave us a review here. Even one sentence helps. It’s feedback from Manufacturing All-Stars like you that keeps us going! Tweetable Quotes: "Creativity really often needs constraints to be the maximum of what it can be." - Andrew J. Coate "Networking doesn’t just happen at an event. It’s something that can happen over years and decades." - Chris Luecke "I did not start out to form a video production company. Having those people who believed in me along the way gave me that space to keep practicing, to keep pushing it." - Michael O'Sullivan Links & mentions: The Argo, concert venue, bar & kitchen, and event space located in the historic Fox Bay Theater in Whitefish Bay, WI, minutes from downtown Milwaukee Motivation Media, making videos that make a difference for nonprofits, businesses, commercials, fundraising, and so much more Women in Manufacturing (WiM), a global trade association committed to supporting, promoting, and inspiring women across all the manufacturing industry. We’ve portion of the ticket sales from this show to WiM to support its missionEpisode 160: Buying a Manufacturing Company and Reimagining Upskilling with Bill Berrien, CEO of Pindel Global Precision, where Bill shares his thoughts on upskilling your team and continuous learning in the manufacturing industryEpisode 235: How to Find Automation Talent Anywhere with Kyle Mahan, VP & GM of Wauseon Machine, where Kyle discusses what it takes to find the best automation talent in the manufacturing industry in today’s industryEpisode 260: Innovations Transforming Automotive Manufacturing featuring STÄUBLI, RAM Solutions, and More, a look what’s transforming automotive manufacturing with interesting takes from eight industry experts Make sure to visit http://manufacturinghappyhour.com for detailed show notes and a full list of resources mentioned in this episode. Stay Innovative, Stay Thirsty. Mentioned in this episode: Mfg Happy Hour's Rust Belt Renaissance Tour Manufacturing Happy Hour is hitting the road this spring, hosting live shows Cleveland on 3/24, Rochester on 3/25, and Pittsburgh on 3/26. Get your tickets today.

    53 min

  6. MAR 10

    278: How Second-Chance Hiring Changes Lives and Helps Manufacturers Find and Develop Talent with Marcus Sheanshang, President of JBM Packaging

    Most of the time, applications from candidates with a felony record end up in the garbage can. The problem is, by overlooking people from what are seen as ‘problematic’ talent pools, you could be denying yourself access to untapped talent. Second-chance hiring means giving people the chance to showcase their talent, hone their skills, and start again. When you do that, great things can happen for them, you, and your local region. Here, Chris catches up with Marcus Sheanshang, President of JBM Packaging, to discuss the thriving manufacturer’s Fair Chance Hiring Program. JBM Packaging is a family-oriented business that specializes in eco-friendly paper packing products and solutions. Since Marcus bought the business in 2008, it has gone from strength to strength. Its Fair Chance Program has played a part in JBM’s ongoing success. The conversation dives into the mission behind this game-changing program and how it’s grown from an ambitious idea to an initiative now responsible for 43% of JBM’s dedicated team members. Marcus also discusses how second-chance hiring can transform lives for the better and play a key role in the future of the manufacturing industry. In this episode, find out: The perks of looking for manufacturing talent where other people aren’tHow to improve or reinvent your manufacturing business by attracting and retaining the right talentThe essential aspects of a successful and sustainable second-chance hiring programHow to support and develop new program members and give them a genuine second chanceWhy setting clear candidate criteria and considering a person’s potential are key to making strong hiring choicesHow giving candidates a fair chance can change the trajectory of someone’s life and make your business even strongerThe driving forces behind JBM’s Fair Chance Program’s continual growth and notable 13% turnover rates Tweetable Quotes: "Can they live our core values, and can they help make this place better? Those are some of the criteria that we need.""They need to lead it. This is on them, but we can certainly walk with them as they're walking down their path.""It would frighten me right now if we didn't have the Fair Chance Program, 'cause I think we have 67 Fair Chance team members. If we didn't have that, I don't know where we would be." Links & mentions: Fair Chance Program, JBM Packaging's second chance hiring program provides formerly incarcerated workers with the resources they need to thrive at work and in lifeJBM Packaging, a purpose-driven packaging company, JBM provides full-service solutions for brands seeking alternatives to plastic packagingSecond Chance Month, a concerted effort to raise awareness about the nearly 44,000 legal barriers faced by men and women with a criminal record taking place every AprilCriminal Records and Reentry Toolkit, people with a record (justice-involved or justice-impacted people) includes approximately 77 million people in the United StatesSecond-chance hiring continues to gain traction among major manufacturers. In 2024, staffing firm Kelly filled more than 2k jobs with justice-involved people. Monthly turnover was just 9%, lower than the industry average. (source: Manufacturing Dive) Make sure to visit http://manufacturinghappyhour.com for detailed show notes and a full list of resources mentioned in this episode. Stay Innovative, stay Thirsty. Mentioned in this episode: Industrial Marketing Summit 2026 The Industrial Marketing Summit is the go-to gathering for marketers working in the manufacturing, engineering and industrial sectors. Built by Gorilla 76 and TREW Marketing, IMS delivers strategic insight, hands-on learning and true community. Whether you’re a team of one, or leading a scaled marketing department, you’ll walk away ready to market smarter, lead stronger and impact your business. Make sure to use the code "happy hour" at checkout for $100 off registration. Industrial Marketing Summit 2026

    52 min

  7. MAR 3

    277: The Future of CAM Software and Elevating the Status of Manufacturing Jobs with Mastercam President Russ Bukowski

    AI is reshaping what it means to be a modern manufacturing professional. When a 30-year veteran retires, decades of expertise used to leave as well. How they ran a machine, which feeds and speeds worked, and all the practical knowledge that separated good from great. Now, Mastercam’s AI co-pilots can capture that information and make it instantly accessible. The learning curve that used to take years can now be compressed into months, making manufacturing careers more accessible to the next generation. Chris sits down with Russ Bukowski, President of Mastercam, to explore how CAM technology has evolved from manual G-code programming to AI-powered systems that are fundamentally changing manufacturing accessibility. The conversation covers the business side of manufacturing transformation, why mid-size machine shops and tier-two suppliers are no longer at the mercy of large OEMs, the leadership lessons Russ learned from Walt Disney and why manufacturing salaries are starting at $80K+ for CNC programmers. In this episode, find out: How CAM systems act as a 10x multiplier for manufacturing professionals.The evolution from manual G-code programming to AI-powered CAM systemsWhy Mastercam's AI co-pilot is bridging the knowledge gap left by retiring manufacturing expertsHow post-COVID supply chain vulnerabilities are driving companies to vertically integrateThe power shift giving mid-size manufacturers leverage in negotiations and exclusive supplier agreementsWhy manufacturing needs to be promoted as a viable white-collar careerHow technical expertise creates leadership credibility The importance of visiting customers and talking to shop floor employeesWhat Mastercam's acquisition enabled in terms of investment, innovation, and customer relationships Enjoying the show? Please leave us a review here. Even one sentence helps. It’s feedback from Manufacturing All-Stars like you that keeps us going! Tweetable Quotes: “AI's not a silver bullet. It's not going to replace a program or replace an operator, but it is going to enable them to do more and to move more quickly in the business.”“CAM is really that enabler. Without it, the digital design to physical machine process is slow and error-prone. It removes the cognitive burden and makes complex manufacturing possible. It's that 10x multiplier for somebody in manufacturing, making somebody a 10x manufacturing expert because they're able to deliver results so much faster by using computing power.”“I always like to ask myself this as a leader, if nobody was looking, if there were no repercussions, would I still make the right decision? From a sustainability standpoint, from an ethical standpoint, that's how I hold myself accountable.” Links & mentions: Mastercam, CAD/CAM solutions that are trusted to deliver superior and reliable machining performance with advanced productivity tools and AI-enabled CAM capabilities Tree House Brewing Company, brewers of Julius and pioneers of hazy IPA, Tree House produces world-renowned beer in Charlton, Massachusetts Make sure to visit http://manufacturinghappyhour.com for detailed show notes and a full list of resources mentioned in this episode. Stay Innovative, Stay Thirsty. Mentioned in this episode: Mfg Happy Hour's Rust Belt Renaissance Tour Manufacturing Happy Hour is hitting the road this spring, hosting live shows Cleveland on 3/24, Rochester on 3/25, and Pittsburgh on 3/26. Get your tickets today.

