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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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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Most small manufacturers don’t realize they’re being quietly supported by one of the most impactful public-private partnerships in the country. The Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) has long been the hidden backbone behind training programs, grant facilitation, process improvements, and critical tech upgrades for shops across the U.S. But recent Federal decisions to defund these programs—without clear communication or reasoning—have sparked confusion and alarm among industry insiders.

In this episode, a passionate roundtable of manufacturers and advocates reveals just how deeply the MEPs have shaped their businesses, supported workforce development, and opened doors to opportunity they couldn’t have accessed alone. From AR-integrated quoting tools to automation investment guidance, these stories show a clear economic impact that extends far beyond individual shops—right into the health of local communities and the national manufacturing strategy.

If you're just hearing about MEPs now, you're not alone—but you are at risk. This conversation lays out what’s at stake, why it matters, and what you can do right now to help save a resource that quietly powers tens of thousands of manufacturers nationwide.

YouTube: https://youtu.be/WNjevmTNUu4

VideoAsk: https://www.videoask.com/fiyvfkcdd

What if the real sign of a thriving machine shop isn’t how hard the lights are on—but how confidently you can turn them off?

In this episode of Lights Out, we sit back down with Ryan Bankel of Imago Manufacturing to get into the guts of how a high-performing shop can run with minimal human presence and still crank out quality parts. This isn't about overnight success—it’s about obsessing, intelligently and intentionally, over what "lights out" actually takes, from tooling considerations to culture, chip control to checklists.

Ryan pulls back the curtain on how he reengineered not just his machines but his mindset. He breaks down the daily “Lights Out Checklist” laminated on every machine, the unsexy decisions that fuel unattended machining, and the radical belief that automation isn’t just about more parts—it’s about more life. With bourbon in hand and clarity on tap, we get real about boundaries, freedom, and the juice-to-squeeze ratio that drives modern manufacturing forward.

Whether you’re still tied to the spindle or just starting to imagine what your shop could look like without you in it, this episode offers a blueprint for rethinking everything—from how you spend your hours to how you scale your value. Automation isn’t just for the big guys. It’s for anyone ready to lead with intention, accountability, and maybe a little help from Bon Jovi.

• (00:00) Bourbon, broken phones, and kicking off part two
• (00:38) Why you should complete the Modern Machine Shop Top Shops Survey
• (03:10) Why “lights out” isn’t just for large shops
• (04:40) The role of positive constraints in Ryan’s business philosophy
• (08:09) Designing schedules for freedom—not burnout
• (11:55) Trust and autonomy: the cultural foundation of unattended machining
• (13:42) The case for decoupling the owner from the day-to-day
• (15:51) Live tooling, bar feeders, and why Okuma gets the job done
• (20:05) The Imago Manufacturing Daily Lights Out Checklist
• (21:38) The must-run-unattended mindset and its ripple effect
• (25:44) Ryan’s “three-day rule” for qualifying lights-out jobs
• (30:33) Real-world risks: scrap, tool failure, and power loss
• (33:48) Chip control, part ejection, and machine limitations
• (36:57) Checklist development from real pain points
• (41:27) Defining the juice-to-squeeze ratio and scoring process viability
• (44:09) How to access the Daily Lights Out Checklist + wrap-up
• (46:15) Check out the Buy the Numbers podcast!

• Complete the Modern Machine Shop Top Shops Survey
• How Ryan named Imago

• The Imago Manufacturing Daily Lights Out Checklist
• Imago Manufacturing
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Have you ever felt like the traditional path of working harder to get ahead isn't the answer? In this episode, Ryan Bankel, founder of Imago Precision Machining, shares the story of how he built his business from the ground up.

What started in a garage has grown into a company with a strong focus on sustainability and automation. Ryan talks about how he carefully crafted his shop’s operations to run smoothly, even without him being physically present. His goal? Time freedom—not just for himself, but for his employees, too.

