Making Chips Podcast for Manufacturing Leaders

Making Chips Podcast for Manufacturing Leaders

MakingChips LLC

Episodes 526
Avg. Duration 37m
Activity Highly Active
Apple Rating 4.7 (115)
Since Dec 2014
Latest Episode Jun 2026

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Open to Sponsors Features Guests

Publishing Details

Schedule
Weekly
Format
Episodic
Consistency
91%
Hosting
rss.libsyn.com

Contact & Outreach

About This Podcast

Manufacturing is tough—but you don't have to go it alone. If you're leading a manufacturing business, you face constant pressure: staying competitive, adopting new tech, managing people, and driving growth. MakingChips helps you tackle those challenges head-on. Since 2014, we've been equipping manufacturing leaders with the knowledge and inspiration they need to succeed. With hundreds of episodes and over a million downloads, MakingChips is a top resource for the metalworking nation—covering leadership, operations, technology, and workforce development. If making chips is part of your daily grind, this is your podcast. Join hosts Nick Goellner, Mike Payne, and Paul Van Metre for real talk on the issues that matter most.

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Recent Episodes

Built on Saying Yes: Inside a One-Man Machine Shop, 525

Jun 08, 2026 50m

Some shop owners are born into machining. Others stumble into it through YouTube, side jobs, and a little bit of "sure, I think we can fit that D11 dozer cylinder on the mill." Leighton Hill's story…

From Classroom to Career: The Talent Pipeline Manufacturing Needs, 524

Jun 01, 2026 1h 9m

In manufacturing, everyone talks about the skills gap. Fewer people talk about the relationships, systems, and long-term commitment it takes to solve it. In this episode of MakingChips, we continue…

SendCutSend and the Future of Manufacturing: Speed, Scale, and Specialization, 523

May 25, 2026 1h 9m

Recorded live from the Toolpath Machining Summit at Mammoth Mountain, this episode of MakingChips explores what happens when software thinking collides with modern manufacturing. We sat down with…

How Melissa Ramos Leveraged Social Media to Create a Manufacturing Movement, 522

May 18, 2026 41m

What happens when a young woman with zero machining experience gets handed the keys to two CNC mills and told, "Figure it out"? For Melissa Ramos, it became the start of a journey that's equal parts…

Printing the Future: How One Shop Is Winning with Additive + Machining, 521

May 11, 2026 52m

What if the future of your machine shop isn't just faster spindles or more automation—but an entirely different way of making parts? In this episode of MakingChips: Generation CNC, we sit down with…

Supply Chain Reality Check: Risk, Resilience, and What's Next, 520

May 04, 2026 1h 4m

What happens when global policy decisions collide with the realities of the shop floor? In this episode of MakingChips, the team sits down with Brennan Grignon, founder and CEO of Vantive, to unpack…

From Accidental Machinist to Automation Advocate: Why the Future Belongs to the Bold, 519

Apr 27, 2026 53m

Sometimes the path into manufacturing isn't a straight line but more like a ricochet. That's exactly how Mark Christopher's journey began. From nearly flunking out of college to becoming a key voice…

Building the Next Generation of Machinists: Inside a 100-Year-Old Talent Pipeline, 518

Apr 20, 2026 50m

Finding skilled talent isn't the problem anymore, it's developing it. And in manufacturing, the shops that win aren't just the ones with the best machines, they're the ones connected to the right…

From Lego Bricks to Aerospace Dreams: How a 21-Year-Old Is Building a Machine Shop From Scratch, 517

Apr 13, 2026 46m

What does the next generation of manufacturing ownership really look like? In this episode of MakingChips, we sit down with Mason Nicholas, a 21-year-old shop owner who's building his business one…

Turn It Up to 11: From YouTube Learning to Aerospace Growth with Nick Preece, 516

Apr 06, 2026 51m

What happens when a college engineering student buys a CNC machine just to experiment… and accidentally builds an aerospace machine shop? That's exactly what Nick Preece did. What started as a…

From Model Trains to Machining: How a 26-Year-Old Founder Turned Passion Into Precision, 515

Mar 30, 2026 49m

What happens when a childhood obsession with trains turns into a manufacturing business? In this episode of MakingChips Generation CNC, we sit down with Chris Huffman, a young shop owner who launched…

From Engineering Lab to 5-Axis Shop: How Two Founders Under 30 Built Three Rivers Precision, 514

Mar 23, 2026 1h 4m

They started a machine shop before turning 30… and doubled their projections in year one. In this episode of MakingChips Generation CNC, we sit down with Sean and Sinjon of Three Rivers Precision to…

Lights Out Isn't the Future—It's Already Here, 513

Mar 16, 2026 1h 5m

Automation and lights-out manufacturing are often framed as the future of machining, but for many shops that future is already here. In this episode of MakingChips, we sit down with longtime industry…

Low Overhead, High Conviction: A 20-Year-Old's Approach to Manufacturing, 512

Mar 09, 2026 41m

At 17 years old, Michael King bought a brand-new CNC machine despite never having seen one in person. With no formal trade school background or apprenticeship, he relied on years of self-directed…

Building a One-Man Shop with Big Vision: Walter Peters on Low Overhead, Automation, and Freedom, 511

Mar 02, 2026 47m

In this episode of MakingChips, we continue our young founders series with a story that challenges the traditional growth narrative in manufacturing. At just 26, Walter Peters is balancing a…

Reindustrializing America: How Zane Hengsperger Is Reinventing the Metal Supply Chain, 510

Feb 23, 2026 58m

What happens when a 26-year-old machine shop kid decides the real bottleneck in American manufacturing isn't machining—it's metal supply? In this episode, we sit down with Zane Hengsperger, founder…

Achieve the Impossible: Inside IMTS 2026 and the Power of Six Days, 509

Feb 16, 2026 47m

Recorded live from McCormick Place in Chicago, this episode marks the official kickoff of the MakingChips journey toward IMTS 2026. With nine months to go, we sit down with two leaders helping shape…

Workplace Safety Is Non-Negotiable: Addressing Violence, Harassment, and Responsibility in Manufacturing, 508

Feb 12, 2026 1h

This episode of MakingChips is different from most conversations we have on the show, and it needed to be. In late 2025, the manufacturing community was shaken by the murder of Amber Czech, a welder…

Never Too Young to Be Taken Seriously: Building Credibility with Discipline and Systems, 507

Feb 09, 2026 1h 6m

Starting a machine shop doesn't always begin with a perfectly laid business plan, a polished facility, or years of hands-on experience. Sometimes it starts in a garage, with curiosity, YouTube…

Advice You Can't Google: Larry Robbins on Building Shops, Careers, and Character, 506

Feb 02, 2026 1h 11m

Launching a CNC shop young comes with no shortage of advice — but not all of it comes from experience earned the hard way. In this episode, we bring in Larry Robbins to speak directly to the next…

Frequently Asked Questions

How many episodes does Making Chips Podcast for Manufacturing Leaders have?

Making Chips Podcast for Manufacturing Leaders has published 526 episodes since December 2014, covering topics in Business, Careers.

Is Making Chips Podcast for Manufacturing Leaders still active?

Making Chips Podcast for Manufacturing Leaders is currently highly active with new episodes weekly. Average episode length is 37m.

How do I contact Making Chips Podcast for Manufacturing Leaders for sponsorship or guest appearances?

Sign up on Grep.FM to access contact details for Making Chips Podcast for Manufacturing Leaders, including email and social media links.

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