Episode 39

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Published on:

10th Nov 2025

Reimagining the Factory of the Future with Ben Wynne

In this episode of The Manufacturers Network Podcast, Lisa Ryan sits down with Ben Wynne, Chief Technology Officer of Intrepid Automation, to explore how additive manufacturing and automation are transforming modern production—without erasing the craftsmanship and knowledge that built it.

Ben shares how his team helps manufacturers digitize decades-old tooling, preserve tribal knowledge, and bridge the gap between traditional foundries and cutting-edge technology. Their approach proves that innovation doesn’t have to mean disruption, it can mean integration.

Together, they discuss:

Why the future of manufacturing depends on capturing legacy expertise before it’s lost
How additive manufacturing can strengthen, not replace, existing processes
The role of AI and automation in reshoring and reindustrialization
Practical ways smaller manufacturers can collaborate with tech partners
How to keep your workforce engaged (and unafraid) as technology evolves

Ben also offers a powerful reminder: the factory of the future isn’t built on robots alone, it’s built on memory.

Connect with Ben Wynne:

LinkedIn: Ben Wynne

Website: Intrepid Automation

#Manufacturing #AdditiveManufacturing #Automation #Leadership #WorkforceDevelopment #Innovation #CrackingTheRetentionCode

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About the Podcast

The Manufacturers Network

Real conversations with leaders in manufacturing, automation, and workforce retention.

The Manufacturers’ Network is where manufacturing leaders, plant managers, and industry innovators come to talk straight about what’s working and what’s not, on the shop floor and beyond.

Each week, host Lisa Ryan sits down with people who live and breathe this business: operations executives, HR directors, engineers, and founders who are building stronger teams and smarter systems in the face of nonstop change.

Listeners gain real-world insights on:
• Employee retention and workforce engagement
• Automation, AI, and the future of skilled trades
• Supply chain and operations leadership
• Safety, sustainability, and company culture that lasts

If you’re tired of generic “leadership talk” and want practical conversations from people who get it, this podcast is for you.

New episodes drop every Monday and are short enough for your commute, sharp enough to shape your week.

Subscribe and be part of the conversation that’s connecting manufacturers across industries, one story at a time.

About your host

Lisa Ryan

As a Certified Speaking Professional (CSP), an award-winning speaker and author of ten books, Lisa Ryan, CSP, works with her clients to develop employee and client engagement initiatives and strategies that keep their top talent and best clients from becoming someone else’s.
Lisa’s expertise includes: strengthening workplace culture, improving employee engagement, increasing customer retention, and initiating gratitude strategies (“Grategies”) for personal and professional benefit. Lisa’s participants enjoy her high energy, enthusiastic delivery and quick wit and they leave the session with ideas they are committed to acting on immediately to make positive workplace culture changes.
Lisa costars in two films with other experts including Jack Canfield of “Chicken Soup for the Soul.” She is the Past-President of the National Speakers Association, Ohio Chapter and holds an MBA from Cleveland State University.

Relevant Experience

• Keynote, breakout or workshop speaker at more than 100 national and international conferences
• Thirteen years of industrial marketing and sales experience, including seven years in the welding industry – and yes, she does weld
• Host of “Elevate Your Engagement Levels: What You Need to Know” on the Elite Expert Network and the C-Suite Network
• Creator of “The Seven Mistakes Managers Make to Crush Company Culture” video series
• Best-selling author of ten books, including “Manufacturing Engagement: 98 Proven Strategies to Attract and Retain Your Industry’s Top Talent”
• Award-winning speaker