    44 min

  8. FEB 24

    276: 2026 Automation Industry Outlook, Live from the A3 Business Forum

    Fear is expensive. In 2025, manufacturers delayed billions in capital projects because anxiety, not data, drove business decisions. But 2026 is different. Tax incentives expire mid-year, borrowing costs are down, and the hard data shows CapEx accelerating at 3-4%. The companies acting on facts while others remain frozen are the ones positioned to gain market share, capture expiring tax benefits, and pull ahead. This episode comes to you live from the A3 Forum 2026, where the message is clear: 2026 isn't about waiting for certainty. It's about preparing for complexity with multiple strategies, acting on hard economic data, and recognizing that technology will solve the labor shortage. You'll hear why geopolitics can no longer be ignored and why every manufacturing company needs dedicated monitoring and scenario-based planning to navigate constant disruption. We dig into why America's $1+ trillion manufacturing investment boom is creating career opportunities that rival the tech industry and why the outdated narrative around manufacturing jobs is costing the industry the next generation of talent. Plus, we explore how automation and robotics are becoming the central solution for critical challenges and how theme park robotics taught the industry the power of asking “how” instead of “no”. In this episode, find out: Why 2026 is transitioning from a year of uncertainty to a year of complexityHow to become a value-added partner instead of a transactional sellerHow America's $1+ trillion manufacturing investment is rebuilding domestic capabilityWhy manufacturing careers now offer competitive tech-level salariesWhy 92% of manufacturing CEOs prioritize smart manufacturing as their top growth strategyThe impact of expiring tax incentives on CapEx decision-making urgencyWhy AI has shifted from hype to practical implementation questionsHow theme park robotics pioneered human-robot collaboration and safety standardsWhy the answer should be "how" instead of "no" when facing unconventional challenges Enjoying the show? Please leave us a review here. Even one sentence helps. It’s feedback from Manufacturing All-Stars like you that keeps us going! Tweetable Quotes: “We are in a manufacturing revolution, but most people don’t realize it yet. More importantly, America is starting to learn how to rebuild and manufacture its own goods. We are starting the process to build and AI is a tool that will help close that chasm.” – Bob Little“If 2025 was marked as a year of uncertainty, I think we are now far enough into the process to recognize that it's transitioning to a year of complexity in 2026. You have to be prepared for a variety of different scenarios. You have to treat it almost like war gaming, if you think about it.” – Alex Chausovsky, “92% of manufacturing CEOs interviewed by Deloitte said smart automation or smart manufacturing is their top priority. This data validates that automation/robotics is the central issue for manufacturing leadership, not a side conversation.” – - Alex Shikany Links & mentions: A3 - Association for Advancing Automation, connecting innovators, businesses, and technologies across key technology sectors-robotics, vision, motion control, and industrial AI-to accelerate progress in automation 3DM Consulting, tap into Alex Chausovsky's market research and analysis Bardin, helping industrial AI coworkers bridge the sales-engineering gap and, most importantly, helping manufacturers close deals faster Eat'n Park, family restaurants serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner to guests in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia since 1949 Make sure to visit http://manufacturinghappyhour.com for detailed show notes and a full list of resources mentioned in this episode. Stay Innovative, Stay Thirsty. Mentioned in this episode: Industrial Marketing Summit 2026 The Industrial Marketing Summit is the go-to gathering for marketers working in the manufacturing, engineering and industrial sectors. Built by Gorilla 76 and TREW Marketing, IMS delivers strategic insight, hands-on learning and true community. Whether you’re a team of one, or leading a scaled marketing department, you’ll walk away ready to market smarter, lead stronger and impact your business. Make sure to use the code "happy hour" at checkout for $100 off registration. Industrial Marketing Summit 2026

    1h 10m
See All (339)

4.9
out of 5
104 Ratings

About

Welcome to Manufacturing Happy Hour, the podcast where we get real about the latest trends and technologies impacting modern manufacturers. Hosted by industry veteran Chris Luecke, each week, we interview makers, founders, and other manufacturing leaders that are at the top of their game and give you the tools, tactics, and strategies you need to take your career and your business to the next level. We go beyond the buzzwords and dissect real-life applications and success stories so that you can tackle your biggest manufacturing challenges and turn them into profitable opportunities. Stay Innovative, Stay Thirsty.

Information

  • Creator
    Chris Luecke
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    339
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 Chris Luecke
  • Show Website
    Manufacturing Happy Hour

You Might Also Like