Danny Gonzales with Industrial Sage

SUMMARY KEYWORDS

Industrial storytelling, manufacturing innovation, workforce inspiration, digital transformation, AI impact, leadership communication, human interaction, industrial sage, video production, manufacturing challenges, workforce training, industry branding, corporate culture, automation and robotics, employee engagement.

00:00

Scott. Welcome to the Industrial Talk podcast with Scott Mackenzie. Scott is a passionate industry professional dedicated to transferring cutting edge industry focused innovations and trends while highlighting the men and women who keep the world moving. So put on your hard hat, grab your work boots and let's all

00:21

right once again. Welcome to Industrial Talk. Thank you very much for joining the number one industrial related podcast that celebrates you industrial professionals all around the world. Yes, we are global that celebrates you because you're bold, you're brave, you dare greatly, you innovate, you collaborate. You are always solving other people's challenges. That's why we celebrate you on Industrial Talk, great conversation, something that's near and dear to my heart. Danny Gonzales, industrial sage, is the organization and we're going to be talking about, well, something that you need to do, and that is storytelling, that is being able to create the content that says, hey, we're out here, and this is what we do. You just gonna have to get out of your comfort zone. So let's get cracking as you can tell Industrial Talk. We're all about that storytelling. We're always about trying to create this platform that helps you in your work, in what you do from an industrial perspective, and tell that story, and tell that story in such a way that is engaging. I just want to make sure you understand you're cool. You are cool. What you do has meaning. You need to tell that story. And here's the plug, just go out to Industrial Talk. Click Connect and you want to have a conversation with me. Easy peasy, you'll have a conversation with me, because more than ever, I believe more than ever, that one you need to succeed. To do that, you have to be just just bold. You're just gonna have to be bold. You're gonna have to be radical, not in a negative sense. Don't, don't get me, you know, go down that road radical in the way you think, in the way you are able to communicate what you do, and then be able to have that story resonate with, who you're talking to, plus and, and I think this is huge, is to be able to tell that story that motivates and inspires the next generation of industrial leaders. It's a it's a lot, but I think you can handle it. And I and I'm just, I'm I'm just telling you right now, you need to do it, and and if I can do it, and if you come to me and you say, Scott, I just don't like to express myself, or whatever it might be, it's gonna fall on deaf ears, because if I can do it, you can do it, and you need to do it for the sake of industry. You just need to do it. So brings me to Danny, Danny Gonzales, industrial sage, they create compelling video productions that truly tells that story, that industrial, that manufacturing story, and it and you know what? It's just cool stuff. You what you do is important, and it needs to be told. I keep harping on it. I just, maybe, I just, I think you guys are heroes. I think what you do needs to be appreciated, elevated and and recognized for what it is, and that means you guys are doing incredible work out there. You just are all right, let's get on with the conversation. Danny has his name. Gonzales is his last name. Industrial sage is the company, and again, I will all have all his contact information, everything out there. So you know you reach out, reach out, make it happen. Captain. So here's Danny. Danny, welcome to Industrial Talk. How are you doing? Thank you very much for finding time in your busy schedule to be on this platform. How you doing?

04:41

I'm doing fantastic, and thank you so much for the opportunity to come on and to share all things industrial. I'm still a little excited about

04:48

it. Shut the front door. I know I am. And we're going to be talking about something that's near and dear to my heart, and that's being able to tell that story from an industrial perspective, and and and help companies. Do that and succeed? I think that there's they're connected. Yeah, find success. They're connected. But before we get into that conversation, Danny, just give us a little 411 on who Danny is.

