The Automation Trap: Why Automating Chaos Won’t Save You, Ep #18
Lights Out: Technology and Automation Podcast by MakingChips
Release Date: 06/20/2025
Lights Out at 20: Inside a One-Man, Multi-Axis Machine Shop with Michael King, Ep #33
Lights Out: Technology and Automation Podcast by MakingChips
What does the future of manufacturing look like when it’s built by someone who has never known a world without digital tools, automation, or on-demand learning? In this episode of Lights Out, the hosts sit down with Michael King, founder of Munkworks, whose story feels almost implausible until you hear it unfold. Michael bought his first CNC machine as a teenager, owns a five-axis machining center before he’s old enough to legally drink, and runs a growing shop almost entirely on his own. But this conversation isn’t about novelty. It’s about mindset. From early hands-on building and 3D...
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From ROI to Reality — Measuring Success After You Automate, Ep #32
Lights Out: Technology and Automation Podcast by MakingChips
Automation doesn’t end when the system is powered on. In fact, that’s often where the real work begins. In the third and final episode of this Lights Out series, the conversation shifts from planning and justification to execution, measurement, and long-term performance. After covering market forces driving automation adoption and breaking down ROI math in the first two episodes, this installment tackles the question many shop owners wrestle with once automation is live: Is this actually working? Dave Vuyk and Eric Nekich dig into how to validate performance, track meaningful metrics, and...
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How to Calculate Automation ROI — The Right Way, Ep #31
Lights Out: Technology and Automation Podcast by MakingChips
Automation is exploding across the manufacturing world, but the real differentiator isn’t the robot, pallet pool, or software you buy—it’s whether you know how to calculate ROI the right way. In this episode of Lights Out, we break down the financial side of automation in plain language so every shop owner, operator, and leader can make smarter investment decisions with confidence. This is the follow-up to our baseline episode, where we had listeners identify their current spindle utilization, setup times, labor load, and cost per part. Now we take the next step: turning...
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The Automation Adoption Boom: Why ROI is the 2026 Metric That Matters, Ep #30
Lights Out: Technology and Automation Podcast by MakingChips
Before a shop can automate confidently, it has to understand one thing clearly: ROI drives every great automation decision. In this episode of Lights Out, David Vuyk and Eric Nekich kick off a multi-part series on Automation ROI—focusing not on hype or shiny tech, but on the real metrics and methods that determine whether automation will pay off or become an expensive paperweight. With “Jolly St. Nick Goellner” out preparing for the holiday season, David and Eric take the mic to break down a critical truth: you cannot automate an unreliable process, and far too many shops are buying...
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Facing the Future: Automation Truths from 40 Years on the Shop Floor with Mike Gamache, Ep #29
Lights Out: Technology and Automation Podcast by MakingChips
As we dive into this episode of Lights Out, we sit down with someone who’s seen automation evolve from pencil drawings and flame-cut templates to fully integrated robotic systems: our friend and longtime industry leader, Mike Gamache. For decades, Mike has lived at the intersection of machining, fabrication, automation, and continuous improvement, and we couldn’t be more excited to bring his experience to our listeners. We reflect on how we first met Mike—a mix of Germany trips, delayed flights, Delta drink tickets, and a little tough love that eventually turned into friendship and...
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From SWAT to Spindles: How Johnny Goode Led MSP Manufacturing’s Lights-Out Transformation, Ep #28
Lights Out: Technology and Automation Podcast by MakingChips
What do law enforcement, SWAT operations, and CNC machining have in common? More than you’d think. In this episode of Lights Out, hosts Nick Goellner, Eric Nekich, and Dave Vuyk welcome Johnny Goode, President and Co-owner of MSP Manufacturing in Bloomington, Indiana—a precision aerospace manufacturer that’s rapidly transforming its operations with automation and digital processes. Johnny’s journey is anything but typical. From police officer and SWAT team member to Army National Guard sergeant, his story is packed with grit, discipline, and leadership under pressure....
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The Real Takeaways from EMO: Monitoring, AI, and the Changing Face of Automation, Ep #27
Lights Out: Technology and Automation Podcast by MakingChips
In this episode of Lights Out, we debrief from one of the largest manufacturing technology shows in the world—EMO Hannover. From automation and adaptive controls to AI-driven machining and the evolving economics of shop ownership, the team unpacks what’s really changing in manufacturing and what’s just noise. As the hosts reflect on trends like the shift from horizontal to 5-axis machining centers, the rise of machine monitoring and IoT integrations, and the reality of underused OEM technology, they dig into what these patterns mean for modern shops aiming to run smarter—not...
