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As an educator, my passion for manufacturing stems from its power to build lives and communities. I believe manufacturing is more than making things — it’s about problem-solving, innovation, craftsmanship, pride, and building the foundation for a strong economy. My goal is to bridge the gap between education and industry by giving students real-world experiences with modern technologies. I want students to leave my program with the skills, mindset, and confidence to thrive in a rapidly evolving workforce. Ultimately, I believe manufacturing education is not just about teaching technical skills. We need to start investing in our students the way we would invest in any critical natural resource — because that’s exactly what they are. At the end of the day, I’m here because I believe manufacturing can change lives. It changed mine — and I want my students to have that same chance.

@robertbeecher I am so happy it worked! thank you for your patience

@JacksonLefebvre Yes it is!

I will be there! On my way now.

@michael-kornuta I wouldn't say optimism right now haha. More like waiting out the uncertainty. Honestly, Trump needs to make up his damn mind. Are we having tariffs or not? There needs to be a clear direction put in place. Main reason is to serve the NA markets with local assembly and sales/technical support. They have existing business here, so instead of shipping over finished goods with long lead times, they can assemble domestically. Tariffs have companies interested for sure. EU companies don't have much of a concern. Chinese companies are more concerned. US companies want to strengthen supply chain resilience to get CMs out of China. IP protection is another reason for that. Another is the US does not allow Chinese BMS in utility BESS for grid security.

This is scary to me. I think half is being generous and this might be where the trends come from in the first place. So many investors and content creators pushing wild dreams about things they have never even seen or touched in person.

@andrew-kornuta @Jerika those videos are great!

It's sad that we have been buying from overseas for so long that we don't even know how to define made in the usa anymore. I definitely see this turning around but it will take time.

@nick-valentine Just north of Indianapolis.

This keeps getting better and better!

I’m Lucas Pacheco, a high school shop teacher specializing in manufacturing and pre-engineering, focused on preparing the next generation for careers in advanced manufacturing. I run a hands-on program that connects students directly with industry technologies and real-world practices. I’m here to connect with others who are passionate about investing in the future of manufacturing. Our program is located in Hawthorne, California — in the heart of metro Los Angeles, surrounded by defense and aerospace industries. Each year, we introduce about 150–200 students from 9th to 12th grade to the world of manufacturing and engineering. We pride ourselves on hands-on learning and exposing students to real-world problems and projects. We don’t just make widgets. We don’t just make machinists or engineers. We make young people who chase the dream of building. Great to meet all of you!

Battery cell manufacturing. I have $1-2B worth of business to give to a company that's making 4695s without Asian backing.

@Jason.Steadfast Yeah, we had ITAR for 3rd party work. Since we're not going to be bidding for jobs I don't know that we will need to be JCP certified, I'm not sure though. I also don't know how much testing we're going to have to do if we start making and selling the discontinued parts that the Air Force still needs for their vehicles.

Let's go!

Hey @yuri_ check this out. this might be interesting!

When quality is baked into the DNA and culture of an organization, there are fewer defects. A multi-generational family with a focus and obsession with creating high-quality products can reduce defects and the need for extensive QA by making sure every employee is detail-oriented and shares a mission.

Wow, look out those machines.

this is interesting and related [image: 1744670052657-screenshot-2025-04-14-at-3.33.32-pm.png] [image: 1744670052699-screenshot-2025-04-14-at-3.33.42-pm.png]

All true but it's an art, hard to set a flat rate using these as a guide because we have different skill/pay levels on the shop floor.