05:13

That's good question. I'm still trying to figure that out. You know, I'm, I'm a little bit older these days, so I'm, I'm getting

05:23

the old route. You'd have a head of hair if I

05:26

07:25

Yeah, I agree with you 100% and yeah, it's a source of frustration for me, because I can geek out on all things industry, manufacturing, you know, I don't know. I don't know about me, but I really like it, right? And I want people to like it, and therefore I'm going to be an advocate for people to like it, because I believe that it's, it's, it's more more important today than it has ever been, because 100% agree, yeah, if we're, if we're trying to reshore and near shore and do shore and all that shore. And we need people. And if we need people, we need to be able to inspire those individuals to say, Yeah, this is, this is the profession for me. Down, I like, I like, industrial sage. It. It talks about wisdom. Is that? Why is that, why you grabbed it, yeah.

08:23

I mean, there was that was a, it's a, yeah. That's essentially kind of, why, how we, how we grabbed it, yeah,

08:29

because it does. I always, I love talking to individuals that have that wisdom, that that sage insight, just because I think, I think it goes beyond the superficial. It goes into the heart, the mind, the wisdom component. So with that, take us through your there's there's your mission. Your purpose is to be able to help manufacturers industry. Let's just go up. Let's just go industry. Tell their story. How do you take us through that? Yeah, that's

09:06

a great question. There's a lot of different ways of doing that, and storytelling is a little ubiquitous, right? There's a there's several different ways of of doing that and using storytelling. Given that, you know, my background is video, that's sort of the natural starting point. But even video is super ubiquitous, right? So what we're doing right now, podcast recording, leveraging video versus doing news content or doing mini doc series. These are all different channels and different ways that we're that we are telling the manufacturing story. So for example, we have a bi weekly show that we put on that has headlines. So we're talking about what's going on in the industry. We'll put that out. We have several other podcasts similar to like, what you're doing here, talking about different things. One of them is talking about digital transformation, automation, what smart manufacturing looks like inside. The four walls, how to do that, talking about story stories, about where implementations have gone right, where they've gone wrong, to really help to sort of inspire what to do and how to do that. To mini docs. I love doing documentary film type, type work. So we have, we've several different shows that we've put on, like industries of the future, which Schneider Electric has been a big partner with for the last several years. And it's a really cool deep dive going into these industries, understanding the challenges that they that the world may have, or the challenges their customers have, and how they're leveraging technology to solve that, and we go into some really interesting things, like recycling of tires and what that the circular economies that are spinning off from there. So we've got another one called American makers that we just launched a few months ago that is going in, talking about domestic manufacturing and what's going on. And I think really, at the core, it's continuing to kind of pull back the layers of the onion that manufacturing is because it's so deep, it's so nuanced, and our audience ranges from executive to frontline worker and sort of everything in between.

11:18

I've been noodling on this particular topic, and I've been because of what the workforce. You know we talk about workforce, the necessity to properly train these individuals to fill these roles, this silver tsunami that leaves. How do we fill these roles? You can only automate so much. You can only use AI so much. You still need people. And you need those people to be successful and to create that business that is resilient. Got it thumbs up, but I believe, and I think, and I want to get your opinion about it, I've been thinking about, how do you in this world, in this industrial world, communicate that radical passion, radical in a positive sense, not radical in the radical so that you can truly hammer and hit the hearts of the future workforce.

12:17

Yeah, I think there's, I hate to keep going back and harping on storytelling, maybe just, I'll give an example, you know, of what that means and what that looks like. I think it's we could talk about it all day, but, you know, like it's like in sales, sales, it's really hard to sell something you can't see when you see it, then you can visualize it, and then you can say, Ah, I got it, and we are selling to the next generation why manufacturing is a core area that you need to be focusing on for your career, why there's great potential. And so I think when we show you know the impact of work and what people are doing, and we're able to tie purpose back to what they're doing, I think we have a huge opportunity. I'll give a story we had. We lost an employee about a year ago to the mission, right? And I think it's a win. It's a it's a great win. But if young guy, he was 23 four or five, and he was working on the podcast, working on some of the shows that we've had, wasn't as familiar with the manufacturing space. And after about a year, was like, hey, I want to go into programming, or I am going into programming. I've been taking, I've been moonlighting and taking these classes early in the morning, and I really want to get in, you know, I want to get up to snuff. I want to get into manufacturing, because I see how I can solve a lot of the problems that are going on. And you're right, there's, like, this whole world that I had no idea about, and it's super cool. And I think that is part of what that is, is just show people what is going on and really help to drive in that purpose, to say, Wow, I have meaning. Like, what I'm doing is very meaningful. The work that I'm doing is helping to solve a world problem that we have, and it's not just, so, you know, just something that I'm doing and whatever, and I get a paycheck, it's, wow. There's real meaning to this. I think that's a that's a key piece. You got

