The Manufacturing Automation Podcast
Michael and Matt talk about company philosophies and operating systems, industrial marketing for automation B2B companies, how they structure their lives/work-life-balance, and much more.
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Hiring Smarter, Scaling Faster: Engineering Leadership & Automation Growth Strategies
<p>In Episode 60 of the Manufacturing Automation Podcast, Michael Gimbel (Gimbel Automation) and Matt Moseman (Developed LLC) dive deep into the real-world challenges and wins of scaling industrial automation companies. From hiring high-caliber engineering talent to fixing production bottlenecks, this episode is packed with insights for anyone in manufacturing, CNC automation, robotics integration, engineering leadership, and industrial operations.<br></p><p>This week, the guys break down:</p><p>Michael shares how bringing on a VP of Engineering instantly moved the needle across R&D, product refinement, and throughput — and why he regrets not making the hire sooner.</p><p>Th...
Scaling Automation: Real Talk with Michael & Matt
<p>Hosted by: Michael Gimbel (Gimbel Automation) & Matt Moseman (Developed LLC)Platforms: Spotify • Apple Podcasts • YouTubeThe Manufacturing Automation Podcast is where two automation-obsessed founders pull back the curtain on what it really takes to build, scale, and lead modern industrial automation companies.Every week, Michael and Matt jump into an open, unfiltered conversation about:• Growing and running automation companiesReal talk about backlog management, hiring struggles, team leadership, burnout, wins, screwups, and everything in between.• Sales & Marketing in the industrial worldFrom ad spend efficiency to SEO, attribution tools, content strategy, demos, and how deals actually get closed in a B2B manufact...
Lead-Time Leverage: ROAS Breakthroughs, Email-Gated CAD & Subassembly Outsourcing
<p>Matt and Michael compare notes on a surprising truth: pushing lead times out actually improved close rates—and sanity. Michael shares how a few e-commerce fixes (cleaner checkout, aggressive email capture) plus Meta + Google PMax ads are finally delivering real ROAS, while Matt walks through shop-floor wins—from 1701’s palletized case-packing speeds to kicking off a multi-robot project. They dig into vendor-built subassemblies, a company-wide shift to metric, and email-gated Fusion CAD embeds that trade downloads for qualified contacts. The through-line: stop brute-forcing growth; eliminate steps, raise the bar, and let systems carry the load.</p>
Breaking the Sine Wave: Hiring Smart, Scaling Sanely, and Staying Sane
<p>Matt and Michael open up about the hardest phase of growth yet—scaling while exhausted. From sorting through 500+ job applicants to navigating burnout, trade show fatigue, and the fine line between serving customers and setting boundaries, this episode gets real about what it takes to run a growing manufacturing business.</p><p>They cover trial-day hiring tests, customer scope creep, and the chaos of being your own head of engineering, sales, and ops all at once. Matt shares lessons from three back-to-back trade shows, and Michael reflects on how to rebuild systems, protect margins, and stop living in the “urge...
Delegation, Drama, and Data: The Growing Pains of Scaling Manufacturing
<p>Matt and Michael dive into the real-world challenges of scaling a manufacturing company—from letting go of control to navigating tough customers and trade show ROI. Michael reflects on learning to delegate, setting boundaries with unreasonable clients, and choosing which orders to take as demand grows. Matt, fresh off the MD&M trade show, shares how live events pressure-test both product and people—and how one broken AI sales tool turned into a valuable workflow lesson.</p><p>Together, they explore the balance between sales velocity and buyer confidence, why faster isn’t always better, and how to decide when a...
Builder to CEO: Scaling Smart, Letting Go, and Growing Without Breaking
<p>Matt and Michael sit down to unpack the growing pains that come with scaling from builder to CEO. From juggling trade shows and staffing shortages to fixing water jets and optimizing Shopify conversion rates, this episode captures what it really looks like to grow a manufacturing company in real time.</p><p>They discuss the balance between speed and control, the discipline of hiring slowly, and the struggle to delegate when production pressure is high. Michael reflects on hitting the limits of what worked for a $2M company—and what it takes to evolve toward a $4M operation—while Matt...
Trade Shows, Trust, and Team Building: Scaling Manufacturing Without the Chaos
<p>Matt and Michael talk about what it really takes to show up well—at trade shows and in business. They break down their evolving trade show strategy: why it’s not just about leads, but about relationship-building, visibility, and operational readiness. From planning booth logistics and displays to clarifying who’s in the booth (and why), they share how events like WESTEC are forcing better systems back at home base.</p><p>They also dive into team culture and hiring, discussing how to maintain high standards while keeping morale strong, plus lessons from recent hires who are reshaping how work g...
From Overdue Invoices to Onshoring Wins: Vendor Strategy, Hiring Pains & Incremental R&D
<p>Matt and Michael get candid about what it takes to scale manufacturing companies in 2025. Michael shares how “caring less” and enforcing reciprocity with customers—matching their cadence and demanding payment before implementation—has improved both cash flow and relationships. They discuss dealing with late invoices from billion-dollar corporations, the reality of tiered customer rules, and why sometimes dropping uphill battles (like bead-blast anodizing) makes everything smoother.</p><p>The conversation digs into vendor strategy: outsourcing only by referral, working with smaller shops as if they were part-time employees, and tracking accountability with a vendor Gantt chart. Matt pushes back, emphasiz...
Boundaries That Scale: Reciprocity, 24-Hour Proposals & Gantt Discipline
<p>Matt and Michael unpack how they’re shifting from firefighting to systems. They talk about rewriting core values around reciprocity (no pay, no play—match the customer’s cadence), and how fixing a broken mobile checkout button quietly tripled Shopify conversions. They share an SOP that lets the team turn complex proposals in under 24 hours (11 proposals in ~10 days), prep for an A3 certification audit, and roll out vendor- and customer-facing Gantt charts to make dependencies—and delays—undeniably clear. They also get real about AI tools breaking in production (why leverage beats replacement), delegating with Loom to small vendors, and even t...
Accountability and Alignment: Rethinking Sales, Marketing, and Engineering Leadership
<p>In this episode of the Manufacturing Automation Podcast, Michael and Matt reflect on how accountability—both with customers and within their teams—is reshaping the way they operate. From confronting delayed payments and setting clearer boundaries, to revising sales strategies and rethinking when to say yes to massive projects, they dig into the hard lessons of staying disciplined. The conversation also covers refreshing their marketing tools, updating the automation partner eBook, and the importance of hiring higher-caliber engineering leadership.</p>
