May 28, 2025 • 44 mins
In this episode, we talk with Christina Collette, GM of Final Frontier Manufacturing (Formerly Action Industries) in Arvada, CO. She shares her path from managing teams in banking to rolling up her sleeves on the shop floor. What pushed the shift? A love of math and a frustration with repetition that evolved into a desire for work that challenged her to think, solve, and build.
Christina breaks down how she has learned to spot the right professional and cultural fit in manufacturing and what she has picked up from peers in groups like NTMA. She also shares how Final Frontier is laying down a blueprint for the modern machine shop driven by digital tools, real-time data, and process automation that supports both quality and speed.
We talk about what modernization looks like across a multi-generational workforce—and how Christina went from being cautious about change to leading the charge, becoming a strong voice for progress in the industry.
If you're thinking about what it takes to lead change in manufacturing, you’ll want to hear this one.
Show Notes
03:10 — From Banking to the Shop Floor
06:40 — Why Your Processes Aren’t Scaling
16:42 — The Generational Shift in Manufacturing
19:34 — Start with Data, Not Dollars
23:27 — Yes, Your Shop Needs Marketing
28.10 — Building a Tech Stack That Drives Flow
35:19 — What Christina Would Tell Her Younger Self
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:03):
Welcome to Manufacturing Mavericks, a podcast where we showcase and celebrate
exceptional people from across precision manufacturing who are boldly
embracing new ways to improve their processes, grow their bottom lines,
and ensure American manufacturing will thrive for generations to come.
(00:26):
Welcome to this episode of Manufacturing Mavericks.
I’m your host, Greg McHale, and I am very excited today to have a
special guest on, Christina Collette from Final Frontier Manufacturing.
I almost used the old name, Christina, because it recently rebranded.
Christina is someone that I’ve gotten to know over the last several years,
(00:47):
very involved with the NTMA and really the face of many different initiatives
within the manufacturing industry, locally, nationally, and certainly,
someone who has been setting the pace and shaking things up in manufacturing.
So, Christina, fantastic to connect with you today.
Thank you so much for having me.
(01:08):
So, Christina, I know that you’ve been involved in and fortunate
to be in some very innovative companies over the years that are
very forward-thinking, technology-first, automation-first, really
some very disruptive companies, and obviously within manufacturing,
(01:29):
that’s a pretty unique opportunity to get that exposure.
Before we get all the way to that point in the process, tell
us, how did you actually get into manufacturing originally?
What made you catch the bug?
I actually started out in banking and decided that after
five years that really wasn’t the career path for me.
It was… just didn’t grab me.
(01:51):
It wasn’t my passion, and I just started to reach out to agencies
and asked to introduce me to new industries and just kind of
get my foot in and see what it was about and try something new.
And one of the first places they sent me to was a manufacturing shop.
And once I got there, it ignited something inside of me.
(02:15):
And ever since then, I just, it’s captured me [laugh] , and
is something that I absolutely enjoy and have a passion for.
I love stories like this because I get to
peel the onion [laugh] really nicely, right?
I love when it’s not a straight line.
You end up into it, you know, almost by accident or, you
(02:36):
know, just through sort of randomly exploring things.
So, let’s start with the, what was it about banking that
just had you, like, “Yeah, I need to do something else.”
I think probably all of the numbers [laugh] . And, you know, I went into banking
because math was my favorite subject, and I thought it made sense, you know?
(02:58):
Get into banking, do accounting, it’ll be great, and I was
like, “Yeah, nope. This is not passionate for me.” [laugh]
. That’s actually kind of interesting, that
you loved math but ended up hating numbers.
Very ironic [laugh]
. It is.
So, you went into a manufacturing shop for the
first time, and what was it that captivated you?
Describe seeing that shop for the first time.
(03:22):
When I left banking, I was in management, and then going into
trying out new industries, I told them, just put me in, like,
an admin position because I really just want to learn about an
industry and see what the right fit is, and we can go from there.
And so, I started as an admin, which allowed me to walk around
(03:43):
and need to talk to everybody in each of the departments.
And that position lasted, I think, probably
about maybe two or three weeks [laugh]
— [laugh]
. — [and I’m like] okay [unintelligible] as an admin [laugh] . Another thing
that kind of captured me as I was walking through the company was being
able to see how there’s so many different avenues and paths in order
(04:07):
for a final product to come out, so many different departments and hands
and techniques, and so there was a lot of room for observing processes.
So, I would walk around and look at that and asked a lot of questions, and I
started to learn each of the departments, from starting from quoting to customer
(04:29):
service, to doing some of the graphics, to setting up machines and actually
producing product, doing quality and just helping out in each of the departments
to kind of see, okay, what part of this exciting company do I fit in?
And once I just saw that there was just so many
opportunities and so much to learn that I was hooked.
(04:51):
And that was it.
And that opportunity, Christina, to go through all the different departments
like that, was that intentional and structured from the perspective of the
leadership in that company, or is that how it just happened to work out?
That’s how I made it work out [laugh] . I wandered, and if I saw that a
(05:11):
department was short or, you know, needed some help, had a lot of, kind of,
backlog that was part stacking up, then I was like, “Oh, you need a helping
hand? I’ll come in and help.” Because I’d get to learn. Of course, they’re not
going to refuse the help, so [laugh] it was my way of, kind of inserting myself.
So, really, the… sort of the do it yourself rotation program?
(05:32):
Yep.
Which I adapted and kind of took that on going from company to company.
I think that is such a useful and dynamic
way for anybody to start with a company.
I think when you hire, you know—at some of the places I’ve worked at,
it was a rule (05:49):
before you could be trained in the position you were
hired for, you first had to spend some time in every other department.
And that could be 30 minutes, it could be, you know, a couple
hours, but it’s so invaluable to learn and have respect for
the other departments that affect you and that you affect.
And so, coming from not only banking, but also, I mean, you were already at
(06:13):
the management level—so first of all, I mean kudos for you on the humility
to start at whatever level, you know, that got you to learn the industry, and
then, you know, work your way around the different opportunities around the
floor—what were some of your perspectives on the state of technology and process
(06:35):
as you came from banking and what you observed when you got into manufacturing?
Yeah, I got to see where—and I think this still stands true for a
lot of companies—where whatever you struggled through and figured out
and put into place as you were growing ends up kind of staying there.
(06:57):
And you may tweak and improve here and there, but it’s hard to step away
from it and really re-look at what you’re doing and make big changes, right?
And I think right now, where industry is, is pushing more and more people
and companies to have to adapt a little bit quicker and more drastically
(07:19):
because if you aren’t updating, addressing, and embracing, you know,
say, automation and the newest technologies, then you end up obsolete.
And so, I did see a lot of areas where we were just doing things over
and over the same way because the old phrase (07:34):
“We’ve always done it that
way.” And so, I was like, oh, there’s lots of room to be changing things
in here, [laugh] which was really exciting. And it’s that never stops.
There’s always room for continuous improvement.
Sure.
And you said something really interesting there, Christina, at the
(07:56):
outset, which was basically that, as you are trying to grow fast, you
sort of get stuck with whatever it was that you’ve been doing, right?
Mm-hm.
Did I get that right?
Basically like whatever your best practice is, as soon as you
go to the gas pedal, you’re living with that best practice.
Yep.
(08:16):
Because it’s comfortable and it’s working, so why change it?
Right.
But then, sort of ironically, like, isn’t it the growth
that makes it so that thing doesn’t work anymore?
How does that play out?
Like, does that limit growth?
Does it just break the whole system.
