Manufacturing Without Borders: Technology, Culture, and the Future of the Industry with Tony Gunn

In this energetic and information-packed episode, Lisa Ryan welcomes Tony Gunn, who leads global operations at his new venture TGM Global Services after a successful five-year run with MTD CNC. Tony has spent two decades on shop floors and in boardrooms around the world, traveling approximately 300 days a year to over 60 countries, giving him an unparalleled front-row seat to the technologies, trends, and people shaping modern manufacturing.

Tony shares his remarkable journey from mopping floors on weekends for minimum wage and learning to use basic presses, to mastering CNC machining through the mentorship of industry veterans who taught him line-by-line programming. His story exemplifies the power of workplace mentorship and the importance of taking skilled workers under your wing—lessons that continue to guide his mission today.

The Smartest Person in the Room

Tony lives by a powerful principle: "If you're the smartest person in the room, you're in the wrong room." He thrives on being the "dumbest person in the room," learning from experts across the manufacturing spectrum—from garage shops with three or four machines to CEOs of the world's largest manufacturing companies. This humility and hunger for knowledge informs everything he does in media and content creation.

His approach to sharing stories and technology stems from remembering his own starting point—when he was just learning to turn raw material into something of value. He's passionate about explaining concepts at a level that empowers everyone, avoiding the industry jargon and acronyms that can leave people behind. He never forgets the experts who gave their time to an amateur, and now pays that forward by putting others under his wing.

The Technology Challenge: Keeping Up When It's Your Job

Tony candidly admits that even though it's his full-time job to know as much about the manufacturing industry as possible and share it with as many people as he can, he still can't keep up with how fast everything is moving. He can only imagine how difficult it must be for shop owners and operators whose day-to-day activities involve actually running their businesses.

From a global perspective, Tony sees shops still running machines that are 15, 20, 30, even 40 years old—machines that run good parts but can't complete a part on one machine, requiring five machines and much longer cycle times compared to modern technology. He draws a powerful contrast from his visit to the American Precision Museum in Vermont: 200 years ago, they were making micron parts, but it took two weeks. Today, it takes two minutes.

The Labor Shortage and Automation Imperative

The conversation centers on what manufacturers are most hungry to understand and solve right now. Tony identifies the labor shortage as a critical issue that companies are trying to address through multiple strategies:

Inspiring the next generation through STEM - While crucial, this is years in the making and can't be the only solution

Adapting technology in the midterm - Companies must figure out which technologies are most affordable and provide the best ROI to minimize labor shortages while competing globally

Various forms of automation - From traditional robots and cobots to pallet systems and bar feeds, companies are finding ways to have one machinist run 10 machines instead of one, with processes running 24/7

Digital transformation - Tools like Datanomics and Fulcrum that take traditionally tribal knowledge and display it on screens, giving operators and management real-time visibility into what's actually happening on the shop floor—eliminating the need for all-day meetings filled with 80% truths and 20% fabrication

Tony emphasizes that knowing actual uptime, real capabilities, bottlenecks, and opportunities for improvement allows companies to create better platforms for making quality products cost-effectively in a globally competitive market. While there's conversation about reshoring and nearshoring, manufacturing will always be global, and U.S. manufacturers must figure out how to compete with regions that can mass-produce with millions or billions of people ready to work.

The ROI Question: Starting a Shop Today

When asked about the smartest ROI for shops just getting started, Tony acknowledges this is complex because every situation is different—whether you're an expert machinist starting your own shop or someone still learning, whether you're doing production runs or one-off jobs, what parts you're making, and your size constraints all matter.

However, he shares powerful insights from his friends at EBITDA Growth Systems about "wizards on the machine"—highly skilled machinists who get frustrated feeling underpaid or undervalued, quit to start their own shops, and discover they can make any part imaginable but struggle with the front end and back end of business.

The front end challenge: Understanding how to quote properly. Many new shop owners underquote to win more bids, working 100-hour weeks without making profit because they're selling themselves short.

The back end challenge: Communication, customer service, and lead times. You can make a mistake on a part if you communicate two or three days in advance—that communication keeps clients. But calling the day of delivery saying you're a week behind will lose clients fast.

Tony's theoretical approach if he were starting a shop today? Go completely automated with one or two people, where machines essentially run themselves—even automated tool loading/unloading and part removal. Take on the debt believing in yourself, invest in the quickest ROI (keeping machines running and chips flying), and either sell what you need to sell or create your own proprietary part to avoid constant bidding. Keep those spindles turning to create profitability.

Culture: More Than Just Money

When discussing how to create a culture where machinists don't want to leave, Tony delivers a nuanced and honest perspective. If you poll disgruntled employees about why they're unhappy, you'll get 10% in dozens of different categories—it's not one simple answer.

While most people say "pay them more," Tony has been paid more and wasn't happy, so money isn't everything. Yes, most machinists deserve more money. Yes, the gap between shop floor workers and CEOs has increased dramatically. But at the end of the day, Tony believes most people are happiest when they:

1. Feel they have purpose in their lives
2. Feel wanted and desired in their company
3. Know what they bring to the table is valued
4. Feel appreciated when they go to work

These things honor the human soul more than just money. Money and materialistic things come and go—money doesn't buy happiness, though it can buy things that make us happy. But in the end, those are still just things.

Tony suggests bringing back elements like:

1. Offering respect and appreciation
2. Competitive pay that allows people to care for families
3. Retirement benefits and partnerships that many companies have dropped
4. Clean air and proper filtration in shops
5. Reasonable break times
6. Purpose and meaning in daily work

Every person wants something different—some just want breathable air and a good lunch sometimes. But the easiest common denominators are having purpose in life and having enough money to live comfortably.

Global Practices: What the U.S. Should Adopt

Having visited more than 60 countries, Tony has powerful insights into what U.S. manufacturers should be paying attention to globally.

Brazil's SENAI System

Tony recently visited Brazil and was blown away by SENAI, a company in business since 1942 that has trained over 80 million students (putting through about 2.8 million per year). They have 60-80 locations throughout the country, and for rural areas, they send buses and boats to provide 6-9 month trainings.

The game-changing aspect: It's machine shop funded. One percent of the profit that every shop in the country makes goes toward the education system, so students get free manufacturing education. They have facilities of 500,000 square meters with hundreds of the best machines available.

Location specialization: Many locations are designated based on what's being made in that area. Brazil is known for aerospace, so certain areas of São Paulo focus completely on training kids for aerospace parts. Other sections focus on mold and die, plastic injection, or medical devices—similar to Switzerland's regional specialization in watches, medical devices, etc.

The result: No labor shortage. No skills gap.

Modern Technology in Education

Tony emphasizes a critical difference between many U.S. trade schools and international programs: while manual machining has value for understanding machine vibration and what can/can't be programmed, many U.S. schools limit students because of fear they might crash expensive equipment.

Students often don't get exposure to 5-axis machines, 8-axis machines, or turning centers with 4 turrets and 2 spindles. They learn remedial processes, so when they enter a shop, they can do remedial work but can't immediately help make the complex parts that need to be made.

In contrast, places like Brazil and Switzerland have students working on the technology of today in their trade schools. When they graduate, they can immediately drive impact and make good parts on complicated machines. In Switzerland, 300,000 students aged 11-18 attend an exhibition dedicated to helping them select careers, and by age 20, they have a degree and are productive in the workforce.

China's Automation Leadership

While China is known as the "king of reverse engineering," Tony points out they've also started improving on that engineering and now have genuinely great technology. More significantly, they've purchased more automation than any other country in the world, allowing them to automate high productivity in machine shops better than anyone else right now.

The U.S. got left behind in automation adoption over the last 20 years. American manufacturers need to look to countries that have adopted automation far more quickly and successfully.

Elevating the Invisible Industry

Tony's passion for putting machinists on camera and sharing their stories stems from two powerful motivations:

1. Authentic Information Transfer

When a machinist gets on camera and shares their somewhat unbiased or agnostic view about how technology is working for them, it's the best way for viewers to receive information without feeling like they're being sold something. While salespeople should know their technology better than anyone (and there's value in learning from them), everyone knows they're being sold something.

When you hear from the person on the floor working the equipment every single day—someone who's had the trials, mistakes, and failures, and has worked to create success—that has unique value. People want to receive information from someone running the parts daily.

2. Giving Machinists the Respect They Deserve

Manufacturing has been an invisible industry for far too long. Tony's company slogan is "We machine the unseen that moves the world." People are happy to have their phones, cars, and planes, enjoying all the things made through manufacturing, welding, and trades—yet these industries don't get respect.

