Manufacturing partners & offshoring
Manufacturing & supply chain
1,625 episodes across 51 shows cover manufacturing partners & offshoring. The shows that cover it most are EMS@C-LEVEL, The Amp Hour and The Startup CPG Podcast. The most recent, from 13 Oct 2026, is “306: From Systems of Record to Systems of Action: Putting AI to Work in Manufacturing with Sanjay Brahmawar” from Manufacturing Happy Hour.
Working with contract manufacturers, co-packers and factories: choosing them, China and overseas production, reshoring, audits, relationships and disputes.
1625 episodes from 51 shows, most relevant and most recent first.
1625 episodes
R&D RADIO: How to Audit a Co-Packer: The Food QA's Hermi Galstian Explains
Hermi Galstian, founder of The Food QA, explains to host Adam Yee how CPG founders can audit co-packers by distinguishing between food safety (preventing illness) and quality (consistency). She emphasizes that brands remain responsible for…
#257 Co-Man Due Diligence 101 with Riot Energy and Kelley Drye & Warren LLP
Laura Jakobsen, founder of Riot Energy, and Daniella Carelli, Special Counsel at Kelley Drye & Warren LLP, discuss the critical importance of co-manufacturer due diligence and contract negotiation for CPG brands. They emphasize that a…
e.l.f. Cosmetics: Joey Shamah. The Dollar Store Formula That Built a Cosmetics Giant
Joey Shamah, co-founder of e.l.f. Cosmetics, explains how he and partner Scott Vincent Borba launched a $1 makeup brand in 2004 by cutting out celebrity endorsements and premium packaging to focus on product quality and low-cost…
248. Xometry’s Oscar Lovera & How AI Is Rebuilding Manufacturing
Oscar Lovera, COO at Xometry, explains how the AI-powered manufacturing marketplace is digitizing the sourcing of custom parts by integrating design, quoting, and manufacturability feedback into a single workflow. He discusses the shift…
#227 - Operations Ask-Me-Anything with Jamie Valenti-Jordan
Jamie Valenti-Jordan, CEO of Catapult Commercialization Services, explains how early-stage CPG brands can navigate product development, sourcing, and manufacturing partnerships. He details the high costs of direct-to-consumer frozen…
240 - ICH Q13: Continuous Manufacturing, Batches, Residence Time Distribution and Control Strategy
Subhi Saadeh, founder of Let’s Combinate, explains the regulatory framework of ICH Q13, which addresses how pharmaceutical companies can apply traditional quality concepts like batch definition, traceability, and control strategy to…
Where it comes up0:00
MCC, Chapter 11, and what it might all mean
Adam Peek analyzes the Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing of Multi-Color Corporation (MCC), detailing how a 14% revenue decline and $4 billion debt-to-equity conversion resulted from private equity-driven cost-cutting and operational…
S3 E8: Navigating and Managing Contract Manufacturers with Peter Russo
Peter Russo, a hardware mentor and entrepreneur with 15 licensed brands and $250M in retail sales, shares strategies for managing contract manufacturers (CMs). He emphasizes treating CMs as internal departments, securing IP and tooling…
DeepDive 1-on-1 Series: EXECUTION READINESS - Verifying the Factory Before the Climb (30m42s)
Rob Carl, Founder & CEO of Global NPI Solvers, explains how to verify factory execution readiness before mass production, warning against the 'golden road' tours that hide cultural and process gaps. He details the risks of 'perfect…
U.S. Navy's Captain Deichler on AM in the Submarine Industrial Base
Captain Jason Deichler, Chief of Staff for Submarine Programs at the U.S. Navy, explains the Navy's strategy to achieve a 'one plus two' production goal (one Columbia-class and two Virginia-class submarines annually) by rebuilding a…
R&D RADIO: Building a Reliable Formula Brand with Casey Bauer, COO, Bobbie
Casey Bauer, COO of Bobbie, explains how the company maintains food safety as one of only four U.S. infant formula manufacturers by conducting over 2,000 safety and quality checks at multiple stages, from raw materials to finished cans. He…
#251 - Scaling the Brand: Ops, Systems, and Simplicity with Mezcla and Doss
Yoga Charya, President and COO of Mezcla, and Sebastiaan Debrouwe from Doss discuss how Mezcla scaled from a specialty retail niche to national distribution in Target, Whole Foods, and Costco. Charya explains their operational philosophy…
218 - ICH Q13: Continuous Manufacturing EXPLAINED (Batch vs. Continuous)
Subhi Saadeh, founder of Let's Combinate BioWorks, explains ICH Q13 guidelines for continuous manufacturing in drug-device combination products. He contrasts continuous flow with traditional batch processing, highlighting benefits like…
Where it comes up0:00
Ep 184: Earnings TSMC/ASML/AEHR, State of AI Semis
Hosts Ben Bajarin and Jay Goldberg analyze recent earnings from TSMC, ASML, and AEHR, discussing how AI-driven demand is reshaping semiconductor manufacturing. They detail TSMC's increased CapEx for advanced packaging, ASML's expansion of…
#248 - How to Work with a Formulator with Rebecca Urciuolo from BevSource (FB Solutions Group)
Rebecca Urciuolo, a formulator with 23 years of experience at BevSource (FB Solutions Group), explains the critical importance of writing a detailed project brief and using reference products to guide beverage development. She details the…
Custom Machined Parts: High Quality, Low Cost, Fast Turnaround
Aaron Moncur of Pipeline Design & Engineering announces the official launch of Pipeline's turnkey procurement service for custom machined parts, opening it to the public in 2026 after a successful internal and pilot phase. The service…
Where it comes up0:00
What Every Engineer Should Know About Contract Manufacturers
The episode serves as a promotional announcement for a free online webinar featuring Justin Bushko, principal at MedTech Manufacturing, who discusses common mistakes engineers make during design transfer and production handoff. The host…
Where it comes up0:00
Factory Firmware Flashing with Pete Staples
Pete Staples, founder of Blue Clover Devices, explains the disconnect between engineering and manufacturing, noting that factory firmware flashing is often a dusty, manual afterthought rather than a sophisticated process. He details how…
Episode 117: Talking Apple in China with Patrick McGee
Patrick McGee, author of 'Apple in China', explains how Apple’s massive investments and 'Apple squeeze' training programs inadvertently built China’s advanced electronics manufacturing sector, enabling companies like Foxconn, Luxshare, and…
PCB Metrology Gap: How SCAN Labs Is Automating Microsectioning
Geoffrey Leeds, founder of SCAN Labs, explains the 'metrology gap' between semiconductor and PCB industries, detailing how his company automates microsectioning to provide high-fidelity data for high-reliability sectors. He describes a…
Operator Spotlight: R&D Insights with Matt Craighead, R&D Manager Trubar
Matt Craighead, R&D Manager at Trubar, explains the end-to-end product development process for their vegan, gluten-free, soy-free protein bars, emphasizing that manufacturability often outweighs pure flavor perfection. He details how small…
#177 - Finding Your Co-Man: Lance Schwarzkopf of Copack
Lance Schwarzkopf, founder of Copack, explains the end-to-end process of finding and working with contract manufacturers (co-mans) for food and beverage brands. He details the critical pre-work required, including converting recipes into…
The picks-and-shovels strategy behind the robotics boom
Teddy Haggerty, founder and CEO of RoboStore and Robo Inc., explains his strategy of selling 'picks and shovels' in the robotics boom by focusing on distribution, education, and integration rather than building general-purpose humanoids…
Live Recording: the Missing Data for Physical AI
Eduardo Torrealba of Lumafield, Vikram Pavate of Tacta Systems, and Pari Singh of Flow Engineering discuss how physical AI is bottlenecked by the lack of specific, non-public data. They argue that while software AI thrives on open internet…
