Manufacturing Talk Radio

What does the future hold for the 99% of American manufacturing defined as "small business"? In this episode of Manufacturing Talk Radio, host Louis Weiss sits down with Carrie Hines, President and CEO of the American Small Manufacturers Coalition (ASMC). Carrie shares her deep expertise on the vital role of the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) National Network—a powerful public-private partnership providing boots-on-the-ground technical assistance across all 50 states and Puerto Rico.   Discover how MEP centers are driving domestic growth by mapping supply chain risks, accelerating reshoring initiatives, and helping small facilities navigate advanced automation. Carrie also tackles the ongoing workforce crisis, highlighting how modern manufacturing is leveraging AI, video, and gamification to bridge the skills gap and preserve institutional knowledge as Baby Boomers retire. Tune in to find out why the industry is no longer "dark, dirty, and dangerous," and how a career in modern, high-tech manufacturing commands an average salary of over $90,000.          Key Takeaways From This Episode:- The Scale of Small Manufacturing: Why businesses with fewer than 500 employees make up 99% of the U.S. manufacturing landscape.- Securing the Supply Chain: How the MEP network works directly with lower-tier suppliers to mitigate risks and transition outsourced resources back home.- Next-Gen Workforce Solutions: Overcoming knowledge loss through community college partnerships, apprenticeships, and AI-driven training.- Accessible Technical Support: Navigating the fee-based, cost-effective consulting services and technology labs available to small and rural manufacturers.Looking to connect with your local MEP center or learn more about the ASMC? Visit smallmanufacturers.org. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this exclusive Manufacturing Talk Radio interview, host Lewis Weiss and Amy Nicklaus sit down with ISM Services PMI Chair Steve Miller to discuss the pivotal April 2026 ISM Services Report the very day it is released, breaking down the key data points impacting the services economy.   Miller is currently serving as ISM Services PMI Chair and is an accomplished supply chain management executive. His distinguished career includes 40 years of experience in procurement, supply chain management, IT implementation and operations, and operations management consulting at Disney, P.F. Chang’s, Accenture, and Kearney. Miller offers unparalleled insight into services trends and economic activity. p>    Expansion Trends: The Services PMI recorded a solid 53.6. While slightly down from the previous month’s 54, it marks a period where 14 of 18 services industries are reporting growth—the highest expansion level seen in two years.    Inflationary Pressures: A major "danger flag" identified is the Prices Paid Index, which remains high at 70.7. This historically elevated level typically correlates with inflation rates exceeding 5%.   Energy and Geopolitics: The team discusses the impact of the Iran war and low oil inventories on petroleum costs, noting that "opportunistic pricing" in gasoline and diesel has been felt almost immediately   Sector Performance: While Mining is seeing a high rate of expansion, sectors such as Real Estate, Retail Trade, and Agriculture are currently in contraction territory.   The Housing Market: Miller and the hosts dive into the "perfect storm" affecting housing, where high mortgage rates and rising costs for labor and materials (lumber, steel, and copper) are straining the industry.     The Latest ISM Reports: Services PMI: https://www.ismworld.org/supply-management-news-and-reports/reports/ism-pmi-reports/services/april/   Manufacturing PMI: https://www.ismworld.org/supply-management-news-and-reports/reports/ism-pmi-reports/pmi/april/   Report Highlights: Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join hosts Amy Nicklaus and Lewis Weiss as they welcome back Harry Moser of the Reshoring Initiative to discuss his organization's critical mission: balancing the $1.3 trillion US goods trade deficit and securing vital supply chains. Harry shares compelling data on how jobs announced coming back to the US have grown exponentially, from 11,000 in 2010 to 244,000 in 2024, proving that reindustrialization is gaining traction. They delve into the underlying problems of currency overvaluation and the highest priority challenge cited by companies: the need for a skilled workforce. Discover how manufacturers can utilize the Reshoring Initiative's free Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) Estimator to accurately calculate sourcing decisions and accelerate the return of American manufacturing jobs. Links Discussed in this Episode:   Reshoring Initiative: https://reshorenow.org/2026 USA Reshoring Survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/USA-Reshoring   Total Cost of Ownership Estimator: https://reshorenow.org/tco-estimator/  Harry Moser Honored with 2026 Albert W. Moore AMT Leadership Award: https://www.imts.com/read/article-details/Harry-Moser-Honored-with-2026-Albert-W-Moore-AMT-Leadership-Award/2244/type/Read/1/tab/all-articles?page=1 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this exclusive Manufacturing Talk Radio interview, host Lewis Weiss and Amy Nicklaus sit down with ISM Services PMI Chair Steve Miller to discuss the pivotal March ISM Services Report the very day it is released April 6th 2026, breaking down the key data points impacting the services economy. To shed light on the report’s crucial findings, we speak with Steve Miller, a preeminent authority within the services sector.Miller is currently serving as ISM Services PMI Chair and is an accomplished supply chain management executive. His distinguished career includes 40 years of experience in procurement, supply chain management, IT implementation and operations, and operations management consulting at Disney, P.F. Chang’s, Accenture, and Kearney. With 40 years of experience in procurement, supply chain management, IT implementation and operations, Miller offers unparalleled insight into services trends and economic activity Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this exclusive Manufacturing Talk Radio interview, hosts Lewis Weiss and Amy Nicklaus sit down with ISM Manufacturing PMI Chair Susan Spence to discuss the latest ISM Manufacturing Report, released the same day, and break down the key data points impacting the global supply chain and what the effects of that might mean.  To shed light on the report’s crucial findings, we speak with Susan Spence, a preeminent authority within manufacturing.Spence is currently serving as ISM Manufacturing PMI Chair and is a winner of the J. Shipman Gold Medal Award. Her distinguished career includes serving as vice president of the Sourcing & Procurement group at FedEx Corp. With 28 years of experience at United Technologies Corporation (UTC) in leadership roles across supply management and operations, Spence offers unparalleled insight into manufacturing trends and economic activity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices