Manufacturing Talk Radio

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

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

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