Or—
I think for the most part, it limits growth.
(08:36):
I think that’s why a lot of companies find themselves struggling to
break that ceiling for themselves because their processes don’t scale.
And so, that’s one reason why you do need
to re-look at those all the time, right?
It’s that same mindset of when somebody’s overwhelmed with too many
(08:57):
things on their plate, and even if you bring in somebody new, they
have a hard time training because it’s just faster to do it myself.
But if you take the time to train, yes, it takes an extra hour out
of your day, but then the ROI is so much greater in the long-term.
But it’s really hard for people to see that.
What ends up being the straw that breaks the camel’s back in that case?
(09:21):
Is it that you get stuck at the same ceiling,
or, you know what ultimately happens?
Best case scenario is you get stuck in the same, and you know—
[laugh]
. —with the— [unintelligible] ceiling growing any higher, but worst case
is you start to see yourself shrinking and losing business because
of the fact that if you aren’t doing it faster and better, which
(09:45):
technology helps us to do that, then you’re no longer competitive.
You have to be continuously improving in
order to stay competitive in this industry.
And of the companies that you’ve been able to be a part of throughout
your manufacturing career, Christina, I mean, I know I’m familiar with at
least two of them who, as I was saying earlier, I know are very continuous
(10:10):
improvement-oriented, automation-first, tech-first, figure it out.
Was that always the case through your career or did you start
somewhere where it was a little bit more challenging than that?
In the beginning, it was a little bit more challenging, but I’ve been really
purposeful in picking companies that, at the top, have that mindset and desire
(10:35):
and willingness to listen to the voices within the company and suggestions,
and even if every one of them isn’t a win, they’re willing to invest and try.
So, that is something I am purposeful and seek out in order to work at.
That is an amazing filter.
And how do you do that [laugh] ? That’s going to be a great piece of insight.
(10:58):
How do you figure that out?
Through communication, right?
So, when I’m first getting to know somebody, it is asking just key questions
about, what are your top goals, what are the things you care about?
How often are you updating your processes?
When you have a team that—do you have a channel in which
(11:19):
you take suggestions for improvements from the team?
Stuff like that.
So, if they have anything in that area and they can talk
to it, versus, “Oh yeah, we have a bucket they can put
a suggestion card in.” [laugh] . [and nothing] happens.
[crosstalk]
. [laugh] . Looks just like the trash can.
Yeah, it looks exactly like the trash can.
Yeah, exactly.
(11:40):
It just has a label on it [laugh] . Then you can tell that what level
they’re at, and as long as they have the openness to it, then it’s
also my responsibility to help increase it and to optimize on that.
And how did you know to focus on trying to identify that?
(12:04):
Is that a core personality trait?
Did that come from the banking experience?
Because that’s pretty unique.
It’s definitely a core unique personality trait that I have, for sure.
Even when I was in high school, I tried every single sport.
I like to learn and try new things.
And if I’m stuck doing—and that’s another thing that
(12:28):
deterred me away from banking is it’s very repetitive.
It’s the same thing.
And if I’m stuck doing the same thing, I’m
going to be bored and going to have to move on.
And so, that’s one thing that’s exciting
about manufacturing is it’s always changing.
You’re always seeing different parts, you’re always getting new customers,
you’re always finding new processes and new materials and new tooling
(12:49):
and, you know, there’s always change in some way, shape, or form.
And for companies that embrace modernizing, there’s just that much more.
Yeah, that’s—I mean, good for you for building that
detector early because you can burn a lot of time doing
the wrong things if you haven’t made that connection.
Yes.
Well, and it took—yeah, and it took going to one place that
(13:13):
I didn’t put the effort towards, and realizing how important
it was to me and that it just doesn’t work without it.
That is a fantastic takeaway.
So currently, I know that you are in a position that has almost
unlimited opportunity for disruption and continuous opportunity.
So, tell us the story of Final Frontier.
(13:36):
The goal here is—and what attracted me to be a part of this
team—is the goal of truly—I mean, you hear modernizing, right,
and there’s so many different definitions for even that one word.
It’s not a new version of [JobBOSS]
. Yeah, yeah exactly.
More than that.
(13:57):
Yes, it’s so much more, and it truly aligned with my definition.
It was not just automation, not just new
technology and training and stuff like that.
It was also truly changing what a machine shop looks like
(14:20):
and how we think and what does that look like and how can we
help others to also embrace this and support them so that we
can help manufacturing within our community to be stronger?
And so, that for me, was so close to who I
(14:42):
am at the core, I’m an advocate at heart.
That’s that is who I am in so many areas of life, not just in my professional
life, and so having individuals that have that same core and passion
to help others, not just our own business, is what brought me here.
That level of modernization and the uniqueness
(15:04):
of the approach that you all are taking there.
I mean, what are, like, the guiding principles?
Like, how do you tear it down to the studs and build it up
from there to explain what that modernization really looks
like and how you ultimately see that benefiting others?
Yeah.
Even at—we’ll take a small piece of it, right—at how we look at our customers
(15:26):
and how we look at the business coming in and having a different approach,
where there has been so much relationship-based and even fear-based, you
know, in a lot of the actions that are taken at the top level within a company
of we do whatever it takes for this customer because we’ve allowed them to
be too much of our business, or it’s just we have the relationship (15:47):
you do
whatever they ask, you’re constantly doing flips, and so on and so forth.
And that was the way of our industry, and the individuals that were
in place doing the purchasing and stuff like that, right, that era.
But things have changed, and so really just changing a mindset, even
(16:12):
as a beginning step of how you’re going to increase your business
and bring in more customers and assist and have a little bit more
say and strengthen who you are and confidence in what service you are
providing, versus just saying yes and doing whatever the customer asks.
I mean, it’s hard to even get [laugh] your reps to your buyers, to even get
(16:33):
on a phone conversation with you, much less be able to build a relationship.
But if we’re constantly evolving and understanding what that new era, the new
generation coming in is looking for and adapting to that, and helping educate
others how to navigate that, that alone right there is a very impactful step.
(16:53):
Interesting.
And so, is the right way to think about this, Christina, basically
saying, “Look, the way buyers operate today is very different than it
was X years ago”—X might not be that long; 15, 10, [laugh] 20 years ago.
[laugh] . I mean, ten, right?
(17:15):
Yeah, it’s changing fast, right?
That’s almost your point is, like, it’s really changed from 20 years ago,
but even in the last five or seven, it’s changed pretty significantly, too.
Yes.
And that’s just it.
You know, we keep on talking about it.
(17:35):
This is the biggest changeover in history, right, of the
generational change hasn’t been so drastic as it is today.
And with that, our habits, mindsets, skill sets, everything
is changing at a much higher level than anybody has ever
(17:58):
dealt with before, and therefore the level of adaption and
change within our companies need to be meeting that as well.
So, we’re talking about re-engineering everything,
[laugh] or where does it start, where does it end.
Everything as a whole.
But you truly need to know your business, be efficient in how you are
(18:19):
running your business, and be looking at what those new technologies are.
I’ll take an example even from the place I worked at previously.
How parts were done before were through two
lathe ops and three vertical mill ops, right?
That’s five different setups.
(18:40):
And each setup on an average—I mean, a quick setup is an
hour, so anywhere for one to four hours, right, is a setup.
And you multiply that by four, but then if you’ve got the new technology,
the new machine, and it’s a one and done, even if it took two hours to set
it up, it’s a one and done, and you’re not having all this other changeover.
(19:03):
And therefore, even though the cost of that machine is more and you’re
paying the employee more, one, that employee can run more than one
of those machines depending on the cycle time, your cost is lower.
You’re able to give a lower pricing to
your customer and you’re more competitive.
And you get stuff off your machines faster.
(19:25):
Your output is faster.
If you were trying to parallelize any of that in the
old case, you need a fraction of the people, too, right—
Yeah, exactly.
—by comparison.
One of the things, you know, I’ve talked on different panels about automation
as well within associations, and I think one of the biggest questions I get
asked from other companies is, we don’t have the same budget that you do.
(19:49):
How do we even start with that?
We can’t afford that million-dollar machine.
What do we do?
And it is starting with your data.
It is knowing that what you are quoting, you’re making a profit on, you
truly are, and knowing your metrics of what is coming off of your machines
(20:12):
and what’s your output, what you should be getting off of those on an
hourly, daily basis, and being able to see that type of information.
That’s how you know if you have open capacity, that’s how you know if
you’re actually making a profit, or if you’re paying to keep that customer.
If you’re paying to keep a customer, get rid of them.
(20:33):
Make room for the customers that are paying.
And those don’t take as much of a capital
investment, and you have a quick ROI from that.
But then it’s also educating yourself and learning how to digest that data.
What does this data mean, and how do I
utilize it, and how does it affect my company?
(20:55):
Those are small investments versus running straight to buying a new machine.
Sure.
And then, so, you know, if I’m that same shop, that’s like, “Hey, I don’t have
your budget; I can’t buy that machine.” And then I imagine the conversation
is like, well, what kind of parts are you making and for who, right?
So there’s, like, if you’re doing the old three-axis stuff, you’re right.
(21:18):
If you’re doing, you know, higher value, premium work,
well, that’s also got to be part of the equation too, right?
It’s like, how are you set up from a sales side?
Like, who are you trying to sell to?
What kinds of work are you trying to win and are you equipped to even do it?
And what skill sets do you have in your building, and are you taking the
time to get to know all of your employees and all of their skill sets?
(21:41):
And are you optimizing on that?
Instead of structuring your company with set titles and trying to
plug them with individuals that may not be a complete circle going
into, you know—a square peg going into the circle hole, it’s optimize
on what that individual is, and if that means making a new title,
(22:03):
a new position in order to optimize and help them to grow, it’s a
win on both sides, and you get a much higher benefit out of that.
Sure.
And so, like—I’m literally imagining, I’m trying to
transform a shop in my head through your lens, right?
Because that’s ultimately what this is about, is like, hey, you
(22:23):
know what, Christina, I buy in to this approach and I want to go
through this transformation, so first is, like, I have to know,
like, what do I actually make money on and what’s killing me?
Am I buying parts, or am I selling parts?
Like, let’s answer that question first.
That’s going to help my margin, that’s going to help
(22:43):
my profitability, that’s going to help my cash flow.
Okay, maybe now I’m in the position to start making better investments
from an equipment standpoint where the parts that I’m doing well with I
can do even better with by reducing number of setups, improving cycle time,
(23:04):
reducing, you know, the coefficient of labor required to produce a given part.
But I also kind of have to reinvent my sales process for the
types of work I’m going after and how I represent myself to
the industry and who I’m targeting as prospective buyers.
So, now I’m into marketing.
I mean, this is, like, extreme makeover kind of stuff, isn’t it [laugh]
(23:27):
? I mean, it is because, I mean, how many shops do you know do marketing or sales?
Yeah, right [laugh] . Are they two different things [laugh]
? Most machine shops do not have those functions.
They don’t invest in that.
More of their business comes from word of mouth
and/or their customers grew and therefore they grew.
(23:48):
And I know you and I have talked about this topic at some NTMA events in the
past, especially around sales and marketing investments, but I mean, isn’t
this—you know, what we’re talking about, this transformation required, how you
see what your job actually is to be a relevant precision manufacturer in 2025.
(24:13):
Isn’t this a lot of the reason we see a lot of people talk
about the number of shops is decreasing across the country?
Yes.
Yes.
I actually think that’s a good thing.
Yeah, I agree.
I do agree.
I think it’ll make it stronger, more stable.
And the fact is, it did work back in the day.
Companies were very successful doing it that way.
(24:36):
It’s just not the way anymore.
The way is to reach your targeted audience, your engineers,
the people that are going to start spec’ing you in or calling
you or wanting you to do their prototypes is social media.
It’s not a phone call.
It’s not a conversation.
They don’t want to meet up, they don’t want
to go to dinner or lunch or, you know, [laugh]
— No donuts.
(24:56):
[laugh] . Yeah.
None of that.
Well, everyone loves donuts.
It’s, they want to see your videos.
They want social media.
They want your stories.
They want to hear about you in their language.
For sure.
I mean, it’s the why first, right?
Like, why would I want to work with XYZ shop, right?
I want to see coolant blasting through a window, I want to see
(25:19):
cool parts, I want to see cool tools, and I want to see happy
people that look like they’re going to be a great partner for me.
I mean, I’ll say we did a booth at the Space Symposium last month, and what
made us extremely unique and got a lot of compliments on was my statement
has been at multiple companies, anytime we bring in a potential customer
(25:43):
into the building, it’s a hundred percent success rate, but it’s very hard,
especially when all your customers aren’t local, to get them into the shop.
And when you’re at a show, you’re not getting them into your shop.
So, we did a VR tour through the shop and the
different departments and did a really cool video.
We put the camera in a tool holder and put it through the machine.
(26:06):
It grabbed the attention, and it showed through our actions that we
truly are focused on being a modern shop and we embrace technology.
That is a great move.
Well done.
Well, thank you.
So, if I’m one of these shops and I’m literally staring at this going, “Man,
(26:27):
I don’t know if I have it in me [laugh] to do this reinvention,” I mean,
what are, like, the couple things you would tell somebody to get started
with, or the simplest things that are going to have the biggest impact?
Because it’s a—you know, I’m signing up for, if I’m a legacy shop—and
legacy means a lot of different things—but let’s say I’m a pretty
(26:50):
good business and I really want to be like what you’re describing.
What am I signing up for?
What does it look like?
How do I get some quick wins that make me feel like I want to
transform my business over the next five years, seven years?
As you mentioned in the beginning, I’m extremely involved
in multiple associations and groups around manufacturing.
(27:15):
One of the biggest benefits that you can get out of going to some
of the networking events, being a part of an association, is talking
to your peers that are doing it and finding out how their path was.
Go tour one of those shops—even [RTMA] here will do shop tours—so that we
(27:36):
can help our community to see what is possible and have those conversations.
The wonderful thing about being involved with
associations is it’s not, this is my secret.
Can’t let anybody look.
Can’t anybody see.
We’re all… very helpful to each other and it
(27:56):
makes it a lot less scary when you see it working.
I mean, there is more than enough work for [laugh] as many shops as
you’re ever going to meet at a field event [laugh] or a trade show, right?
Yes.
There’s plenty to go around.
So, sort of get out there, really learn from the peer group
about what others are doing, how they’re being successful.
(28:20):
Then I’m probably looking at some investments, right?
You talked about equipment, you talked
about automation, you talked about software.
I know that you are very innovative at using tools.
I heard a sound, by the way, I’ve never heard from a manufacturer
in the background on a podcast, and that was Slack [laugh]
. Sorry about that [laugh]
. No, I mean, it’s great because it’s like, you know, a lot of
(28:43):
manufacturers would be, like, “What is Slack?” And you know, in
the software world, we’ve been living in that thing for ten years.
It’s just how it’s always been.
