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🚨In the News

Industry reports are showing baby boomers rejoining the workforce after retirement at record high rates. Retirees heading back to work were 4.4% in 2024, down from 5.5% in 2023, but still well above pre-2020 levels of 2-3%.

Experts point to financial incentives (saying 40% of baby boomers think they might outlive their savings).

My take is that my 80-year-old dad is bored out of his mind. And he can still run the hell out of a plant if he wanted to.

And in manufacturing we keep chasing the "next generation workforce" (which is needed, btw) but we are also ignoring people who actually know how things get made.

If the boomers still want to work, I say let them. There’s a lot of untapped knowledge there. And we still need it.

🏭 Manufacturing Minute

Universal truth:

You can judge the strength of any manufacturing team by what they sacrifice first when the pressure hits.

Walk into any plant during a crisis, and you'll see the same pattern play out:

• Preventive maintenance → "We'll catch up next month"
• Training programs → "When things calm down"
• Process improvements → "Nice to have, not need to have"
• Root cause analysis → "Just fix it and keep moving"

Sound familiar?

The very things that get cut first are exactly what would prevent the crisis from happening again.

I've watched plants stuck in this death spiral for years. They're so busy fighting fires that they never have time to install sprinkler systems.

Meanwhile, the operations that thrive? They do the opposite. When pressure mounts, they double down on prevention. They know that short-term pain saves massive long-term headaches.

Next time your operation hits a rough patch, ask yourself:

What gets protected? What gets sacrificed?

Your answer reveals everything about your leadership philosophy—and your future.

The bottom line: 

Strong leaders make the hard choice to invest in tomorrow, even when today is screaming for attention.

As promised, tactical manufacturing in under 60 seconds.

P.S., Whether you're trying to make sense of Industry 4.0, struggling with legacy systems, or just need a sounding board from someone who's navigated similar waters, let's talk. Book Your 30-Minute Strategy Call →