When this podcast was just an idea to help manufacturing in the US, many a brainstorm of ideas occurred. During those sessions, the foundation of the Manufacturing Advocates Podcast was gradually emerging. The resulting notes contained ideas, such as how broadly to classify "manufacturing", who the possible guests might be, and even how long should an episode be. In those "the … [Read more...]
Making a Difference in Florida for US Manufacturing
The story about next week's guest on the MFA podcast is full of examples of tenacity and flexibility. The former Siemens exec wondered why so many parts were being outsourced offshore, so he did something about it. He started a shop to make those parts in Florida and proudly slap the favorable Made in the USA label on them. He then wondered why Florida was not participating in … [Read more...]
Rising Tide for San Joaquin Valley Manufacturers
As some of you already know, I moved from the Bay Area to El Dorado Hills in 2014. As a relative newbie to the greater Sacramento area, I connected with the Sacramento Valley SME to get involved with other folks interested in precision manufacturing. That connection ultimately led to the creation of this podcast with a little inspiration from Bill Gaines. Then recently when … [Read more...]
Creating a Skilled Workforce using Apprenticeships
When I walked into the office of John Dunn at American River College, I wasn't quite sure what next week's episode was going to be like. You see John is one of those animated passionate people that could really blow your socks off depending on his mood. I still remember the time I first met him through the Sacramento Valley SME, I walked away from a meeting feeling "wow this … [Read more...]
What about all those welding jobs?
Since I started following manufacturing trends closely, one thing that has always seemed to come up is the need for more welders. Fusing objects together, correctly, is incredibly technical. If it wasn't, there would not be a shortage of welders. The consequences of bad welds or poor inspection practices can be premature failure and even life or death, so the stakes are high. … [Read more...]
Community Colleges and Makers Filling Skills Gap
The role of the Community College system In January of this year, I was attending a workforce cluster forum at Sierra College in Rocklin, CA. At the time I was relatively new to Sacramento Valley SME, the organization that led to my attendance at that forum. At some point during the day, I had the opportunity to chat with Carol Pepper-Kittredge and exchange business cards. … [Read more...]