But learning about even the simple tools that are out
there and why people use them makes a massive difference.
Yes, and it is amazing.
Here at the shop, we have multiple different generations here, people that
(29:08):
have been here for 20 years to people that, you know, been here two months.
And the one thing I will say that has been—and a lot of it is culture-based,
right, when you start from the top, you kind of feed it down—is that they
are embracing a lot of the changes we bring in with software and stuff like
(29:28):
that, which gives us good data to be able to review, and they like being able
to be a part of it and see it and know that they’re impacting that as well.
And it’s funny, [laugh] we joke about Slack.
I have to tell you [laugh] this quick story.
When we launched our product in 2020, we had a Slack integration, [laugh]
(29:49):
and it was because it was how we tested, are we getting the right events?
What are we seeing for notifications?
And I was like, “Yeah.
You know these manufacturers, like, you got to start using
Slack, and then they’ll want these notifications.” I think
we’ve had one customer [laugh] turn on the Slack integration.
[laugh]
. But it’s there.
(30:11):
We will definitely be one of the ones turning on Slack.
Love it.
Love it.
We get—that will double our number [laugh]
. Yep.
It’s way better than having people running around the shop count,
you know, for X amount of time, hunting each other down, and
then forget because they get pulled off into something else.
(30:32):
It’s all these little things that you can
find that make you a lot more efficient.
Yeah, emails.
I mean, there’s the Inbox Zero movement.
I actually subscribe to Inbox Infinity.
If I didn’t see it in Slack, it didn’t happen.
And we use, you know, tools like Asana, too, for some of our projects.
It’s just, having a place for it and automating it in any way, shape, or form.
(30:54):
And we use a lot of AI that helps with it, taking it from Asana
into the ERP and our production schedule and stuff like that.
And it really helps keep the flow going, and everybody’s
on the same page because everybody has access to it.
Sure.
I think I love the word you chose, there of flow, right?
It’s just, it’s about the constant flow of good information,
(31:18):
whatever that means for whatever the business process is.
That’s what people have to get their head around, is if your information
isn’t flowing without you having to pick it up and push it or throw
it or roll it, carry it down the hall, [laugh] that’s one of the big
changes, one of the big attitude changes that we all need to make.
(31:38):
As well as good data going in in [crosstalk]
. It has to be good, clean data.
[laugh] . Yes.
We could do a whole episode on that one.
And then you can get educated on how to utilize the data.
[laugh] . And then how to make it flow faster because you believe it.
Yep.
Once you understand it, you can see the gaps.
(31:59):
For sure.
Okay, so every manufacturer (32:00):
Slack, get some kind of a
Kanban board, [laugh] get information flowing digitally,
figure out your winners and losers, and buy better machines.
That’s it.
That’s all I got to do.
And the rest comes.
And make sure you take your time when hiring and when they’re not
the right person for your culture, be quick to [unintelligible]
(32:21):
these changes because it does become a cancer within your shop.
That is something you’ve got to be focused on, is your talent as well.
What are you seeing talent-wise, Christina, relative to, like,
with how digitized you are and how people respond to that?
We’ve had great responses.
(32:42):
I mean, again, we’ve got such a huge range within the
generations that are here, and all are embracing it.
And I think it’s because of how we’re explaining it and
letting them have buy-in and be a part of it and make
a lot of the decisions with us, that helps with that.
But I mean, the fact is, is we are low on talented individuals
(33:06):
in our industry, so we need to embrace those that have the
correct mindsets and be willing to invest and tool them up.
It’s hard to change the core of an individual in
their mindset; it’s easier to teach them the skills.
And how have you woven that together with this full complement of
(33:26):
digital tools and your experience in the past with rotating through the
different functions that there are to do in the manufacturing environment?
Like, how does that come together programmatically?
I’ll say one of the things that is really successful with our team
here and that excites them about wanting to help and grow and go
(33:51):
to that—you know, we have individuals that still program at the
machine, and that is an art [laugh] . It is a very unique skill set.
And sometimes that’s not the correct way to go.
But when you have the correct individuals in place for training and
helping to up-skill individuals, then that’s a much easier leap, and
(34:13):
you got to be willing to take that path and be patient with it to get
them to that point because especially if they have the willingness,
the hunger, and the commitment and care for the company, invest.
Take them and tool them up, and as others see it within
the shop, they start asking and signing up for it.
We are always encouraging people to speak up when they’re
(34:36):
wanting to learn something new or have questions about something,
and then we take the time to address it and invest in it.
That is fantastic to hear.
And I know, as we said at the beginning, you have absolutely been a champion
for manufacturing, locally, nationally, maybe internationally at this point.
(34:56):
We definitely appreciate as a company, as a fellow company that’s
trying to help with the modernization and the efficiency and unlocking
the ability to thrive for manufacturing, we definitely appreciate
everything that you do personally with all the different chapters
and entities that you’re involved with and making that happen.
Thank you.
(35:17):
I enjoy it [laugh]
. I can tell.
The level of commitment would not be there if it wasn’t
an authentic passion, so certainly inspiring to see.
So, Christina, the way that we typically wrap up
these episodes is with a philosophical question.
And I’ve been thinking, I’m not exactly sure how to put yours because you
(35:39):
had the advantage of, you know, really climbing up very successfully in
one industry and then totally moving into another one in manufacturing and
realizing that was so much better for you, so I’m not sure which version
of Christina I’m going to ask you that you’d give advice to, whether it’s
the one that first sat down, probably behind a desk or in a cubicle in the
(36:02):
banking industry, or the one that first set foot on the manufacturing floor.
I’ll let you pick because I think the one that first set foot on
the manufacturing floor really had a great framework for how to
evaluate what really was going to inspire you and motivate you.
But whichever version of Christina you want to talk to previously,
(36:22):
if you could go back in time, what advice would you give her
about what it’s going to take to succeed in manufacturing?
I think I’d go back to the banking one [laugh]
. [laugh]
. So, I would say, don’t be so afraid of change and multiple paths and the
(36:43):
variety that is available to us in life, and not to be so single focused, but to
really observe everything around and what all the different possibilities are.
That is a very fantastic one because when you listen
to the episode, you would say there’s no way Christine
is afraid of change [laugh] or ever could have been.
(37:07):
[laugh] . But there absolutely was a day.
You know, it was very terrifying making that change into a different industry.
I was miserable and knew I had to, but again, that’s why I started at an
admin position was, I was definitely scared [laugh] going down that journey.
Sure.
Sure.
No, I mean, that’s what I love about these episodes and, you
(37:30):
know, getting to know people like you even deeper is when you
look at the current success someone is having, a lot of people
think it’s this simple, straight line; it was all downhill.
It’s never that.
It’s pricker bushes, it’s rocky, it’s muddy
[laugh] . You know, everyone’s journey is reality.
(37:51):
It’s not fiction.
Absolutely [laugh] . And very unique to each one of us [laugh]
. For sure.
So, appreciate you sharing everything that you have, Christina.
I mean, this episode, for me, has basically become the blueprint
for modernization of precision manufacturing, and I think there are
(38:11):
tremendous lessons here for everyone to take, not the least of which
is, get involved in your local chapters, in your local manufacturing
groups, and get out there and learn what people are trying and learn what
people are doing successfully to modernize and keep doing those things.
And support your peers because there’s plenty of business out there.
(38:33):
There’s more than enough for everyone who wants
to succeed in this industry to be able to succeed.
It’s not a zero sum take from others game; it’s definitely a win together game.
Yes.
And be very supportive of each other.
