Manufacturing Happy Hour

Digital, real, real, digital. It sounds simple, but it's rewriting how a warehouse gets designed.
Joel Thomas has spent over a decade in the Intralogistics space and now leads OEM Sales Data Center and Life Sciences at Siemens. Markus Thiel just crossed the six month mark as Head of Intralogistics, after years on the manufacturing operations and supply chain side of the business.
Chris caught up with both of them live in Atlanta during MODEX, over a Weiss beer and a pilsner at Halfway Crooks. They talk about what Intralogistics is, and how it's changed since the days of pallet jacks and conveyor belts.
From there the conversation covers the industry engineer shortage, robotics, AGVs versus AMRs, why standardization is becoming such a hot topic among vendors, and what a warehouse looks like when it's designed digitally.
In this episode, find out:
How the day-to-day work of moving goods within a warehouse has changed over the past decade
The shift to robotics, AGVs, and AMRs, and why orchestrating all of it is now the hard part
Why standardization is gaining ground even though flexibility with vendors used to be the priority
How AI is being used to spot bottlenecks and predict maintenance
What edge computing means for a warehouse
What it takes to build a digital twin, and why Siemens tests new technology in its own factory first
Whether a conveyor-less warehouse is realistic, and who's already exploring it
Why e-commerce has been the single biggest driver of growth in the industry
What's next for the space, software-defined automation and the IT/OT layer

Enjoying the show? Please leave us a review here. Even one sentence helps. It’s feedback from Manufacturing All-Stars like you that keeps us going!
Tweetable Quotes:
"We want more individualized goods, and we want it faster and sooner, so that thing will not stop. It will further accelerate. It's great to see all the technology which is helping that development.” - Markus Thiel, Head of Intralogistics at Siemens
“It was always about taking off your professional hat, and just being a person. Go out and talk to people and just introduce yourself. The one great thing that you can do in this industry is say, ‘Can I help?’” - Joel Thomas, Director of OEM Sales Data Center and Life Sciences at Siemens
”If you asked me 7 years ago, I would say that Europe was way ahead when it came to automation technology. Now, I think the US has caught up, if not maybe surpassed it.” - Joel Thomas, Director of OEM Sales Data Center and Life Sciences at Siemens

Links & mentions:
Siemens Intralogistics provides intelligent material handling tech that empowers intralogistics to meet demands and overcome challenges via AI-enhanced automation and sustainable design.
MHI the nation's largest material handling, logistics and supply chain association - active since 1945.
Halfway Crooks Beer is the Atlanta brewery where this episode was recorded, known for traditionally brewed lagers in the Summerhill neighborhood.

Make sure to visit http://manufacturinghappyhour.com for detailed show notes and a full list of resources mentioned in this episode. Stay Innovative, Stay Thirsty.

Fine tuning manufacturing like a guitar - that's the kind of parallel you can expect from this episode.
This week Chris sits down with Rush LaSelle, CEO at Fathom, recorded on site at their Hartland, Wisconsin facility over a Spotted Cow beer. Rush's path into manufacturing started at Fanuc, moved through the early and unproven days of mobile robotics, and later took him into the highly regulated world of healthcare automation.
They get into digital manufacturing today, how the Kiva and Amazon story changed the way people think about robotics and logistics, and why more defense spending doesn't automatically mean more manufacturing capacity. Rush also breaks down what this week's news around CMMC Phase 2 means for manufacturers who have already put in months of work preparing for it.
Along the way, Rush makes one of the more memorable comparisons we've heard on the show, describing the people on his shop floor as creatives, and manufacturing itself as something closer to art than you might expect.
In this episode, find out:
How an early mobile robotics deal turned out to be worth $775 million, and what it taught the industry
How digital manufacturing evolved from CAD drawings to full supply chain integration
Why additive manufacturing has moved way past its prototyping only reputation
What manufacturers need before they can scale up to meet rising defense demand
Why the pause on CMMC Phase 2 has left some manufacturers in a tricky spot
How Rush sees manufacturing as a form of art, and why he calls his machinists creatives
What's driving the ongoing talent war in manufacturing, and why skilled machinists take years to develop
Why Rush believes physical AI is the most exciting shift happening in the industry right now

