TOOL or DIE Podcast – Reindustrialize, Rebuild, or Retire
TOOL or DIE Podcast - Reindustrialize, Rebuild, or Retire
Podcast Description
Exponent of radical reindustrialization in the U.S.A. A weekly podcast with the people forging the future of American manufacturing. www.toolordie.com
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
Explores topics related to reindustrialization, the challenges of reshoring manufacturing, and advancements in technology with episodes featuring discussions on the construction of nuclear submarine bases, automation in manufacturing, and the role of clean tech in industrial processes.
Exponent of radical reindustrialization in the U.S.A. A weekly podcast with the people forging the future of American manufacturing.
🎙️ Caleb Chamberlain, co-founder of Osh Cut, joins Tool or Die for a loose conversation about the viral video that hit a nerve in U.S. manufacturing circles. The video—posted by a frustrated entrepreneur—calls out American manufacturers for being unwilling or unable to build a simple ATM kiosk enclosure, contrasting that experience with seamless production in China. Joel, Alex and Caleb break down where he’s right, where he’s wrong, and what the story reveals about the structural gaps in American industry—especially for high-mix, low-volume manufacturing.
TIMESTAMPS:
* 00:00 Intro & viral video setup
* 02:00 The mystery of WTI Wireless
* 04:00 Why Osh Cut was founded
* 07:00 U.S. manufacturers: optimized for repeat jobs, not first-time customers
* 10:00 “American manufacturers are babies?” Not quite
* 13:00 Why high-mix, low-volume work is still so hard
* 20:00 What’s missing: no U.S. equivalent of Alibaba
* 28:00 What Caleb would do with $250 million
* 33:00 Should you scale services or open new shops?
* 38:00 Could Osh Cut’s platform become a SaaS business?
* 44:00 Why many legacy shops won’t survive the next decade
Key Topics:
* The real reasons U.S. manufacturers turn down small or custom jobs
* Why digitizing quoting is only 20% of the challenge
* The case for vertically integrated, software-native factories
* What it would take to build an American manufacturing marketplace
* Reshoring, tariffs, and the shrinking pool of capable shops
* Why Caleb thinks this is the time to build in U.S. manufacturing
👉 Website: oshcut.com
TOOL OR DIE is produced by Johnson & Roy (Johnson-Roy.com), a strategic advisory firm focused on technology, mobility, manufacturing, and robotics. Your hosts are Joel Johnson, longtime tech journalist and builder (General Motors, Gizmodo, Wirecutter), and Alex Roy, General Partner at New Industry Venture Capital (NIVC.us) and veteran of the autonomy and mobility space.
Follow them:
* LinkedIn:alexroy | joeljohnson
* X:@alexroy144 | @joeljohnson
* Web:johnson-roy.com
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.toolordie.com
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