Manufacturing Mavericks Datanomix

Eric Van Orden calls himself “just a guy”, but Greg knew he was a Manufacturing Maverick the minute he set up an in-person meeting for 4 am. It tracks with Eric’s favorite quote from Winston Churchill: “I like for things to happen. And when they don’t happen, I like to make them happen.” 
As Eric sees it, it’s about taking ownership and making things happen. You try, you fail, you persevere and you move forward. 
Eric grew up hanging out at his Dad’s machine shop and even played hooky from High School to spend more time there. He tried a different path after high school and thought about pursuing a law degree, but realized he wanted to go back to manufacturing. When he called his Dad about working at the shop, his Dad gave him a surprising answer. We’re guessing Steve Van Orden is also a Manufacturing Maverick! Luckily it all worked out and Eric earned his way from sanding & deburring parts to being the Swiss Lead. Listen in as Eric and Greg explore family businesses, staying on top of new technology, building up a great culture, tooling, and the importance of relationships in manufacturing. 
Show Highlights: 
What Eric’s Dad said when he called from college to ask him about working at the shop. It’s not what you’d expect. 5:38How Paramount went from no Swiss machines 8-years ago to making 1.2 million parts on just one of their 7 machines today. 11:40Building a shop culture that keeps today’s 70 employees highly engaged while also investing in technology that will attract the next generation (15:26)Why it’s important for Paramount to be part of the bigger manufacturing community (22:46)Moving away from cycle time to production time - and how to measure it accurately (27:56)Growing from skateboarding parts to inspection to save time to leveraging every square inch of floor space (32:05)How every employee is able to be an innovator and it’s paying off big! They don’t “Drive it like it’s a rental” (35:09)Having a “Pensky clean” shop and why coworkers rib him when tooling vendor’s visit (38:43)Two quotes that capture his philosophy for manufacturing and life (43:58)Advice to his younger self (51:10)Links Referenced:
Datanomix: https://datanomix.io/Paramount Machine: https://www.paramount-machine.com/NTMA Utah: https://www.nuntma.org/mfgmavericks.com: https://mfgmavericks.com

Paul Van Metre is the co-founder of ProShop ERP and a true Manufacturing Maverick. Listen in as he talks with Greg McHale about some of the serendipitous moments that completely changed the course of his life and fueled his passion for manufacturing. Some examples include how his Mom saving a car magazine got him into machining, how a random lab partner assignment on his first day of school turned into a 30+ year collaboration, and why a customer’s dream of building a basketball court for his kids helped launched ProShop ERP. Paul’s love of manufacturing and the people who work in it drives him to help make “the hardest business in the world” a little easier. It shows in the hashtag he started #ThankaMachinist
Show Highlights / Skip To: 
Reading an article in a car magazine sparked Paul’s love for manufacturing and a move across the country (3:39) Trying to start a car company right out of college that turned into a machine shop (10:03) Advice for finding customers. Hint, it starts with a nice shirt (15:14) Diversification helped Paul’s machine shop thrive for 17 years (17:37) 9/11 and finding a path from being days away from bankruptcy back to triple-digit growth (19:52)Trying to go paperless on the shop floor when monitors weighed 50 pounds (22:03) A customer’s desire to build a basketball court in his backyard plays a pivotal role in the creation of ProShop ERP (30:59) The first software customer in 2009 was able to transform their late order list from 10 pages to less than one and turn off the old ERP after 3 weeks. (33:26) The book Paul recommends to everyone who is good at something and wants to start their own business (38:49) Why he started #ThankaMachinist (46:33) The advice he gives his younger self (49:45) Links Referenced:
Datanomix: https://datanomix.io/ProShop ERP: https://proshoperp.com/ Connect with Paul on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulvanmetre/ mfgmavericks.com: https://mfgmavericks.com

Greg McHale sits down to talk with Mike Payne, Owner of Hill Manufacturing about his unconventional path to becoming a shop owner. Mike was actually helping the previous owner look for a buyer when he decided to make an offer himself. After 25 years in software and private equity, Mike realized that he really liked the can-do attitude and willingness to help each other that manufacturers share. This episode explores how Mike leveraged his background in private equity and data analysis to double his shop’s size in 5 years - every five years.
Bloodstains, sweat and tears (1:40)Taking the plunge and buying a shop (11:19)Why there’s a big red barn on the shop floor - and we’re talking BIG (19:29)Yay, it’s Monday. Building a great culture where people want to come to work  (21:55)Setting the standards everyone can operate within  (26:04)The technology & tools to grow the business (35:30)Don't want to be the cheapest option (41:40)Doubling the business in 5 years - every 5 years (46:22)This podcast pissed me off (48:59)Being there for each other (54:12)Links Referenced:
Datanomix: https://datanomix.io/Hill Manufacturing: http://www.hill-manufacturing.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hillmfg/ mfgmavericks.com: https://mfgmavericks.com

