What will it take to reindustrialize America? Nick Reinhart has a good chunk of the answer. Nick founded Kreate, which makes toolboxes and storage totes for Home Depot, and a whole lot more. Nick discussed his company's rapid growth in plastic injection molding in the U.S. since 2018. Kreate operates four facilities with 110 machines, employing 600 associates, and has an exclusive partnership with Home Depot. The company focuses on advanced automation, including AI and servo-driven machinery, reducing labor costs to 1.5-2%. Nick emphasized the importance of skilled trades, proper wages, and continuous investment in technology. Future plans include expanding into the $2.4 billion outdoor self-composting toilet market and acquiring more companies. He highlighted the need for capital, deep know-how, and a committed workforce to reindustrialize America. In this short clip, Nick lists some of the products Kreate makes for The Home Depot. See our whole show here: https://youtu.be/epCl-F0mUKc #kreate #homedepot #plastic

What will it take to reindustrialize America? Nick Reinhart has a good chunk of the answer. Nick founded Kreate, which makes toolboxes and storage totes for Home Depot, and a whole lot more. Nick discussed his company's rapid growth in plastic injection molding in the U.S. since 2018. Kreate operates four facilities with 110 machines, employing 600 associates, and has an exclusive partnership with Home Depot. The company focuses on advanced automation, including AI and servo-driven machinery, reducing labor costs to 1.5-2%. Nick emphasized the importance of skilled trades, proper wages, and continuous investment in technology. Future plans include expanding into the $2.4 billion outdoor self-composting toilet market and acquiring more companies. He highlighted the need for capital, deep know-how, and a committed workforce to reindustrialize America. In this short clip, Nick chats about some of the new areas of business he and his team are diving into. See our whole show here: https://youtu.be/epCl-F0mUKc #kreate #homedepot #plastic

What will it take to reindustrialize America? Nick Reinhart has a good chunk of the answer. Nick founded Kreate, which makes toolboxes and storage totes for Home Depot, and a whole lot more. Nick discussed his company's rapid growth in plastic injection molding in the U.S. since 2018. Kreate operates four facilities with 110 machines, employing 600 associates, and has an exclusive partnership with Home Depot. The company focuses on advanced automation, including AI and servo-driven machinery, reducing labor costs to 1.5-2%. Nick emphasized the importance of skilled trades, proper wages, and continuous investment in technology. Future plans include expanding into the $2.4 billion outdoor self-composting toilet market and acquiring more companies. He highlighted the need for capital, deep know-how, and a committed workforce to reindustrialize America. In this short clip, Nick discusses the fact that lots of companies refuse to pay what it takes to get good trades workers, then complain about the "shortage." See our whole show here: https://youtu.be/epCl-F0mUKc #kreate #homedepot #plastic

What will it take to reindustrialize America? Nick Reinhart has a good chunk of the answer. Nick founded Kreate, which makes toolboxes and storage totes for Home Depot, and a whole lot more. Nick discussed his company's rapid growth in plastic injection molding in the U.S. since 2018. Kreate operates four facilities with 110 machines, employing 600 associates, and has an exclusive partnership with Home Depot. The company focuses on advanced automation, including AI and servo-driven machinery, reducing labor costs to 1.5-2%. Nick emphasized the importance of skilled trades, proper wages, and continuous investment in technology. Future plans include expanding into the $2.4 billion outdoor self-composting toilet market and acquiring more companies. He highlighted the need for capital, deep know-how, and a committed workforce to reindustrialize America. In this short clip, Nick explains Kreate's unique engineering and product development capabilities. See our whole show here: https://youtu.be/epCl-F0mUKc #kreate #homedepot #plastic

What will it take to reindustrialize America? Nick Reinhart has a good chunk of the answer. Nick founded Kreate, which makes toolboxes and storage totes for Home Depot, and a whole lot more. Nick discussed his company's rapid growth in plastic injection molding in the U.S. since 2018. Kreate operates four facilities with 110 machines, employing 600 associates, and has an exclusive partnership with Home Depot. The company focuses on advanced automation, including AI and servo-driven machinery, reducing labor costs to 1.5-2%. Nick emphasized the importance of skilled trades, proper wages, and continuous investment in technology. Future plans include expanding into the $2.4 billion outdoor self-composting toilet market and acquiring more companies. He highlighted the need for capital, deep know-how, and a committed workforce to reindustrialize America. In this short clip, Nick talks some sense that's too often lacking in the business world about the realities of investing in manufacturing. See our whole show here: https://youtu.be/epCl-F0mUKc #kreate #homedepot #plastic

