Inside the Numbers: Roger Atkins’ MTForecast 2025 Preview for Small Manufacturers, Ep #29
Release Date: 09/25/2025
The Cost of Quality — Why Getting It Right Is the Fastest Way to Get Paid, Ep #39
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Quality is often treated like a cost center in manufacturing. Something we have to do to satisfy customers, auditors, or certifications. But in my experience, quality is much more than that. It’s one of the biggest drivers of cash flow, reputation, and long-term profitability in a shop. In this episode of Buy the Numbers, I sat down with Mehul from Ground Control to talk through the real, often hidden, cost of quality. Our conversation starts with a simple but critical idea: parts don’t get paid for unless the paperwork is right. You can machine a perfect part, ship it on time, and...
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Owning the Problem: Why Accountability, Communication, and Culture Drive Throughput, Ep #38
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One of the patterns I keep seeing in manufacturing has nothing to do with machines, software, or technology. It shows up in how teams respond when something goes wrong. In this episode of Buy the Numbers, I sat down again with Josh McKain from Throughput Mastery to talk about the habits that actually drive throughput, especially accountability, communication, and culture. Josh has now hosted more than a dozen live conversations with manufacturing owners and leaders, and what stood out to me is how often completely different topics circle back to the same root issue. Whether the discussion...
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How a Fourth-Generation Manufacturer Measures Success, Ep #37
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What changes when you’re not building a business to sell, but building one to hand down? That’s the question that kept coming up for me in this conversation. In this episode of Buy the Numbers, I sat down with Jack Watson of HFW Industries, a fourth-generation manufacturer whose family has been operating the same business for nearly 80 years. Jack’s story starts with his great-grandfather in 1947, fresh out of World War II, taking a bet on an emerging technology that would eventually become the foundation of HFW’s identity. What struck me wasn’t just the history, but how that...
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The Inventory Blind Spot: How LIFO Can Unlock Massive Tax Savings, Ep #36
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Inventory is one of the most overlooked levers in manufacturing finance, yet it is often the single largest asset sitting on a company’s balance sheet. In this bonus episode of Buy the Numbers, Mike Payne is joined by inventory accounting experts Erica Parra and Cindy Houser from CLA to unpack why inventory accounting methods deserve far more attention than they typically receive. Most manufacturers default to FIFO or weighted average simply because that is how their ERP is set up. But in periods of inflation, tariffs, and volatile raw material pricing, that default choice can quietly...
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Innovation at the Speed of Trust: Why Real Progress Happens When People Connect, Ep #35
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Innovation in manufacturing is often framed as a technology problem. Better machines, faster software, smarter automation. But in this episode of Buy the Numbers, the conversation takes a different turn, one that looks past tools and toward the human systems that actually make innovation stick. Mike Payne is joined once again by Al Whatmough, CEO of Toolpath, for a wide-ranging discussion on why innovation truly happens at the speed of communication and why trust, relationships, and shared experiences matter more than ever in an AI-driven world. From AI-powered productivity to the limitations...
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QDISC Explained: A 5-KPI System for Smarter, More Profitable Manufacturing, Ep #34
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KPIs can feel like a buzzword—every manufacturer knows they should be tracking them, but few feel confident about where to start or what actually matters. In this episode of Buy the Numbers, Mike Payne sits down once again with Jon Hughes of CLA to unpack the real purpose of KPIs, why they’re so misunderstood, and how data-driven decision-making can completely change the way a shop performs. Mike and Jon dive into the QDISC framework—Quality, Delivery, Inventory, Safety, and Cost—and explore how these five buckets give manufacturers a clear, stable foundation for...
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Cash Flow Power Moves: Pricing, Terms & Tools That Protect Your Business, Ep #33
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In this special crossover episode of Buy the Numbers, Mike Payne joins Josh McCain on The Throughput Show for a fully interactive, live conversation about one of the most misunderstood and mission-critical topics in manufacturing: cash flow. Unlike traditional episodes, this one unfolds in real time with audience questions, open dialogue, and the kind of raw, honest examples operators rarely get to hear outside of private masterminds. Josh kicks off the episode with his hallmark energy and levity—complete with an unexpected “musical” intro for guests Mike, Jon Hughes,...
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The Section 179 Trap: Why Tax Breaks Shouldn’t Drive Your Equipment Purchases, Ep #32
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When Section 179 and bonus depreciation come back into play, it’s easy to get swept up in the excitement of “saving on taxes.” Every year around this time, I start hearing from shop owners who are ready to buy a new machine before the end of Q4—sometimes for the right reasons, but often for the wrong ones. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good deduction as much as anyone. But if you wouldn’t buy that equipment without the tax break, you probably shouldn’t buy it because of it. In this episode of Buy the Numbers, I sit down with my good friend Ty Willis from Verdant...