#253 - Private Label Arrangements: What CPG Brands Should Know Before Signing the Deal | Hillary Hughes, Foster Garvey
Hillary Hughes, who leads the Consumer Brands Industry Group at Foster Garvey, explains the legal and operational complexities of private label arrangements for CPG brands. She details how to structure contracts to manage risks like margin…
#432: China MedTech Compliance: Regulatory Risks, Rewards, & Strategy with Elaine Tan
Elaine Tan, creator of MedTech Chopsticks, explains the regulatory and strategic complexities of entering the Chinese medical device market, highlighting the NMPA's 2021 overhaul and the 'China for China' policy. She details the necessity…
Inside GM's Additive Industrialization Center with Ante Lausic
Ante Lausic, Lead Process Engineer at General Motors' Additive Industrialization Center (AIC), explains that scaling additive manufacturing (AM) in automotive requires AM-native designs, automotive-grade materials, and cost-effective…
MADE IN EUROPE #3: Scaling Defense From EU Strategy to Battlefield Innovation
Kitron Group's President and CEO Peter Nilsson and Managing Director Hans Petter Thomassen discuss the urgent scaling of Europe's defense industrial base, highlighting the disparity between rapid electronics manufacturing and slow chemical…
La Colombe Coffee Roasters: Todd Carmichael and J.P. Iberti. A Brotherhood Built on Coffee (2020)
Todd Carmichael and J.P. Iberti, co-founders of La Colombe Coffee Roasters, recount their journey from meeting in Seattle to launching a specialty coffee brand in Philadelphia. They detail the operational challenges of their early…
AM at a Crossroads: Incodema3D Proves What's Possible at Scale
Sean Whittaker, founder and CEO of Incodema3D, explains how the company evolved from a sheet metal prototyping shop into one of North America's largest metal additive manufacturing operations, now scaling to over 50 Laser Powder Bed Fusion…
EP 139: Intel Earnings, Anthropic TPUs, Challenges for AWS
Ben Bajarin and Jay Goldberg analyze Intel's recent earnings, highlighting a transitionary phase where strong demand for legacy CPUs masks the slow ramp of 18A process technology and improving foundry customer engagement. They discuss the…
Rapid Reshoring: Building a Reliable North American Supply Chain w/ Mike Wynn
Mike Wynn, Vice President at Advanced Purchasing Dynamics (APD), explains how manufacturers are rapidly reshoring supply chains to North America to mitigate tariff risks and reduce lead times. He details APD's 'rapid reshoring' process…
How Humanoid Robots Are Already Transforming Production Lines w/ Colin Webb and Paul Baker
Colin Webb, founder and CEO of Avatar Robotics, and Paul Baker, CFO of Productiv 3PL, discuss deploying humanoid robots in live manufacturing and logistics environments. They explain that Avatar’s robots handle high-volume picking and…
How Design-First Thinking Supercharges Manufacturing Performance with Clarity Design Founder Tom Lupfer
Tom Lupfer, President and Founder of Clarity Design, explains how integrating engineering and manufacturing under one roof creates a competitive advantage for his Southern California-based EMS company. He details how data from Ko Young…
New PCB Assembly Method Promises Higher Reliability & Lower Cost
Ray Rasmussen, Managing Partner at The Occam Group, explains a novel PCB assembly methodology that eliminates solder by embedding components and building copper-to-copper connections using existing factory equipment. He contrasts this…
Oxide's $100M Series B
Oxide Computer Company CEO Steve Tuck and co-founder Bryan Cantrill discuss the company's $100M Series B funding round, highlighting the strategic importance of raising capital to scale manufacturing and engineering teams. They detail…
#141 Commercial Kitchens 101: Mott Smith, Amped Kitchens
Mott Smith, co-founder of Amped Kitchens, explains how their production-oriented commercial kitchens in Los Angeles and Chicago serve CPG brands between pre-revenue and $5 million in annual revenue. He contrasts this model with…