What will it take to reindustrialize America? Nick Reinhart has a good chunk of the answer. Nick founded Kreate, which makes toolboxes and storage totes for Home Depot, and a whole lot more. Nick discussed his company's rapid growth in plastic injection molding in the U.S. since 2018. Kreate operates four facilities with 110 machines, employing 600 associates, and has an exclusive partnership with Home Depot. The company focuses on advanced automation, including AI and servo-driven machinery, reducing labor costs to 1.5-2%. Nick emphasized the importance of skilled trades, proper wages, and continuous investment in technology. Future plans include expanding into the $2.4 billion outdoor self-composting toilet market and acquiring more companies. He highlighted the need for capital, deep know-how, and a committed workforce to reindustrialize America. In this short clip, Nick dives into the details around reindustrialization. See our whole show here: https://youtu.be/epCl-F0mUKc #kreate #homedepot #plastic

Nick Reinhart has a good chunk of the answer. Nick founded Kreate, which makes toolboxes and storage totes for Home Depot, and a whole lot more. Nick discussed his company's rapid growth in plastic injection molding in the U.S. since 2018. Kreate operates four facilities with 110 machines, employing 600 associates, and has an exclusive partnership with Home Depot. The company focuses on advanced automation, including AI and servo-driven machinery, reducing labor costs to 1.5-2%. Nick emphasized the importance of skilled trades, proper wages, and continuous investment in technology. Future plans include expanding into the $2.4 billion outdoor self-composting toilet market and acquiring more companies. He highlighted the need for capital, deep know-how, and a committed workforce to reindustrialize America. Highlights: 00:00 - Introduction 02:22 - Kreate's Product Categories and Market Position 04:47 - Advancements in Automation and AI 08:42 - Challenges and Opportunities in Manufacturing 11:58 - Future Growth and Expansion Plans 18:13 - Attracting and Retaining Skilled Workers 25:00 - Create's Engineering Capabilities There is so much good stuff here... you really owe it to yourself to tune in for the whole thing. Here are a couple of useful links: Kreate: https://kreate.com/ Krevera: https://www.krevera.com/

Across the industrial world, everybody is TALKING about autonomy and AI-enabled production. What most people are actually DOING, meanwhile, is scratching their heads over how the heck to use all the data they already gather. That's where Oleksandr Khimiak from Advisource AB and their Factory Cortex service come in. What a treat to chat with Oleksandr and talk honestly about what the real needs in our factories are versus the pie-in-the-sky flying car dreams. In this short clip, Oleksandr talks about those daily unexplained failures that can make a plant leader's life a living hell. See the whole show here: https://youtu.be/__3aLoRHtdY #data #erp #mes

Across the industrial world, everybody is TALKING about autonomy and AI-enabled production. What most people are actually DOING, meanwhile, is scratching their heads over how the heck to use all the data they already gather. That's where Oleksandr Khimiak from Advisource AB and their Factory Cortex service come in. What a treat to chat with Oleksandr and talk honestly about what the real needs in our factories are versus the pie-in-the-sky flying car dreams. Oleksandr dove into what Factory Cortex can do for your operation. It's a cognitive layer for manufacturing processes. He highlighted the structural crisis in Western manufacturing due to globalization, talent drain, and generational knowledge gaps. Factory Cortex helps by combining Lean Six Sigma with data science to identify and address root causes of issues like unplanned stops and quality defects. Oleksandr emphasized the importance of understanding problems before implementing solutions and shared a five-phase implementation process. He noted that Factory Cortex makes your existing data streams actionable by integrating with existing systems, like your ERP and MES. The approach aims to transform manufacturing culture from firefighting to continuous improvement. Highlights: 00:00 - Introduction 04:47 - Challenges in Modern Manufacturing 10:56 - Impact of Micro Stops and Firefighting in Manufacturing 20:33 - Introduction to Factory Cortex 24:24 - Integration with Existing Systems and Custom Solutions 30:00 - Assessment and Implementation Process 33:28 - Final Thoughts and Contact Information This one is chock-full of good, useful information if you're right there in the trenches in manufacturing. Check out the whole thing. Oleksandr's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oleksandr-khimiak/ Advisource AB: https://www.theadvisource.com/

What great fun this episode was! Jay Dekmar, founder of Lok Grips, had us out to his Wyoming, Michigan, shop to record right on the factory floor and hear all about how he founded his business and what he's got going on. Jay shared his journey from a tool and die apprentice to owning a successful pistol grip manufacturing business. Initially, he faced challenges in the job shop market but found success with pistol grips, starting in 2014. By 2018, he focused solely on grips. Today, Lok Grips employs 32 people and uses 15 CNC machines, with 40% automated. Jay emphasized the importance of automation, which has increased efficiency and job satisfaction. He also discussed future plans to expand into base pads and magazine extensions, targeting a $500 million market. In this short clip, Jay discusses the amazing career opportunities manufacturing has to offer. Check out the whole show here: https://youtu.be/kmpH4KJiirU And do swing over and have a look at our companion "Welcome to the Machine" piece on just what Jay and his team do to make their superb grips: https://youtu.be/kCyTZJ9kTqQ

What great fun this episode was! Jay Dekmar, founder of Lok Grips, had us out to his Wyoming, Michigan, shop to record right on the factory floor and hear all about how he founded his business and what he's got going on. Jay shared his journey from a tool and die apprentice to owning a successful pistol grip manufacturing business. Initially, he faced challenges in the job shop market but found success with pistol grips, starting in 2014. By 2018, he focused solely on grips. Today, Lok Grips employs 32 people and uses 15 CNC machines, with 40% automated. Jay emphasized the importance of automation, which has increased efficiency and job satisfaction. He also discussed future plans to expand into base pads and magazine extensions, targeting a $500 million market. In this short clip, Jay tells how LOK Grips turned a snafu with a big important customer into the start of a long-term partnership. Check out the whole show here: https://youtu.be/kmpH4KJiirU And do swing over and have a look at our companion "Welcome to the Machine" piece on just what Jay and his team do to make their superb grips: https://youtu.be/kCyTZJ9kTqQ

What great fun this episode was! Jay Dekmar, founder of Lok Grips, had us out to his Wyoming, Michigan, shop to record right on the factory floor and hear all about how he founded his business and what he's got going on. Jay shared his journey from a tool and die apprentice to owning a successful pistol grip manufacturing business. Initially, he faced challenges in the job shop market but found success with pistol grips, starting in 2014. By 2018, he focused solely on grips. Today, Lok Grips employs 32 people and uses 15 CNC machines, with 40% automated. Jay emphasized the importance of automation, which has increased efficiency and job satisfaction. He also discussed future plans to expand into base pads and magazine extensions, targeting a $500 million market. In this short clip, Jay talks about how the automation he's added to his machines has helped create MORE and BETTER jobs. Check out the whole show here: https://youtu.be/kmpH4KJiirU And do swing over and have a look at our companion "Welcome to the Machine" piece on just what Jay and his team do to make their superb grips: https://youtu.be/kCyTZJ9kTqQ

What great fun this episode was! Jay Dekmar, founder of Lok Grips, had us out to his Wyoming, Michigan, shop to record right on the factory floor and hear all about how he founded his business and what he's got going on. Jay shared his journey from a tool and die apprentice to owning a successful pistol grip manufacturing business. Initially, he faced challenges in the job shop market but found success with pistol grips, starting in 2014. By 2018, he focused solely on grips. Today, Lok Grips employs 32 people and uses 15 CNC machines, with 40% automated. Jay emphasized the importance of automation, which has increased efficiency and job satisfaction. He also discussed future plans to expand into base pads and magazine extensions, targeting a $500 million market. Check out the whole show, and do swing over and have a look at our companion "Welcome to the Machine" piece on just what Jay and his team do to make their superb grips: https://youtu.be/kCyTZJ9kTqQ

#manufacturing #pistols #guns #grips #accessories #lokgrips Here's a great companion piece to our main episode with our on-the-shop-floor interview with Lok Grips founder and owner Jay Dekmar! Jay walks us through his whole shop and tells us how he and his team make the best pistol grips money can buy. Many thanks to Jay for hosting us, and for his excellent commentary! Manufacturing Talks logo: John E. Vinoski Title concept: John A. Vinoski Intro music: Kassogtha, “Welcome to the Machine” (a cover of the Pink Floyd original) Used by the band’s kind permission https://kassogtha.com/

