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.
26episodes
Episodes
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Maxter Healthcare’s $500M Reshoring Bet: Building America’s First Nitrile Glove Mega-Facility in Brazoria County, Texas
1w ago00:44:37Tap 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
Transcribe →Reindustrialization Sensing Session: Supply Chain Cartels, New Factories, Tax Incentives, Freight Tightening, and the Tacit Knowledge Bottleneck
2w ago00:16:59Tap to summarizeIn this episode, Matt Horine aggregates major manufacturing headlines and argues the U.S. industrial rebuild is already underway, with constraints shifting from politics and capital to operations. It highlights a DOJ Sherman Act indictment alleging four container makers controlling ~95% of global dry containers colluded to cap output and double prices during 2019–2021, underscoring supply-chain dependency risks and the reshoring rationale. It covers JetZero’s planned 3M-sq-ft Greensboro, NC aircraft factory ($4.7B investment, 14,500 jobs, AI/digital with Siemens) and SendCutSend’s rapid-growth on-demand manufacturing model, which raised $110M at a $1B+ valuation. The host says tariff-driven inflation fears haven’t materialized in core goods CPI, and reviews the “one big beautiful bill” restoring permanent 100% bonus depreciation, expensing for production property and domestic R&D, and EBITDA-based interest limits. Freight data shows tightening trucking capacity and rising tender rejections, and a Fortune argument that tacit operating knowledge—not equipment—is the key bottleneck, with AI positioned to capture and scale it.Timestamps00:00 Welcome and Format Shift00:56 Trucking Safety Wins01:14 Week’s Big Themes02:08 Container Cartel Exposed03:45 Why Reshoring Matters04:54 JetZero Factory Build06:08 SendCutSend Scales Up07:18 Tariffs vs Inflation Data09:14 Tax Code CapEx Boost11:23 Freight Market Tightening13:36 AI and Tacit Knowledge15:42 Wrap Up and Next StepsLinksNavigating Trump 2.0 Revitalizing US ManufacturingSign Up on the Veryable Platform
Transcribe →The Hidden Crisis in American Trucking: A Conversation with Shannon Everett of American Truckers United (Recast)
3w ago00:28:40Tap to summarizeIn this episode of US Manufacturing Today, host Matt Horine welcomes Shannon Everett of American Truckers United (ATU). Shannon shares his deeply personal journey in the trucking industry and exposes systemic issues that threaten the livelihoods of American truck drivers. The discussion covers the alarming rise of non-domicile commercial driver’s licenses, wage dumping, fraud, and the overarching impact of illegal immigration on the trucking sector. Shannon outlines the survival strategies and necessary reforms to protect American truckers, emphasizing the importance of legislative action and public support. The conversation reveals the hidden challenges within the American trucking industry and underscores the broader implications for public safety and national security.Timestamps00:00 Introduction and Welcome00:10 Guest Introduction: Shannon Everett00:37 Shannon's Journey in the Trucking Industry02:55 Challenges in the Trucking Industry05:02 The Impact of Foreign Commercial Drivers10:36 Investigating CDL Anomalies18:41 Proposed Reforms and Solutions25:48 Call to Action and ConclusionLinksAmerican Truckers UnitedShannon Everett LinkedInNavigating Trump 2.0 Revitalizing US ManufacturingSign Up on the Veryable Platform
Transcribe →From Industry 4.0 to 5.0: Human-Centric Transformation, Reliability, and Leadership with A.W. Schultz
4w ago00:34:35Tap to summarizeU.S. Manufacturing Today host Matt Horine interviews A.W. Schultz, Founder of AW Schultz Training and Industrial Transformation, about the shift from Industry 4.0 to Industry 5.0 and what it means for manufacturers. Schultz describes Industry 5.0 as a rebalancing built on resiliency, sustainability, and a human-centric approach, arguing many digital investments underperform because people aren’t involved and change management is weak. He outlines common reliability challenges such as poor integration and gaps between strategy and execution, and explains adaptive work management as a culture-aware, non–cookie-cutter approach that emphasizes relevant metrics and organizational health. Schultz discusses maintenance strategies (reactive, preventive, predictive) using asset criticality and supply constraints, and stresses that transformation success depends on leadership, humility, and continuous feedback. He advises leaders to lead with courage, data, and heart and shares where to find his Factory of the Future Podcast.TimestampsLinksAW on LinkedInA.W.Schultz Training and Industrial TransformationFactory of the Future PodcastNavigating Trump 2.0 Revitalizing US ManufacturingSign Up on the Veryable Platform
Transcribe →Can AI Give Procurement a CRM Moment? Spencer Penn on Modernizing Direct Materials Sourcing
