It is no secret that the manufacturing industry in the U.S.A. has seen better days. After years of fighting overseas manufacturers for work, this current recession has been the impending nail in the coffin for some. Most machine shops and

Change is never easy. That is something that everybody acknowledges in theory. But you never internalize it. When change is staring you in the face, you buckle under its immense pressure and you run back to your comfort zones. I know I do. But in

I’ve got a big birthday coming up and, facing this milestone, I decided I’d try to shed a few of my “quarantine 15” pounds and get myself back into fighting shape. 

One of the strangest things about writers is that we all have a favorite word or a list of words that just move usto sigh with literary bliss. One of my favorite words was used more than four times within this week’s episode of MakingChips. Folks,

In this week’s episode of MakingChips, the MakingChips team discussed the health of the entrepreneurial operating system (EOS). Within the conversation of talking about business practices, Nick brought up a business practice that I believe to have a

Before we dive into this week’s episode, I would like to introduce myself to our readers. My name is Victoria Sockwell, and I will be the new contributing writer for MakingChips. I was born and raised in Rockford, Illinois. My parents have been

Let me preface this with, I know that when you started this week, creating a brand book probably wasn’t on the top of your priority list. Heck, I’d say it didn’t even make the monthly cut. This quarter, I’m urging you to put it on your checklist—and

In my inbox this morning, in one of the many manufacturing newsletters I subscribe to, was a link to an article describing a new initiative, backed by “over 200 companies including GM, Lockheed Martin, Johnson & Johnson”, aimed at “helping Americans

Does your marketing strategy include social media?  Establishing a social media presence for your business is not just about being consistent with your content, getting “likes”, or tracking how many times your content is seen. The most successful

I learned two shocking new things about our industry this week. The first came from our MakingChips featured manufacturing news article from Industry Week which focused on newly released data by SCORE, mentors to America’s small business.

You’re busy. Your employees are busy. Manufacturing is busy. Now I’m here asking you do add something else to your plate? Well trust me, this is important...

As you know, times they are a’changing for all of us here in the metalworking nation. Welcome to the fourth industrial revolution, or “4IR” as it is being called.

Why do manufacturing companies need marketing automation? Because in the age of Amazon, Facebook, Google, and Netflix all of us expect fast, personalized service, great products, and an easy to use experience from any company we work with, including

  If you’re a regular listener of MakingChips podcast, you’ll know, we often talk about the core values of a manufacturing company as a major component of successful company culture.

Martin Trunnion Tables began as a small family-owned garage shop I started in 1993. I like to say I made the original unit “out of laziness”, and that’s not far from the truth. Actually, I got tired of handling parts, so I designed and built the