Podcast
U.S. Manufacturing Today
Hosted by Veryable, Inc. · EN
The US Manufacturing Today show, brought to you by the good folks at Veryable, is a podcast to keep you up to date with what's ahead for U.S. Manufacturers and Distributors. On the podcast, we discuss all things in the industrial space, reindustrialization, how to navigate Trump 2.0, tariffs, domestic manufacturing, supply chain realignment, and much, much more.
35episodes
Episodes
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Closing the Digital Revenue Gap: B2B E‑Commerce That Actually Gets Used
2w ago00:50:23Tap to summarizeIn this episode of U.S. Manufacturing Today (powered by Veryable) host Matt Horine interviews Ethan Giffin, founder/CEO of The B2B e-commerce agency and author of Closing the Digital Revenue Gap, about revenue leakage and added costs caused by manual B2B ordering. Giffin explains that most buyers prefer self-service and B2C-like experiences, and argues digital commerce should be treated as a true revenue channel targeting 10–15% of revenue, not a “website project.” They discuss what a multimillion-dollar leak looks like (high order-processing costs, errors, lost customers, and requirements like punch-outs), why projects stall (misalignment across sales/marketing/ops/finance/IT, catalog and data issues, ERP access), and a three-year adoption path. They cover sales-team fears and incentives, how to pilot and activate portals, practical AI uses (catalog building) versus hype, and where to get Giffin’s book and consultation.Timestamps 00:00 Show Intro and Guest03:09 Ethan’s Commerce Journey04:49 Middle Market Reality Check07:07 Defining the Revenue Gap09:14 Where Money Leaks12:55 Top Blind Spots14:52 Why Digital Projects Stall20:58 Diagnostics and 3 Year Plan23:13 Sales Team Fears25:27 Incentives and Adoption Wins27:32 Success Story Shift28:33 Early Portal Wins29:23 Build It They Wont Come31:22 Pilot Then Activate33:39 AI Practical Vs Hype35:10 Crawl Walk Run Maturity37:15 Agents Relationships And ROI40:46 Reindustrialization Digital Edge43:13 Friction Kills Buying47:21 30 Day Action Plan48:34 DJ Lessons In Change51:49 Book And Wrap UpLinks The B2B eCommerece Agency (https://b2becommerceagency.com/)Ethan on linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ethangiffin/)B2B on Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/company/b2becommerceagency/)Closing the Digital Revenue Gap (https://b2becommerceagency.com/free-consultation/)Revitalizing US Manufacturing (https://www.veryableops.com/)Sign Up on the Veryable Platform (https://company.veryableops.com/create-profile)
Transcribe →Diagnosing “Profititis”: Turning Manufacturing Growth Into Real Margin with Ben Hansen
3w ago00:50:55Tap to summarizeIn Today's episode, Matt Horine interviews Ben Hansen about “profititis,” where revenue grows but net profit stays flat or declines, creating stress and vulnerability to shocks. Hansen, a former Microsoft and Fortune 100 executive and five-time Inc. 5000 founder, explains how rapid growth in his staffing business tripled revenue while shrinking net margin from about 20% to 7%, and argues manufacturers can’t “sell their way out” of unprofitable pricing or work. He highlights common founder-led blind spots in P&L management, the importance of variable cost structures—especially labor—to handle demand swings, and links higher margins and faster invoicing/payment terms to improved cash flow. Hansen outlines his Profit 180 four-step prescription: profitability mindset, profit acceleration, “profit CFO” financial discipline, and profit growth by focusing on the most profitable customers/products, and recommends scheduling weekly “Money Mondays” to work on profit.Timestamps00:00 Profititis Warning Signs01:33 Ben Hansen Background04:38 Defining Profititis09:02 Selling Unprofitable Work11:57 Founder Blind Spots14:51 Variable Costs and Labor20:45 Cash Flow and Invoicing31:24 Profit as Risk Buffer36:56 Four Step Profit Plan44:14 Money Mondays Action Step47:03 Resources and Wrap UpLinksBen on LinkedInProfit DoctorNavigating Trump 2.0 Revitalizing US ManufacturingSign Up on the Veryable Platform
Transcribe →Turning E-Waste Into a Sovereign Metals Supply Chain: Mint Innovation’s Biometallurgy with Matt Bedingfield