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Coached—Not Just Monitored: How the Best Shops Turn Data into Action, Ep #26
Lights Out: Technology and Automation Podcast by MakingChips
You can collect data all day—but if you’re not using it to coach your team, you’re missing the point. In this episode of Lights Out, hosts Nick Goellner and Dave Vuyk wrap up their “Mindset Shifts for Lights Out Legends” series with one final transformation: moving from a monitored shop to a coached one. Drawing on lessons from Nick’s recent talk at the Automated Shop Conference, the hosts unpack how to turn dashboards into decisions and metrics into motivation. They explain why dashboards don’t make chips, how to turn OEE...
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Adaptive Over Aggressive: Redefining Lights-Out Manufacturing with Camoren Schley, Ep #25
Lights Out: Technology and Automation Podcast by MakingChips
Lights-out manufacturing isn’t just about adding robots or running machines overnight — it’s about creating a culture and a system where your shop can perform at its peak without constant human intervention. In this episode of Lights Out, hosts Nick Goellner, Eric Nekich, and David Vuyk sit down with innovator and entrepreneur Camoren Schley of Slytek to explore the technologies and mindsets making true lights-out operations possible. Camoren’s story begins in his grandfather’s Denver manufacturing shop and evolves into a journey of building and selling high-pressure...
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From Fixed to Mixed: Mindset Shifts That Power Lights-Out Manufacturing, Ep #24
Lights Out: Technology and Automation Podcast by MakingChips
In this episode of Lights Out, Nick Goellner, Eric Nekich, and Dave Vuyk take listeners inside the mindset shifts powering the next wave of lights-out manufacturing. Forget just “working harder” — this conversation is about working smarter, breaking out of fixed thinking, and unlocking massive gains without adding headcount or square footage. The trio opens by sharing the personal routines and disciplines that keep them at peak performance, then pivots to the real topic: transforming machine shops from fixed to mixed mindsets. By rethinking workholding, machine real estate, and...
info_outlineWhat happens when a desperate shop owner tries to copy someone else’s success—without understanding the system behind it?
In this episode of Lights Out, Nick and Kaleb are joined by their friend and workholding expert Eric Nekich to break down the first chapter of a fictional story that might hit a little too close to home.
“The Automation Trap” follows Gary, the stressed-out owner of IronClunk Machining, who’s drowning in inefficiency and envy—especially after touring Klaus’s pristine, automated, award-winning shop. Gary’s heart is in the right place. But what happens when he throws his last dollars at a cobot, lowballs a high-stakes job, and hopes for a miracle?
We explore why copying someone else’s automation playbook can backfire, how the wrong KPIs (like spindle utilization) can lead you astray, and why automation should never be the first step in a struggling shop. We also dig into red flags around collaborative robots, the danger of skipping process readiness, and the importance of shop culture and team buy-in.
Whether you see yourself in Gary or Klaus—or somewhere in between—this episode will challenge your thinking and spark some laughs along the way. This is part one of a story-driven series you won’t want to miss.
You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in...
- (0:18) Invest in your business by investing in ProShop ERP
- (2:45) Welcoming Eric Nekich back to the show
- (3:47) Recapping the previous episode
- (5:24) Dinosaur vises, angry quality guys, and bad vibes
- (9:01) The real trap: automating before your process is ready
- (11:19) The Maestro moment: solving quality bottlenecks with automation
- (16:43) Enter Klaus: the lean legend with smiling operators and Modern Machine Shop awards
- (18:50) Is your envy even valid? Why copying Klaus might not make sense
- (20:57) Grow your top and bottom line with CliftonLarsonAllen
- (21:36) Gary’s backstory: loans, burnout, and a desperate dream
- (25:13) High mix vs. high volume: why the context matters
- (26:27) Team buy-in, financial transparency, and culture shifts
- (29:32) Spindle utilization vs. OEE: don’t get distracted
- (33:22) The cobot mistake: throwing money at a process you haven’t measured
- (35:59) Pallet vs. part loading: how to match automation to application
- (36:54) Cobot myths: it’s not collaborative unless the whole setup is
- (39:10) Cliffhanger: Gary wins the job—but he’s not ready to deliver
- (41:18) What Gary should’ve done instead: value stream mapping and expert help
- (45:51) Why you should listen to Machine Shop Mastery
Resources & People Mentioned
- Keys to Maintaining a Manufacturing Leadership Mindset
- Workholding Evolves with Great Partnerships
- The Toyota Way
- The Goal
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