You can count on Philly to bring the energy!
Recorded live in King of Prussia, just outside Philadelphia, at the final stop of the Northeast leg of the All-American Manufacturing Summer Tour. This episode features the loudest, most engaged crowd Chris has had on the show yet.
Ashley, Brett, and Matt open the show with a look at what makes the Philadelphia manufacturing ecosystem tick, and why collaboration, not competition, might be the region’s biggest advantage. Hannah and Greg then join Matt to talk workforce development, and some of the most creative approaches to the talent shortage you’ll hear on the show all year.
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3 Quick Things from this Episode
- Real collaboration beats quiet competition. Groups like Open Tolerance encourage Philadelphia shops to trade work, share equipment, and share knowledge with businesses that would traditionally be seen as competitors, because the real competition is overseas, not down the street.
- A disadvantage can become a business’s biggest strength. Locating a shop in a busy, high-tax city, or hiring from a workforce with different cultural backgrounds and holidays, both turned into real competitive advantages once the businesses leaned into them.
- Solving the talent shortage starts with perception, not just training. From a basketball program building a pathway into skilled trades, to a resource center putting career awareness directly in front of students and parents, the guests made the point that how young people see the trades matters just as much as how well they’re trained.
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Tweetable Quotes
- “That’s a competitive advantage for us when we’re hiring from a diverse group. Our spindles are running more.” – Matt Bruner, President & Co-Founder at American Precision Works
- “What makes Philadelphia great is that now we have that willingness to change. Philly is really spearheading that campaign to make manufacturing and the collaboration between all of us more open” – Ashley Watkins, Sales & Marketing Manager at JBM Technologies
- “I don’t hide any of my prints when we do the group meetings. I’m not afraid of anyone coming in and stealing my work.” – Brett Lister, Youth Basketball, Business Owner at B&B Dynamic Machining
Please Scroll Down for Recommended Resources from this Episode
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What We Discuss in Philly
- What inspired one shop owner to build a group where members share equipment, knowledge, and even trade secrets with people who’d traditionally be seen as competitors
- Why locating a machine shop in the heart of Philadelphia, despite the traffic, parking, and wage tax, turned out to be a competitive advantage
- How a youth basketball nonprofit ended up building a skilled trades program for teenagers who don’t want to go to college
- Why the region’s defense industry is driving serious demand for skilled manufacturing workers
- What convinced a group of manufacturing leaders that hiring from a more diverse talent pool is a genuine business advantage, not just the right thing to do
- What it really takes to change how an entire generation sees a career in the trades
Recommended Resources
- CliftonLarsonAllen, presenting partner for the All-American Manufacturing Summer Tour, offering industry-focused wealth advisory, outsourcing, audit, tax, and consulting services.
- MaintainX, presenting partner for the tour, helping frontline teams streamline maintenance, standard operating procedures, and more from a mobile device.
- NTMA (New Jersey/Pennsylvania Chapter of the National Tooling and Machining Association), a local partner organization supporting manufacturers with resources, events, and a national network.
Connect with Matt Bruner | Gregory Thomson | Hannah McGarry | Ashley Watkins | Brett Lister
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