A 100-Year Manufacturing Journey: Navigating Change While Honoring Legacy w/ Matthew Feldman and Mike Feldman

The Manufacturing Executive · 10 Feb 2026 · 33m · Episode 296

What this episode covers

Matthew and Mike Feldman, Co-Presidents of Yula Corporation, discuss how their third-generation family business survived 100 years in the Bronx by pivoting from commodity HVAC to high-spec pharmaceutical engineering. They explain the operational impact of digitizing workflows, implementing CNC machinery, and undergoing an ERP implementation to replace manual processes. The conversation highlights the cultural shift driven by lean manufacturing consultants, which improved efficiency and employee retention through internal promotion and a collaborative three-co-president leadership structure.

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • Manufacturing Happy Hour · 42m

    Buying a Manufacturing Company with No Experience featuring Everyday Technologies' Cody Lee

    Cody Lee, President and Owner of Everyday Technologies, explains his journey of acquiring the 100-year-old metal fabrication company in 2021 despite having no prior manufacturing experience. He details the critical decision to implement a Plex ERP system to replace antiquated processes, aiming to solve capacity planning issues and improve financial visibility. Lee also discusses the unexpected challenges of managing working capital and cash flow, as well as his strategic focus on revitalizing the brand and building a high-accountability workforce to scale the business.

  • Lights Out · 52m

    Carrying the Legacy Forward: Yuto Matsuura on Family, Precision, and the Future of Automation, Ep #23

    Yuto Matsuura, fourth-generation leader of Matsuura Machinery, discusses the transition from inheriting a century-old family business out of obligation to finding genuine passion through international education and honoring his grandfather's legacy. He explains that Matsuura's reputation for 'lights out' automation stems from extreme build quality and precision (within 2 microns), which ensures process reliability in high-mix, low-volume environments. Matsuura emphasizes that successful automation adoption requires standardization of tools and processes to retain setups, and highlights the critical importance of internal ERP systems and recruiting to address labor shortages.

  • Manufacturing Happy Hour · 40m

    BONUS: A Digital Transformation Story from Rockwell Automation

    Bob Murphy, former Senior Vice President at Rockwell Automation, and Scott Feldman from Accenture discuss Rockwell's enterprise-wide digital transformation journey. Murphy details how consolidating 26 plants into 18 required standardizing 12 ERP systems and over 1,000 shop-floor applications, leading to the creation of a unified MES organization. The conversation covers the shift from internal factory optimization to end-to-end supply chain integration, emphasizing the need for executive sponsorship, proof of value over proof of concept, and incremental scaling to overcome cultural resistance.

  • Manufacturing Happy Hour · 46m

    160: Buying a Manufacturing Company and Reimagining Upskilling with Bill Berrien, CEO of Pindel Global Precision

    Bill Berrien, CEO of Pindel Global Precision, explains his strategy of acquiring a legacy machine shop and transforming it by investing in advanced CNC technology and a rigorous upskilling program. He details how Pindel shifted from low-value, multi-operation parts to high-complexity, single-operation machining, allowing them to capture more value through automation. Berrien emphasizes a 'hire for attitude, train for skill' philosophy, citing examples like promoting a janitorial worker to CNC operator, and discusses using AI tools like Otter.ai and ChatGPT to streamline training and administrative tasks.

  • Manufacturing Happy Hour · 39m

    End-to-End Digital Transformation with Bob Murphy and Scott Feldmann

    Bob Murphy, Senior VP of Connected Enterprise Consulting at Rockwell Automation, and Scott Feldmann from Accenture’s Industry X.0 team discuss Rockwell’s enterprise-wide digital transformation. They detail how consolidating 26 plants into 18 and standardizing on FactoryTalk ProductionCenter enabled a global MES implementation, creating a 'digital thread' across the supply chain and product lifecycle. The guests emphasize that successful transformation requires aligning technology with redesigned processes and cultural shifts, moving from proof-of-concept to scalable proof-of-value.

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