Most engineers know how to draw parts.But very few truly understand how machines actually make them.That gap between CAD design and manufacturing reality is the real reason “simple” engineering designs turn into expensive problems on the shop floor — blown budgets, delayed production, frustrated machinists, and parts that never behave the way they looked on screen.In this powerful episode of Manufacturing Runs The World, we break down why so many engineering designs fail in real production — and why the problem usually isn’t the machine, the shop, or the quote… it’s the disconnect between design and how parts are actually made.If you’ve ever wondered why a part that “should” cost $150 suddenly costs $10,000…Why machinists push back on drawings…Or why production timelines explode after design sign-off…This episode will fundamentally change how you see engineering and manufacturing.Jeremy Wagley is a manufacturing leader at Engineered Tooling & Manufacturing (ETM) with more than 30 years of hands-on experience across sheet metal fabrication, CNC machining, welding, grinding, and shop-floor operations. He started his career on the CAD side, becoming highly skilled at drawing parts — but like many engineers, he didn’t fully understand the real-world consequences of his designs until he began making those parts himself.That shift — from screen to shop floor — taught him something most engineering programs never do: machine intuition.This episode exposes the real gap between CAD design and manufacturing reality. Modern CAD software like SolidWorks, AutoCAD, and Fusion 360 makes designing fast and visually perfect. But real manufacturing isn’t clean lines and ideal geometry — it’s tooling limitations, setups, tolerances, recalls, bending constraints, material behavior, welding time, grinding time, inspection, rework, and human labor.When engineers ignore those realities, costs explode and production slows.Jeremy shares unforgettable, real shop-floor stories that reveal the hidden risks behind manufacturing decisions — including building a massive robot chassis that was dropped off a truck and scrapped, and producing hundreds of parts for a client who went bankrupt, leaving the shop surrounded by inventory no one could ship or sell.These stories aren’t just entertaining — they expose the business realities behind quoting, fabrication, and production that most engineers never see until it’s too late.This episode is for:Mechanical engineersManufacturing engineersProduct designersCAD designersMachinists and fabricatorsShop owners and operations managersEngineering and trade studentsIf you work with CNC machines, press brakes, laser cutters, welding stations, grinding rooms, or use tools like SolidWorks, Fusion 360, AutoCAD, or Mastercam, this conversation will help you design better parts, reduce manufacturing cost, and avoid painful redesigns.CHAPTERS00:00 Introduction01:52 Meet Jeremy Wagley03:40 CAD Without Shop Experience04:14 Learning by Making05:30 Shop Culture & Reality06:33 Old vs New Manufacturing08:04 Wild Shop-Floor Stories09:14 Pretty CAD vs Reality09:50 $10,000 vs $150 Parts10:05 Robot Chassis Story11:09 Client Bankruptcy Reality12:52 Manufacturing Lessons That StickA big thank you to our sponsors for supporting Manufacturing Runs The World and helping us share real stories from the factory floor.🔹 Ellison TechnologiesEllison Technologies delivers advanced manufacturing solutions and machine tools that help shops work smarter, faster, and more competitively.🔹 GSC – Industry Leading Reseller of SOLIDWORKS & Markforged 3D PrintersGSC is one of the nation’s leading resellers of SOLIDWORKS CAD software and Markforged industrial 3D printers, empowering engineers and manufacturers with cutting-edge design, simulation, and additive manufacturing solutions.

Manufacturing automation is changing the future of work—and industrial robots are not doing what most people fear.Instead of “robots taking jobs,” the real story inside modern manufacturing often looks very different: robots can help protect jobs, stabilize factories, and make work safer.When people hear factory automation, they imagine machines replacing humans and empty production floors. But after sitting down with Danielle Vigent, Robotics Development Engineer at Formic, that assumption quickly falls apart.Danielle doesn’t talk about robotics like a sales pitch.She talks about it with purpose.She describes her role as “bringing robots into the world”—and what she really means is guiding automation from concept to reality, in a way that actually works for people on the factory floor.Because real industrial automation isn’t just a robot arm on a line.It’s the full journey: from customer commitment to site validation, CAD layouts, warehouse measurements, factory acceptance testing, installation, rate testing, and hands-on training—until the system is running in the real world.Danielle starts by walking the factory floor.Not relying on plans alone. Not just listening to management.She looks for the binder—the real production sheets showing what’s actually being built. That’s how automation gets designed to fit the space, the process, and the people doing the work.One of the most powerful stories in this episode comes from a legacy snack factory in Ohio.This is the kind of plant that keeps a small town alive.Generations of workers. Real pride. Real livelihoods.But the company was struggling.They needed automation—but couldn’t risk a massive capital expense. Hiring was difficult. Labor was tight. Growth felt stalled.Instead of selling equipment and walking away, Danielle’s team offered something different:Robots as a Service.No massive upfront cost.No financial cliff.A partnership model where success only happens if the system actually runs.They automated one line—and that single step unlocked momentum. Leadership could say yes to growth without betting the company. Automation became an operating expense instead of a risky capital expenditure leap.

