by Paul Van Metre
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.
Language
🇺🇲
Publishing Since
5/16/2022
Email Addresses
1 available
Phone Numbers
0 available
April 19, 2025
<p dir="ltr">Most small manufacturers don’t realize they’re being quietly supported by one of the most impactful public-private partnerships in the country. The Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) has long been the hidden backbone behind training programs, grant facilitation, process improvements, and critical tech upgrades for shops across the U.S. But recent Federal decisions to defund these programs—without clear communication or reasoning—have sparked confusion and alarm among industry insiders.</p> <p dir="ltr">In this episode, a passionate roundtable of manufacturers and advocates reveals just how deeply the MEPs have shaped their businesses, supported workforce development, and opened doors to opportunity they couldn’t have accessed alone. From AR-integrated quoting tools to automation investment guidance, these stories show a clear economic impact that extends far beyond individual shops—right into the health of local communities and the national manufacturing strategy.</p> <p dir="ltr">If you're just hearing about MEPs now, you're not alone—but you are at risk. This conversation lays out what’s at stake, why it matters, and what you can do right now to help save a resource that quietly powers tens of thousands of manufacturers nationwide.</p> <p>YouTube: <a href= "https://youtu.be/WNjevmTNUu4">https://youtu.be/WNjevmTNUu4</a></p> <p>VideoAsk: https://www.videoask.com/fiyvfkcdd</p>
April 9, 2025
<p>buildings—I knew I had to talk to the guy behind it. In this episode, I sit down with Billy Hogge, the second-generation leader of Screwmatics out of Pageland, South Carolina. His story is incredible. His parents started the company 37 years ago with just two screw machines, and today it’s grown into one of the largest and most efficient high-volume machining operations I’ve ever seen.</p> <p>We talk about how Billy and his team have scaled so effectively by staying relentlessly sales-driven—even when they’re at capacity—and by reinvesting in automation, Swiss and CNC machines, and lights-out manufacturing. One of the wildest things he shares? Their top six customers today weren’t even customers five years ago. That’s how aggressive and strategic their growth has been.</p> <p>We also dive deep into workforce development. Billy’s all-in on building the next generation of machinists, partnering with local schools, serving on state workforce boards, and even helping shape tech school curriculums. He shares some great tips for how to find and keep good people—and how to help them grow within your team.</p> <p>Whether you’re running a small job shop or a larger operation, there’s something here for everyone. Billy offers so much wisdom on machine strategy, culture, sales, and what it really takes to grow and modernize a shop in today’s market. This one’s packed with insights, and I’m confident you’ll walk away inspired—and probably scribbling down a few action items.</p> <h2>You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in...</h2> <ul> <li>(0:22) Why you need to complete the Modern Machine Shop Top Shops Survey</li> <li>(1:50) Overview of Screwmatics’ size, history, and impressive 16-building campus</li> <li>(7:41) How they run lights-out automation and fully automated second shifts</li> <li>(9:13) Learn more about Screwmatic’s global client base</li> <li>(13:07) Billy’s personal journey into the business and rise to vice president</li> <li>(16:09) Achieving growth without a designated sales team</li> <li>(20:42) The secret sauce in Screwmatic’s process</li> <li>(25:45) Operating in a high-volume environment</li> <li>(28:20) Why Billy is always filling the pipeline with opportunities </li> <li>(35:54) Strategic machine investments using Section 179 with strong ROI focus</li> <li>(37:24) Partnering with schools and shaping curriculum for workforce development</li> <li>(45:17) Their culture of individual growth, flexible pay, and long-term employee success</li> <li>(48:09) Using ChatGPT to train operators on G-code and boost self-learning</li> <li>(50:00) The automation implementation process at Screwmatics </li> <li>(1:03:20) Why you need to listen to the Lights Out podcast</li> </ul> <h2>Resources & People Mentioned</h2> <ul> <li><a href="https://gardnerintelligence.research.net/r/MPTQ9L8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Complete the Modern Machine Shop Top Shops Survey</a></li> </ul> <h2>Connect with Billy Hogge</h2> <ul> <li><a href="https://screwmatics.com/site/" target="_blank" rel= "noopener">Screwmatics</a></li> <li>Connect on <a href= "https://www.linkedin.com/in/billy-hogge-271230158/" target= "_blank" rel="noopener">LinkedIn</a></li> <li>[email protected]</li> </ul> <h2>Connect With Machine Shop Mastery</h2> <ul> <li>The <a href="https://machineshopmastery.com/" target= "_blank" rel="noopener">website</a></li> <li><a href= "https://www.linkedin.com/company/machine-shop-mastery/" target= "_blank" rel="noopener">LinkedIn</a></li> <li><a href= "https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJXlmhnbdq-_1SjU30w0GOw" target= "_blank" rel="noopener">YouTube</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/machineshopmastery/" target= "_blank" rel="noopener">Instagram</a></li> </ul> <p><strong>Subscribe to Machine Shop Mastery on</strong></p> <p><a href= "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/machine-shop-mastery/id1624547281" target="_blank" rel= "noopener"><strong>Apple</strong></a><strong>, </strong><a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/6wlfCZk8NUxjhFctkQiqMR" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Spotify</strong></a></p> <p><br /> Audio Production and Show Notes by - <a href= "https://www.podcastfasttrack.com" target="_blank" rel= "noopener"><strong>PODCAST FAST TRACK</strong></a></p>