Don’t just talk about the change that you want, but be a part of the solution.
Be a part of that change.
(38:54):
Love it.
Thank you so much, Christina.
Awesome getting to talk to you and good luck
with the continued growth and keep changing.
I know you won’t stop.
Thank you, and thank you for what you and your
team do to invest in our industry as well and help.
You guys are also champions, and I appreciate
every single one of you, so thank you.
Appreciate that.
(39:14):
Thanks a lot, Christina.
Thank you for listening to Manufacturing Mavericks.
If you’d like to learn more, listen to past episodes, or nominate
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Welcome to Manufacturing Mavericks, a podcast where we showcase and celebrate
exceptional people from across precision manufacturing who are boldly
embracing new ways to improve their processes, grow their bottom lines,
and ensure American manufacturing will thrive for generations to come.
(00:26):
Welcome to this episode of Manufacturing Mavericks.
I’m your host, Greg McHale, and I am very excited today to have a
special guest on, Christina Collette from Final Frontier Manufacturing.
I almost used the old name, Christina, because it recently rebranded.
Christina is someone that I’ve gotten to know over the last several years,
(00:47):
very involved with the NTMA and really the face of many different initiatives
within the manufacturing industry, locally, nationally, and certainly,
someone who has been setting the pace and shaking things up in manufacturing.
So, Christina, fantastic to connect with you today.
Thank you so much for having me.
(01:08):
So, Christina, I know that you’ve been involved in and fortunate
to be in some very innovative companies over the years that are
very forward-thinking, technology-first, automation-first, really
some very disruptive companies, and obviously within manufacturing,
(01:29):
that’s a pretty unique opportunity to get that exposure.
Before we get all the way to that point in the process, tell
us, how did you actually get into manufacturing originally?
What made you catch the bug?
I actually started out in banking and decided that after
five years that really wasn’t the career path for me.
It was… just didn’t grab me.
(01:51):
It wasn’t my passion, and I just started to reach out to agencies
and asked to introduce me to new industries and just kind of
get my foot in and see what it was about and try something new.
And one of the first places they sent me to was a manufacturing shop.
And once I got there, it ignited something inside of me.
(02:15):
And ever since then, I just, it’s captured me [laugh] , and
is something that I absolutely enjoy and have a passion for.
I love stories like this because I get to
peel the onion [laugh] really nicely, right?
I love when it’s not a straight line.
You end up into it, you know, almost by accident or, you
(02:36):
know, just through sort of randomly exploring things.
So, let’s start with the, what was it about banking that
just had you, like, “Yeah, I need to do something else.”
I think probably all of the numbers [laugh] . And, you know, I went into banking
because math was my favorite subject, and I thought it made sense, you know?
(02:58):
Get into banking, do accounting, it’ll be great, and I was
like, “Yeah, nope. This is not passionate for me.” [laugh]
. That’s actually kind of interesting, that
you loved math but ended up hating numbers.
Very ironic [laugh]
. It is.
So, you went into a manufacturing shop for the
first time, and what was it that captivated you?
Describe seeing that shop for the first time.
(03:22):
When I left banking, I was in management, and then going into
trying out new industries, I told them, just put me in, like,
an admin position because I really just want to learn about an
industry and see what the right fit is, and we can go from there.
And so, I started as an admin, which allowed me to walk around
(03:43):
and need to talk to everybody in each of the departments.
And that position lasted, I think, probably
about maybe two or three weeks [laugh]
— [laugh]
. — [and I’m like] okay [unintelligible] as an admin [laugh] . Another thing
that kind of captured me as I was walking through the company was being
able to see how there’s so many different avenues and paths in order
(04:07):
for a final product to come out, so many different departments and hands
and techniques, and so there was a lot of room for observing processes.
So, I would walk around and look at that and asked a lot of questions, and I
started to learn each of the departments, from starting from quoting to customer
(04:29):
service, to doing some of the graphics, to setting up machines and actually
producing product, doing quality and just helping out in each of the departments
to kind of see, okay, what part of this exciting company do I fit in?
And once I just saw that there was just so many
opportunities and so much to learn that I was hooked.
(04:51):
And that was it.
And that opportunity, Christina, to go through all the different departments
like that, was that intentional and structured from the perspective of the
leadership in that company, or is that how it just happened to work out?
That’s how I made it work out [laugh] . I wandered, and if I saw that a
(05:11):
department was short or, you know, needed some help, had a lot of, kind of,
backlog that was part stacking up, then I was like, “Oh, you need a helping
hand? I’ll come in and help.” Because I’d get to learn. Of course, they’re not
going to refuse the help, so [laugh] it was my way of, kind of inserting myself.
So, really, the… sort of the do it yourself rotation program?
(05:32):
Yep.
Which I adapted and kind of took that on going from company to company.
I think that is such a useful and dynamic
way for anybody to start with a company.
I think when you hire, you know—at some of the places I’ve worked at,
it was a rule (05:49):
before you could be trained in the position you were
hired for, you first had to spend some time in every other department.
And that could be 30 minutes, it could be, you know, a couple
hours, but it’s so invaluable to learn and have respect for
the other departments that affect you and that you affect.
And so, coming from not only banking, but also, I mean, you were already at
(06:13):
the management level—so first of all, I mean kudos for you on the humility
to start at whatever level, you know, that got you to learn the industry, and
then, you know, work your way around the different opportunities around the
floor—what were some of your perspectives on the state of technology and process
(06:35):
as you came from banking and what you observed when you got into manufacturing?
Yeah, I got to see where—and I think this still stands true for a
lot of companies—where whatever you struggled through and figured out
and put into place as you were growing ends up kind of staying there.
(06:57):
And you may tweak and improve here and there, but it’s hard to step away
from it and really re-look at what you’re doing and make big changes, right?
And I think right now, where industry is, is pushing more and more people
and companies to have to adapt a little bit quicker and more drastically
(07:19):
because if you aren’t updating, addressing, and embracing, you know,
say, automation and the newest technologies, then you end up obsolete.
And so, I did see a lot of areas where we were just doing things over
and over the same way because the old phrase (07:34):
“We’ve always done it that
way.” And so, I was like, oh, there’s lots of room to be changing things
in here, [laugh] which was really exciting. And it’s that never stops.
There’s always room for continuous improvement.
Sure.
And you said something really interesting there, Christina, at the
(07:56):
outset, which was basically that, as you are trying to grow fast, you
sort of get stuck with whatever it was that you’ve been doing, right?
Mm-hm.
Did I get that right?
Basically like whatever your best practice is, as soon as you
go to the gas pedal, you’re living with that best practice.
Yep.
(08:16):
Because it’s comfortable and it’s working, so why change it?
Right.
But then, sort of ironically, like, isn’t it the growth
that makes it so that thing doesn’t work anymore?
How does that play out?
Like, does that limit growth?
Does it just break the whole system.
Or—
I think for the most part, it limits growth.
(08:36):
I think that’s why a lot of companies find themselves struggling to
break that ceiling for themselves because their processes don’t scale.
And so, that’s one reason why you do need
to re-look at those all the time, right?
It’s that same mindset of when somebody’s overwhelmed with too many
(08:57):
things on their plate, and even if you bring in somebody new, they
have a hard time training because it’s just faster to do it myself.
But if you take the time to train, yes, it takes an extra hour out
of your day, but then the ROI is so much greater in the long-term.
But it’s really hard for people to see that.
What ends up being the straw that breaks the camel’s back in that case?
(09:21):
Is it that you get stuck at the same ceiling,
or, you know what ultimately happens?