Danielle Vigent is a Robotics Development Engineer at Formic, where she works on deploying robotics and automation solutions that help manufacturers grow without massive capital investment. Her work focuses on practical, human-centered automation — using robots to strengthen factories, protect jobs, and build long-term sustainability.CHAPTERS00:00 – Robots Are the Fun Part of Manufacturing01:24 – What She Really Does With Robots02:05 – Site Validation: “Show Me the Binder”02:56 – “I Bring Robots Into the World”03:18 – Choosing the Right Systems Integrator04:09 – Getting Hands Dirty on Install Day04:51 – Robots as a Service (Partnership Model)06:11 – Why Faster Deployments Matter07:14 – The Ohio Snack Factory Story08:32 – Automation Without Big CapEx09:23 – “Robots Are Taking My Job” Fear10:15 – From Fear to Excitement10:59 – The Magic of the First Robot11:24 – When the Robot Starts MovingA big thank you to our sponsors for supporting Manufacturing Runs the World and helping us share real stories from the factory floor.🔹 Ellison TechnologiesEllison Technologies empowers manufacturers with advanced CNC machines, automation, and expert support—helping shops work smarter, faster, and more competitively.👉 https://ellisontechnologies.com🔹 GSC – 3D & AutomationGSC is one of the nation’s leading resellers of SOLIDWORKS CAD software and Markforged industrial 3D printers, empowering engineers and manufacturers with cutting-edge design, simulation, and additive manufacturing solutions.👉 https://gsc-3d.comYour support helps keep these conversations about manufacturing, automation, and leadership alive. Thank you for investing in the future of industry.

Can strong manufacturing leadership really fix a toxic work culture?In this full episode of Manufacturing Runs The World, I sit down with Jim Chew, CEO and President of JenFab Cleaning Solutions, to explore a real manufacturing turnaround—where a factory rebuilt its culture by leading without fear, yelling, or point systems.What if the future of manufacturing isn’t about machines…but about how we treat people?Jim Chew is a former Army officer, West Point graduate, and longtime manufacturing leader who walked into a broken factory culture—and rebuilt it into one of the most people-centered leadership models in modern manufacturing.Jim runs a shop where:• People feel safe• Leadership has their back• Skill growth leads to real pay growth• Culture matters more than controlAnd here’s the part that stops most leaders cold:99% of his workforce is made up of second-chance employees—formerly incarcerated men and people in recovery.Most leaders wouldn’t touch that model.Jim built his entire culture around it.From Old-School Fear to Modern Leadership:When Jim walked into this company, it looked like too many factories still do:• Yelling and screaming• Point systems• Break buzzers• HR write-ups instead of leadership• People leaving for $1 more an hourTurnover was massive.Safety was broken.Trust didn’t exist.So he changed everything—not with fear, but with people.The Second-Chance Factory:Jim believes you can’t lead people shaped by trauma, addiction, or incarceration the same way you lead spreadsheets.So he studied:• Neuro-leadership• Brain science• Trauma and behavior• Learning under pressureAnd built a shop with:• No yelling• No point systems• No fear-based control• Only accountability, safety, and respectThe result?Safety incidents dropped to world-class levels.Turnover nearly disappeared.People started believing leadership actually cared.💰 He Chose People Over ProfitWhen the company was losing money, the easy move was:• Freeze pay• Cut people• Slash benefitsJim did the opposite.⏱️ Chapters / Timestamps00:00 – Morning + quick opener00:13 – Celtics / Rhode Island small talk00:38 – “Manufacturing is dirty, boring, dying” (misconception)00:44 – What this channel is really about00:56 – Why Jim + JenFab is a story worth telling01:16 – West Point → Army → business leadership01:49 – Private equity world + running a manufacturing company02:22 – COVID shock + “rational fear mode” decisions03:06 – Values-first leadership: people at the center03:26 – The breaking point: messing with 401(k) for shop-floor workers04:20 – Why firing people around the holidays is toxic05:19 – Old-school factory culture: yelling, points, write-ups05:50 – The bombshell: 99% second-chance workforce06:46 – Safety turnaround: TRIR 12 → world-class (without threats)08:00 – Pay tied to skill growth + fairness systems08:35 – The financial turnaround: $3M swing + cutting losing products09:46 – Turnover 40%/month → nearly zero resignations11:16 – “Wednesday Workouts”: leadership training that sticks11:59 – Better pay, better benefits + lean improvement12:33 – Final thoughts: people over profitA big thank you to our sponsors for supporting Manufacturing Runs the World and helping us share real stories from the factory floor.🔹 Ellison TechnologiesEllison Technologies empowers manufacturers with advanced CNC machines, automation, and expert support—helping shops work smarter, faster, and more competitively.👉 https://ellisontechnologies.com🔹 GSC – 3D & AutomationGSC is one of the nation’s leading resellers of SOLIDWORKS CAD software and Markforged industrial 3D printers, empowering engineers and manufacturers with cutting-edge design, simulation, and additive manufacturing solutions.👉 https://gsc-3d.comYour support helps keep these conversations about manufacturing, automation, and leadership alive. Thank you for investing in the future of industry.