14:16

to keep at it. You got to keep pumping out that information that this is meaningful work. This has purpose. This transforms lives. And you have to keep at it each and every day, because the human nature is that we just sort of fall into the day to day, the ditch digging, right? The salt mine work, right? Sure, and we we forget that what industry does is truly transformative. Absolutely maintain that level of energy from from a business perspective, that is an executive imp. Narrative that they have to constantly make sure that there's that energy, that life, that is communicated and represented.

15:08

Well, that's a that's a great question. I think the word that you hit was communication. You said communicating. We so one of the things that we do a lot, even over an optimum, we don't necessarily do this. A whole lot of industrial sage, but internal corporate communications is huge, and so, and I think, you know, a lot of people talk about digital transformation and bringing in automation, robotics, what AI, whatever. What have you, if you don't have a culture that is willing to change, wanting to change, having a culture of innovation. That's not going to go over really well. And I think the the number one step is through communication, through leadership, like you were mentioning, you know, how do you, how do you keep up that energy and you transmit that? I really do think that to have a foster of innovation, a foster or a foster that environment of change and innovation has to come through the top, from the top, saying, This is super important, and this is why we're going to do that. And it's interesting. We see that very clearly. We have a lot of clients that are not actually in the manufacturing space over at optimum. We have a, you know, nice, beautiful studio here, and we'll have whole executive teams will come in C suite, and you can tell the leaders that really value it versus the ones that don't, and you can see tangibly the response from employees. Will actually see how many are engaging with questions and responding with emojis or polls, the engaged audience 100 times you're seeing when you've got that leadership that is, is, is taking that charge. Communication is important. They're making it, making it a priority, and they're getting their team around it to continue to talk about it and sort of reinvest and double down in that communication strategy.

17:03

But it's more than just communicating verbally, physical communication, where that leader has to be out on the floor, whatever it might be, 100% Oh, you're doing a great job. Karen, wonderful. You're here, whatever the 100% there's that personal component. And I think, and I want to hear your thoughts on this. As we continue down this road, there is this impetus behind wanting to separate that human component. And I'm here to tell you, because of AI, because of automation, because of all of the out there, I'm here to say that it's even more incumbent upon those leaders to create that human to human contact. Oh, I agree 100%

17:46

I think there's a lot of trepidation, a lot of uncertainty about AI. Mean, you would always hear this, the notion, oh, automate before AI, but oh automation and robotics has come. It's gonna take over my job and all this stuff. What's that gonna do to the worker? I think with the acceleration of AI that I think it's an exciting time, but I also think that, you know, there's a lot of hype and a lot of there's a lot of things that can go wrong with it very easily. And in particular, I think, where you have organizations that may say, hey, we think we can go ahead and just, you know, we're going to, we're going to replace all these people, and it's going to be amazing. And, you know, we're just going to have all these systems that are going to replace all these things. That's not true. I mean, the reality of it is, I mean, even as much as you would want to do that, you you you can't. And I think to your point, it is going to be very important to make sure that you still have that interaction. You know, there's a theory going around. I work with a lot of different event production companies, and they're putting on big events and whatnot, and they have a theory saying we think that in person events are actually going to skyrocket, like the need for that over the next two to three years, because of exactly what you're talking about, people are going to be so, you know, locked down on their whatever that is, their tablet, their, whatever their process is, their their their computer. The need to be able to have more face to face, like real interaction with people is going to, is going to go up. And I think we largely saw that with covid, right, with all the, you know, work from home, and people are just like, Okay, do this anymore. I got to talk to people. I need to see people. And I think you're right. We're going to see the same thing.

