Augury got its start using a unique way to monitor manufacturing machine health: the sound of the equipment! It's one of those ideas that, once you hear it, seems so blindingly obvious - except you didn't think of it! Now they have over 150 of the largest manufacturers as customers, and they continue to grow. The company uses AI to reduce waste and downtime and to improve processes in all kinds of industries. Their VP of Strategy, Artem Kroupenev, joined us for Episode 99 to tell us all about it. Tune in and learn about the whole story, and how they might help you! Augury website: https://www.augury.com/ Link to your host's 2019 Forbes article about Augury: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jimvinoski/2019/09/30/the-machine-whisperers-this-startup-improves-machine-health-through-digital-transformation/

Like too much of American manufacturing, our domestic production capacity for printed circuit boards - the things on which the computer chips that power so much of our world anymore reside - departed decades ago for other lands. Now we're too dependent on foreign nations for that supply, and especially worrying is how much we're dependent on a potential geopolitical adversary. David is executive director at the Printed Circuit Board Association of America, and he joined us for Episode 98 to tell us how we lost this vital industrial capability and what he thinks we need to do to get at least some of it back. Tune in and check out the whole story!

Manufacturing looks like it's turning the corner here in the US, so now is a good time for our domestic producers to look at expanding their businesses. Frank Seidel, Managing Director at Wamser Batra USA, thinks India is a great market to look at, and he joined us to tell us why that is and what companies here need to do about it. He looks at demographics and income growth and says India beats China as a growth market hands down. Now, to be fair, what Wamser Batra USA does to make their money is to help companies do exactly the above. But Frank didn't join us for a no-hold-barred sales job - he brought practical advice on how to get started, what to do along the way, and how to succeed at what he says has to be a long-term play. Here's a timeline with some highlights: 7:20 - the importance of due diligence 10:40 - why it's critical company leaders actually go to India 14:30 - why you should bring the CEO of any Indian company you're going to partner with here to the US 17:40 - the different production options, like making here and exporting there, making domestically for each separate market, or making there and importing here There's a whole lot more great advice and concrete steps to take. It boils down to what Frank shared with me separately: "Don't just go to India because it looks like a good opportunity. Make sure it's the right fit for your business." Tune in and check out the whole thing!

At one time, when he lived in the shadow of southwest Michigan's Palisades nuclear power plant, former business owner, author, and employee communications guru Shawn Connors opposed nuclear energy. But then he decided to do his own research and discovered that the horror stories in the media that had convinced him nukes were dangerous were just plain wrong. That's when he founded the Atomic Garage Movement, which uses the arts to help convince people that nuclear energy is safe, clean, and reliable. He has also written both a nonfiction educational book and a fictional novel that both help tell the real story of nuclear energy (links below!) He joined us for Episode 96 to tell us all about his conversion, and why he believes we should ditch all the arbitrary deadlines for replacing our electricity generating stations, stop retiring our coal and gas plants, and instead embark on a program to replace them when their production lives end with nuclear plants. And about Palisades? He's revved up to see it reopened, and thinks it can help make Michigan a nuclear center for the nation. Here are the links: Books: Non-fiction: The Quick Read Nuclear Energy Guide: 21 Easy-to-Understand Q&As - https://www.amazon.com/Quick-Nuclear-Energy-Guide-Understand-ebook/dp/B0CH8MNNH4?ref_=ast_author_dp Novel: Chain Reaction: A Story About Power in the Age of Climate Change - https://www.amazon.com/Chain-Reaction-Story-Climate-Change/dp/B0CGLH8M1P/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= Article that I read that first flagged Shawn's work for me: https://www.bridgemi.com/guest-commentary/opinion-wind-solar-arent-enough-case-palisades-nuclear-plant Atomic Garage Movement site: https://atomicgaragemovement.com/

Modiv is a real estate investment trust (REIT). That's company uses investor money to trade in real estate. For Modiv, it's not just any real estate - the company focuses entirely on manufacturing properties, investing in industrial properties via long-term net leases. Their CEO, Aaron Halfacre, joins us for Episode 95 to tell us why that's a good business proposition for his investors and for the owners of the manufacturing companies alike. Aaron also discusses how Modiv's corporate values are rooted in the small-town strong-work-ethic background he grew up with. We talked West Virginia, Mississippi, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and chicken farms! You can learn more about Modiv here: https://modiv.com/

Episode 94 once more features our friends from Aprio, a CPA-led advisory firm with over 700 clients in their Manufacturing and Distribution Practice. Simeon Wallis and Michael Lange join us to discuss their latest quarterly "Manufacturing and Distribution Insights" report, which is a great look into the state of business for American industry. Simeon is Chief Investment Officer and leader of Aprio’s Wealth Management Practice, and Michael is Partner in Assurance Services at Aprio, so they bring a whole lot of expertise to the subject. The latest issue had more good news for manufacturers, including a slight rise in manufacturing sentiment from the Institute for Supply Managers and a boom in plant construction spending. But there were also indications of weakening demand, and a fresh ISM report came out after we recorded showing a decline in the outlook of industry professionals. Michael and Simeon dive into all the details of their report and give their insights about the current state of things and where they think we're headed. Tune in and hear the whole expert story! View the Aprio quarterly insights report here: https://www.aprio.com/6-manufacturing-distribution-insights-from-q1-2024-and-what-they-mean-for-you/

Fluke Reliability has been a mainstay in manufacturing maintenance for a long, long time. With tools like temperature and vibration monitors and acoustic and thermal imaging, they've helped make true preventive maintenance a reality for industry. So it was extremely informative for Episode 93 to chat with their president, Ankush Malhotra, about their recent acquisition of Azima DLI, which is helping supercharge Fluke's aggressive push into the use of AI for machine failure prevention. Ankush gives us a deep dive into what Fluke has going on with its new efforts, and how they can help manufacturers of all kinds stay competitive in today's tough business environment. Tune in and check out the whole thing!

Doesn't it seem like every single day now brings fresh news of another monstrous dollop of tax money is being given away somewhere in the US to coerce some manufacturer to build and "create jobs?" That's great news, right? Not so much, and James Hohman, Director of Fiscal Policy at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy right here in Michigan, is here to tell us why it's not. Here are just a few of the points he covers: 20:00 - a better way: create a better business environment and quality of life 23:45 - job creation and loss under these schemes 26:00 - money spent versus jobs created 30:00 - economic development program spending versus schools and prisons Check out the whole thing to learn why the better road is to let manufacturers pay their own way while making the business environment and workforce attractive enough that they'll come to your state anyway!