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Artwork for Machine Shop Mastery

Machine Shop Mastery

Paul Van Metre
Machine Shop Industry
Manufacturing
Aerospace
Workforce Development
Automation
Lean Manufacturing
Leadership
Family Business
Aerospace and Defense
Entrepreneurship
Job Shops
Business Diversification
Additive Manufacturing
Bankruptcy
Networking
CNC Machining
Manufacturing Extension Partnership
Oil and Gas
Machine Shops
Proshop

The Machine Shop Mastery Podcast helps to elevate the importance of the machine shop industry and reveal the secrets of success for machine shops, to inspire other shop owners or would-be shop owners to follow their passions, start and grow their shops to be an economic driver for our economy and their stakeholders.

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes143Founded4 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
EntrepreneurshipBusiness

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Artwork for Machine Shop Mastery

Latest Episodes

What happens to a family-owned machine shop when there's no next generation ready to take over? Too often, the doors close, the equipment goes to auction, and decades of knowledge scatter. Mark Hagedorn saw a chance to write a different ending—for tw... more

Buying a machine shop looks simple on a spreadsheet. Leland Licciardi and Kirsten Failing share what it looks like once you own it. They took over a shop founded in 1944 four years ago, and I wanted to walk through how they got there: the two years o... more

Most of us were taught to guard our processes. Brett Lister built a group around doing the opposite—and it's paying him back in work, tooling, and knowledge. I sat down with Brett to talk about Open Tolerance, the collaboration group he runs out of B... more

Every machine shop has an origin story, but not many start with a drill press on the family dining room table and grow into a company machining 276-inch wing spars for military aircraft. In this episode, I sit down with Joey Schmucker and Alyssa Da C... more

Key Facts

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Recent Guests

Leland Licciardi
President of Fairchild Precision Parts, with an engineering and manufacturing background at Lockheed Martin
Fairchild Precision Parts
Episode: 140. Buying a Machine Shop: Due Diligence, Systems, and the First Four Years with Fairchild Parts
Kirsten Failing
Vice president of operations at Fairchild Precision Parts with experience in industrial engineering and management consulting
Fairchild Precision Parts
Episode: 140. Buying a Machine Shop: Due Diligence, Systems, and the First Four Years with Fairchild Parts
Brett Lister
Owner of B&B Dynamic Machining and founder of Open Tolerance
B&B Dynamic Machining
Episode: 139. From Startup Shop to Industry Connector: Brett Lister's Story
Alyssa Schmucker
Co-owner of Volumatic, aerospace structural components
Volumatic
Episode: 138. From a Dining Room Drill Press to 276-Inch Wing Spars: The Volumatic Story
Joey Schmucker
Co-owner of Volumatic, long-time employee and leader
Volumatic
Episode: 138. From a Dining Room Drill Press to 276-Inch Wing Spars: The Volumatic Story
Kirby Bedsaul
GM/President of Chris King Precision Components
Chris King Precision Components
Episode: 137. Building More Than Parts: How Chris King Creates Products, Jobs and Community
Sebastian Montalvo
Founder/leader, M3 Aerospace
M3 Aerospace
Episode: 136. Building a Precision Business, Not Just a Precision Shop with M3 Aerospace
Gavin Giguere
Founder of Reign Manufacturing, startup machine shop owner
Reign Manufacturing
Episode: 135. From Zero to a Running Machine Shop in Months: Gavin Giguere's Startup Story
Assa Gill
Owner of Rise Machine Works, small machining shop in Rose North, Manitoba
Rise Machine Works
Episode: 134. A New Shop Startup based on E Myth Principles - Assa From Rise Machine Works

Host

Paul Van Meter
Host of Machine Shop Mastery

Reviews

4.9 out of 5 stars from 81 ratings
  • Great Content!

    I really appreciate Paul’s interview approach with this podcast and the reason why he’s doing. I’ve learned so much about the challenges that this industry is facing. A huge help as I continue to work with clients in this industry.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    BriOn!
    United States8 months ago
  • Great leaders sharing wisdom

    I can’t get enough of this show. The guests (and Paul 😂) are so real and relatable. If you’re in the machining industry, or any for that matter, the leadership lessons are gold.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Machineshopdude
    United States10 months ago
  • Love these stories

    I like that this is less tech focused and is more the stories and people who run these shops. Paul is authentic with his style and I appreciate that.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    JudyCNC12
    United Statesa year ago
  • Extremely valuable Mfg podcast