19:27

20:30

You know, I'll add, I think you mentioned, you know, we were talking about communication and making sure that we having that from the top down. But also the other, the other piece about getting actually, like on the floor and being there and being present. I think that the other side to that, like you mentioned, is words are great, you know, but talk is cheap, so we really want to see what those put those actions, like those words into action. When people start seeing that, that's when you're like, okay, and I think that the where we see failed implementations of bringing in new technology is when the frontline worker, whoever is going to be affected, is not part of that process, particularly in saying, Hey, how can we fix this process? Let's bring you into that. Where are you seeing the choking points? Where are you seeing areas that we could be better, you know? And then you have a little bit of that feedback loop. We're working on a project right now with a client that I can't say, but they piloted this. Yeah, it's Acme. It's Acme Company, company, yep, and they have a very successful plan where they piloted this. They have an intake, the ability to be able to pull in feedback from frontline workers and saying, Hey, how can you know, what are the things that are like annoying you? What are the things that are causing problems for you and therefore causing problems in the line versus it's just an efficiency plane, right? And when you start getting people aligned on that, the feedback has been incredible, and they've responded to those changes, and the employees are like, wow, we feel heard. They actually, not only do we, you know, it's not like, here's the suggestion box. Put it in there and, you know, we all know where all the suggestions go from the suggestion box. This was real. They actually implemented those changes, and now, as a result, they're seeing a drastic reduction in turnover, you know? So those retention rates are much stronger there, and then they're also seeing a higher throughput capacity, because people feel empowered to make changes.

22:33

Follow through, they're actually doing it. It's not words, it's not not something that we all we all get emails, right? And we all look at our social posts and we just, you know, we're numb to it, right? Nothing really pops out. The same thing can exist within an organization where it's like, it's just, it's just hype. It has no real value. I'm going to ignore it. But I think you're touching upon something that I believe in my heart is, is the key to success, is the inspiration of your workers, and bringing them into the decision making process and then following through key. I'll give you an example. I'm fascinated, and I really am fascinated by SpaceX. And the reason I'm fascinated by SpaceX is that everybody, everyone, from what I can tell, because it's, you know, I'm watching it, right? Yeah, everybody is just driven by that purpose, that SpaceX purpose, and you see the energy, and it's all being driven, yeah, you don't see old guys like me, right? You see all these young, energetic individuals that are rowing in the same direction. And it is, it's inspiring, and it it propels companies. If you, if you, gosh, if you crack that, you've got something very special, something

23:59

absolutely, you know, Scott, I wouldn't short change yourself. I'm, there's a lot of passion, a lot of energy that I'm, I'm seeing from you here, so

24:08

I appreciate that, but, but you agree. I think that there is, yes, that's the nugget of success everybody. And I hear it, that there's frustration with the workforce, there's this work ethics, whatever it might be. I'm here to tell you, if you can identify that purpose that motivates season you, that's next level thinking,

24:31

absolutely, 100%

24:34

100% Yeah, all right. With all that said, and I think we've touched upon it. But I want to hear you say it, what? What are the roadblocks to do this? Why? What? What's, what is it? How do you? How do you, what is it?