March 26, 2025
<p>How do you go from being the kid who couldn’t sit still in class to leading the machine shop for one of Elon Musk’s most ambitious ventures?</p> <p>In this gripping and often jaw-dropping episode, I sit down with Jim Cooney—Head of the Machine Shop at Neuralink—for a raw and refreshingly honest conversation about resilience, reinvention, and the unconventional road to mastery in machining. </p> <p>While Jim isn’t a shop owner (my usual guest profile), his story offers every bit of the leadership lessons, grit, and insight that Machine Shop Mastery is known for.</p> <p>From his humble beginnings as a high school co-op student in Canada, Jim details how a lack of direction became fuel for a deeply hands-on journey into the world of machining. With stories of brutal old-school shop cultures, tools thrown across the room, and managers who trained with tough love (and zero patience), Jim paints a vivid picture of how adversity shaped his technical excellence and emotional resilience.</p> <p>But what really sets this episode apart is Jim’s transition from traditional tool & die work to the heart of Silicon Valley innovation. His career path took him from automotive stamping in Ontario to leading critical manufacturing efforts at Tesla, Apollo Fusion, and now Neuralink. He shares what it’s like building high-stakes, high-tech parts under pressure—and how working insane hours during Tesla’s “production hell” made him sharper, faster, and more adaptable.</p> <p>If you want a peek into the mindset and muscle it takes to thrive in a fast-paced, bleeding-edge manufacturing environment—or you're looking for inspiration on how to grow through adversity—this episode delivers in spades. </p> <h2>You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in…</h2> <ul> <li>(0:00) Jim kicks off with a fun story about getting a missile export license</li> <li>(0:14) Why you should complete the Modern Machine Shops Top Shops Survey</li> <li>(1:42) Learn about Jim Cooney and his unique journey in manufacturing</li> <li>(4:35) Jim shares how struggling in school led him to discover machining</li> <li>(8:00) Stories from his early days in tough, old-school Canadian machine shops</li> <li>(10:44) Jim explains Canada’s apprenticeship system and earning his Red Seal</li> <li>(14:19) Jim’s first exposure to CNC and CAM at Massiv Die Form</li> <li>(20:04) Why Jim quit on the spot after being massively undervalued</li> <li>(22:13) How Jim moved into machining instruction at a college</li> <li>(25:46) How teaching machining and coaching hockey built his leadership skills</li> <li>(28:27) A surprise text leads Jim to Tesla during “production hell”</li> <li>(31:17) Wild stories from Tesla’s stamping department and nonstop chaos</li> <li>(34:21) Navigating the die process at Tesla (repair work)</li> <li>(38:15) Creating a game-changing apprenticeship program inside Tesla</li> <li>(40:41) Moving into the startup world with Apollo Fusion and later Astra</li> <li>(46:00) Facing burnout, broken promises, and the tough side of acquisitions</li> <li>(48:58) Quitting Astro and joining Neuralink the day he got his green card</li> <li>(51:49) Jim’s experience working at Neuralink (and their trajectory)</li> <li>(57:12) Jim’s process choosing the machinery they needed</li> <li>(1:00:15) Building and growing a team with a high standard of excellence</li> <li>(1:03:37) Skills to acquire if you aspire to be in leadership</li> <li>(1:06:33) Why you need to check out the Lights Out podcast</li> </ul> <h2>Resources & People Mentioned</h2> <ul> <li><a href="https://gardnerintelligence.research.net/r/MPTQ9L8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Complete the Modern Machine Shops Top Shops Survey</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.tesla.com/" target="_blank" rel= "noopener">Tesla</a></li> <li><a href="https://neuralink.com/" target="_blank" rel= "noopener">Neuralink</a></li> </ul> <h2>Connect with Jim Cooney</h2> <ul> <li>Connect on <a href= "https://www.linkedin.com/in/-jim-cooney/" target="_blank" rel= "noopener">LinkedIn</a></li> </ul> <h2>Connect With Machine Shop Mastery</h2> <ul> <li>The <a href="https://machineshopmastery.com/" target= "_blank" rel="noopener">website</a></li> <li><a href= "https://www.linkedin.com/company/machine-shop-mastery/" target= "_blank" rel="noopener">LinkedIn</a></li> <li><a href= "https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJXlmhnbdq-_1SjU30w0GOw" target= "_blank" rel="noopener">YouTube</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/machineshopmastery/" target= "_blank" rel="noopener">Instagram</a></li> </ul> <p><strong>Subscribe to Machine Shop Mastery on</strong></p> <p><a href= "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/machine-shop-mastery/id1624547281" target="_blank" rel= "noopener"><strong>Apple</strong></a><strong>, </strong><a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/6wlfCZk8NUxjhFctkQiqMR" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Spotify</strong></a></p> <p><br /> Audio Production and Show Notes by - <a href= "https://www.podcastfasttrack.com" target="_blank" rel= "noopener"><strong>PODCAST FAST TRACK</strong></a></p>
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