Greg McHale interviews Kylan Hastreiter, Vice President of Hastreiter Industries, located in Marshfield, WI. Kylan’s parents started the shop in the late 1980s in a hog shed with one Makino LeBlond lathe. Today, they specialize in complex parts for the aerospace industry and are a driving force in introducing young people in Wisconsin to manufacturing—even creating a makerspace for students at their facility. 
Every kid has a machine shop in their basement, right? ( 5:11)Turning over the reins to the next generation & rebranding the business (8:13)Introducing kids to STEM as part of the long game to build up a local workforce and a thriving manufacturing industry (12:48)It’s fun to have the latest & greatest technology! (21:47)Building a culture that embraces change  (24:55)Investments that had the biggest impact (27:08)Getting two machines for free  (29:22)How Hastreiter Industries impacts Wisconsin’s cheese industry  (31:46)Predictions for the next 7 years (33:58)Kylan answers the classic  “What do you know now, that you wish you knew then” question. (37:14)Links Referenced:
Datanomix: https://datanomix.io/Hastreiter Industries: https://hastreiter.industries/Shiloh Bound: https://www.shilohbound.org/C2 Makerspace: https://www.c2makerspace.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100084244807677LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/c2-makerspace/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/c2makerspace_marshfield/mfgmavericks.com: https://mfgmavericks.com

We launched Manufacturing Mavericks in Late 2023 to tell the stories of people who aren’t afraid to shake things up and stand out from the crowd. We’ve had three fabulous guests so far with many more in the pipeline for 2024:
Hernan Ricaurte, President of Ricaurte Precision Inc.Jack Russel, President of ROLAR ProductsDave Capkovitz, Principal / Owner of EBITDA Growth SystemsTo close the year, here is a highlight reel of their best insights and advice for growing a business. Enjoy!
Highlights:
Just pick up the phone and make friends with your competitors because there’s so much work to go around. (01:03)You have to be willing to get rid of some customers. (03:19)Without your employees, you can’t make money. (04:16)The value is in shortening the cycle or reducing the wasted motion. (04:59)Put the deal right on the shop floor. (05:18)Invest in technologies that will make an impact. (07:47)Technology that talks to each other is incredibly helpful. (11:14)Invest in digital technologies early on. (12:18)You can’t scale on tribal knowledge. (13:31)Understand your ROI. (14:53)Identify your costs and rightsize your pricing. (17:34)The supervisor is NOT free. (20:17)What you need to do to meet your profit margin. (20:44)
Links Referenced:
mfgmavericks.com: https://mfgmavericks.comRicaurte Precision Inc.: https://www.ricaurteprecision.com/ROLAR Products: http://www.rolarproducts.com/EBITDA Growth Systems: https://ebitdagrowthsystems.com/

Serial entrepreneur Dave Capkovitz, of EBITDA Growth Systems, shares how his experiences have shaped how his company helps out manufacturers who fall into the “no man’s land” ($1-$30 million in revenue). He outlines the process his company has developed that guarantees they will double a shop’s valuation in three years. Dave attributes their tremendous success rate to getting clients the data they need to understand their revenue and costs better. 
Dave also provides a sneak peek into an exciting project aimed at rescuing struggling shops, and it sounds like a Netflix series in the making!
Listen in and get some tips on how to improve your shop’s profitability.
Highlights:
Dave describes why he likes to focus on helping shops in “No Man’s Land”. (4:08)Why EBITA Growth Systems’ process for working with new clients starts with chemistry. (5:38)Being a matchmaker for machine shop owners who want to sell. (9:25)Why it’s lonely at the top—especially without this (10:23)How working in his dad’s machine shop morphed into owning landscaping, trucking & welding businesses (12:18)Life isn’t meant to be something we do alone. It’s something we should do together. (17:36)It’s all about data and understanding your costs. (19:29)“Automagically,” getting data is priceless for a production manager looking at 15 things happening simultaneously.  (30:21)Calculating the ROI of investments—a lot of people get it wrong. (31:06)Why paying taxes is a good thing. (34:17)Money-back guarantee to double the valuation of your shop in three years. (37:14)Preview of Shop Rescue—Trying to turn a shop around in 6 months. (39:36)Links Referenced:
EBITDA Growth Systems: https://ebitdagrowthsystems.com/