4w ago00:30:10Tap to summarizeMatt Horine discusses the roughly 10 million metric tons of US e-waste generated annually, only about 15% of which is formally recycled, and how exporting it sends valuable copper, gold, and silver offshore. Guest Matt Bedingfield, global president of Mint Innovation, argues the US minerals challenge is primarily a processing and infrastructure problem, not mining, and frames e-waste as a national asset or “urban mine.” He outlines his career across metals and recycling and explains Mint’s patented biometallurgical hydrometallurgy process for recovering metals from printed circuit boards with low temperatures, lower capital cost, and traceable output. The episode highlights Mint’s March 2026 closed-loop deal with HP and plans for a first US facility in Longview, Texas, emphasizing faster, lower-permitting expansion, data destruction needs, and manufacturer actions to track end-of-life materials and supplier metal sources.Timestamps00:00 E-Waste Wake Up Call01:35 Matt’s Metals Journey04:59 E-Waste as National Asset06:59 How Mint Recovers Metals08:57 Scaling Beyond Smelters10:56 HP Closed Loop Copper12:27 Copper Shortage Reality14:18 Permitting Energy and Trust16:02 OEM Demand and Data Destruction20:04 Partnering and Collection Network21:22 Longview Texas Plant Plans22:09 Workforce and Metals Cluster24:43 Power Infrastructure and Reshoring26:23 One Action for Manufacturers27:58 What’s Next for Mint29:15 Wrap Up and Where to FollowLinksMint InnovationMatt on LinkedInNavigating Trump 2.0 Revitalizing US ManufacturingSign Up on the Veryable Platform
Transcribe →More Monuments: Building 1,000 New American Monuments and a 500-Foot George Washington with Mo Mahmood
Jul 1400:33:39Tap to summarizeOur Host Matt Horine interviews Mohud (“Mo”) Mahmood, founder of the nonprofit More Monuments, whose mission is to build 1,000 new monuments across America honoring American history, industry, and ingenuity. Mo explains his goal of creating a new “world wonder” in the U.S. and describes the group’s first completed project, a 54-foot Spindletop oil gusher replica in the Austin/Lockhart area at Proto Town, including its materials, fabrication steps, plaques, and crowdfunding from 125 supporters. He discusses the skills needed for large-scale monuments, the shortage of top sculptors in America, and the importance of welders and metal fabrication. Mo also shares progress on a 10-foot George Washington statue made in France and plans to scale it to a 500-foot stainless-steel monument using U.S.-made robot-formed metal panels, plus the organization’s funding model (product sales, donations, grants) and where to support the project online.Timestamps00:00 What Are We Building01:50 Why World Wonders Matter03:37 Spindletop Monument Origins06:32 How It Was Fabricated10:35 Skills for Monument Scale14:38 George Washington Arrival16:17 Colossus Plan and Robotics20:13 Why Monuments Inspire23:04 Funding the Mission25:43 Reindustrialization and Beauty28:13 Worlds Fair Revival30:23 Bring Manufacturing Home32:01 How to Support More Monuments32:32 Closing and SubscribeLinksMore MonumentsMo on LinkedInNavigating Trump 2.0 Revitalizing US ManufacturingSign Up on the Veryable Platform
Transcribe →The Last 100 Feet: Fulfillment Reliability and Omnichannel Logistics with River Plate’s Leo Rodriguez
Jul 700:33:51Tap to summarizeIn today's episode, Matt Horine speaks with Leo Rodriguez, VP of Los Angeles-based River Plate Inc., a family business founded in 1992 that evolved from freight coordination into an omni-channel 3PL providing warehousing, distribution, and fulfillment for DTC, Amazon, and wholesale retail. Rodriguez explains how e-commerce shifted operations from linear B2B shipping to multi-channel integration requiring WMS/OMS systems, business rules, and customer education. He defines “reliable” fulfillment through transparent KPIs, fast receiving (now 1–3 days for containers), ASNs, and brand-specific SOPs for QC, serialization, and lot/expiration tracking, plus proactive staging to clear backlogs. He outlines early warning signals for peak-season “fire drills,” emphasizing forecasting, labor planning, and system readiness, and describes strong 3PL relationships as an operating system with testing, portal visibility, and retail/EDI compliance. Rodriguez discusses client red flags, parcel optimization, Southern California port corridor improvements, AI-driven decision support and traceability, River Plate’s international expansion, and growing value-added kitting and bundling services.Timestamps00:00 Show Intro and Guest01:47 River Plate Origin Story04:02 Ecommerce Changed Logistics06:00 What Reliable Means09:24 Preventing Fulfillment Backlogs11:32 3PL as Operating System14:57 Client Red Flags20:39 Scaling Omnichannel Fulfillment23:23 SoCal Corridor Supply Chain26:41 AI and Warehouse Tech28:50 30 Day Fulfillment Fix30:55 River Plate Next Steps32:56 Closing and SubscribeLinksRiver PlateLeo on LinkedInNavigating Trump 2.0 Revitalizing US ManufacturingSign Up on the Veryable Platform
