Manufacturing Talk Radio

BREAKING: ISM Chair Steve Miller Speaks On ISM Report for April 2026

In this exclusive Manufacturing Talk Radio interview, host Lewis Weiss and Amy Nicklaus sit down with ISM Services PMI Chair Steve Miller to discuss the pivotal April 2026 ISM Services Report the very day it is released, breaking down the key data points impacting the services economy.   Miller is currently serving as ISM Services PMI Chair and is an accomplished supply chain management executive. His distinguished career includes 40 years of experience in procurement, supply chain management, IT implementation and operations, and operations management consulting at Disney, P.F. Chang’s, Accenture, and Kearney. Miller offers unparalleled insight into services trends and economic activity. p>    Expansion Trends: The Services PMI recorded a solid 53.6. While slightly down from the previous month’s 54, it marks a period where 14 of 18 services industries are reporting growth—the highest expansion level seen in two years.    Inflationary Pressures: A major "danger flag" identified is the Prices Paid Index, which remains high at 70.7. This historically elevated level typically correlates with inflation rates exceeding 5%.   Energy and Geopolitics: The team discusses the impact of the Iran war and low oil inventories on petroleum costs, noting that "opportunistic pricing" in gasoline and diesel has been felt almost immediately   Sector Performance: While Mining is seeing a high rate of expansion, sectors such as Real Estate, Retail Trade, and Agriculture are currently in contraction territory.   The Housing Market: Miller and the hosts dive into the "perfect storm" affecting housing, where high mortgage rates and rising costs for labor and materials (lumber, steel, and copper) are straining the industry.     The Latest ISM Reports: Services PMI: https://www.ismworld.org/supply-management-news-and-reports/reports/ism-pmi-reports/services/april/   Manufacturing PMI: https://www.ismworld.org/supply-management-news-and-reports/reports/ism-pmi-reports/pmi/april/   Report Highlights: Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Reshoring America: Harry Moser on the $1.3 Trillion Mission to Balance the US Trade Deficit

Join hosts Amy Nicklaus and Lewis Weiss as they welcome back Harry Moser of the Reshoring Initiative to discuss his organization's critical mission: balancing the $1.3 trillion US goods trade deficit and securing vital supply chains. Harry shares compelling data on how jobs announced coming back to the US have grown exponentially, from 11,000 in 2010 to 244,000 in 2024, proving that reindustrialization is gaining traction. They delve into the underlying problems of currency overvaluation and the highest priority challenge cited by companies: the need for a skilled workforce. Discover how manufacturers can utilize the Reshoring Initiative's free Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) Estimator to accurately calculate sourcing decisions and accelerate the return of American manufacturing jobs. Links Discussed in this Episode:   Reshoring Initiative: https://reshorenow.org/ [https://reshorenow.org/] 2026 USA Reshoring Survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/USA-Reshoring [https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/USA-Reshoring]   Total Cost of Ownership Estimator: https://reshorenow.org/tco-estimator/ [https://reshorenow.org/tco-estimator/]  Harry Moser Honored with 2026 Albert W. Moore AMT Leadership Award: https://www.imts.com/read/article-details/Harry-Moser-Honored-with-2026-Albert-W-Moore-AMT-Leadership-Award/2244/type/Read/1/tab/all-articles?page=1 [https://www.imts.com/read/article-details/Harry-Moser-Honored-with-2026-Albert-W-Moore-AMT-Leadership-Award/2244/type/Read/1/tab/all-articles?page=1] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

BREAKING: ISM Chair Steve Miller Reviews the Latest March ISM Services Report

In this exclusive Manufacturing Talk Radio interview, host Lewis Weiss and Amy Nicklaus sit down with ISM Services PMI Chair Steve Miller to discuss the pivotal March ISM Services Report the very day it is released April 6th 2026, breaking down the key data points impacting the services economy. To shed light on the report’s crucial findings, we speak with Steve Miller, a preeminent authority within the services sector. Miller is currently serving as ISM Services PMI Chair and is an accomplished supply chain management executive. His distinguished career includes 40 years of experience in procurement, supply chain management, IT implementation and operations, and operations management consulting at Disney, P.F. Chang’s, Accenture, and Kearney. With 40 years of experience in procurement, supply chain management, IT implementation and operations, Miller offers unparalleled insight into services trends and economic activity Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

BREAKING: Susan Spence, ISM Manufacturing PMI Chair, on the latest ISM Report April 2026

In this exclusive Manufacturing Talk Radio interview, hosts Lewis Weiss and Amy Nicklaus sit down with ISM Manufacturing PMI Chair Susan Spence to discuss the latest ISM Manufacturing Report, released the same day, and break down the key data points impacting the global supply chain and what the effects of that might mean.  To shed light on the report’s crucial findings, we speak with Susan Spence, a preeminent authority within manufacturing. Spence is currently serving as ISM Manufacturing PMI Chair and is a winner of the J. Shipman Gold Medal Award. Her distinguished career includes serving as vice president of the Sourcing & Procurement group at FedEx Corp. With 28 years of experience at United Technologies Corporation (UTC) in leadership roles across supply management and operations, Spence offers unparalleled insight into manufacturing trends and economic activity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Jim Tompkins on the Future of Reshoring in U.S. Manufacturing

Host Lewis Weiss interviews Jim Tompkins about his career path from industrial engineering academia and the Army to founding Tompkins Solutions and later launching Tompkins Ventures, a matchmaking firm that connects manufacturers with partners for logistics, procurement, technology, automation, AI, and organizational development, typically offering recommendations without consulting fees and earning a success fee when solutions are implemented. Tompkins discusses how manufacturers can focus on core competencies while outsourcing non-core functions, the challenges of maintaining quality in outsourcing, and VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity, ambiguity) as the operating reality for global supply chains. He explains reshoring as a risk-mitigation hedge tied to adaptability, digital twins, scenario planning, AI, and automation, and outlines four factors for what to reshore: value density, demand volatility, IP sensitivity, and automation potential.   00:00 Welcome and Introductions 00:40 Tim’s Career Origin Story 01:18 From Seminars to Global Supply Chain 02:56 Launching Tompkins Ventures 03:51 How Ventures Helps Manufacturers 04:42 No Fee Model Explained 06:19 Success Fees and Partner Network 07:45 Why Outside Expertise Matters 10:12 Virtual Companies and Outsourcing 11:07 Quality Control in Outsourcing 13:44 VUCA Defined for Supply Chains 17:10 Reshoring as Risk Mitigation 18:19 Surfing the Next Disruption Wave 22:25 Resilience Over Pure Efficiency 25:13 What to Reshore Four Criteria 26:59 Tariff Refunds Supreme Court Fallout 32:12 Wrap Up Contact and Subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]