Manufacturing was demonized as the second opportunity if you couldn't get into university. It was considered for misfits, losers, dropouts, and GED educations. That's simply not the case.

As AI starts taking more simplistic jobs of people sitting at computers coding in cubicles, it currently cannot replace people working with their hands. Plumbers, electricians, and machinists represent the future for anyone who wants a good, stable career for a lifetime.

Tony wants to give these professionals a voice and opportunity to share their stories because he's tired of them not being respected. He was tired of not being respected himself, but he has a "big freaking mouth" and keeps talking about it until hopefully earning that respect. You can't demand or force respect—you earn it. In doing so, he tries to give others the confidence to do the same and let them know how important they are.

Looking Ahead: The Resurgence

Tony is tremendously excited about his new transition to TGM Global Services, which gives him more opportunity, flexibility, and creativity to do what he's always wanted. His YouTube channel is approaching 400,000 subscribers (aiming for a million within the year), LinkedIn is thriving, and Instagram is growing in markets like Brazil and India.

The partnerships he's forming for 2026 involve great people and products, with opportunities to showcase technology the world has never seen before—like one of only three fourth-generation systems in the world (the others being in France and Sweden) that can even help fight cancer.

Beyond personal excitement, Tony sees a resurgence in the industry. Respect is starting to come back. He has friends who've quit their day-to-day jobs to pursue inspiring the next generation—traveling to middle schools and high schools, giving keynotes, conveying messages not just to students but to parents (because you have to convince parents this is a good idea, not just students).

As a perpetual optimist (sometimes annoyingly so), Tony is hopeful and grateful to play a small part in this amazing industry that's given him so much over the last 25-plus years.

Actionable Takeaways for Listeners

1. Embrace the "Dumbest Person in the Room" Mindset
2. Surround yourself with experts and admit when you don't know something. The best learning happens when you're comfortable saying "I don't know that answer, thank you for teaching me."
3. Remember Your Starting Point
4. When explaining technology or processes, consider those who are just learning. Avoid overwhelming people with acronyms and jargon—empower them with clear, accessible information.
5. Prioritize Digital Transformation for Real Visibility
6. Implement systems like machine monitoring and shop management software even if you only have one or two machines. Knowing the real truth about uptime, capabilities, and bottlenecks is invaluable for growth.
7. Master the Front End and Back End of Business
8. Being a wizard on the machine isn't enough. Learn to quote properly (don't undersell yourself), communicate proactively with customers, and manage lead times transparently to retain clients.
9. Start with Strategic Automation
10. If starting today, consider taking on debt to invest in automation that keeps machines running 24/7. The quickest ROI comes from keeping spindles turning and chips flying with minimal labor requirements.
11. Build Culture Beyond Compensation
12. While competitive pay matters, focus equally on creating purpose, appreciation, and respect in your workplace. People stay where they feel valued and know their contributions matter.
13. Invest in Modern Training Equipment
14. Don't limit your team or apprentices to outdated manual equipment out of fear. Exposure to 5-axis machines, turning centers, and modern automation prepares people to create immediate value.
15. Learn from Global Best Practices
16. Study how countries like Brazil fund education through shop contributions (1% of profits), how they align training with regional specializations, and how China has embraced automation at scale.
17. Adopt Automation to Compete Globally
18. The U.S. got left behind in automation over the last 20 years. Look to countries that have adopted it more successfully and implement proven solutions to remain competitive.
19. Give Your Team a Voice
20. Share your machinists' stories and perspectives. Let them showcase their expertise on video, social media, or industry platforms. Their authentic experiences are more valuable than any sales pitch.
21. Pay Attention to Technology Even When You Can't Keep Up
22. Even experts struggle to keep pace with technological change. Make time to follow industry media, attend trade shows, and stay connected with your network to avoid falling behind.
23. Mentor the Next Generation
24. Remember the people who took you under their wing and pay it forward. Take time to teach, support, and encourage those just starting their manufacturing journeys—they'll never forget it.

Connect with Tony Gunn

Want to continue the conversation or follow Tony's global manufacturing adventures? Connect with him on:

1. LinkedIn: For business updates and day-to-day activities (Tony respects LinkedIn as a business platform and keeps content...