24:50

There's a lot of roadblocks, you know. And I think a couple different things are, I think we talked a little bit how, a little bit before it, how talk can be cheap. I think when you start. Um, this is where the accounting comes in, right? This is from that previous conversation, you know, the background. And I'm extremely susceptible to this myself. I think you start looking at things on paper and trying to target, tie that ROI back to what you're putting sometimes that isn't, there's not an immediate ROI, or this needs to fall into a little bit of an R and D Land, and it's not, the path isn't 100% clear, or the connection isn't saying, you know, I make an investment of x and the return is going to be on y in this timeframe. I think that's number one. Number two. Quite honestly, this depends on the size of the organization, right? You're a small, you know, one or $2 million shop, versus a 20 million versus a three, five, $10 billion manufacturer. Think the bigger ones you get, the more bureaucracy that's involved. Is a big stumbling block, I think, to be quite honest with you, that we look at decision making in quarters. Plans aren't made over five years or 10 years anymore, because incentives, you know, executive incentives, from a compensation standpoint, are, Hey, I gotta what's the EPS for, you know, this quarter or this year. So I'm making very short term decisions that have a short term impact, that could be hurting us long term. And I think that is where you start seeing big problems. We're like, Yeah, yeah, we want to do this culture thing that's going to take a long time, and that's a long strategy and a long investment. Yeah, I may be out of here, you know, and I and not to harp on, you know, private equity companies and whatnot, but there's a, there's a reason why, you know, sometimes that kind of comes in, and there's a little bit of a, you know, we're going to start squeezing margin, and that we got human capital, we're going to, you know, look at that. We're going to start cutting because that's going to help make our margins better in the short

26:56

term. So, yeah, yeah,

26:59

I agree with you, sadly, but I do agree with you 100% and it's been a reality in business for a long time. I think it has to change. I think it's slowly changing. Companies that I believe are that truly are successful, are beginning to recognize that, I think me, because we live in this world, whatever this world is, I think it's, it's about stop overthinking that message, stop and move with speed and be able to say, you know, nobody's, I mean, tell that story. Tell it with a sense of urgency. Tell it with a with energy and passion. And I think, and you and don't worry about the ums and the and be introspective so much, go move, step forward, make it happen and and do it again, and then again and then again.

27:56

Absolutely no, you couldn't agree more.

28:00

You can tell I've thought about this a couple of times, once or twice, that's what, that's what I'm picking up on. Yeah, I'll be walking around and I'm going, Hey, I gotta think about that.

28:11

But it is outside to wrap it up, outside of the fact that manufacturing is cool, and every element associated with industry is cool. And if you start to begin to hone in on that coolness, there's success. How do people get a hold of you? Annie, what's the best way they're saying? Hey, I want this. I want, I want to be the industrial sage to help me out.

28:38

Well, you can check me out on LinkedIn. I'm fairly active there. You can send me a message there, but also just come visit our website, industrialsage.com there's all kinds of content. You can subscribe to all the things. And then there's, there's contact us information there. So

28:54

I'd love to chat. Andy, I

28:57

like you are absolutely wonderful. Love the topic. Can go on and on and on, I think you're on to something very special and very, very helpful for the industry. Think about it. You're wonderful. Thank you, Danny, for being on Industrial Talk.

29:10

Hey, thanks for having me on here and being able to share the magnificence that manufacturing industrial space is.

29:16

Yes, all right, we're going to have all the contact information for Danny out on Industrial Talk. So reach out. This is a must connect individual. You will not be disappointed. All right, we're gonna wrap it up on the other side. Stay tuned. We will be right back.

29:30

You're listening to the Industrial Talk Podcast Network.

29:40

Oh, Danny Boy. Danny Gonzales, that was a great conversation you get. You can tell I get fired up. I I have all my notes here, right here, right down here. And I remember having these, having the conversations, and being able to just scribble it down, and then be able to ask the question, because it is so important. We here at Industrial Talk will do whatever it takes, whatever it takes, to help you succeed. Tell your story. So you just need to. You need to get out of that comfort zone. Just do it. You have people like Danny and industrial sage that will help make that process easy, or you just come out to Industrial Talk, and we'll just have this conversation just like this. It's nothing big. You come over to my house, yeah, you know it'd be just like that. All right. Be bold. Be brave. Dare greatly. Hang out with Danny. Hang out with Team industrial stage, and you will be changing the world. We're going to have another great conversation shortly, so stay tuned.