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It's the fourth and final week of the monthlong solo efforts by our host Jim Vinoski and his deep dive into the crisis in American shipbuilding.

This week's episode focuses on identifying solutions to the tremendous problems we face.

Jim discusses a number of the solutions his research has identified for the crisis, emphasizing the need for a stronger Navy presence and consistent ship orders to support existing shipyards. He highlights the impact of regulatory costs and labor issues, advocating for a national consortium to review regulations and improve workforce development. Jim supports the Ships for America Act for public funding to boost shipbuilding but acknowledges potential unforeseen consequences. He calls for studying successful shipbuilding nations like China and Europe to learn best practices.

At the end, however, Jim expresses skepticism about the likelihood of implementing these solutions due to current political priorities and the utter insanity of much of our "expert" class.

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It's the third week of solo efforts by our host Jim Vinoski to do a deep dive into the crisis in American shipbuilding. This week's episode is focused on identifying the causes of the problems.

Jim discusses the crisis in American shipbuilding, citing historical inefficiencies and current challenges. He references articles by Brian Potter, Colin Grabow, Inu Manak, Daniel Ikenson, and Samuel Czwartacki to highlight issues like high labor and input costs, the impact of unions, and protectionist laws like the Jones Act. Post-WWII, America's share of global shipbuilding dropped from 60% to 2%. He notes the decline in shipyards from 50 to 14 and the shift from ocean-going vessels to barges. Vinoski criticizes current policies and regulations, advocating for deregulation and domestic mining to support the industry.

Highlights:
00:00 - Problems in the American Shipbuilding Industry
04:29 - Impact of the World Wars, and the Post-War Period
06:45 - Decline in Shipbuilding Capabilities
10:26 - The Specific Causes

Here are the links to the resource articles:

https://www.noahpinion.blog/p/why-cant-the-us-build-ships

https://www.cato.org/publications/policy-analysis/jones-act-burden-america-can-no-longer-bear

https://americarenewing.com/issues/primer-deterioration-abuse-and-waste-in-the-shipbuilding-industry/

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It's a second week in a row with a solo show by our host Jim Vinoski!

Jim discusses the reluctance he has encountered repeatedly in his efforts to address the crisis in American shipbuilding. Despite significant declines—from 60% to 0.3% of global ocean-going shipbuilding capacity—and critical national security implications, many experts and high-ranking officials avoid the topic like the plague. Jim cites examples of ghosting and political pressures as some of the possible reasons for this silence. He emphasizes the urgency of addressing the issue, noting the U.S.'s current Navy strength, and the need for collaboration with allies.

Highlights:
00:00 - Shipbuilding Crisis in America: Introduction and Background
03:15 - Challenges in Engaging with Shipbuilding Experts
04:32 - Potential Reasons for the Reluctance to Discuss Shipbuilding
07:45 - Call to Action and Future Plans

Jim plans to explore potential solutions in future episodes, urging open dialogue to prevent a decline similar to Great Britain's fall from greatness.

Resources:
- Our show with Brent Sadler: https://youtu.be/vSkzceC7gJs
- John Konrad's gCaptain website: https://gcaptain.com/
Jim Vinoski's Forbes shipbuilding article: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jimvinoski/2025/11/28/can-america-recover-from-its-shipbuilding-crisis/

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This week we've got a solo effort by our host, Jim Vinoski.

He's going over the basics of an article from a year ago last September by Brian Potter with the same title as our episode.

Jim discusses the decline of American shipbuilding, highlighting that the U.S. now holds only 0.3% of global shipbuilding capacity, producing about five ships annually, while China produces over 1,000. He references an article by Brian Potter, noting that American shipbuilding has been uncompetitive since the days of wooden ships. Factors include rising labor costs, government regulations, and lack of investment. Vinoski emphasizes the need for government focus and investment to improve shipbuilding quality and competitiveness, suggesting that a national strategy is required to address these challenges.

Highlights:
00:00 - Introduction
01:30 - Historical Context and Decline in Shipbuilding Capacity
02:15 - Challenges in American Shipbuilding
04:05 - Government and Industry Influences on Shipbuilding
07:55 - Efforts to Improve Competitiveness
09:26 - Future Directions and Call to Action

We'll be devoting all of January to the shipbuilding topic, so tune in next Tuesday for more!

In the meantime, here's the link to Brian Potter's excellent article.

https://www.construction-physics.com/p/why-cant-the-us-build-ships

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Nick Reinhart has a good chunk of the answer.

Nick founded Kreate, which makes toolboxes and storage totes for Home Depot, and a whole lot more.

Nick discussed his company's rapid growth in plastic injection molding in the U.S. since 2018. Kreate operates four facilities with 110 machines, employing 600 associates, and has an exclusive partnership with Home Depot. The company focuses on advanced automation, including AI and servo-driven machinery, reducing labor costs to 1.5-2%. Nick emphasized the importance of skilled trades, proper wages, and continuous investment in technology. Future plans include expanding into the $2.4 billion outdoor self-composting toilet market and acquiring more companies. He highlighted the need for capital, deep know-how, and a committed workforce to reindustrialize America.

Highlights:
00:00 - Introduction
02:22 - Kreate's Product Categories and Market Position
04:47 - Advancements in Automation and AI
08:42 - Challenges and Opportunities in Manufacturing
11:58 - Future Growth and Expansion Plans
18:13 - Attracting and Retaining Skilled Workers
25:00 - Create's Engineering Capabilities

There is so much good stuff here... you really owe it to yourself to tune in for the whole thing.

Here are a couple of useful links:

Kreate: https://kreate.com/
Krevera: https://www.krevera.com/

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Across the industrial world, everybody is TALKING about autonomy and AI-enabled production.

What most people are actually DOING, meanwhile, is scratching their heads over how the heck to use all the data they already gather.

That's where Oleksandr Khimiak from Advisource AB and their Factory Cortex service come in.

What a treat to chat with Oleksandr and talk honestly about what the real needs in our factories are versus the pie-in-the-sky flying car dreams.

Oleksandr dove into what Factory Cortex can do for your operation. It's a cognitive layer for manufacturing processes. He highlighted the structural crisis in Western manufacturing due to globalization, talent drain, and generational knowledge gaps.

Factory Cortex helps by combining Lean Six Sigma with data science to identify and address root causes of issues like unplanned stops and quality defects. Oleksandr emphasized the importance of understanding problems before implementing solutions and shared a five-phase implementation process. He noted that Factory Cortex makes your existing data streams actionable by integrating with existing systems, like your ERP and MES. The approach aims to transform manufacturing culture from firefighting to continuous improvement.

Highlights:
00:00 - Introduction
04:47 - Challenges in Modern Manufacturing
10:56 - Impact of Micro Stops and Firefighting in Manufacturing
20:33 - Introduction to Factory Cortex
24:24 - Integration with Existing Systems and Custom Solutions
30:00 - Assessment and Implementation Process
33:28 - Final Thoughts and Contact Information

This one is chock-full of good, useful information if you're right there in the trenches in manufacturing. Check out the whole thing.

Oleksandr's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oleksandr-khimiak/
Advisource AB: https://www.theadvisource.com/

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What great fun this episode was!

Jay Dekmar, founder of Lok Grips, had us out to his Wyoming, Michigan, shop to record right on the factory floor and hear all about how he founded his business and what he's got going on.

Jay shared his journey from a tool and die apprentice to owning a successful pistol grip manufacturing business. Initially, he faced challenges in the job shop market but found success with pistol grips, starting in 2014. By 2018, he focused solely on grips. Today, Lok Grips employs 32 people and uses 15 CNC machines, with 40% automated. Jay emphasized the importance of automation, which has increased efficiency and job satisfaction. He also discussed future plans to expand into base pads and magazine extensions, targeting a $500 million market.

Check out the whole show, and do swing over and have a look at our companion "Welcome to the Machine" piece on just what Jay and his team do to make their superb grips: https://youtu.be/kCyTZJ9kTqQ

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When aren't you in cost-cutting mode in manufacturing? "Never" is indeed the right answer.

But is all cost-cutting effective? "No" is the right answer.

But Chuck Deise is here to help with that.

Chuck, from EFESO Management Consultants, joined us to discuss strategies for sustainable cost-cutting in your industrial business. He highlighted a survey EFESO did with Industry Week, revealing 85% of companies face severe cost pressure, with 91% having more aggressive targets for 2025 and expecting the same aggressiveness for next year.

Chuck emphasized the need for standardized, digitized processes and organizational models to achieve 10-15% cost savings. He stressed the importance of reliability, using advanced sensors and predictive maintenance to improve uptime. He also underscored the significance of a robust performance management system and cultural change to ensure long-term cost reductions and operational efficiency.

Highlights:
00:00 - Introduction
05:30 - Survey Findings on Cost Pressure and Cost Takeout Targets
10:45 - Challenges and Opportunities in Cost Takeout Programs
16:33 - Cultural Change and Operational Improvement
29:17 - Digital Strategy and Advanced Manufacturing Technologies

EFESO Management Consultants: https://www.efeso.com/
The EFESO/Industry Week survey: https://www.argoconsulting.com/resource-insights/2026-manufacturing-industry-report/
Chuck's email: charles.deise@efeso.com