U.S. Manufacturing Today

In this episode of U.S. Manufacturing Today (powered by Veryable), host Matt Horine speaks with David A. Craig, founder and CEO of ProdigyIQ Technologies, about closing the gap between AI identifying a problem and manufacturers taking corrective action. Drawing on his Army maintenance background and manufacturing experience, Craig explains why clear ownership, decision-making authority, cross-functional coordination, and verification are essential to turning AI alerts into resolved issues. They discuss leadership visibility and sign-off, along with Craig’s “reversible AI rollout” concept: planning how work continues when AI becomes unavailable or unreliable and verifying operational readiness before restoring it. Craig also outlines a practical 30-day approach to documenting, testing, and improving one AI-assisted workflow and shares the thinking behind his podcast, The Operating Code.Timestamps00:00 Welcome and Setup00:51 Meet David Craig01:40 Army Lessons on Accountability02:50 Pandemic Launch Failures04:59 Why AI Alerts Stall07:29 Where AI Pilots Die09:50 Defect Ownership Breakdown13:10 Readiness Mindset Transfer15:03 Leadership Visibility and Signoff16:25 Reversible AI Rollouts19:30 Hybrid Fallback Design23:44 Building Prodigy IQ MVP25:50 The Operating Code Framework29:11 30 Day Execution Playbook31:41 Where to Find David33:23 Closing and SubscribeLinksDavid on LinkedInDavid’s WebsiteProdigyIQ WebsiteMatt on LinkedInRevitalizing US Manufacturing⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sign Up on the Veryable Platform

In this episode of US Manufacturing Today (powered by Veryable), host Matt Horine explains the Army’s planned “manufacturing rodeo” to stress-test the Defense Industrial Base (DIB) and Organic Industrial Base (OIB) supply chain to find where it breaks, noting most affected firms are small manufacturers. He defines the DIB and the Army’s OIB depots and describes the Army’s OIB transformation toward manufacturing, emphasizing both form one integrated supply chain. Horine outlines new federal tools and capital, including the Smaller War Plants Commission prioritizing 10 defense-critical NAICS codes and a priority processing for eligible 8(a) program applicants in those industries, plus a Pentagon Economic Defense Unit process to connect small manufacturers to SBA financing and potential equity investments. Matt also outlines a 30-day action plan to assess defense-market readiness, identify operational bottlenecks before demand surges, and build a flexible Labor Pool that can scale with production needs. Timestamps00:00 Welcome to the Show00:41 Army Supply Chain Stress Test01:22 DIB vs OIB Explained02:32 Manufacturing Rodeo Preview03:20 Where Operations Break03:48 New SBA and Pentagon Tools05:31 Platforms and Support Resources06:47 Your 30 Day Action Plan07:33 Flexible Labor for Surges08:18 Final Takeaways and Wrap UpLinksMatt on LinkedInRevitalizing US Manufacturing⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sign Up on the Veryable Platform

In this episode of US Manufacturing Today (powered by Veryable), Matt Horine speaks with critical-minerals investor and Mineral War author Tomasz Nadrowski about how manufacturers are entering an era of conflict in which security of supply overtakes lowest-cost sourcing. They discuss China’s dominance across many critical minerals, how export controls and selective restrictions can weaponize a monopoly, and why rebuilding Western midstream processing is difficult after decades of decline in US smelting and refining capacity. Tomasz explains the “car crash vs. cancer” analogy for slow-moving supply-chain dependence, highlights a byproduct pricing failure using gallium in the aluminum/bauxite supply chain, and warns against assuming suspensions of controls mean “problem solved.” He urges manufacturers to diversify away from PRC inputs, treat procurement strategically, and adopt AI on the factory floor for productivity and flexibility.Timestamps00:00 Podcast Welcome00:41 Critical Minerals Threat01:07 Meet Tomasz02:17 Conflict Changes Manufacturing03:49 Ten Year Planning Window05:33 Monopoly Versus Weapon08:41 America Midstream Gap11:21 Car Crash Versus Cancer14:08 Scrolling Mineral Addiction15:48 Byproduct Pricing Failure18:34 Reprieve And January Deadline22:04 Sourcing Map Playbook24:02 Capex And Cold War Opportunity26:31 Friendshoring In Americas27:53 One Takeaway For Leaders29:29 Book And Where To Follow30:42 Final Wrap And SubscribeLinksTomasz on LinkedInMineral War on AmazonRevitalizing US Manufacturing⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sign Up on the Veryable Platform

In this episode of US Manufacturing Today powered by Veryable, host Matt Horine talks with former shop-floor leader and executive coach Marilyn Rosa-Green about the “pressure paradox” in manufacturing leadership—how high performers can swing between overdrive and avoidance, often leading to burnout. Green shares how her curiosity on the production floor shaped her career and explains how lack of formal leadership training (citing 82% of managers) contributes to unhealthy pressure patterns, procrastination, perfectionism, and imposter syndrome, including avoidance of difficult feedback conversations. They discuss why AI and automation can optimize output but cannot replace human judgment and psychological safety, using an emergency stop-button example. Green offers practical first steps: slow down, get curious about resistant behaviors, consider long-term consequences, and use her Pressure Paradox assessment available on her website. Timestamps00:00 Welcome to the Podcast01:23 Meet Marilyn Rosa-Green01:47 From HR to Shop Floor04:32 Defining Pressure Paradox05:44 Burnout and Sustainability08:14 Overdrive Versus Avoidance10:52 Imposter Syndrome Explained12:07 Feedback and Mentoring Gaps15:58 AI and Human Judgment18:17 Psychological Safety on Line22:04 Spotting It in Yourself26:00 Helping a Team Member28:41 Pressure Paradox Assessment30:23 Where to Learn More30:55 Closing and ResourcesLinksMarilyn’s websiteMarilyn on LinkedIn Revitalizing US Manufacturing⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sign Up on the Veryable Platform

In this episode of US Manufacturing Today (powered by Veryable), Matt Horine interviews Shlomo Assa, chairman, president, and co-founder of Acclaro Medical, a serial founder in the laser industry with 20+ patents whose operations ship to 60 countries. Assa explains how COVID-era supply chain disruptions showed that IP alone isn’t enough; companies that outsource turnkey manufacturing lose control of delivery, pricing, quality, and the ability to redesign around component end-of-life issues, making them “fake” companies dependent on offshore partners. He argues the recurring lesson across his ventures is urgency: when customers pay, you must be able to ship immediately or risk losing the deal. Assa distinguishes healthy, cost-neutral subcontracting of qualified subassemblies from full turnkey outsourcing, and discusses the global pricing premium and trust associated with “Made in the USA,” plus leadership and respect as keys to building strong manufacturing teams. Timestamps00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro01:10 Real vs Fake Companies01:55 COVID Supply Chain Wake Up05:21 Ship Fast or Lose Deals08:10 Fear of Manufacturing10:08 Smart Outsourcing Rules12:54 Turnkey Outsourcing Trap16:17 Field Failures Cost More18:07 Made in USA Premium23:36 Quality Details That Matter29:44 Workforce and Leadership34:39 30 Day Fix and CI40:35 Contact and Closing41:15 Final Takeaways and CTALinksAcclaro WebsiteAcclaro on LinkedInShlomo on LinkedInRevitalizing US Manufacturing⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sign Up on the Veryable Platform