    If you own/operate a manufacturing facility, you need to constantly be educating yourself with the latest and greatest methodologies others are deploying across the sector. There is no better place to do that than Machine Shop Mastery.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    johnnydr@ma
    United Statesa year ago
  • MakingChips

    Great podcast! I’m excited to see how this show will grow now that it is a part of the MakingChips series of manufacturing shows.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    ToolingGuy
    United States2 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

The show is appreciated for its focus on people, culture, and long-term growth over purely technical content.
Listeners praise practical, actionable insights for running a shop.
Audience finds the content inspiring and useful for attracting clients and talent.
Hosts and guests are valued for their authenticity and real-world experience.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

140. Buying a Machine Shop: Due Diligence, Systems, and the First Four Years with Fairchild Parts
Q: What would be some of the best advice you would give someone who might be interested in buying a shop someday?
Leland recommends learning the manufacturing industry and machine shop workflow before buying. Kirsten advises buyers to understand their risk tolerance and prepare for the responsibility of managing people as well as owning a business.
140. Buying a Machine Shop: Due Diligence, Systems, and the First Four Years with Fairchild Parts
Q: Can you explain the process of doing due diligence and looking at the books and coming up with your own pro forma calculations of what you're going to do?
Leland says they first studied how to buy a business, reviewed its finances and customer base, submitted an LOI, investigated SBA financing and seller financing, and hired a third-party accountant. Kirsten adds that, with hindsight, they would assess the machinery more carefully and make more grounded projections.
139. From Startup Shop to Industry Connector: Brett Lister's Story
Q: If someone out there is inspired by just how you're building this community, any just first tips and tricks for them to do that in their own local area?
Lister recommends attending a local networking event, meeting other shop owners, and telling them you plan to start a group. He says more people may be willing to participate than organizers expect.
139. From Startup Shop to Industry Connector: Brett Lister's Story
Q: How did you decide to start doing these meetups, and what's that evolving into now?
Lister says the idea began with the mastermind-group concept in Think and Grow Rich, then evolved into Open Tolerance, a collaboration group where shop owners share knowledge and increasingly pass work to one another. He later added virtual meetings to include owners who live too far away to attend in person.
138. From a Dining Room Drill Press to 276-Inch Wing Spars: The Volumatic Story
Q: What are the biggest challenges today?
Hiring and volatile material pricing are top challenges; the shop adapts by faster pricing, material locking when possible, proactive communication with customers, and pursuing expedited lead times when feasible.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Machine Shop Mastery

What is Machine Shop Mastery about and what kind of topics does it cover?

The show centers on the practical realities of running and growing machine shops, with episodes profiling family-owned shops, lean transformations, and scaling into high-value manufacturing segments like aerospace and defense. Across conversations, listeners hear hands-on leadership, workforce development, and the strategic use of automation, ERP systems, and branding to drive growth. Noteworthy threads include navigating succession in family businesses, adopting certifications and quality systems, and leveraging storytelling and community partnerships to attract customers and talent. These elements likely appeal to shop owners, operators, and industry leaders seeking actionable, real-world guidance and inspiration for sustainable growth.

Where can I find podcast stats for Machine Shop Mastery?

Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for Machine Shop Mastery. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to Machine Shop Mastery and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.

How many listeners does Machine Shop Mastery get?

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What are the audience demographics for Machine Shop Mastery?

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How many subscribers and views does Machine Shop Mastery have?

To see how many followers or subscribers Machine Shop Mastery has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to Machine Shop Mastery?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Machine Shop Mastery:

1. Machine Shop Growth
2. Making Chips Podcast for Manufacturing Leaders
3. Buy the Numbers
4. Manufacturing Transformed: Real Shops, Real Stories
5. Lights Out: Technology and Automation Podcast by MakingChips

How many episodes of Machine Shop Mastery are there?

Machine Shop Mastery launched 4 years ago and published 143 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact Machine Shop Mastery?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

Where can I see ratings and reviews for Machine Shop Mastery?

Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for Machine Shop Mastery from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.

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How do I access podcast episode transcripts for Machine Shop Mastery?

Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of Machine Shop Mastery. Search within each transcript for your keywords, whether they be topics, brands or people, and figure out if it's worth pitching as a guest or sponsor. You can even set-up alerts to get notified when your keywords are mentioned.

What guests have appeared on Machine Shop Mastery?

Recent guests on Machine Shop Mastery include:

1. Leland Licciardi
2. Kirsten Failing
3. Brett Lister
4. Alyssa Schmucker
5. Joey Schmucker
6. Kirby Bedsaul
7. Sebastian Montalvo
8. Gavin Giguere

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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