Best case scenario is you get stuck in the same, and you know—
[laugh]
. —with the— [unintelligible] ceiling growing any higher, but worst case
is you start to see yourself shrinking and losing business because
of the fact that if you aren’t doing it faster and better, which
(09:45):
technology helps us to do that, then you’re no longer competitive.
You have to be continuously improving in
order to stay competitive in this industry.
And of the companies that you’ve been able to be a part of throughout
your manufacturing career, Christina, I mean, I know I’m familiar with at
least two of them who, as I was saying earlier, I know are very continuous
(10:10):
improvement-oriented, automation-first, tech-first, figure it out.
Was that always the case through your career or did you start
somewhere where it was a little bit more challenging than that?
In the beginning, it was a little bit more challenging, but I’ve been really
purposeful in picking companies that, at the top, have that mindset and desire
(10:35):
and willingness to listen to the voices within the company and suggestions,
and even if every one of them isn’t a win, they’re willing to invest and try.
So, that is something I am purposeful and seek out in order to work at.
That is an amazing filter.
And how do you do that [laugh] ? That’s going to be a great piece of insight.
(10:58):
How do you figure that out?
Through communication, right?
So, when I’m first getting to know somebody, it is asking just key questions
about, what are your top goals, what are the things you care about?
How often are you updating your processes?
When you have a team that—do you have a channel in which
(11:19):
you take suggestions for improvements from the team?
Stuff like that.
So, if they have anything in that area and they can talk
to it, versus, “Oh yeah, we have a bucket they can put
a suggestion card in.” [laugh] . [and nothing] happens.
[crosstalk]
. [laugh] . Looks just like the trash can.
Yeah, it looks exactly like the trash can.
Yeah, exactly.
(11:40):
It just has a label on it [laugh] . Then you can tell that what level
they’re at, and as long as they have the openness to it, then it’s
also my responsibility to help increase it and to optimize on that.
And how did you know to focus on trying to identify that?
(12:04):
Is that a core personality trait?
Did that come from the banking experience?
Because that’s pretty unique.
It’s definitely a core unique personality trait that I have, for sure.
Even when I was in high school, I tried every single sport.
I like to learn and try new things.
And if I’m stuck doing—and that’s another thing that
(12:28):
deterred me away from banking is it’s very repetitive.
It’s the same thing.
And if I’m stuck doing the same thing, I’m
going to be bored and going to have to move on.
And so, that’s one thing that’s exciting
about manufacturing is it’s always changing.
You’re always seeing different parts, you’re always getting new customers,
you’re always finding new processes and new materials and new tooling
(12:49):
and, you know, there’s always change in some way, shape, or form.
And for companies that embrace modernizing, there’s just that much more.
Yeah, that’s—I mean, good for you for building that
detector early because you can burn a lot of time doing
the wrong things if you haven’t made that connection.
Yes.
Well, and it took—yeah, and it took going to one place that
(13:13):
I didn’t put the effort towards, and realizing how important
it was to me and that it just doesn’t work without it.
That is a fantastic takeaway.
So currently, I know that you are in a position that has almost
unlimited opportunity for disruption and continuous opportunity.
So, tell us the story of Final Frontier.
(13:36):
The goal here is—and what attracted me to be a part of this
team—is the goal of truly—I mean, you hear modernizing, right,
and there’s so many different definitions for even that one word.
It’s not a new version of [JobBOSS]
. Yeah, yeah exactly.
More than that.
(13:57):
Yes, it’s so much more, and it truly aligned with my definition.
It was not just automation, not just new
technology and training and stuff like that.
It was also truly changing what a machine shop looks like
(14:20):
and how we think and what does that look like and how can we
help others to also embrace this and support them so that we
can help manufacturing within our community to be stronger?
And so, that for me, was so close to who I
(14:42):
am at the core, I’m an advocate at heart.
That’s that is who I am in so many areas of life, not just in my professional
life, and so having individuals that have that same core and passion
to help others, not just our own business, is what brought me here.
That level of modernization and the uniqueness
(15:04):
of the approach that you all are taking there.
I mean, what are, like, the guiding principles?
Like, how do you tear it down to the studs and build it up
from there to explain what that modernization really looks
like and how you ultimately see that benefiting others?
Yeah.
Even at—we’ll take a small piece of it, right—at how we look at our customers
(15:26):
and how we look at the business coming in and having a different approach,
where there has been so much relationship-based and even fear-based, you
know, in a lot of the actions that are taken at the top level within a company
of we do whatever it takes for this customer because we’ve allowed them to
be too much of our business, or it’s just we have the relationship (15:47):
you do
whatever they ask, you’re constantly doing flips, and so on and so forth.
And that was the way of our industry, and the individuals that were
in place doing the purchasing and stuff like that, right, that era.
But things have changed, and so really just changing a mindset, even
(16:12):
as a beginning step of how you’re going to increase your business
and bring in more customers and assist and have a little bit more
say and strengthen who you are and confidence in what service you are
providing, versus just saying yes and doing whatever the customer asks.
I mean, it’s hard to even get [laugh] your reps to your buyers, to even get
(16:33):
on a phone conversation with you, much less be able to build a relationship.
But if we’re constantly evolving and understanding what that new era, the new
generation coming in is looking for and adapting to that, and helping educate
others how to navigate that, that alone right there is a very impactful step.
(16:53):
Interesting.
And so, is the right way to think about this, Christina, basically
saying, “Look, the way buyers operate today is very different than it
was X years ago”—X might not be that long; 15, 10, [laugh] 20 years ago.
[laugh] . I mean, ten, right?
(17:15):
Yeah, it’s changing fast, right?
That’s almost your point is, like, it’s really changed from 20 years ago,
but even in the last five or seven, it’s changed pretty significantly, too.
Yes.
And that’s just it.
You know, we keep on talking about it.
(17:35):
This is the biggest changeover in history, right, of the
generational change hasn’t been so drastic as it is today.
And with that, our habits, mindsets, skill sets, everything
is changing at a much higher level than anybody has ever
(17:58):
dealt with before, and therefore the level of adaption and
change within our companies need to be meeting that as well.
So, we’re talking about re-engineering everything,
[laugh] or where does it start, where does it end.
Everything as a whole.
But you truly need to know your business, be efficient in how you are
(18:19):
running your business, and be looking at what those new technologies are.
I’ll take an example even from the place I worked at previously.
How parts were done before were through two
lathe ops and three vertical mill ops, right?
That’s five different setups.
(18:40):
And each setup on an average—I mean, a quick setup is an
hour, so anywhere for one to four hours, right, is a setup.
And you multiply that by four, but then if you’ve got the new technology,
the new machine, and it’s a one and done, even if it took two hours to set
it up, it’s a one and done, and you’re not having all this other changeover.
(19:03):
And therefore, even though the cost of that machine is more and you’re
paying the employee more, one, that employee can run more than one
of those machines depending on the cycle time, your cost is lower.
You’re able to give a lower pricing to
your customer and you’re more competitive.
And you get stuff off your machines faster.
(19:25):
Your output is faster.
If you were trying to parallelize any of that in the
old case, you need a fraction of the people, too, right—
Yeah, exactly.
—by comparison.
One of the things, you know, I’ve talked on different panels about automation
as well within associations, and I think one of the biggest questions I get
asked from other companies is, we don’t have the same budget that you do.
(19:49):
How do we even start with that?
We can’t afford that million-dollar machine.
What do we do?
And it is starting with your data.
