The Manufacturing Automation Podcast

In this episode of the Manufacturing Automation Podcast, Michael and Matt open up about the stress of balancing heavy workloads with cash collection delays, vendor issues, and rising trade show costs. Michael shares how short staffing and delayed payments collided to create a frustrating crunch, while Matt reflects on managing questions from the team and keeping operations moving despite fatigue. Together they explore how to decide when to say no, avoid unnecessary scope creep, and keep product development disciplined—even when the pressure mounts.

In this episode of the Manufacturing Automation Podcast, Michael and Matt unpack the reality of stepping back from growth mode to refocus on execution, culture, and systems. Michael shares how working in the business revealed bottlenecks in machining and sparked a deeper investment in lean shop floor improvements. Matt reflects on Automate trade show wins, shifting team energy, and integrating AI into lead follow-up and sales workflows. They also dive into quoting friction, CRM constraints, inventory cleanout, and the tension between chasing growth and staying operationally stable. If you're rebalancing priorities or scaling through simplification, this episode is full of hard-earned lessons.

Michael and Matt unpack what it really feels like to operate in the most difficult stage of company growth—the stretch where you’re too big to wing it and too small to specialize. They talk candidly about culture drift, missed deadlines, and the hidden cost of onboarding, especially when half the team is new and tribal knowledge disappears faster than expected.The conversation dives deep into execution vs. effort, why batching creates downstream quality failures, and how Gantt charts, daily huddles, and clearer deadlines are helping realign work with outcomes. Michael shares hard-earned lessons from QC issues and a necessary termination, while Matt explains why “depth of bench” matters more than headcount—and how utilization, onboarding curves, and capacity planning shape smarter hiring decisions.They also debate CRM discipline vs. custom tools, the real ROI of enterprise software, and when founders should stop building systems themselves and start enforcing the ones they already pay for. The episode closes with honest reflections on leadership, culture-building habits, and how to keep teams motivated when growth is messy, exhausting, and unavoidable.

Matt and Michael compare notes on what happens when your bottleneck stops being production and starts being sales consistency and founder bandwidth. Michael shares how Gimbel Automation’s Shopify revenue is up ~4x in a few months, driven by a major page overhaul and a conversion rate that’s increased ~10x—shifting his attention toward scalable “widget” sales instead of field-heavy turnkey installs.Matt breaks down the other side of the same problem: Develop’s delivery engine is scaling, but the limiting factor is now top-of-funnel response time, lead follow-up cadence, and project accounting, pushing him toward hiring an executive assistant and standardizing customer reporting. Together they talk SEO reality (KD-zero industrial keywords), how agencies stall when founders stop reviewing deliverables, and why the next growth step is often delegation plus tighter systems, not more leads.On the ops side, they cover floor-space constraints, CapEx tradeoffs, and practical improvements like Kanban discipline, objective-driven OKRs, and aligning incentives to measurable execution. The episode closes with real-world engineering updates—including shipping a major build in brutal weather, refining CoolantClear beta production, and catching a critical torque-spec oversight before a prototype hits the field.

Matt and Michael recap a packed week of operations pressure, follow-on project momentum, and the unglamorous reality of scaling: quality errors, retraining, and tightening SOPs without bloating the system. Matt shares what he’s learning from a new owner-operator roundtable, plus how follow-on work is stacking up across multiple active builds.On the marketing side, they go deep on SEO strategy that actually works in industrial B2B—long-tail keyword mapping, training an agency to understand the market, and what a realistic monthly SEO spend looks like when the founder is still the bottleneck.They close with two practical scale moves: (1) a shop-floor re-layout to unlock space for larger machine builds, and (2) a cultural experiment Matt calls the “forgiveness log”—a structured way to push decision-making down to the team, speed up execution, and track ROI on micro-improvements in real dollars and hours.

