FactoryOps Exchange

Episode 10: Max Perilstein

Today’s episode features Max Perilstein, founder of Sole Source Consultants and a leading voice in the glass and glazing industry. With more than 30 years of experience across family-run operations and national manufacturers, and as the creator of the From the Fabricator blog and podcast, Max brings a clear view of what it takes to run and modernize complex operations. He shares lessons from an early surge in demand that reshaped his approach to systems and leadership, the cultural differences he sees between family ownership and private equity, and why diversification and smart automation are becoming essential in an industry that doesn’t ship well. It’s a grounded look at how to strengthen operations while keeping people at the center.

Episode 9: Jeff McNabb

Today’s episode features Jeff McNabb, Associate Director of Supply Chain at Myers Industries and a leader whose career spans the U.S. Navy to Fortune 100 manufacturers. Jeff shares lessons from pacing change, aligning teams with the X-Matrix framework, and using AI and automation in ways that actually stick. He also talks about how leading with empathy, clarity, and persistence has helped his teams navigate everything from plant startups to shutdowns while driving measurable improvement. This conversation is full of practical insights on how to modernize operations, strengthen supply chains, and keep people at the center of transformation.

Episode 8: David Ariens

Today’s episode features David Ariens, founder of The IT/OT Insider and a leading voice helping manufacturers bridge the gap between information technology and operations. David shares how to cut through buzzwords to build real data foundations, what a unified namespace actually means in practice, and why the key to AI-enabled manufacturing isn’t more tools—it’s clarity, connection, and starting where you are.

Episode 7: Don Wiseman

Today’s episode features Don Wiseman, CEO of Teknor Apex and a 38-year veteran of plastics and specialty chemicals. Don shares how to build followership, why people are the only durable advantage, and how his team is using digitization to raise standards, reduce variation, and recognize great work — all while leading with consistency, care, and the speed today’s factories demand.

Episode 6: Juan Carlos Alonso

Today’s episode features Juan Carlos Alonso, Chief Strategy Officer and Executive Committee member at Bekaert. Over the course of this conversation, he shares how he unlocked 15–20 % energy savings across Bekaert’s 80 global plants by rethinking orthodox assumptions, breaking down silos, and empowering cross-functional teams – and how that experience crystallized his philosophy for how strategy must meet implementation. You’ll also hear his lessons on driving change in legacy organizations, prioritizing focus in crowded portfolios, and pushing for AI adoption in traditionally conservative manufacturing environments.