It is knowing that what you are quoting, you’re making a profit on, you
truly are, and knowing your metrics of what is coming off of your machines
(20:12):
and what’s your output, what you should be getting off of those on an
hourly, daily basis, and being able to see that type of information.
That’s how you know if you have open capacity, that’s how you know if
you’re actually making a profit, or if you’re paying to keep that customer.
If you’re paying to keep a customer, get rid of them.
(20:33):
Make room for the customers that are paying.
And those don’t take as much of a capital
investment, and you have a quick ROI from that.
But then it’s also educating yourself and learning how to digest that data.
What does this data mean, and how do I
utilize it, and how does it affect my company?
(20:55):
Those are small investments versus running straight to buying a new machine.
Sure.
And then, so, you know, if I’m that same shop, that’s like, “Hey, I don’t have
your budget; I can’t buy that machine.” And then I imagine the conversation
is like, well, what kind of parts are you making and for who, right?
So there’s, like, if you’re doing the old three-axis stuff, you’re right.
(21:18):
If you’re doing, you know, higher value, premium work,
well, that’s also got to be part of the equation too, right?
It’s like, how are you set up from a sales side?
Like, who are you trying to sell to?
What kinds of work are you trying to win and are you equipped to even do it?
And what skill sets do you have in your building, and are you taking the
time to get to know all of your employees and all of their skill sets?
(21:41):
And are you optimizing on that?
Instead of structuring your company with set titles and trying to
plug them with individuals that may not be a complete circle going
into, you know—a square peg going into the circle hole, it’s optimize
on what that individual is, and if that means making a new title,
(22:03):
a new position in order to optimize and help them to grow, it’s a
win on both sides, and you get a much higher benefit out of that.
Sure.
And so, like—I’m literally imagining, I’m trying to
transform a shop in my head through your lens, right?
Because that’s ultimately what this is about, is like, hey, you
(22:23):
know what, Christina, I buy in to this approach and I want to go
through this transformation, so first is, like, I have to know,
like, what do I actually make money on and what’s killing me?
Am I buying parts, or am I selling parts?
Like, let’s answer that question first.
That’s going to help my margin, that’s going to help
(22:43):
my profitability, that’s going to help my cash flow.
Okay, maybe now I’m in the position to start making better investments
from an equipment standpoint where the parts that I’m doing well with I
can do even better with by reducing number of setups, improving cycle time,
(23:04):
reducing, you know, the coefficient of labor required to produce a given part.
But I also kind of have to reinvent my sales process for the
types of work I’m going after and how I represent myself to
the industry and who I’m targeting as prospective buyers.
So, now I’m into marketing.
I mean, this is, like, extreme makeover kind of stuff, isn’t it [laugh]
(23:27):
? I mean, it is because, I mean, how many shops do you know do marketing or sales?
Yeah, right [laugh] . Are they two different things [laugh]
? Most machine shops do not have those functions.
They don’t invest in that.
More of their business comes from word of mouth
and/or their customers grew and therefore they grew.
(23:48):
And I know you and I have talked about this topic at some NTMA events in the
past, especially around sales and marketing investments, but I mean, isn’t
this—you know, what we’re talking about, this transformation required, how you
see what your job actually is to be a relevant precision manufacturer in 2025.
(24:13):
Isn’t this a lot of the reason we see a lot of people talk
about the number of shops is decreasing across the country?
Yes.
Yes.
I actually think that’s a good thing.
Yeah, I agree.
I do agree.
I think it’ll make it stronger, more stable.
And the fact is, it did work back in the day.
Companies were very successful doing it that way.
(24:36):
It’s just not the way anymore.
The way is to reach your targeted audience, your engineers,
the people that are going to start spec’ing you in or calling
you or wanting you to do their prototypes is social media.
It’s not a phone call.
It’s not a conversation.
They don’t want to meet up, they don’t want
to go to dinner or lunch or, you know, [laugh]
— No donuts.
(24:56):
[laugh] . Yeah.
None of that.
Well, everyone loves donuts.
It’s, they want to see your videos.
They want social media.
They want your stories.
They want to hear about you in their language.
For sure.
I mean, it’s the why first, right?
Like, why would I want to work with XYZ shop, right?
I want to see coolant blasting through a window, I want to see
(25:19):
cool parts, I want to see cool tools, and I want to see happy
people that look like they’re going to be a great partner for me.
I mean, I’ll say we did a booth at the Space Symposium last month, and what
made us extremely unique and got a lot of compliments on was my statement
has been at multiple companies, anytime we bring in a potential customer
(25:43):
into the building, it’s a hundred percent success rate, but it’s very hard,
especially when all your customers aren’t local, to get them into the shop.
And when you’re at a show, you’re not getting them into your shop.
So, we did a VR tour through the shop and the
different departments and did a really cool video.
We put the camera in a tool holder and put it through the machine.
(26:06):
It grabbed the attention, and it showed through our actions that we
truly are focused on being a modern shop and we embrace technology.
That is a great move.
Well done.
Well, thank you.
So, if I’m one of these shops and I’m literally staring at this going, “Man,
(26:27):
I don’t know if I have it in me [laugh] to do this reinvention,” I mean,
what are, like, the couple things you would tell somebody to get started
with, or the simplest things that are going to have the biggest impact?
Because it’s a—you know, I’m signing up for, if I’m a legacy shop—and
legacy means a lot of different things—but let’s say I’m a pretty
(26:50):
good business and I really want to be like what you’re describing.
What am I signing up for?
What does it look like?
How do I get some quick wins that make me feel like I want to
transform my business over the next five years, seven years?
As you mentioned in the beginning, I’m extremely involved
in multiple associations and groups around manufacturing.
(27:15):
One of the biggest benefits that you can get out of going to some
of the networking events, being a part of an association, is talking
to your peers that are doing it and finding out how their path was.
Go tour one of those shops—even [RTMA] here will do shop tours—so that we
(27:36):
can help our community to see what is possible and have those conversations.
The wonderful thing about being involved with
associations is it’s not, this is my secret.
Can’t let anybody look.
Can’t anybody see.
We’re all… very helpful to each other and it
(27:56):
makes it a lot less scary when you see it working.
I mean, there is more than enough work for [laugh] as many shops as
you’re ever going to meet at a field event [laugh] or a trade show, right?
Yes.
There’s plenty to go around.
So, sort of get out there, really learn from the peer group
about what others are doing, how they’re being successful.
(28:20):
Then I’m probably looking at some investments, right?
You talked about equipment, you talked
about automation, you talked about software.
I know that you are very innovative at using tools.
I heard a sound, by the way, I’ve never heard from a manufacturer
in the background on a podcast, and that was Slack [laugh]
. Sorry about that [laugh]
. No, I mean, it’s great because it’s like, you know, a lot of
(28:43):
manufacturers would be, like, “What is Slack?” And you know, in
the software world, we’ve been living in that thing for ten years.
It’s just how it’s always been.
But learning about even the simple tools that are out
there and why people use them makes a massive difference.
Yes, and it is amazing.
Here at the shop, we have multiple different generations here, people that
(29:08):
have been here for 20 years to people that, you know, been here two months.
And the one thing I will say that has been—and a lot of it is culture-based,
right, when you start from the top, you kind of feed it down—is that they
are embracing a lot of the changes we bring in with software and stuff like
(29:28):
that, which gives us good data to be able to review, and they like being able
to be a part of it and see it and know that they’re impacting that as well.
And it’s funny, [laugh] we joke about Slack.
I have to tell you [laugh] this quick story.
When we launched our product in 2020, we had a Slack integration, [laugh]
(29:49):
and it was because it was how we tested, are we getting the right events?