Matt and Michael dive into the real-world challenges of scaling a manufacturing company—from letting go of control to navigating tough customers and trade show ROI. Michael reflects on learning to delegate, setting boundaries with unreasonable clients, and choosing which orders to take as demand grows. Matt, fresh off the MD&M trade show, shares how live events pressure-test both product and people—and how one broken AI sales tool turned into a valuable workflow lesson.Together, they explore the balance between sales velocity and buyer confidence, why faster isn’t always better, and how to decide when a trade show is worth the investment. The conversation expands into marketing automation, Shopify strategy, and 3D model integration, revealing how small process improvements compound into massive leverage.The episode closes with a candid look at leadership transitions, hiring discipline, and rediscovering excitement in “boring” systems—because in manufacturing, scaling isn’t just about building better machines; it’s about building better companies.

Matt and Michael sit down to unpack the growing pains that come with scaling from builder to CEO. From juggling trade shows and staffing shortages to fixing water jets and optimizing Shopify conversion rates, this episode captures what it really looks like to grow a manufacturing company in real time.They discuss the balance between speed and control, the discipline of hiring slowly, and the struggle to delegate when production pressure is high. Michael reflects on hitting the limits of what worked for a $2M company—and what it takes to evolve toward a $4M operation—while Matt shares how consistency, recurring revenue, and system thinking define sustainable growth.The conversation moves fluidly between cash flow, client terms, financing models, and trade show ROI, all tied together by one theme: learning to work on the business, not just in it. Whether you’re an engineer, entrepreneur, or operator trying to scale, this episode is a candid look at the mindset shift required to lead through growth.

Matt and Michael talk about what it really takes to show up well—at trade shows and in business. They break down their evolving trade show strategy: why it’s not just about leads, but about relationship-building, visibility, and operational readiness. From planning booth logistics and displays to clarifying who’s in the booth (and why), they share how events like WESTEC are forcing better systems back at home base.They also dive into team culture and hiring, discussing how to maintain high standards while keeping morale strong, plus lessons from recent hires who are reshaping how work gets done. The conversation touches on vendor relationships, R&D updates, and even a few AI workflow experiments—the practical kind that actually save time instead of adding noise.By the end, it’s clear: whether it’s a trade show floor or the shop floor, success comes down to the same things—clarity, consistency, and communication.

Matt and Michael get candid about what it takes to scale manufacturing companies in 2025. Michael shares how “caring less” and enforcing reciprocity with customers—matching their cadence and demanding payment before implementation—has improved both cash flow and relationships. They discuss dealing with late invoices from billion-dollar corporations, the reality of tiered customer rules, and why sometimes dropping uphill battles (like bead-blast anodizing) makes everything smoother.The conversation digs into vendor strategy: outsourcing only by referral, working with smaller shops as if they were part-time employees, and tracking accountability with a vendor Gantt chart. Matt pushes back, emphasizing long-term sustainable partnerships and highlighting the tradeoffs of Michael’s approach.On the sales and marketing side, they cover reshoring trends, smart website conversion upgrades (mobile checkout fixes, email capture, weekly newsletters), and the ROI of focusing on conversion over top-of-funnel leads. In R&D, both hosts share incremental product improvements—from new grippers and all-metal push-to-fit fittings to quick design tweaks for field failures.They wrap with company-wide updates: A3 certification prep, SOP consolidation, ISO/UL goals, and a renewed focus on employee career development through structured reviews. It’s an honest, practical look at balancing short-term tactics with long-term strategy in automation and manufacturing.

Matt and Michael unpack how they’re shifting from firefighting to systems. They talk about rewriting core values around reciprocity (no pay, no play—match the customer’s cadence), and how fixing a broken mobile checkout button quietly tripled Shopify conversions. They share an SOP that lets the team turn complex proposals in under 24 hours (11 proposals in ~10 days), prep for an A3 certification audit, and roll out vendor- and customer-facing Gantt charts to make dependencies—and delays—undeniably clear. They also get real about AI tools breaking in production (why leverage beats replacement), delegating with Loom to small vendors, and even the occasional two-by-four “field fix” when parts show up bent—all in service of building the companies and lives they want.

In this episode of the Manufacturing Automation Podcast, Michael and Matt reflect on how accountability—both with customers and within their teams—is reshaping the way they operate. From confronting delayed payments and setting clearer boundaries, to revising sales strategies and rethinking when to say yes to massive projects, they dig into the hard lessons of staying disciplined. The conversation also covers refreshing their marketing tools, updating the automation partner eBook, and the importance of hiring higher-caliber engineering leadership.

In this episode of the Manufacturing Automation Podcast, Michael and Matt recap a whirlwind couple of weeks—from the headaches of a misconfigured turnkey install to the stress of managing short staffing and nonstop work. Michael shares how deals are finally starting to move after a slow stretch, while Matt reflects on team growth, updated marketing content, and refining sales SOPs. Together they dig into how quoting systems, AI tools, and continuous improvement efforts can help bring more rhythm to the business.

In this episode of the Manufacturing Automation Podcast, Michael and Matt dive into the strange paradox of rising inquiries but fewer deals actually closing. They share the grind of following up on slowed decision-making, why the economy might be driving hesitation, and how they’re responding by refining processes, tightening supply chains, and pushing continuous improvement. From CI experiments to new product refinements, this episode captures the tension of short-term frustration alongside long-term optimism.

In this episode, we break down how to keep jobs moving efficiently from the moment a quote is issued to final delivery. We discuss ways to tighten scheduling, align team priorities, and ensure execution stays on track — all while reducing bottlenecks and meeting customer deadlines. Whether it’s coordinating resources or fine-tuning the quoting process, you’ll hear practical strategies to improve turnaround times and keep production running smoothly.

In this episode of the Manufacturing Automation Podcast, Michael and Matt explore the often-overlooked “middle game” of business growth—the stage where old systems start to break, but the new ones aren’t fully in place yet. They share lessons on recognizing the signs of outgrown processes, evolving leadership approaches, and turning friction into fuel for the next phase.

In this episode of the Manufacturing Automation Podcast, Michael and Matt unpack the hidden cost of trying to be too helpful. They talk through how well-meaning customer interactions can quickly spiral into distractions—and what it takes to stay focused on your core business. From learning when to say no, to redesigning how help is offered, this episode dives into the hard work of protecting team capacity without sacrificing customer trust.

In this episode of the Manufacturing Automation Podcast, Michael and Matt explore what happens when communication volume becomes its own problem. From flooded Slack threads to endless requests for clarity, they unpack how overcommunication often points to broken systems. The conversation touches on leadership stress, channel fatigue, and the need to adjust both mindset and infrastructure when signal turns to noise.

In this episode of the Manufacturing Automation Podcast, Michael and Matt talk through the kinds of breakdowns that happen when decisions are delayed and responsibilities aren't clearly owned. They explore how uncertainty in one part of the workflow—whether quoting, job release, or planning—can ripple across the team. The conversation highlights the importance of proactive clarity, consistent communication, and building habits that reduce last-minute chaos.

In this episode of the Manufacturing Automation Podcast, Michael and Matt unpack the leadership tension between saying yes to opportunities and staying focused on what actually moves the business forward. They discuss the challenge of delegating without creating confusion, how to recognize when systems need to mature before taking on more, and what happens when clarity breaks down. A grounded look at the discipline required to grow a team without losing momentum.

In this episode of the Manufacturing Automation Podcast, Michael and Matt dive into the nitty-gritty of improving quoting workflows as the team grows. They talk about reducing rework, creating better internal documentation, and helping team members quickly understand what’s already been quoted and why. Whether it’s through easier access to notes or structuring customer conversations more clearly, this episode is all about removing friction and building quoting systems that scale.