Hey there - I’m Dave. I help manufacturing business owners move forward.

If you’re in manufacturing, you’re a builder. You make things happen.

And let’s be honest: this industry brings a ton of new challenges. Competition, team development, tech adoption, supply chain headaches - it can be a lot.

Most people get into manufacturing because they love building things, solving problems, and taking pride in creating tangible results. But sometimes, the job can start to feel like nonstop chaos instead of progress.

Long hours. Constant pressure. Little time to think, let alone lead.

If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone. And you don’t have to keep running on fumes just to keep things moving.

I believe manufacturers can grow stronger operations without burning themselves out in the process.

Smarter systems. Better processes. Clearer communication. Defined priorities. Not more noise, just the right tools, plan, and mindset to drive real improvement.

Because at the end of the day, most of us want three things:

✅ To succeed doing work we care about
✅ To strengthen and protect domestic manufacturing
✅ To build a business that supports our life rather than consume it

So the real question becomes:

What’s holding you back from building the business you know you’re capable of?

My mission here is simple:

Share practical strategies that help manufacturers grow, operate with clarity, and build operations that thrive long-term.

If you ever want to talk shop, have a question, or just want to bounce around ideas, please shoot me a message!

Build it to last,

-Dave

David Vuyk, C.E.T.

I was in a friend's CNC shop yesterday. 

He's buried in work. Not a bad problem to have!

Here's what he told me which I've been hearing a lot lately: "I need more people, more machines, and I'm looking hard at automation systems to boost throughput without adding square footage." 

That's not an unfamiliar sentiment.

North America's CNC milling machine market is growing at nearly 10% CAGR. We're talking $1.63B in 2023 climbing to $2.60B by 2028. 

The U.S. is leading that charge - over 74% of regional demand - driven by aerospace, defense, and automotive component work. 

The opportunity is real. The demand is there. 

But buying more machines and adding automation without fixing your foundation first? That's pretty risky if you ask me. 

Before you add machines, ask yourself: Do we actually know our OEE? Are we tracking downtime causes? Can we predict maintenance issues before they kill a production run? 

So many shops can't answer yes to those questions. And that's the gap. You can't optimize what you don't measure. You can't scale what you don't understand. 

The shops that will win in 2026 aren't just the ones buying multi-axis machines or adding automation. They're the ones building a data-driven foundation first - then layering in technology and talent strategically. 

Process improvement isn't the boring part. It's the leverage. 

What's your biggest capacity challenge heading into 2026?

Source: https://lnkd.in/eynmRx4m

David Vuyk

I simplify revenue growth for machine shops by connecting teams, technology & processes.

Last Saturday, I spent 12 hours making 1000 pounds of sausage with my family. 

This was our second year doing it, so everyone knew their role. 

9 people. Clear division of labor. One team weighing spices. Another mixing them into the meat. Someone stuffing casings. Someone else twisting links. The last crew wrapping everything in pink butcher paper. 

We worked like a machine. 

Well, almost. 

At one point, I went to pull the hopper back on the stuffer while my brother-in-law's hand was still inside cleaning it out. Nearly broke his finger. That got everyone's attention real quick. 

But we pushed through. Took a couple short breaks. By the end of the day, every chest freezer in the family was packed. We're set for the year. 

Honestly, it's wild how much you can accomplish when everyone shows up, knows their job, and just executes. 

Plus, it's fun.

This morning Nick, Eric, and I interviewed Michael King, a 20-year-old machine shop owner at The Munkworks (https://munkworks.com/) for the Lights Out Podcast.

What stood out wasn't just his age or his shop's growth.

It was what he said about automation.

"I'm using technology to run the shop in an automated way so I can be more present with my family."

Time freedom over just revenue and profitability. That hit me.

The data backs up what Michael is already doing. 

Grand View Research projects the U.S. machine tools market growing from $11.3B in 2024 to $14.5B by 2030. 

Mordor Intelligence sees it even larger - $25.34B in 2025 to $31.19B by 2030.

Automation is one of the key drivers behind that growth.

Here's why this matters for shop owners: 

The opportunity isn't just about increasing output. It's about reclaiming your time, improving processes, and building a business that doesn't require you to be on the floor 70 hours a week.

Manufacturing has a bright future. But only for the shops willing to invest in the technology that makes growth sustainable.

Love that I get to partner with manufacturing leaders who see this shift and want to be ahead of it, not behind it.

If you're a shop owner thinking about automation but not sure where to start, let's talk.

P.S. Full interview with Michael drops soon. If you want to hear how a 20-year-old is building a modern machine shop, stay tuned.

Sources 
https://lnkd.in/eF9WFPYt?
https://lnkd.in/erp8WYeb?

Walked into a local shop Friday afternoon. Five spindles. Only one was turning. 

The owner? Running around putting out fires. 

His one employee? Waiting on the next job because the boss is too buried to set him up. (and because I was there chatting his ear off! - oops!)

Joking aside, it looked like a classic case of being too busy to sharpen the saw. And honestly, this is pretty common for shop owners I speak with who are in the sub-$2M revenue category. 

Here's the thing - we're staring down 1.9 million unfilled manufacturing jobs by 2030. (maybe more?) 

We have a labour shortage. But many shop owners still think automation, advanced technology, process monitoring, etc are only for the big players with deeper pockets. That it's too expensive, too complex, or the ROI just isn't there. 

I get it. It's hard to see the return when you're drowning in the day-to-day. 

But here's what the data actually shows: 

Process monitoring and predictive maintenance powered by IoT can cut downtime by up to 40% drastically increasing your machine availability. 

Real-time monitoring gives you the intelligence to optimize your process and reduce (attack!) waste. 

Shops that commit to being process and technology-forward tend to set real performance metrics for their business. They often see up to a 20% increase in throughput as a result. 

These tools aren't just for the big boys. They're for anyone willing to stop firefighting, start building systems, watch their OEE increase all while seeing a positive ROI on those efforts and investments. 

Side note - Eric Nekich and I broke down the topic of ROI for machine shop automation in a 3-part series on the Lights Out Podcast. If you want to go deeper - check those out.  

But right now, I want you to do something simple:

Audit your shop today. Look at your spindle uptime. Look at where your team is spending (wasting?) time. Know your numbers on availability, performance, and quality. 

Then ask yourself - what would a 20% increase in throughput do for your business?

This cold, crisp Canadian morning has me thinking about the fast-approaching Machining Summit on the Summit!

Woke up to snow-covered spruce trees with the sun rising behind them, and I can't help but feel excited for this awesome event happening in April at Mammoth Lakes. 

Big Shout-out to Al Whatmough for putting this together. What he's building at Toolpath is impressive, but bringing the CNC machining community together for an event like this? That's next level. 

I'm heading out there as co-host of the Lights Out podcast and to learn how machine shop automation connects with being a data and process-driven organization. 

Already signed up for two sessions I'm pumped about: 

- Optimized Machining Parameter Selection with Tony Schmitz, Distinguished Technical Fellow 

- Hard-Won Lessons in CNC Automation with Graham Francis

The networking alone is worth the trip. Getting to learn from other shop owners, operators, engineers, CNC builders, cutting tool suppliers, and software innovators in one place is an awesome opportunity. 

I'm a little nervous about the skiing though. Every time I do an extreme sport (skiing, wake-boarding, aggressive ping-pong), I dislocate a kneecap or two. Time to strengthen these legs before April and maybe stick to the bunny hills!

If you're a machine shop owner, manufacturing leader, or anyone serving the CNC machining industry, you should be there. 

Sign up at https://lnkd.in/ekycr3pb 

Who else is going?

I love helping companies improve! Seeing them become more efficient and have more fun at work! How did I get this amazing job? I started a machine shop out of college called Pro CNC. We eventually sold that company but during that time, we developed a web based ERP, MES and QMS system called ProShop. We now sell ProShop to companies around the world. It's incredibly rewarding to see the vast improvements we are able to help clients achieve by implementing ProShop.  We are able to make meaningful improvements, not only in their businesses, but in their personal lives as well, as they have more success in business with less stress and fewer hours.  It's humbling to be a part of such change. What could be better?!

My second passion is evangelism of our industry by sharing stories of the amazing people in our precision manufacturing industry on my podcasts. We have the best people that show up with humility, grit and ingenuity everyday. If I can help to share those stories to inspire others, I’m gonna do it. 

Paul Metre

2026 is going to be an important year for the #MetalworkingNation! And we’ll be doing our best to equip and inspire. 

We’ve got a lot of great stuff coming on the MakingChips network this year! Thankful for all our listeners, other podcast host, and partners, and sponsors.  
I hope we can help contribute to your success this year! Let us know how we can make sure we do.

Paul Van Metre

I Help Machine Shops Excel - Former Machine Shop Owner - ERP QMS MES Solutions & 3x Podcast Host 🎙

#MFGLeader | 2x Podcast Host | Growth Driver, Deal Maker & Numbers Guy | Building the Future of Manufacturing

MakingChips  live from the Center of the Universe… 

IYKYK 🌎🔥

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of hosting Paul Van Metre, Nick Goellner, Jennifer Dubose in Tulsa for our first annual strategic planning session for MakingChips .

We laughed a lot, had incredible industry discussions and went down a few rabbit trails but despite all of that…

Let’s just say 2026 is going to be a ton of fun.

This photo is way more than a casual selfie in downtown Tulsa. 

It feels more like a family photo. A few of my favorite people from all across the country coming together to figure bout how we can do a better job at our mission to equip and inspire this incredible industry we love. 

Not just my cohosts…they’ve become family. Our group text is more sharing life’s best and worst moments with one another than anything “work” related. 

You just can’t help feeling extra grateful…

💙Grateful that Jim Carr  and Jason Zenger 🎤💥 had an early vision that brought all of us together.

💙Grateful for the thousands of listeners that tune in every week. 

💙Grateful for our sponsors that make it all possible. 

💙Grateful for the Hill Manufacturing & Fabrication team that makes it possible for me to do this.

💙Grateful for an industry that’s the most rewarding career there is.

The common thread there…grateful for all those people that have also become the friends and family you choose. 

As Paul said this week…

“It’s amazing. What a life!” 🥃

#MetalworkingNation #MakingChips #Manufacturing #MFGCommunity #Leadership #Podcast

Machine Shop Mastery  Buy the Numbers #  Lights Out  MakingSparks  Machine Shop Growth Podcast  The Manufacturing Executive Podcast  Matthew Nix  Kaleb Mertz  Mike Fritz CEO  Kirk Phelps  David Vuyk  Jon Franko  Joe Sullivan Peyton Warren  Hill Manufacturing & Fabrication  Brett Thompson Corey Bartmier Hank Anglin Tony Lang Daniel McGarvey Miguel Sanchez Steven Riggs Rhett Dawson George Cooper Tammy Buff Justin Schneider

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