U.S. Manufacturing Today

In this episode of US Manufacturing Today (powered by Veryable), host Matt Horine explains the Army’s planned “manufacturing rodeo” to stress-test the Defense Industrial Base (DIB) and Organic Industrial Base (OIB) supply chain to find where it breaks, noting most affected firms are small manufacturers. He defines the DIB and the Army’s OIB depots and describes the Army’s OIB transformation toward manufacturing, emphasizing both form one integrated supply chain. Horine outlines new federal tools and capital, including the Smaller War Plants Commission prioritizing 10 defense-critical NAICS codes and a priority processing for eligible 8(a) program applicants in those industries, plus a Pentagon Economic Defense Unit process to connect small manufacturers to SBA financing and potential equity investments. Matt also outlines a 30-day action plan to assess defense-market readiness, identify operational bottlenecks before demand surges, and build a flexible Labor Pool that can scale with production needs. Timestamps 00:00 Welcome to the Show 00:41 Army Supply Chain Stress Test 01:22 DIB vs OIB Explained 02:32 Manufacturing Rodeo Preview 03:20 Where Operations Break 03:48 New SBA and Pentagon Tools 05:31 Platforms and Support Resources 06:47 Your 30 Day Action Plan 07:33 Flexible Labor for Surges 08:18 Final Takeaways and Wrap Up Links Matt on LinkedIn Revitalizing US Manufacturing⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Sign Up on the Veryable Platform

In this episode of US Manufacturing Today (powered by Veryable), Matt Horine speaks with critical-minerals investor and Mineral War author Tomasz Nadrowski about how manufacturers are entering an era of conflict in which security of supply overtakes lowest-cost sourcing. They discuss China’s dominance across many critical minerals, how export controls and selective restrictions can weaponize a monopoly, and why rebuilding Western midstream processing is difficult after decades of decline in US smelting and refining capacity. Tomasz explains the “car crash vs. cancer” analogy for slow-moving supply-chain dependence, highlights a byproduct pricing failure using gallium in the aluminum/bauxite supply chain, and warns against assuming suspensions of controls mean “problem solved.” He urges manufacturers to diversify away from PRC inputs, treat procurement strategically, and adopt AI on the factory floor for productivity and flexibility. Timestamps 00:00 Podcast Welcome 00:41 Critical Minerals Threat 01:07 Meet Tomasz 02:17 Conflict Changes Manufacturing 03:49 Ten Year Planning Window 05:33 Monopoly Versus Weapon 08:41 America Midstream Gap 11:21 Car Crash Versus Cancer 14:08 Scrolling Mineral Addiction 15:48 Byproduct Pricing Failure 18:34 Reprieve And January Deadline 22:04 Sourcing Map Playbook 24:02 Capex And Cold War Opportunity 26:31 Friendshoring In Americas 27:53 One Takeaway For Leaders 29:29 Book And Where To Follow 30:42 Final Wrap And Subscribe Links Tomasz on LinkedIn Mineral War on Amazon Revitalizing US Manufacturing⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sign Up on the Veryable Platform

In this episode of US Manufacturing Today powered by Veryable, host Matt Horine talks with former shop-floor leader and executive coach Marilyn Rosa-Green about the “pressure paradox” in manufacturing leadership—how high performers can swing between overdrive and avoidance, often leading to burnout. Green shares how her curiosity on the production floor shaped her career and explains how lack of formal leadership training (citing 82% of managers) contributes to unhealthy pressure patterns, procrastination, perfectionism, and imposter syndrome, including avoidance of difficult feedback conversations. They discuss why AI and automation can optimize output but cannot replace human judgment and psychological safety, using an emergency stop-button example. Green offers practical first steps: slow down, get curious about resistant behaviors, consider long-term consequences, and use her Pressure Paradox assessment available on her website. Timestamps 00:00 Welcome to the Podcast 01:23 Meet Marilyn Rosa-Green 01:47 From HR to Shop Floor 04:32 Defining Pressure Paradox 05:44 Burnout and Sustainability 08:14 Overdrive Versus Avoidance 10:52 Imposter Syndrome Explained 12:07 Feedback and Mentoring Gaps 15:58 AI and Human Judgment 18:17 Psychological Safety on Line 22:04 Spotting It in Yourself 26:00 Helping a Team Member 28:41 Pressure Paradox Assessment 30:23 Where to Learn More 30:55 Closing and Resources Links Marilyn’s website Marilyn on LinkedIn Revitalizing US Manufacturing⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sign Up on the Veryable Platform

In this episode of US Manufacturing Today (powered by Veryable), Matt Horine interviews Shlomo Assa, chairman, president, and co-founder of Acclaro Medical, a serial founder in the laser industry with 20+ patents whose operations ship to 60 countries. Assa explains how COVID-era supply chain disruptions showed that IP alone isn’t enough; companies that outsource turnkey manufacturing lose control of delivery, pricing, quality, and the ability to redesign around component end-of-life issues, making them “fake” companies dependent on offshore partners. He argues the recurring lesson across his ventures is urgency: when customers pay, you must be able to ship immediately or risk losing the deal. Assa distinguishes healthy, cost-neutral subcontracting of qualified subassemblies from full turnkey outsourcing, and discusses the global pricing premium and trust associated with “Made in the USA,” plus leadership and respect as keys to building strong manufacturing teams. Timestamps 00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro 01:10 Real vs Fake Companies 01:55 COVID Supply Chain Wake Up 05:21 Ship Fast or Lose Deals 08:10 Fear of Manufacturing 10:08 Smart Outsourcing Rules 12:54 Turnkey Outsourcing Trap 16:17 Field Failures Cost More 18:07 Made in USA Premium 23:36 Quality Details That Matter 29:44 Workforce and Leadership 34:39 30 Day Fix and CI 40:35 Contact and Closing 41:15 Final Takeaways and CTA Links Acclaro Website Acclaro on LinkedIn Shlomo on LinkedIn Revitalizing US Manufacturing⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sign Up on the Veryable Platform

In this episode of US Manufacturing Today (powered by Veryable), Matt Horine interviews Josh Waldron, who describes how a car accident at 15 left him paralyzed and how he chose to remove the “comfortable retreat” by destroying his wheelchair to commit to walking, shaping his approach to challenges. Josh recounts building a precision manufacturing company from a garage during the 2008 recession, learning CNC operations from scratch, driving growth through vertical integration, and turning in-house anodizing into a profit center. He explains misconceptions about needing all answers upfront, critiques “best practices,” and shares his Productive Difficulty framework and a 2x2 tool for prioritizing work. The conversation covers AI as bandwidth expansion, retention through pay, recognition, and autonomy, navigating firearms regulation, lobbying to change laws, and his book “On Choosing Hard Things,” plus a recommendation to run a cultural audit. Timestamps 00:00 Welcome to the Podcast 00:41 Josh Waldron Intro 01:26 Accident and Resolve 05:00 Starting from Scratch 08:06 Vertical Integration Wins 11:03 Ditching Best Practices 13:27 Productive Difficulty Framework 19:56 Two by Two Priorities 22:52 AI and Bandwidth 25:56 Retention and Culture 33:50 Hard Corners Manufacturing 37:57 Changing Laws Long Game 43:25 30 Day Action Step 44:26 Book and Closing Links Josh’s Website Josh on LinkedIn Hard is Fun Revitalizing US Manufacturing⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sign Up on the Veryable Platform