As a self-taught machinist, Ryan didn’t follow the traditional path of learning in a formal setting. Instead, he honed his skills on the job, navigating the challenges of running a business while staying true to his vision.

He reflects on the tough early years, working long hours to make ends meet and building a company that would eventually allow him the flexibility he always dreamed of. Through trial and error, he developed a model that works for him—a model that combines quality, innovation, and a commitment to time freedom.

What stands out about Ryan’s journey is his approach to business growth. Unlike many entrepreneurs who focus on scaling for the sake of growth, Ryan has embraced a model that values sustainability and keeping the business at a manageable size. Ryan’s model prioritizes not just technology and automation, but also a strong shop culture and a sustainable pace of growth, challenging the common belief that bigger is always better.

His approach ensures that his shop maintains a strong, close-knit culture, while still embracing modern technologies and automation. Ryan’s story is a powerful example of how success doesn’t have to mean sacrificing your values or your time.

• (0:00) Introduction to Ryan Bankel
• (0:31) Why you need to take the Modern Machine Shop Top Shop Survey
• (3:38) Our tour of the Imago shop (including the suave bathroom)
• (6:53) How we connected with Ryan on LinkedIn
• (12:13) Ryan’s journey into metalworking
• (21:59) From running a shop to launching Imago
• (24:42) The significance of Ryan’s decision to keep his shop small
• (29:30) Bringing in new technology & keeping employees engaged
• (33:03) What “time freedom” means for Ryan
• (37:24) Ryan’s evolving vision for his business: What’s next?
• (39:11) Stay tuned for part 2 to learn how Ryan runs his business lights out
• (40:57) Why you need to check out the MakingSparks podcast

• Machine Shop MBA: How to Become a Top Shop
• Complete the Modern Machine Shop Top Shops Survey

• Imago Manufacturing
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In this episode of Lights Out, we’re joined by a true innovator in the manufacturing space, Al Whatmough, CEO of Toolpath. Al brings a wealth of experience from his time at Autodesk and his leadership at Toolpath, where he’s driving the next wave of automation in CNC machining. Together, we dive into the revolutionary role that AI is playing in reshaping manufacturing operations, offering fresh perspectives on how automation can enhance productivity and streamline processes on the shop floor.

Throughout the conversation, Al unpacks the exciting developments at Toolpath, including their acquisition of Chatter, a key technology that helps shops automate their operations more effectively. He shares his vision for the future of manufacturing, where AI doesn’t just automate processes but actively assists in decision-making, freeing up cognitive load for operators and improving workflow efficiency.

We also explore the challenges traditional shops face when integrating new technology and how bridging generational gaps in the workforce is crucial for embracing the full potential of automation.

This episode is a must-listen for manufacturing leaders looking to understand how AI and automation can create smarter, more agile operations. Al’s insights into the real-world applications of AI, along with his thoughtful reflections on industry trends, will inspire you to think differently about the tools you use and the systems you have in place.

• (0:00) Chatting about our time at the MFG Meeting 2025
• (3:06) Introducing Al Whatmough, CEO of Toolpath
• (3:40) Bridging the generational divide in manufacturing
• (6:20) Al's journey from Autodesk to Toolpath and what they aim to achieve
• (8:37) Building trust in AI and overcoming skepticism from more traditional shops
• (11:11) The acquisition of Chatter and how it enhances Toolpath’s capabilities
• (12:39) Why automation should focus on the mundane tasks to free up cognitive load
• (13:38) The dangers of chasing complex problems rather than solving simple ones
• (15:52) The importance of understanding customer needs and creating tailored solutions
• (18:13) The intersection of AI and existing technologies in modern manufacturing
• (21:24) Rethinking workflows with AI and improving the connection between tools
• (26:57) Know what you’re good at and learn to do it well
• (33:22) Reflections on the future of AI and automation in manufacturing

• Toolpath
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