Manufacturers Make Strides

Manufacturers Make Strides is a podcast about people in manufacturing and the paths they’ve taken. Martin speaks with guests from across the manufacturing world about their careers, the challenges along the way, and the strides that keep the industry moving forward. New episodes every other Tuesday

Manufacturers Make Strides is a business podcast hosted by Unknown Host, with 57 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Unknown Host hosts Manufacturers Make Strides, a business show with 57 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Episode #27

  Why profitable manufacturers think differently with Jay David

  Aug 10, 202644 minS2

  Most manufacturers think profitability starts with margins. Jay David believes it starts somewhere completely different. In this episode, Martin sits down with Jay David , who has spent more than 30 years helping manufacturers improve performance. Starting his career in cost accounting before moving into operations leadership, Jay realised many of the assumptions he'd been taught didn't match what he was seeing on the shop floor. That journey changed the way he thinks about pricing, capacity and what really makes manufacturers profitable. In this episode: - Capacity utilisation - The death spiral - Smarter pricing - Shop floor leadership - Better decisions - Automation - Mentoring teams Connect with Jay David Website: https://dobusinessbetter.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayadavid/ Turnaround Revelations: https://www.amazon.com/TURNAROUND-REVELATIONS-Alternative-Approaches-Transforming-ebook/dp/B0GHQN4YWQ

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  Manufacturers Make Strides

  Manufacturing Beyond Machinery with Angela Hodgson

  Jul 13, 202639 min

  Manufacturing businesses often invest heavily in machinery and systems, but what happens when they overlook the people running them? In this episode, we sit down with Angela Hodgson , Founder of Ignite Improvement . After more than 20 years working across automotive, luxury manufacturing and engineering SMEs, Angela now helps manufacturing businesses strengthen leadership, develop their people and build healthier ways of working. Together we explore why growth doesn't have to lead to more pressure, what healthy manufacturing teams have in common, and why investing in people is just as important as investing in technology. This conversation covers: What a healthy manufacturing culture really looks like Why growth exposes weaknesses that already exist How leadership behaviour shapes the wider business The risks of knowledge sitting with one person Why adding more people doesn't always reduce pressure The importance of investing in people alongside machinery How to reduce firefighting and empower teams Connect with Angela 📋 Free Team Diagnostic Quiz Discover what's really limiting your team's performance. https://ignitediagnostic.scoreapp.com/ 📖 Free eBook: Team Success System™ Discover what's blocking your business from scaling and how to build stronger teams. https://igniteimprovement.co.uk/ebook 🌐 Website https://igniteimprovement.co.uk/ 💼 LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/angelahodgson/

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  Episode #25

  Inside a micro manufacturing business with Mike Adkins

  May 4, 202643 minS2

  Micro manufacturing businesses operate in a constant balance between flexibility, quality, cash, and people. In this episode, we sit down with Mike Adkins, President of Performance Results Plus, to explore what it really takes to run a small, highly specialised manufacturing business. Mike shares his journey from mechanical engineering and the military through to leading roles in large organisations, before stepping into ownership and reshaping a micro manufacturing company in his own way. He explains why resilience matters in smaller operations, how a focused team can operate with high standards, and what changes when you move from improving businesses to owning one. This conversation covers: What a well-run micro manufacturing business looks like Why flexibility matters across both people and production How fewer, highly skilled people can change the way a shop runs The reality of cash flow in small manufacturing businesses Why customers often misunderstand manufacturing costs How to build process without losing skill and experience The role of culture when reshaping a business One practical way to get more from your team Connect with Mike LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelleeadkins/ PRP Manufacturing: http://www.prph2o.com/

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  Episode #24

  Why Good Designs Fail with Dianna Deeney

  Apr 20, 202640 minS2

  Manufacturing design collaboration is at its most powerful long before a drawing hits the shop floor. Yet many teams only discover misalignment when designs arrive in production and the problems start stacking up. In this episode, we sit down with Dianna Deeney , quality and reliability engineer and founder of Deeney Enterprises , to explore how early conversations, simple tools and shared context can erase the friction between design and manufacturing. Dianna explains how process thinking brings clarity to concept development, why manufacturing input matters sooner than most teams realise, and how cross functional habits can prevent costly rework later on. This conversation covers: Why early design decisions shape manufacturing success How manufacturing input accelerates concept development Shop floor tools that instantly improve design clarity Flowcharts and FMEAs used the right way Why context beats assumptions in engineering discussions Small conversations that avoid big problems What AI still cannot replace in design collaboration One practical step to improve communication today If you enjoy the episode, follow the show for more conversations from across the manufacturing world. Connect with Dianna LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/diannadeeney Deeney Enterprises: https://deeneyenterprises.com/ Pierce the Design Fog: https://deeneyenterprises.com/pierce-the-design-fog/

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  Episode #23

  Breaking the Firefighting Cycle in Manufacturing with Samantha Benbow

  Apr 6, 202639 minS2

  Manufacturing process improvement often focuses on what happens on the shop floor, but what if the constant firefighting in manufacturing is actually caused by issues that begin much earlier in the process? In this episode, we sit down with Samantha Benbow , founder of Benbow Consultants , whose career spans heavy steel production, IT and process design across complex organisations, and hands‑on experience inside fast‑moving manufacturing environments. We dig into how manufacturing teams stay stuck in firefighting because they only fix visible problems instead of stepping back to understand the upstream processes and cultural patterns that created them. This conversation covers: The upstream process failures that create recurring shop floor problems Why culture and communication reveal operational health within minutes How process mapping exposes hidden inefficiencies and quick wins Why SMEs often choose software before understanding what they need The importance of listening without judgement when diagnosing problems How small upstream adjustments prevent major downstream issues What manufacturers should fix before adding AI or new technology If you enjoy the episode, follow the show for more conversations from across the manufacturing world. Connect with Samantha: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samanthabenbow Benbow Consultants: https://www.linkedin.com/company/benbow-consulting-limited/ Free Resource If you want to see how upstream issues may be affecting your own production, try the Factory Firefighting Check. It highlights friction points, repeat issues and early signs of instability that often sit behind day to day firefighting. Download: https://www.metisautomation.co.uk/factory-firefighting-check/

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