Welcome to Manufacturing Minute!

I'm glad you're here.

Let's get to it.

But first, a word about doing more with less:

Are you stuck missing the production targets from 2 years ago while your budget hasn’t adjusted since COVID?

Most plant managers are sitting on 15-30% (maybe even 50%) untapped capacity, they just don't know where to look. At Axiom, we help you find it without buying new equipment, hiring more people, or waiting for next year's capital budget.

Ready to unlock what you already have?

Book Your (free) 30-Minute Strategy Call →

🚨In the News

Toyota unveiled a $912 million investment in American manufacturing facilities, highlighted by CEO Akio Toyoda donning a MAGA hat at a NASCAR event to signal support for pro-U.S. policies.

The funds will bolster EV battery production and assembly lines, aligning with broader automaker reshoring trends under new trade dynamics.

This is good to hear, but just remember… announcements aren't jobs.

Investments aren't transformations.

Photo ops aren't production.

Wake me up when the operators in Kentucky or Indiana are talking about new lines running and overtime checks.

🏭 Stop Building AI Committees. Start Giving Permission.

Visited a plant in Mentor, Ohio this week.

Not exactly the AI capital of the universe.

One controls guy. Some creativity. A process engineer sidekick.

They vibe-coded dashboards the floor actually wanted—not the kind management pushes down that everyone ignores. Operators competing to win the hour. Real engagement. Real results.

Now they're building a conversational AI assistant that learns and helps frontline workers crush it.

This isn't some executive science project. No steering committee. No 18-month roadmap. No Big 4 consultants.

Just local talent with permission to build.

Meanwhile, bigger companies down the road—wealthier, more resourced—are paralyzed. Stuck in functional hierarchy quicksand while a car wash equipment manufacturer in Northeast Ohio laps them.

Here's what makes Sonny's approach smart: they're not cowboys about it.

The engineer tests everything in controlled environments. Partners heavily with IT. And they're migrating the vibe-coded stuff into proper platforms like Ignition for scale and support.

AI accelerates innovation → innovation builds the case for change → change gets baked into robust systems.

That's the playbook.

We don't need more AI executive committees.

We need more controls guys with permission to build.

As promised, tactical manufacturing in a minute,

Ryan

P.S., if you are a nerd (like me), the next installment of my Manufacturing-themed D&D comic is out! See it here: