In this explosive second installment of our manufacturing audio drama, The Automation Trap, we return to the saga of Gary and his struggling shop, Iron Clunk Machining. Desperate to prove himself and catch up to his more successful rival Klaus, Gary dives headfirst into automation—but without the foundational principles that make automation work. The result? A perfect storm of waste, burnout, and broken trust.

Through vivid storytelling, the Lights Out team unpacks the brutal consequences of automating without strategy. We see veteran machinists demoted to deburring, quality control falling apart, and a lonely cobot churning out parts no one can use. The shop floor becomes a textbook case of lean gone wrong: overproduction, motion waste, inventory overflow, and worst of all—unused employee creativity.

But the story isn’t just about failure. It's a hard look at leadership missteps and the redemptive power of collaboration. When Gary finally hits rock bottom, the very competitor he resented—Klaus—offers him a lifeline and a fresh start. Along the way, we explore why lean thinking matters, what value stream mapping really looks like, and how to turn chaos into clarity.

If you’re leading a shop through automation or scaling up with tight margins, don’t miss this episode. It's raw, real, and packed with lessons you can’t afford to learn the hard way.

• (0:20) Invest in your shop by investing in ProShop ERP
• (4:07) How the audience is relating to Gary’s story
• (5:23) A breakdown of lean’s eight wastes—and how they show up
• (12:13) The team recaps Gary’s struggles
• (13:54) Scene 1: The cobot goes live, but chaos erupts—flawed parts, angry employees, and mounting delays
• (19:53) Grow your top and bottom line with CLA
• (20:33) Scene 2: Deburring, quality, and morale collapse as Gary isolates his team
• (26:13) Scene 3: Gary's marriage and shop fall apart as his machine monitoring data lies
• (27:25) Scene 4: Gary misses out on hiring Sarah, who joins Lean Stream instead
• (30:11) Scene 5: Klaus offers Gary a second chance—if he’s willing to commit
• (34:12) What Gary (and the audience) can learn from pausing to evaluate the real bottlenecks
• (37:31) Scene 6: Gary begins the process of transformation—with Klaus as a mentor
• (39:13) Reflections on community, leadership, and what’s next for Gary
• (41:08) Reasons you should listen to Machine Shop Mastery

• The 8 Wastes of Lean
• The Goal

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What happens when a desperate shop owner tries to copy someone else’s success—without understanding the system behind it?

In this episode of Lights Out, Nick and Kaleb are joined by their friend and workholding expert Eric Nekich to break down the first chapter of a fictional story that might hit a little too close to home.

“The Automation Trap” follows Gary, the stressed-out owner of IronClunk Machining, who’s drowning in inefficiency and envy—especially after touring Klaus’s pristine, automated, award-winning shop. Gary’s heart is in the right place. But what happens when he throws his last dollars at a cobot, lowballs a high-stakes job, and hopes for a miracle?

We explore why copying someone else’s automation playbook can backfire, how the wrong KPIs (like spindle utilization) can lead you astray, and why automation should never be the first step in a struggling shop. We also dig into red flags around collaborative robots, the danger of skipping process readiness, and the importance of shop culture and team buy-in.

Whether you see yourself in Gary or Klaus—or somewhere in between—this episode will challenge your thinking and spark some laughs along the way. This is part one of a story-driven series you won’t want to miss.

• (0:18) Invest in your business by investing in ProShop ERP
• (2:45) Welcoming Eric Nekich back to the show
• (3:47) Recapping the previous episode
• (5:24) Dinosaur vises, angry quality guys, and bad vibes
• (9:01) The real trap: automating before your process is ready
• (11:19) The Maestro moment: solving quality bottlenecks with automation
• (16:43) Enter Klaus: the lean legend with smiling operators and Modern Machine Shop awards
• (18:50) Is your envy even valid? Why copying Klaus might not make sense
• (20:57) Grow your top and bottom line with CliftonLarsonAllen
• (21:36) Gary’s backstory: loans, burnout, and a desperate dream
• (25:13) High mix vs. high volume: why the context matters
• (26:27) Team buy-in, financial transparency, and culture shifts
• (29:32) Spindle utilization vs. OEE: don’t get distracted
• (33:22) The cobot mistake: throwing money at a process you haven’t measured
• (35:59) Pallet vs. part loading: how to match automation to application
• (36:54) Cobot myths: it’s not collaborative unless the whole setup is
• (39:10) Cliffhanger: Gary wins the job—but he’s not ready to deliver
• (41:18) What Gary should’ve done instead: value stream mapping and expert help
• (45:51) Why you should listen to Machine Shop Mastery

• Keys to Maintaining a Manufacturing Leadership Mindset
• Workholding Evolves with Great Partnerships
• The Toyota Way
• The Goal

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• MakingChips.com

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Audio Production and Show Notes by - PODCAST FAST TRACK

What if going “lights out” wasn’t about giant robots or million-dollar cells—but about one simple mindset shift?

In this kickoff to our new Automation Academy series, we break down the truth behind successful automation. Spoiler: it's not just about buying a robot. It's about building a stable process, defining standards, and rethinking what’s possible in your shop. Whether you’re already dabbling in automation or still think it’s “not the right fit,” this episode is your wake-up call.

We get real about the labor gap, international competition, and why automation is no longer optional—it’s a matter of survival for shops in North America. Then we get practical. We talk through what automation readiness actually looks like, how to run no-risk simulations, and what most shops get wrong when they rush into technology.

If you’ve ever said, “We’re not the kind of shop that can automate,” this one’s for you. Because the first step to lights-out isn’t a machine—it’s a decision.

• (0:23) Why investing in ProShop ERP is investing in your business
• (2:51) Launching the Automation Academy and why it matters
• (5:58) Breaking the myth: “We’re not the right shop for automation”
• (9:30) Labor cost comparisons and reshoring pressure
• (12:00) Automation as a path to upskilling, not layoffs
• (15:17) Mapping your process before automating anything
• (17:59) Why standardization is the real foundation for automation
• (19:58) How to simulate lights-out before buying equipment
• (21:51) How to grow your top and bottom line with CLA
• (23:01) Monitoring, readiness, and proving ROI from the start
• (28:59) Managing cultural resistance and getting team buy-in
• (31:43) Infrastructure checklist: air, power, network, layout
• (37:34) Why cobots aren’t a magic bullet (and what to ask first)
• (41:00) Wrapping up with key takeaways and what’s next in the series
• (43:10) Why you need to listen to Machine Shop Mastery

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• MakingChips.com

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Audio Production by PODCAST FAST TRACK