When aren't you in cost-cutting mode in manufacturing? "Never" is indeed the right answer. But is all cost-cutting effective? "No" is the right answer. But Chuck Deise is here to help with that. Chuck, from EFESO Management Consultants, joined us to discuss strategies for sustainable cost-cutting in your industrial business. He highlighted a survey EFESO did with Industry Week, revealing 85% of companies face severe cost pressure, with 91% having more aggressive targets for 2025 and expecting the same aggressiveness for next year. Chuck emphasized the need for standardized, digitized processes and organizational models to achieve 10-15% cost savings. He stressed the importance of reliability, using advanced sensors and predictive maintenance to improve uptime. He also underscored the significance of a robust performance management system and cultural change to ensure long-term cost reductions and operational efficiency. In this short clip, Chuck explains how centralized reliability monitoring of machine sensors can supercharge your plant reliability efforts. See my whole show with Chuck here: https://youtu.be/WNnjumGdIB4 @tariffs @inflation @reliability

When aren't you in cost-cutting mode in manufacturing? "Never" is indeed the right answer. But is all cost-cutting effective? "No" is the right answer. But Chuck Deise is here to help with that. Chuck, from EFESO Management Consultants, joined us to discuss strategies for sustainable cost-cutting in your industrial business. He highlighted a survey EFESO did with Industry Week, revealing 85% of companies face severe cost pressure, with 91% having more aggressive targets for 2025 and expecting the same aggressiveness for next year. Chuck emphasized the need for standardized, digitized processes and organizational models to achieve 10-15% cost savings. He stressed the importance of reliability, using advanced sensors and predictive maintenance to improve uptime. He also underscored the significance of a robust performance management system and cultural change to ensure long-term cost reductions and operational efficiency. In this short clip, Chuck talks about how to get sustainable standard practices by involving your frontline workers and supervisors. See my whole show with Chuck here: https://youtu.be/WNnjumGdIB4 @tariffs @inflation @reliability

When aren't you in cost-cutting mode in manufacturing? "Never" is indeed the right answer. But is all cost-cutting effective? "No" is the right answer. But Chuck Deise is here to help with that. Chuck, from EFESO Management Consultants, joined us to discuss strategies for sustainable cost-cutting in your industrial business. He highlighted a survey EFESO did with Industry Week, revealing 85% of companies face severe cost pressure, with 91% having more aggressive targets for 2025 and expecting the same aggressiveness for next year. Chuck emphasized the need for standardized, digitized processes and organizational models to achieve 10-15% cost savings. He stressed the importance of reliability, using advanced sensors and predictive maintenance to improve uptime. He also underscored the significance of a robust performance management system and cultural change to ensure long-term cost reductions and operational efficiency. In this short clip, Chuck explains how to create savings by simplifying your operation through standards and digitalization. See my whole show with Chuck here: https://youtu.be/WNnjumGdIB4 @tariffs @inflation @reliability

When aren't you in cost-cutting mode in manufacturing? "Never" is indeed the right answer. But is all cost-cutting effective? "No" is the right answer. But Chuck Deise is here to help with that. Chuck, from EFESO Management Consultants, joined us to discuss strategies for sustainable cost-cutting in your industrial business. He highlighted a survey EFESO did with Industry Week, revealing 85% of companies face severe cost pressure, with 91% having more aggressive targets for 2025 and expecting the same aggressiveness for next year. Chuck emphasized the need for standardized, digitized processes and organizational models to achieve 10-15% cost savings. He stressed the importance of reliability, using advanced sensors and predictive maintenance to improve uptime. He also underscored the significance of a robust performance management system and cultural change to ensure long-term cost reductions and operational efficiency. In this short clip, Chuck covers how to create a robust reliability strategy. See my whole show with Chuck here: https://youtu.be/WNnjumGdIB4 @tariffs @inflation @reliability

When aren't you in cost-cutting mode in manufacturing? "Never" is indeed the right answer. But is all cost-cutting effective? "No" is the right answer. But Chuck Deise is here to help with that. Chuck, from EFESO Management Consultants, joined us to discuss strategies for sustainable cost-cutting in your industrial business. He highlighted a survey EFESO did with Industry Week, revealing 85% of companies face severe cost pressure, with 91% having more aggressive targets for 2025 and expecting the same aggressiveness for next year. Chuck emphasized the need for standardized, digitized processes and organizational models to achieve 10-15% cost savings. He stressed the importance of reliability, using advanced sensors and predictive maintenance to improve uptime. He also underscored the significance of a robust performance management system and cultural change to ensure long-term cost reductions and operational efficiency. In this short clip, Chuck talks about the need to change work processes and your culture to make cost-cutting efforts sustainable. See my whole show with Chuck here: https://youtu.be/WNnjumGdIB4 @tariffs @inflation @costs

When aren't you in cost-cutting mode in manufacturing? "Never" is indeed the right answer. But is all cost-cutting effective? "No" is the right answer. But Chuck Deise is here to help with that. Chuck, from EFESO Management Consultants, joined us to discuss strategies for sustainable cost-cutting in your industrial business. He highlighted a survey EFESO did with Industry Week, revealing 85% of companies face severe cost pressure, with 91% having more aggressive targets for 2025 and expecting the same aggressiveness for next year. Chuck emphasized the need for standardized, digitized processes and organizational models to achieve 10-15% cost savings. He stressed the importance of reliability, using advanced sensors and predictive maintenance to improve uptime. He also underscored the significance of a robust performance management system and cultural change to ensure long-term cost reductions and operational efficiency. Highlights: 00:00 - Introduction 05:30 - Survey Findings on Cost Pressure and Cost Takeout Targets 10:45 - Challenges and Opportunities in Cost Takeout Programs 16:33 - Cultural Change and Operational Improvement 29:17 - Digital Strategy and Advanced Manufacturing Technologies EFESO Management Consultants: https://www.efeso.com/ The EFESO/Industry Week survey: https://www.argoconsulting.com/resource-insights/2026-manufacturing-industry-report/ Chuck's email: charles.deise@efeso.com

Flashing back to my all-time favorite show - the one with the legendary Mike Rowe, of course! "it's not difficult to celebrate the kind of skilled jobs that are in demand, and that can be done socially, it can be done through advertising campaigns, marketing campaigns, PR, earned media, unearned media, but I, I honestly think every, every company in the Fortune 500 has skin in this game." I'll go one step further: EVERY manufacturing company, big or small, SHOULD have skin in this game. Our survival as an industry and a nation are at stake. See my whole show with Mike here: https://youtu.be/ezkU1qAxCmE @therealmikerowe @mikeroweWORKS #skilledtrades

It was great to have Mush Khan join us for his second appearance! Mush, co-founder and CEO of Alchemy Industrial, leads a team of talented and passionate people who are dedicated to building a domestic manufacturing industry. This time around, he discussed Alchemy's focus on reshoring battery energy storage systems for commercial and industrial customers, avoiding residential and grid-scale systems. He highlighted the increasing demand and spikiness of power use, leading to significant business impacts, including demand charges and power quality issues. Mush emphasized the importance of AI in manufacturing, citing a project to incorporate AI into their systems. He also stressed the need for American reindustrialization, advocating for innovative solutions rather than replicating existing methods. He encouraged collaboration across borders and sectors to address manufacturing challenges. In this short clip, Mush talks about the economics of protecting your operation from power outages. See the whole show here: https://youtu.be/H_8vzeWQTzU #manufacturing #reindustrialization #reshoring

It was great to have Mush Khan join us for his second appearance! Mush, co-founder and CEO of Alchemy Industrial, leads a team of talented and passionate people who are dedicated to building a domestic manufacturing industry. This time around, he discussed Alchemy's focus on reshoring battery energy storage systems for commercial and industrial customers, avoiding residential and grid-scale systems. He highlighted the increasing demand and spikiness of power use, leading to significant business impacts, including demand charges and power quality issues. Mush emphasized the importance of AI in manufacturing, citing a project to incorporate AI into their systems. He also stressed the need for American reindustrialization, advocating for innovative solutions rather than replicating existing methods. He encouraged collaboration across borders and sectors to address manufacturing challenges. In this short clip, Mush tells the story of how his team delivered a battery storage system in 90 days! See the whole show here: https://youtu.be/H_8vzeWQTzU #manufacturing #reindustrialization #reshoring

It was great to have Mush Khan join us for his second appearance! Mush, co-founder and CEO of Alchemy Industrial, leads a team of talented and passionate people who are dedicated to building a domestic manufacturing industry. This time around, he discussed Alchemy's focus on reshoring battery energy storage systems for commercial and industrial customers, avoiding residential and grid-scale systems. He highlighted the increasing demand and spikiness of power use, leading to significant business impacts, including demand charges and power quality issues. Mush emphasized the importance of AI in manufacturing, citing a project to incorporate AI into their systems. He also stressed the need for American reindustrialization, advocating for innovative solutions rather than replicating existing methods. He encouraged collaboration across borders and sectors to address manufacturing challenges. In this short clip, Mush and I chat about singing the praises of our unsung heroes of American manufacturing. See the whole show here: https://youtu.be/H_8vzeWQTzU #manufacturing #reindustrialization #reshoring