Hardware Podcasts

How Hybrid Work Impacts Company Culture with Blentech CEO Dan Voit

Manufacturing Happy Hour · 24 Aug 2021 · 56m

What this episode covers

Dan Voit, CEO of Blentech, a Bay Area food technology company, explains how his firm navigated the pandemic by accelerating three key initiatives: implementing a unified Salesforce-based PLM (Propel) and ERP (Rootstock) system, expanding its Cooker Cloud IoT platform for remote commissioning, and formalizing a hybrid work model. Voit details how these technologies enabled Blentech to maintain supply chain resilience, reduce lead times, and support global equipment startups during travel restrictions. He emphasizes that successful remote work requires deliberate relationship building, habit formation, and distinguishing between tasks suited for asynchronous work versus those requiring in-person collaboration.

Most relevant to

companies scaling up

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Blentech
Products
Propel, Rootstock, Cooker Cloud, Artisan Intelligence System
Tools
Salesforce, Strava
Also
The Power of Habit

Related episodes from other shows

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • EE Times Current · 40m

    Managing in a Pandemic | Intel: Meet The New Boss | Arm @ 30

    NXP CTO Lars Reger discusses how the company adapted to pandemic-era remote work, highlighting increased productivity, the need for work-life balance hygiene, and a shift to goal-based management. Jim McGregor, principal analyst at Tirias Research, analyzes Intel's hiring of Pat Gelsinger as CEO, arguing that Gelsinger's external experience at VMware provides a necessary visionary perspective to address Intel's manufacturing stumbles and competitive challenges from AMD. Finally, Arm's Chet Babla reflects on the company's 30-year history, its deep integration into the automotive industry through low-power architecture, and the strategic importance of electrification and ADAS in modern vehicles.

    Leadership, teams & cultureMicrocontrollers & dev platforms
    5 chapters

  • Oxide and Friends · 1h 57m

    The Future Of Work

    Bryan Cantrill and Adam Leventhal of Oxide Computer Company host a discussion on remote work, joined by Lucas Ives from Apple and Matt Campbell from VMware. They analyze the shift from office-centric models to hybrid and fully remote arrangements, highlighting how tools like Google Meet, Webex, and Microsoft Teams have evolved to support asynchronous communication and recorded meetings. The group debates the value of in-person 'pilgrimages' for team bonding against the benefits of remote flexibility, noting that while large tech companies like Apple and Google are mandating return-to-office policies, many employees prefer the autonomy and reduced commute of remote work. Key decisions discussed include Oxide's strategy of recording all meetings to create an searchable knowledge base and their commitment to periodic in-person gatherings despite the costs.

    Leadership, teams & cultureCareers & education
    12 chapters

  • EMS@C-LEVEL · 21m

    EMS@C-LEVEL Season #1 Episode #2 with Creative Electron's Dr. Bill Cardoso

    Dr. Bill Cardoso, CEO of Creative Electron, explains how his company pivoted its manufacturing operations during the COVID-19 crisis by decentralizing assembly to eight locations in San Diego County to maintain production of x-ray systems. He details the adoption of AI-driven autonomous inspection and the shift to 'X-ray as a Service' (XAS), allowing remote operation of equipment via virtual laboratories. Cardoso also discusses leadership strategies, including a '20-mile march' philosophy and a results-oriented culture, which allowed the company to avoid layoffs and sustain growth despite supply chain disruptions.

    Manufacturing partners & offshoringAI & machine learning
    8 chapters

  • EMS@C-LEVEL · 37m

    EMS@C-LEVEL Season #2021 Episode #8 with Anna-Katrina Shedletsky, Instrumental

    Anna-Katrina Shedletsky, CEO and founder of Instrumental, discusses how the pandemic accelerated digital transformation in electronics manufacturing, validating her prediction of five years of innovation in 18 months. She explains Instrumental’s cloud-based platform that collects engineering data from across the supply chain to identify defects and improve first-pass yield, moving away from opaque, just-in-time models toward resilient, data-driven collaboration. Shedletsky highlights the shift from Capex to Opex for manufacturing technology and the critical need for transparency between brands and Contract Manufacturers (CMs) to solve problems faster.

    Scaling productionManufacturing partners & offshoring
    9 chapters

  • Over the Air · 33m

    Managing 250 Million Messages Per Day

    Eric Simone, Founder and CEO of ClearBlade, discusses the company's evolution from a services firm to a product-led Industrial IoT platform. He details the painful transition in 2013, including retooling staff and handling employee departures, and explains their strategic bet on edge computing before it was mainstream. Simone highlights ClearBlade's 'intelligent assets' platform, which allows non-technical operators to manage connected devices via no-code tools while remaining flexible for developers, and outlines their future focus on deploying AI models at the edge.

    Connected products & IoTLeadership, teams & culture
    7 chapters

The summary, chapters and topics are generated from the episode’s audio by this directory, not written by Manufacturing Happy Hour. The episode itself belongs to its publisher.