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How Foreign Trade Zones Can Unlock Millions in Working Capital, Ep #31
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When tariffs, trade policy, and cash flow collide, manufacturers are forced to think creatively—or risk being crushed by uncertainty. That’s exactly where Mary Buchzeiger, CEO of Lucerne International and Lucerne Global Solutions, found herself. With skyrocketing tariffs on imported automotive components, Mary realized the solution wasn’t to absorb the hit—it was to rewrite the playbook altogether. In this episode of Buy the Numbers, we dig into how Mary leveraged a little-known financial and logistical strategy: the Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ). By turning Lucerne’s Michigan...
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Building a KPI Culture That Drives Real Improvement on the Shop Floor, Ep #30
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In this episode of Buy the Numbers, host Mike Payne sits down with continuous improvement coach and Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt Brian Karp to dig into the metrics that matter most for manufacturing leaders. Together, they explore how data can be used not just to measure performance, but to transform culture, drive engagement, and spark meaningful improvement across every department. For more than a decade, Brian has helped manufacturers simplify their approach to measurement—turning overwhelming spreadsheets and endless KPIs into tools that actually guide better decisions....
info_outlineIn this episode of Buy the Numbers, I sit down with Roger Atkins, President of the National Tooling and Machining Association (NTMA), to talk about the real state of U.S. manufacturing as we close out 2025. Representing more than 1,000 small and medium manufacturers nationwide, Roger brings a boots-on-the-ground perspective to the headwinds, opportunities, and trends shaping the industry right now.
The conversation goes well beyond statistics to explore the forces behind them. Roger shares his preview of the MTForecast conference and NTMA’s ENGAGE event, pulling back the curtain on survey data straight from job shops across America. From tariffs to labor shortages, election-year uncertainty to international trade shifts, he outlines what’s truly affecting shops and where he sees signs of stability.
We also dig into the “new math” of manufacturing leadership — the push to do more with the same workforce, invest in automation and workholding instead of just machines, and partner with builders and integrators to drive productivity. Roger explains why this collaboration between equipment makers and shops is more critical than ever.
Finally, we focus on one of Roger’s favorite topics: benchmarking. He shares a powerful story about how one shop used benchmarking against itself to command a premium sale price, underscoring why every shop owner should measure not just against the competition, but also against their own past performance.
This episode is a blueprint for owners, operators, and leaders who want to thrive despite uncertainty—and who believe small manufacturers make the world go round.
You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in...
- (1:00) Introducing Roger Atkins and the NTMA’s 1,000-member nationwide network
- (1:50) Previewing NTMA ENGAGE 2025 and MTForecast 2025
- (3:57) Expectations vs. reality in 2025: Flat performance and sector-by-sector differences
- (5:32) Get 20% off your MTForecast registration with code MAK20
- (6:47) Mike’s oil and gas perspective—slow and steady
- (8:32) Why no shop can depend on one industry anymore
- (10:22) Tariffs, international pressures, and how uncertainty delays investment decisions
- (11:28) Why “just make a decision” is Roger’s message to legislators
- (13:00) Why small manufacturers navigate uncertainty better than anyone
- (16:20) Forecasting equipment purchases: Bigger interest in workholding and automation
- (17:22) Grow your top and bottom line with CliftonLarsonAllen (CLA)
- (18:00) Why MTForecast is where builders and users come together to collaborate
- (19:22) Doing more with the same workforce: automation, quick-change workholding, and better tooling
- (22:23) Benchmarking: why every shop should start by measuring against itself
- (24:40) Benchmarking surveys as a top NTMA member benefit (and a sign of top-shop discipline)
- (28:14) Roger’s call to action: Business as usual no longer works
- (29:11) This is not your grandfather’s industry—adapt, invest, and collaborate
- (31:00) Paul’s Top Shops 2025 invitation and MAK20 discount code
Resources & People Mentioned
- See us at NTMA ENGAGE 2025 in Detroit (7th-10th of October) AND MTForecast 2025
- Grow your top and bottom line with CliftonLarsonAllen (CLA)
- Get 20% off your Top Shops registration with code MAK20
Connect with Roger Atkins
- Connect on LinkedIn
- NTMA
- MTForecast
Connect With Buy the Numbers
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Audio Production and Show Notes by - PODCAST FAST TRACK