Reindustrialize? There's No Re About It (with Jack Watson) | ReForge 024

In this episode, Matthew Chang and Colin Russ talk with Jack Watson (Business Development Manager at HFW Industries) about thermal spray coatings, the engineering knowledge that walked out of corporate America, and why the Rust Belt is a better bet than its reputation suggests. If you care about manufacturing, thermal spray, industrial reliability, workforce training, the Rust Belt, or reindustrialization, this one is for you. What we cover Four generations at HFW Industries, starting with his great-grandfather Harold in 1947, and what the name actually stands for What thermal spray coating does, and how it takes a rolling mill component from four months between teardowns to two years Matt's walkthrough of the Buffalo plant, the robotic thermal spray cell, and the HVOF systems a SpaceX engineer confirmed are essentially rocket engines Why corporate engineering teams went from hundreds of people to a handful, and how partners like HFW absorbed that materials and process knowledge The reliability and uptime case: why buying industry-standard equipment and partnering on coatings beats specifying exotic metallurgy up front Rust Belt advantages nobody markets: affordability, access to water and natural gas, proximity to most of North America's population, and a coworker who bought a house at 26 Retaining university graduates, and what Columbus did that Buffalo, Erie, Cleveland, and Detroit can copy Why heavy industry has to show what is behind the walls if it expects anyone to apply Jack's blunt take that most industrial training in America is failing, what a real four-year apprenticeship looked like at HFW in the 1970s, and why not every hire pans out The three-quarter-million-dollar spray shop upgrade and technical ceramics as the next frontier for turbines, electronics, and semiconductor work Chapters 00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro  02:11 HFW Origins and Legacy  05:32 Factory Tour and Thermal Spray  09:37 Why OEMs Need Partners  14:28 Rust Belt Revival Advantages  27:16 Workforce Training and Wrap Up Hosts: Matthew Chang and Colin Russ  Guest: Jack Watson, Business Development Manager at HFW Industries Find Jack Watson:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackwatson22/ Find HFW Industries:  https://hfwindustries.com/ | https://www.linkedin.com/company/hfw-industries-inc-/ Find Matthew Chang:  https://x.com/MatthewChang | https://www.instagram.com/the.matthewchang | https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewachang/ | https://www.tiktok.com/@the.matthewchang Find Colin Russ:  https://x.com/ThaaatColin | https://www.linkedin.com/in/colinruss/ Find Chang Robotics: https://changrobotics.ai Resources mentioned Seven Steps to Reindustrialize America: https://www.thereforgepodcast.com/7steps Follow ReForge LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-reforge-podcast/ X: https://x.com/thereforgepod Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thereforgepod/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thereforgepod Website: https://thereforgepodcast.com/ Want to be a guest or partner? If you're building, funding, operating, or shaping the future of U.S. manufacturing, we'd love to hear from you.  Email: [email protected] About ReForge ReForge is a podcast featuring conversations with the leaders reindustrializing America.  This show exists to prove American reindustrialization is possible, pivotal, and pressing.  Hosted by Matthew Chang and Colin Russ. Produced by Chang Robotics.