May 500:44:51Tap to summarizeIn today's episode of U.S. Manufacturing Today, Matt Horine interviews Spencer Penn, Co-founder and CEO of LightSource, an AI-powered procurement platform for direct materials. Penn recounts leading sourcing for Tesla’s Model 3 scale-up and seeing $30B of parts managed via spreadsheets and email, inspiring him to found LightSource in 2021. The conversation argues procurement is strategically critical yet undertooled compared with sales, with incentives and visibility lagging despite large P&L impact. Penn describes how AI can improve supplier discovery, should-cost estimation, negotiation support, ongoing price monitoring, and faster deployment via automated data ingestion. LightSource customers reportedly cut RFX cycle times 25–60%, improve supplier experience, and reduce cost creep; one A/B test showed 25% faster cycles and 47% lower cost creep. They discuss dual sourcing, nearshoring/onshoring realities, China’s industrial base, and advice for leaders to experiment with tools like Claude/Claude Code.Timestamps00:00 Show Intro and Big Question00:31 Meet Spencer and LightSource02:26 Tesla Scaling Lessons05:52 Elon Leadership Anecdotes07:29 Why Direct Procurement Lags09:06 The Real Money in Parts14:01 Speed as Competitive Edge16:35 Why Procurement Is Undervalued22:51 AI Use Cases in Procurement28:41 Fast Implementation Reality30:46 LightSource Results and ROI33:48 Nearshoring and China Reality38:08 Free Advice for Leaders42:12 How to Get Started43:28 Wrap Up and Call to ActionLinksLightsource AI Spencer on LinkedInNavigating Trump 2.0 Revitalizing US ManufacturingSign Up on the Veryable Platform
Transcribe →Four Signals Point to a Historic U.S. Reindustrialization Moment in 2026
Apr 2800:13:53Tap to summarizeIn a solo episode of US Manufacturing Today, host Matt Horine argues that four converging developments signal the most significant U.S. industrial moment since World War II: manufacturing’s expansion, freight tightening, historic Defense Production Act actions, and defense demand spilling into commercial industry. March ISM manufacturing PMI rose to 52.7 (third straight month of expansion) with broad-based industry growth, stronger new orders, and higher business confidence, though price pressures are rising from steel, aluminum, and tariff pass-throughs. The trucking market is in a supply-driven tightening as carriers exit and driver availability constricts, with expectations for higher 2026 truckload rates and rising freight bills. The White House invoked DPA Section 303 across energy and grid categories to expand domestic petroleum, refining, logistics, and infrastructure capacity, positioning energy as a long-term manufacturing cost advantage. Finally, the Pentagon contacted Ford and GM about potential weapons production as defense capacity strains and budgets rise, reinforcing reindustrialization as national security policy. Timestamps00:00 Big Industrial Moment01:16 PMI Expansion Signals03:27 Freight Tightening Ahead05:01 DPA Energy Mobilization07:24 Energy Advantage Backdrop09:37 Pentagon Calls Detroit12:19 Reindustrialization Takeaways13:47 Wrap Up and ResourcesLinksNavigating Trump 2.0 Revitalizing US ManufacturingSign Up on the Veryable Platform
Transcribe →Scaling Metal 3D Printing for Reshoring: Seurat Technologies’ Next-Gen Additive Manufacturing with James DeMuth
Apr 2100:29:12Tap to summarizeThis episode of U.S. Manufacturing Today features James DeMuth, CEO and co-founder of Seurat Technologies, discussing why reshoring at scale requires new manufacturing methods beyond traditional casting and machining. DeMuth explains how his work at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory on fusion power revealed a need for alloys and complex geometries suited to 3D printing, but limited by slow laser powder-bed fusion; Seurat’s approach uses large-area projection with high-resolution patterning to increase throughput dramatically while maintaining quality. He contrasts major metal additive methods (laser powder-bed fusion, directed energy deposition, and binder jetting) and argues Seurat can deliver speed, quality, and lower cost while reducing waste and post-processing. The conversation also covers digital inventory, localized production, national security implications amid China’s subsidized manufacturing, the role of policy plus technology leadership, Seurat’s new production system, rapid material changeover via cartridge architecture, and where to learn more about the company.Timestamps00:00 Manufacturing Reshoring Stakes01:27 James Demuth Origins01:37 Fusion Challenge Sparks Breakthrough03:07 Printing Press For Metal05:35 Why Casting Falls Short08:25 Metal Additive Landscape11:32 Seurat Secret Sauce14:23 National Security And Policy19:35 Factories Of The Future23:10 Advice For Manufacturers26:48 What Comes Next For Seurat27:57 Wrap Up And ResourcesLinksJames on LinkedInSeurat TechnologiesNavigating Trump 2.0 Revitalizing US ManufacturingSign Up on the Veryable Platform
Transcribe →Automation as a Present-Day Necessity: Building Scalable Robotics Platforms with Darragh de Stonndún
Apr 1400:37:32Tap to summarizeU.S. Manufacturing Today host Matt Horine interviews Darragh de Stonndún, CEO of Automated Industrial Robotics (AIR), about why automation is accelerating and how manufacturers can deploy it successfully. He shares his path from a Guinness apprenticeship in Dublin to engineering and decades in industrial automation, emphasizing attention to detail and disciplined execution. AIR’s platform model unites specialized automation firms across the US and Europe to provide shared standards and global capacity while retaining deep domain expertise. Key capability shifts include data-driven operations, validation-ready systems for regulated industries (e.g., GMP and 21 CFR Part 11), and greater flexibility enabled by robotics, vision, and servo systems. De Stonndún says automation demand is driven by labor shortages, cost pressures, supply-chain resilience, and policy, representing a long-term structural shift tied to reshoring and reindustrialization. He outlines where projects fail (scope and integration), what roles are rising (automation technicians, process engineers, quality/data), how AI will enhance inspection and control layers, and cites a pandemic-era pharma turnkey filling system that improved throughput, consistency, and validation speed.Timestamps00:00 Automation Is Here Now01:21 Darragh’s Shop Floor Roots03:12 From Engineer to CEO04:32 Building the AIR Platform06:46 New Demands Data Validation Flexibility08:44 Why Automation Demand Is Surging10:13 Structural Shift and Reshoring12:47 Automation Augments Workers15:31 Skills That Matter Most18:11 Why Automation Projects Fail19:26 How to Deploy Automation Right20:55 Advice for First Automation Program23:46 Best Processes to Automate Now25:08 Full Systems Over Point Solutions26:33 Pandemic Case Study in Pharma28:35 AI Meets Robotics30:23 How Close to Lights Out Factories32:20 Automation Powers Reindustrialization33:51 What’s Next for AIR34:50 Where to Learn More and Wrap Up36:02 Final Takeaways and SubscribeLinksDarragh on LinkedIn Automated Industrial Robotics (AIR)Navigating Trump 2.0 Revitalizing US ManufacturingSign Up on the Veryable Platform
Transcribe →Purpose-Driven Growth in Aerospace Manufacturing with Tony Kelbert and Dan Echternkamp (Replay)
Apr 800:29:15Tap to summarizeIn this episode of U.S. Manufacturing Today, host Matt Horine is joined by Tony Kelbert and Dan Echternkamp, founders of Aerospace Growth Strategies, to discuss sustainable growth for machine shops. They delve into common issues in the industry, such as balancing spindle hours and morale, and why traditional growth strategies often fail. Tony and Dan share their insights on developing purpose-driven strategies that align with shop capabilities, leveraging inbound sales, and navigating the evolving aerospace and defense supply chain. They also discuss the importance of focusing on core competencies and building strong customer relationships. The conversation includes practical advice on improving business development and marketing strategies for machine shop owners.Timestamps00:00 Introduction to U.S. Manufacturing Today00:23 Meet the Founders of Aerospace Growth Strategies00:55 Challenges and Solutions in Machine Shops03:10 The Importance of Purpose-Driven Strategies04:36 Identifying and Avoiding the Wrong Work06:38 Boosting Morale with the Right Work09:57 Building an Inbound Sales Pipeline13:17 Marketing Strategies for Machine Shops17:47 Future Trends in Aerospace and Defense Manufacturing21:05 Positioning for Success in a Rebalanced Supply Chain26:29 Getting Started with Aerospace Growth Strategies28:03 Conclusion and Final ThoughtsLinksAerospace Growth StrategiesTony on LinkedInDan on LinkedInNavigating Trump 2.0 Revitalizing US ManufacturingSign Up on the Veryable Platform
Transcribe →From Pilot Purgatory to Digital Transformation: AI in Manufacturing, with Bryce Carpenter of Conexus Indiana
Mar 3100:38:38Tap to summarizeU.S. Manufacturing Today features Bryce Carpenter, Chief Operating and Strategy Officer at Conexus Indiana, discussing why AI and automation efforts in manufacturing often stall at pilots and how to scale them into operational results. Carpenter explains Conexus as an industry-led nonprofit working with 130 Indiana manufacturers and public and education leaders to accelerate solutions by aligning stakeholders early. He argues adoption fails when companies lead with technology instead of clear problem statements and when cultural buy-in and workforce communication are missing, fueling fears of job loss. He notes small and midsize manufacturers can have advantages due to low AI cost barriers and fewer data-standardization challenges, but many lack connected equipment and usable data. Conexus is launching Industry Exchange Workshops and building an AI use-case inventory to improve ROI confidence. The episode also highlights flexible labor models, faster micro-trainings, and technology’s role in boosting U.S. competitiveness amid reshoring and tariffs.Timestamps00:00 AI Adoption Reality Check01:12 Meet Bryce Carpenter02:26 What Conexus Does03:34 Ecosystem Bridge Building06:54 Escaping Pilot Purgatory10:44 SMB Edge in AI13:15 Roadmap and Grants Lessons15:46 Automation Upskilling Workers19:19 Training and Talent Access22:46 Flexible Labor Partnerships24:27 Data Foundations for AI28:27 Market Maturity and ROI33:36 Reshoring and Competitiveness36:00 Resources and Wrap Up37:18 Final Takeaways and CTALinksConexus IndianaBryce on LinkedInNavigating Trump 2.0 Revitalizing US ManufacturingSign Up on the Veryable Platform
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