Enjoying the show? Please leave us a review here. Even one sentence helps. It’s feedback from Manufacturing All-Stars like you that keeps us going!
Tweetable Quotes:
“There is a talent war going on where everybody's trying to get the right level of folks on the floor. Despite all the automation and the augmentation, you still need talented people out there. The curve to get to a level three machinist is about seven years on the job.” - Rush LaSelle, CEO at Fathom
“You take all the data that's available in these monstrous data farms and you start applying them to physical AI. Physical AI, in our case, could be getting better control over our machines, instead of 80% of our programming done on CNCs, making it 98%.” - Rush LaSelle, CEO at Fathom
“We've had an erosion of our industrial base. You need to have 20, 30, 50 years' worth of visibility to revenue to put hundreds of millions of dollars in place. And the government doesn't always give you that level of visibility.” - Rush LaSelle, CEO at Fathom

Links & mentions:
Fathom Manufacturing helps companies simplify part sourcing with 25+ advanced manufacturing technologies and support services, all built around the way real programs actually move. Core capabilities include additive manufacturing, injection molding, CNC machining and sheet metal fabrication, with support across engineering, finishing, inspection, assembly and production.
New Glarus Brewing Company philosophy is based on individuality, cooperation, and the employment of 100% natural ingredients to produce world-class, handcrafted beers like Spotted Cow, for our friends in Wisconsin.

Make sure to visit http://manufacturinghappyhour.com for detailed show notes and a full list of resources mentioned in this episode. Stay Innovative, Stay Thirsty.

Two worlds that have never previously spoken the same language are now building the same machine.
This week Chris sits down with David Nichols, CEO, Co-Founder and Engineer at Loupe, an alum of the show making his return. We are also joined by Kristen Quasey, Architecture & Portfolio Sales Manager, and Jan Bajorat, Senior Director of Software-Defined Automation, both at Siemens, for this special bonus episode of Manufacturing Happy Hour, live from Automate 2026.
Together they get into software-defined automation, what that looks like on the shop floor, and why it's picking up momentum right now.
David shares the story behind SASE, the Society of Automation Software Engineers, and what it felt like building a community around an idea before most of the industry had caught on. Kristen and Jan bring the perspective of a company adapting to a new generation of engineers and a shifting global workforce.
In this episode, find out:
What David means when he compares software-defined automation to a "chocolate and peanut butter" combination.
Why David describes SASE as starting from a place of desperation rather than strategy.
How Kristen and Jan see a new generation of engineers changing what companies need from automation.
How building the software of a machine before its mechanics has changed what David's team was able to deliver.
How a distributed team can fix a production issue without setting foot on the plant floor.
Why Jan believes software-defined automation is what makes industrial AI possible at scale.
Why global workforce shortages are pushing manufacturers toward a software-defined approach.
Why software-defined automation is not the same thing as software automation.

Enjoying the show? Please leave us a review here. Even one sentence helps. It’s feedback from Manufacturing All-Stars like you that keeps us going!
Tweetable Quotes:
“If we can make it through this phase where we're kind of out in the wilderness, it's great. We're excited about what the next 10 years are going to look like, and I hope a lot of it looks like this.” - David Nichols, CEO, Co-Founder and Engineer at Loupe
“When you have certain devices that are typically on the hardware side and you have a software-defined approach, you can now scale much quicker and be a lot more flexible.” - Kristen Quasey, Architecture & Portfolio Sales Manager at Siemens
“With so many unfilled jobs that you need, you need a huge step. You need to drastically change, and this is what SCA is about. It's a big step up. It's not a small incremental thing.” - Jan Bajorat, Senior Director of Software-Defined Automation at Siemens

Links & mentions:
Loupe is an engineering organization serving machine builders by providing control systems and developing software for automated equipment.
Siemens is a leading technology company focused on industry, infrastructure, mobility, and healthcare. The company’s purpose is to create technology to transform the everyday, for everyone.
SASE is a community of engineers who are converging and completely revolutionizing software practices and automation.

