Manufacturing Professionals will receive immediate and actionable insight into high-level issues of running a small to mid-sized manufacturing company. All communicated in an easy-to-digest 20 minutes by your expert podcaster and second-generation business owner, Jim Carr.
You quoted the part. You won the job. Your machining numbers look great.
Then the finishing quote arrives — and suddenly your profit is disappearing.
In this episode of My TRUE POSITION, Jim Carr tackles one of the most overlooked estimating risks in precision manufacturing: guessing outside processing costs and lead times.
From chem film, anodizing, and plating to heat treating, masking, inspection, and special processes, Jim explains why relying on yesterday's costs can cost a machine shop thousands.
He also shares a real experience at CARR Machine & Tool where a finishing estimate came in significantly higher than expected. Rather than passing the mistake along to the customer, Jim worked directly with the finishing supplier to rethink masking, setup, and combining multiple work orders — ultimately saving thousands of dollars.
With aerospace and defense demand putting additional pressure on qualified finishing capacity, the stakes are getting higher.
This episode is about quoting discipline, supplier relationships, protecting margin, negotiating intelligently, and making delivery promises you can actually keep.
Because winning the job is one thing.
Delivering it profitably is something else entirely.
23 Oct 2026
You Don't Build a Legacy by Chasing Awards
What does a lifetime in manufacturing really mean?
After being named the winner of the prestigious Legacy Craftsman Award at the SAMM's Awards, CARR Machine & Tool President Jim Carr reflects on more than five decades of family manufacturing history, the lessons passed down by his father Richard, and the responsibility of preparing a third generation of leadership.
In this personal episode of My TRUE POSITION, Jim explores the difference between success and legacy, why mentoring matters, and why great manufacturing leaders should measure their impact by more than revenue, machines, or square footage.
Because machines produce parts.
But great leaders produce people.
And the legacy you leave behind may be the most important thing you ever build.
9 Oct 2026
Culture Has a Dashboard Too
Manufacturers track almost everything — sales, backlog, delivery, quality, scrap, margin, and cash.
But are they tracking culture?
In this episode of My TRUE POSITION, Jim Carr talks about the value of anonymous employee surveys and why they can become one of the most important leadership tools inside a manufacturing company.
At CARR Machine & Tool, employee surveys have become a way to identify trends, measure communication, understand training gaps, evaluate accountability, and give employees a safe way to share what they are experiencing on the floor.
This episode is not about blame.
It is about visibility.
Because owners do not always know what employees experience every day.
And sometimes the survey shows you something before the business pays the price.
Employee feedback is not HR fluff.
It is leadership intelligence.
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
4.7 / 5
15 ratings
Spotify
4.5 / 5
14 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 58 / 100
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