Manufacturing Meet Up

Time to hit the books, manufacturing style! Ed and Alvaro are trading their signature hats for caps and gowns in this "Back to School" episode, where they break down the essential skills every manufacturing pro needs to master. Think of it as Manufacturing 101 – minus the detention and pop quizzes. From communication basics that can turn six-week delays into four-day solutions, to why your first guess at a root cause i...

Ed's rocking his Harley Davidson hat, and Alvaro's got golf on the brain as they tee up the question everyone's asking: Can American manufacturing actually compete in 2025?

Spoiler: Their answer might surprise you.

From Crayola's decision to stay put (and dominate 80% of their market) to robot dogs sniffing out air leaks, the guys break down why "Made in USA" might make more sense than you thi...

Ed and Alvaro dive into the latest State of Production Survey published by Industry Week, and the results are eye-opening. With survey data collected from 500 manufacturing executives, this report reveals some wild contradictions: everyone's freaking out about tariffs and recession fears, but they're also doubling down on AI investments like there's no tomorrow. Plus, Europe is apparently schooling us Americans when it...

It’s one of manufacturing's biggest challenges: building a genuine safety culture that actually works. If your safety initiatives aren't moving the needle, this conversation is for you.

On this episode, Ed and Alvaro welcome safety expert Shawn Galloway, CEO of ProAct Safety. Shawn brings decades of experience across every industry—from nuclear facilities to tech companies. Listen in as they dive into the ...

Ed and Alvaro are tackling one of manufacturing's biggest challenges head-on: that massive skills gap keeping plant managers up at night. With over 500,000 open positions today and a projected 2.5 million worker shortage in just four years, it’s time to find real solutions. That's why they’re talking to Chris Morrison, a former Marine Corps communications tech, to share why military veterans might just be the answer we...

Ever wonder why your AI investments aren't hitting the bottom line? You're not alone. Recent studies show AI is saving office employees 5.7 hours per week, but only 1.7 of those hours translate into real business value. The rest? It's vanishing into what experts call "productivity leakage."

Ed and Alvaro saw this data and realized the same thing is happening on the plant floor. In this episode, they apply ...

Ever feel like you're constantly putting band-aids on the same problems in your plant? Ed and Alvaro tackle one of your most requested topics: root cause analysis. They share real shop floor stories, including a $6,000 gearbox that didn't need replacing and why throwing more glue at a packaging problem isn't always the answer.

Whether you're tired of the blame game between maintenance and operations or jus...

It’s the ultimate paradox: Americans love the idea of bringing back more manufacturing, but they’re not interested in the jobs that come with it! Currently, an estimated 500,000 manufacturing roles sit empty, and projections show potentially 2.5 million unfilled jobs in five years. It's time for Ed and Alvaro to step in and explain what’s really happening on today's factory floors.

Forget the grim, dirty workplaces of...

Tariffs are creating waves of uncertainty across manufacturing and supply chains - but Ed and Alvaro have experience navigating similar storms. In this episode, they break down practical approaches to navigate tariff challenges without the political drama.

The guys share battle-tested insights from their combined decades of manufacturing experience, focusing on what you can actually control: your people, o...

AI is transforming manufacturing—and it goes beyond predicting equipment failures. AI is revolutionizing everything from quality control to safety monitoring, training, and inventory management in real time.

But before you fall in love with and roll out the technology, they stress there are five things you need to keep in mind:

• Identifying...

When it comes to success stories about AI in manufacturing, Ric Wojcik (Senior Manufacturing Engineering Manager at Fiberon) has some advice: “Trust the system.” In this episode, Ed and Alvaro explore Ric’s experience with AI-powered predictive maintenance and learn how he implemented Machine Health across his facilities, transforming operations from reactive firefighting to proactive planning.

They discu...

The meet-up is getting a shake-up! In the season 2 premiere, Ed and Alvaro welcome Ellen Feldman Ornato and Jenny Drescher from the"Manufacturing Shake-up" podcast to explore how women are transforming the manufacturing landscape.

Highlights include:

• Smashing the "dark, dirty, dangerous" stereotype of factory work

That’s a wrap on Season 1 of the Manufacturing Meet Up. In this episode, hosts Alvaro Cuba and Ed Ballina share clips of their most popular segments, along with never-before-seen footage from the unaired pilot episode. There are plenty of laughs, surprises, and, most importantly, gratitude for all our listeners and subscribers. We can’t wait to meet up with you in 2025 – we’ll be back on-air with Season 2 in the spring...

With 2024 almost in the rearview mirror, Ed and Alvaro take a look back at the stories and trends that shaped this year in manufacturing. Then, they practice their fortune-telling skills, predicting what they think 2025 will bring to the industry. From AI to plant floor culture, they’ve got an opinion on pretty much everything–and they want to hear your thoughts, too.

To keep the conversation going:
Email ...

In this episode of the Manufacturing Meet Up, Ed Ballina and Alvaro Cuba discuss the evolving role of AI in manufacturing, emphasizing its potential as a collaborative tool rather than a replacement for human workers. They cover creative (or kind of crazy) machine and process fixes on the shop floor and drive home the importance of mentorship in professional growth.

Takeaways include:

Digital transformation and artificial intelligence are reshaping the manufacturing industry. In this episode, Ed and Alvaro discuss the current state of AI adoption and the challenges and strategies for successful implementation. Ultimately, it’s about integrating people, processes, and technology and finding new metrics to measure success.

To read the article referenced in this episode, click here:
AI in...

It’s Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept 15 - Oct 15) in the U.S., and Ed Ballina and Alvaro Cuba are celebrating with two special guests. They welcome Nathalie Hernandez (TECO) and Mike Ortega (PepsiCo) to the show, with a focus on this year’s Hispanic Heritage Month theme: “Pioneers of Change, Shaping the Future Together.” The four discuss:

• Career trajecto...

In this episode of the Manufacturing Meet Up podcast, Ed Ballina and Alvaro Cuba are taking listener questions in an Ask Me Anything format.

They discuss:

• Strategies to avoid pilot purgatory when implementing new technologies

• Crazy stories about the unexpected root causes of m...

Ed and Alvaro welcome their first-ever guest to the show: David Ballina! 

David is a 15+ year veteran of manufacturing, and his resume includes roles with PepsiCo, Keurig Dr. Pepper, and PCA. He is currently the general manager of Operational Excellence Consulting.

Ed and Alvaro kick off the episode by covering the creative ways businesses are reducing waste and contributing to the circular ec...