Transcribe →Closing the Exponential Divide: Preparing Manufacturing People and Workflows for the AI Age (with Nikki Barua of Flipwork)
Jun 3000:30:43Tap to summarizeUS Manufacturing Today host Matt Horine interviews Nikki Barua, CEO and co-founder of Flipwork.ai, about the human side of AI transformation in manufacturing and why many initiatives stall. Barua argues companies often start by broadly deploying LLM licenses without clarity on job-specific value, structure, or new habits, creating an “exponential divide” as AI advances faster than people adapt. She emphasizes shifting from an industrial-age, hierarchical task model to fast human–machine learning loops, redesigning workflows with AI at the center, and implementing governance and guardrails for agentic systems. Barua discusses worker identity and self-worth concerns, urging leaders to clarify what AI takes from a role versus the higher-value judgment humans should retain. Flipwork uses a diagnostic (Flip Factor) and 90-day sprints to build real workflows and certify “agentic leaders,” and offers a free assessment at flipwork.ai.Timestamps00:00 AI Needs People First01:51 Nikki Barua Origins04:23 Why AI Adoption Stalls07:33 Human Machine Learning Loops10:24 People Squared Framework12:11 Agentic Workflow Redesign15:57 Identity Crisis at Work20:03 Managing Hybrid Teams23:18 Skills for AI Era Careers25:59 Flipwork 90 Day Sprints28:46 Assessment and Closing29:17 Final Takeaways and OutroLinksNikki on LinkedInFlipwork.aiNikki's websiteNavigating Trump 2.0 Revitalizing US ManufacturingSign Up on the Veryable Platform
Transcribe →The Battery Belt Talent Crunch: Recruiting Leaders to Launch America’s EV Gigafactories
Jun 2300:31:05Tap to summarizeHost Matt Horine discusses the “Battery Belt,” where eight states from Michigan to Georgia have attracted over $250B in announced EV and battery investments, and argues the key constraint isn’t permitting or supply chains but experienced people—engineers, operations leaders, and technical executives—to run new greenfield facilities. Guest Michael Chambers of the Chambers Group explains his APEX recruiting process using scientific job profiling and psychometric matching, including benchmarking hiring managers, candidate videos, a 99% one-year retention rate (96% to two years), and a two-year replacement guarantee. They describe intense regional competition for scarce roles (high-voltage, calibration, controls/automation, battery cell engineers, and greenfield plant managers), relocation resistance, and the need for internal academies and partnerships with community colleges. Chambers details how stale salary bands and delayed market data cause missed hires and plant-launch delays, urging early pipeline building and creative offers via clear career pathways and upskilling.Timestamps00:00 Podcast Welcome00:44 Battery Belt Boom01:36 Meet Michael Chambers03:47 APEX Hiring Process05:55 What Is Battery Belt08:10 Why It Matters09:17 Talent Market Reality12:12 Hardest Roles To Fill15:08 Stale Salary Bands19:33 Greenfield Leadership Gap23:12 Hiring Timeline Playbook26:13 Next 18 Months Signals28:37 How To Connect30:10 Wrap Up And SubscribeLinksMichael on LinkedInChambers GroupNavigating Trump 2.0 Revitalizing US ManufacturingSign Up on the Veryable Platform
Transcribe →Reindustrialization Beyond Announcements: Turning Investment Into Real Output with Patrick J. Wolf
Jun 1600:52:03Tap to summarizeThe episode of US Manufacturing Today focuses on whether massive reindustrialization investments translate into real productive output, jobs, and supply chain resilience or become stranded, announcement-driven projects. Host Matt Horine interviews Patrick J. Wolf, executive director and chair of the Institute for American Manufacturing and Technology (IAMT), which conducts research through Aegis (AI/compute governance), Atlas (energy/power infrastructure), and Forge (manufacturing capacity, supply chains, and the defense industrial base), arguing these areas form a dependency chain. Wolf describes his path from industrial engineering and manufacturing to tech and AI, then back to manufacturing policy, emphasizing that small and medium-sized manufacturers lack a policy voice despite being the backbone of industry. Discussion covers community decline from globalization, skepticism of unsupported statistics, why short-term investment mindsets can block long-horizon industrial projects, permitting and bureaucratic barriers, workforce development and labor undercutting, and the grid challenge of meeting simultaneous energy-intensive buildouts, with IAMT positioned as an accessible outlet for practical, publishable solutions.Timestamps00:00 Reindustrialization Reality Check00:56 Meet Patrick Wolf02:12 From Factory to Tech05:49 Connecting Compute Power Industry07:49 SMBs Need a Voice10:29 Community Hollowing Out14:15 Rigor Over Talking Points16:54 Why Investment Misses Output21:20 Permitting Reform Roadblocks26:14 California Fire Bureaucracy27:29 Nonpartisan Truth Seeking28:16 Permitting Leverage Points29:37 Workforce And Labor Rules32:08 Power Grid Bottlenecks35:55 Monopolies Incentives Nuclear38:56 Integrated Industrial Energy Policy42:42 Mindset Culture And Networking43:46 Ten Year Manufacturing Future46:55 How To Engage The Institute50:25 Closing Thanks And TakeawaysInstitute for American Manufacturing & Technology Navigating Trump 2.0 Revitalizing US ManufacturingSign Up on the Veryable Platform
Transcribe →Manufacturing and American Independence: From Mercantilism to the American System
Jun 1100:14:09Tap to summarizeIn this episode, Matt Horine points out that manufacturing was central to American independence and remains vital as the U.S. approaches its 250th anniversary. It traces how Britain’s mercantilist policies and acts like the Iron Act (1750) and Wool Act suppressed colonial manufacturing, leaving the Continental Army dangerously dependent on foreign supplies, including gunpowder and basic clothing at Valley Forge. It highlights Ben Franklin’s maker-centered economic philosophy, then explains how the founders enacted the Tariff Act of 1789 to support government, pay debts, and protect manufacturers. Alexander Hamilton’s 1791 Report on Manufactures framed industrial policy as national security and endorsed protective tariffs for “infant industries.” Henry Clay’s 1824 American System integrated tariffs, a national bank, and internal improvements, later advanced by Lincoln; the episode contrasts this history with post-1913 shifts toward income tax and lower tariffs and links offshoring and supply-chain vulnerabilities to renewed reindustrialization debates in 2026.Timestamps00:00 America 250 Blueprint01:17 Mercantilism and Suppression01:57 Revolution Supply Crisis03:15 Franklin Maker Ethos05:02 Tariff Act 178905:43 Hamilton Infant Industry07:50 Clay American System10:10 Lincoln and Industrial Rise10:44 Income Tax Tradeoff11:45 Reindustrialization Lessons12:39 Workforce Is the Engine12:59 Closing and ResourcesLinksNavigating Trump 2.0 Revitalizing US ManufacturingSign Up on the Veryable Platform
Transcribe →Maxter Healthcare’s $500M Reshoring Bet: Building America’s First Nitrile Glove Mega-Facility in Brazoria County, Texas
Jun 200:44:37Tap to summarizeMatt Horine interviews Maxter Healthcare leaders Kevin Shutack, Nick Gilman, and Donny Chan about Master Healthcare's $500 million investment to build its first US nitrile glove manufacturing facility in Brazoria County, Texas, aimed at strengthening domestic PPE supply chain resilience after COVID-19 shortages. They explain why the pandemic accelerated a long-held vision, how site selection prioritized water, power, weather, logistics, and community after evaluating locations including Upstate New York and Florida, and why Brazoria County won. The guests describe the 215-acre, highly automated, hurricane- and flood-resilient plant using AI defect detection and producing 180–200 million gloves monthly today, with phase-one capacity rising and long-term plans for up to ~80 lines. They discuss serving healthcare, industrial, and federal government demand, policy signals, tariffs and raw-material challenges, and the push for long-term contracts to reduce import volatility and shortages.00:00 Welcome and Episode Setup01:47 Why Reshore Gloves Now03:36 Site Search Across States06:51 Choosing Brazoria County Texas09:46 Markets and Federal Demand12:25 Policy Tariffs and Supply Risks18:05 Inside the Mega Facility20:44 How Gloves Are Made at Scale26:10 Winning Buyers on Value29:52 Expansion Plans and Contracts34:24 Supply Chain Disruptions Return39:49 Advice for Onshoring Builders42:25 Where to Learn More43:12 Closing Takeaways and OutroLinksMaxter HealthcareNavigating Trump 2.0 Revitalizing US ManufacturingSign Up on the Veryable Platform
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