Make sure to visit http://manufacturinghappyhour.com for detailed show notes and a full list of resources mentioned in this episode. Stay Innovative, Stay Thirsty.

What does it take to build something well, on purpose, in a world that keeps pushing you to move faster?
This week Chris sits down with Tyler Mincey, Co-Founder and General Partner at Baukunst, a San Francisco and Boston based collective of creative technologists that also runs an early-stage venture fund. Tyler opens up about where the name Baukunst comes from and what building with intention means to him, drawing on a path that started with the touchscreen on the original iPhone at Apple.
Tyler breaks down research Baukunst has been running on AI adoption on the factory floor, talking through the different stages companies move through as they bring it into their operations. He gets into where the hype lines up with what he's seeing and where it doesn't, and challenges the idea that manufacturing is behind on technology.
The chat also turns to what AI could mean for the people doing the work day to day, not just the businesses putting it in place.
In this episode, find out:
How Tyler's work on the original iPhone influenced his approach to building physical products.
The meaning behind the name Baukunst and what "artful building" means to Tyler.
What it took to build deep, trusted manufacturing partnerships during his time at Apple.
Tyler's non-linear career path from engineering into digital design and venture capital.
Why Baukunst formed research organizations/study groups to research AI and manufacturing.
The stages companies move through as they bring AI into their operations.
Where AI is already delivering results on the factory floor, and where the hype outpaces reality.
Why the human side of AI adoption matters, and what the shift from bank tellers to ATMs can teach us.

Enjoying the show? Please leave us a review here. Even one sentence helps. It’s feedback from Manufacturing All-Stars like you that keeps us going!
Tweetable Quotes:
“Part of the reason I'm hungry for artful building is that there’s a whole lot of coulda but not a lot of shoulda in how we develop technology these days, where we feel like we're just rushing and accelerating towards an inevitable future that feels dystopian.” - Tyler Mincey, Co-Founder and General Partner at Baukunst
“I love people talking about how much of a will gap versus a skill gap we have in manufacturing these days. It's really an attractive place to work for the future and its inspiring for the next generation of engineers, of industrial labor and of operations professionals.” - Tyler Mincey, Co-Founder and General Partner at Baukunst
“Getting back to the human face, I think it's within our power to build different things too. And I think really holding our feet to the fire, asking ‘do we want to live in a world where things work this way’ is another gut check that I'm very passionate about.” - Tyler Mincey, Co-Founder and General Partner at Baukunst

Links & mentions:
Baukunst is a collective of creative technologists advancing the art of building. Our inaugural $100M venture fund is dedicated to leading pre-seed investments in companies at the frontiers of technology and design.

Make sure to visit http://manufacturinghappyhour.com for detailed show notes and a full list of resources mentioned in this episode. Stay Innovative, Stay Thirsty.

What happens when a former SpaceX engineer decides manufacturing software needs to be completely reimagined?
In this special live episode of the podcast, recorded at Arts District Brewing in Los Angeles as the final stop on the Golden State Takeover Tour, Chris sits down with Karan Talati, CEO and Co-Founder of First Resonance, to explore one of manufacturing's biggest transformations: the convergence of AI, software, and reindustrialization.
Karan shares the story of growing up around manufacturing in Chicago, his experience during SpaceX's explosive growth, why he founded First Resonance, and how AI agents are poised to automate some of manufacturing's most tedious work while enabling the next generation of advanced manufacturing companies.
Along the way, they discuss why Southern California has quietly become one of the world's most exciting manufacturing startup ecosystems, and why we're only at the beginning of manufacturing's next chapter.