What are we seeing for notifications?
And I was like, “Yeah.
You know these manufacturers, like, you got to start using
Slack, and then they’ll want these notifications.” I think
we’ve had one customer [laugh] turn on the Slack integration.
[laugh]
. But it’s there.
(30:11):
We will definitely be one of the ones turning on Slack.
Love it.
Love it.
We get—that will double our number [laugh]
. Yep.
It’s way better than having people running around the shop count,
you know, for X amount of time, hunting each other down, and
then forget because they get pulled off into something else.
(30:32):
It’s all these little things that you can
find that make you a lot more efficient.
Yeah, emails.
I mean, there’s the Inbox Zero movement.
I actually subscribe to Inbox Infinity.
If I didn’t see it in Slack, it didn’t happen.
And we use, you know, tools like Asana, too, for some of our projects.
It’s just, having a place for it and automating it in any way, shape, or form.
(30:54):
And we use a lot of AI that helps with it, taking it from Asana
into the ERP and our production schedule and stuff like that.
And it really helps keep the flow going, and everybody’s
on the same page because everybody has access to it.
Sure.
I think I love the word you chose, there of flow, right?
It’s just, it’s about the constant flow of good information,
(31:18):
whatever that means for whatever the business process is.
That’s what people have to get their head around, is if your information
isn’t flowing without you having to pick it up and push it or throw
it or roll it, carry it down the hall, [laugh] that’s one of the big
changes, one of the big attitude changes that we all need to make.
(31:38):
As well as good data going in in [crosstalk]
. It has to be good, clean data.
[laugh] . Yes.
We could do a whole episode on that one.
And then you can get educated on how to utilize the data.
[laugh] . And then how to make it flow faster because you believe it.
Yep.
Once you understand it, you can see the gaps.
(31:59):
For sure.
Okay, so every manufacturer (32:00):
Slack, get some kind of a
Kanban board, [laugh] get information flowing digitally,
figure out your winners and losers, and buy better machines.
That’s it.
That’s all I got to do.
And the rest comes.
And make sure you take your time when hiring and when they’re not
the right person for your culture, be quick to [unintelligible]
(32:21):
these changes because it does become a cancer within your shop.
That is something you’ve got to be focused on, is your talent as well.
What are you seeing talent-wise, Christina, relative to, like,
with how digitized you are and how people respond to that?
We’ve had great responses.
(32:42):
I mean, again, we’ve got such a huge range within the
generations that are here, and all are embracing it.
And I think it’s because of how we’re explaining it and
letting them have buy-in and be a part of it and make
a lot of the decisions with us, that helps with that.
But I mean, the fact is, is we are low on talented individuals
(33:06):
in our industry, so we need to embrace those that have the
correct mindsets and be willing to invest and tool them up.
It’s hard to change the core of an individual in
their mindset; it’s easier to teach them the skills.
And how have you woven that together with this full complement of
(33:26):
digital tools and your experience in the past with rotating through the
different functions that there are to do in the manufacturing environment?
Like, how does that come together programmatically?
I’ll say one of the things that is really successful with our team
here and that excites them about wanting to help and grow and go
(33:51):
to that—you know, we have individuals that still program at the
machine, and that is an art [laugh] . It is a very unique skill set.
And sometimes that’s not the correct way to go.
But when you have the correct individuals in place for training and
helping to up-skill individuals, then that’s a much easier leap, and
(34:13):
you got to be willing to take that path and be patient with it to get
them to that point because especially if they have the willingness,
the hunger, and the commitment and care for the company, invest.
Take them and tool them up, and as others see it within
the shop, they start asking and signing up for it.
We are always encouraging people to speak up when they’re
(34:36):
wanting to learn something new or have questions about something,
and then we take the time to address it and invest in it.
That is fantastic to hear.
And I know, as we said at the beginning, you have absolutely been a champion
for manufacturing, locally, nationally, maybe internationally at this point.
(34:56):
We definitely appreciate as a company, as a fellow company that’s
trying to help with the modernization and the efficiency and unlocking
the ability to thrive for manufacturing, we definitely appreciate
everything that you do personally with all the different chapters
and entities that you’re involved with and making that happen.
Thank you.
(35:17):
I enjoy it [laugh]
. I can tell.
The level of commitment would not be there if it wasn’t
an authentic passion, so certainly inspiring to see.
So, Christina, the way that we typically wrap up
these episodes is with a philosophical question.
And I’ve been thinking, I’m not exactly sure how to put yours because you
(35:39):
had the advantage of, you know, really climbing up very successfully in
one industry and then totally moving into another one in manufacturing and
realizing that was so much better for you, so I’m not sure which version
of Christina I’m going to ask you that you’d give advice to, whether it’s
the one that first sat down, probably behind a desk or in a cubicle in the
(36:02):
banking industry, or the one that first set foot on the manufacturing floor.
I’ll let you pick because I think the one that first set foot on
the manufacturing floor really had a great framework for how to
evaluate what really was going to inspire you and motivate you.
But whichever version of Christina you want to talk to previously,
(36:22):
if you could go back in time, what advice would you give her
about what it’s going to take to succeed in manufacturing?
I think I’d go back to the banking one [laugh]
. [laugh]
. So, I would say, don’t be so afraid of change and multiple paths and the
(36:43):
variety that is available to us in life, and not to be so single focused, but to
really observe everything around and what all the different possibilities are.
That is a very fantastic one because when you listen
to the episode, you would say there’s no way Christine
is afraid of change [laugh] or ever could have been.
(37:07):
[laugh] . But there absolutely was a day.
You know, it was very terrifying making that change into a different industry.
I was miserable and knew I had to, but again, that’s why I started at an
admin position was, I was definitely scared [laugh] going down that journey.
Sure.
Sure.
No, I mean, that’s what I love about these episodes and, you
(37:30):
know, getting to know people like you even deeper is when you
look at the current success someone is having, a lot of people
think it’s this simple, straight line; it was all downhill.
It’s never that.
It’s pricker bushes, it’s rocky, it’s muddy
[laugh] . You know, everyone’s journey is reality.
(37:51):
It’s not fiction.
Absolutely [laugh] . And very unique to each one of us [laugh]
. For sure.
So, appreciate you sharing everything that you have, Christina.
I mean, this episode, for me, has basically become the blueprint
for modernization of precision manufacturing, and I think there are
(38:11):
tremendous lessons here for everyone to take, not the least of which
is, get involved in your local chapters, in your local manufacturing
groups, and get out there and learn what people are trying and learn what
people are doing successfully to modernize and keep doing those things.
And support your peers because there’s plenty of business out there.
(38:33):
There’s more than enough for everyone who wants
to succeed in this industry to be able to succeed.
It’s not a zero sum take from others game; it’s definitely a win together game.
Yes.
And be very supportive of each other.
Don’t just talk about the change that you want, but be a part of the solution.
Be a part of that change.
(38:54):
Love it.
Thank you so much, Christina.
Awesome getting to talk to you and good luck
with the continued growth and keep changing.
I know you won’t stop.
Thank you, and thank you for what you and your
team do to invest in our industry as well and help.
You guys are also champions, and I appreciate
every single one of you, so thank you.
Appreciate that.
(39:14):
Thanks a lot, Christina.
Thank you for listening to Manufacturing Mavericks.
If you’d like to learn more, listen to past episodes, or nominate
a future Maverick to be on our show, visit mfgmavericks.com,
and don’t forget to subscribe to and rate this podcast on
iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, or your favorite podcast app.
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