The 20-Hour Machine: Automation, Throughput & Smarter Capacity Planning, Ep #42
Mike Padilla, founder of Hill Manufacturing, and Nick Golner of Making Chips discuss how Hill is using automation and strategic capital expenditure planning to scale capacity without simply adding headcount. They detail the concept of the…
A former race car engineer on battery safety and supply chains [partner content]
Tristan Doherty, Chief Product Officer at LG Energy Solution Vertech, discusses the transition from his career as an IndyCar race engineer to leading US-based energy storage manufacturing. He details LG's $1.4 billion investment in…
The Future of AI-Powered Public Safety | Jabil's Yanshi Tao | Internet of Things Podcast
Yanshi Tao, VP of Public Safety & Vision Systems at Jabil, discusses the shift from traditional CCTV surveillance to 'physical AI' ecosystems that integrate drones, body cams, and UGVs for autonomous public safety responses. He explains…
EP:127 Intel Earnings, Exploring the Possible Scenario of a TSMC Monopoly
Hosts Ben Bajarin and Jay Goldberg analyze Intel's recent earnings call, focusing on CEO Pat Gelsinger's statement that Intel will not invest in its 14A process without external customer commitments, signaling a potential exit from the…
Ep. 12: Why Robotics Teams Lose Momentum Before They Ever Ship | The Robo Success Podcast
Mitesh Shetty, Founder of Raprod, explains why robotics and hardware startups lose momentum due to sourcing delays and production bottlenecks. He shares his experience at Honda and Hotchkiss, noting that engineering teams often spend…
EP 150: Intel Earnings, Some Intel Growth Theories, X86 v. Arm in Datacenter
Ben Bajarin and Jay Goldberg analyze Intel's recent earnings, highlighting the disconnect between strong Q4 results and disappointing guidance caused by wafer capacity constraints and yield issues at the 18A node. They discuss the…
PCB Connectors That Survive Space, Shock & 500 Thermal Cycles
Shane Dabrowski, a Field Applications Engineer at Samtec, explains how the company’s Severe Environment Testing (SET) and MIL-DTL-55302 lot-based testing validate standard connectors for military, aerospace, and LEO satellite applications…
Defunding of the MEPs and How YOU Can Help Stop It: A Special Episode
Paul Van Metre of ProShop ERP, Nick Goellner of Advanced Machine & Engineering, Meaghan Ziemba of Mavens of Manufacturing, Mike Payne of Hill Manufacturing, and Jim Mayer of The Manufacturing Connector discuss the critical threat of…
Farmer-First Future: Agtonomy's Approach to Smart Agriculture
Tim Bucher, CEO and co-founder of Agtonomy, discusses the company's strategy to automate high-value crop farming by partnering with established equipment manufacturers like Bobcat and Kubota rather than building tractors themselves. He…
234 - ICH Q7: The GMP Framework for API Manufacturing
Subhi Saadeh, Founder of Let’s ComBinate, provides a detailed walkthrough of ICH Q7, the GMP framework for Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) manufacturing. He explains that unlike other guidelines, Q7 covers the full lifecycle from…
Submarines, Supply Chains, & Skilled Labor: Inside the Navy’s Advanced Manufacturing Push
Chris Holshouser, Deputy Program Director of Maritime Systems at the Blue Forge Alliance, discusses the U.S. Navy’s 'One Plus Two' strategy to accelerate the production of Columbia and Virginia class submarines. He explains how the Navy is…
S3 E9 Scaling Mission-Critical Hardware: Ops Lessons from Space & Fusion with Darby Dunn
Darby Dunn, Vice President of Advanced Manufacturing at Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS) and former SpaceX leader, discusses scaling mission-critical hardware operations. She details the design and manufacturing of superconducting magnets…
What It Really Takes To Build a Food Business: Part 1
Guy Raz interviews Becca Millstein of Fishwife, Brian Rudolph of Banza, and Caue Suplicy of Barnana about the early stages of building their food businesses. Millstein explains how she leveraged social media and distinctive packaging to…