Peter is on the road this week, so Lauren Rall and Matthew Rall are stepping in to host a special IMTS 2026 recap episode of Manufacturing Unscripted. While Peter walked the show floor in Chicago, he sat down with a few of the people and companies making an impact in manufacturing today, and Lauren and Matthew are bringing those conversations back to the studio.

In this episode, you'll hear four interviews recorded live at IMTS 2026. Jacob Sanchez of igus talks about what they brought to the show, Brent Pietila of SteelHead shares how their team is helping job shops run smarter, Tyler Gendusa of EDM Performance Accessories gives a look at what's new in the EDM space, and Jeremy Isaacs of Ahaus talks through what he's seeing across the industry. Between clips, Lauren and Matthew share their own takeaways and talk about what these conversations say about where manufacturing is headed.

If you couldn't make it to IMTS this year, or just want to catch up on what people were talking about, this episode is a great place to start.

Sponsored by Promess Inc., the leading provider of fully electric servo presses for manufacturing.

Software teams don't fail because they're not smart. Theyfail because nobody ever taught them how to actually ship. In this episode, Peter sits down with Thanos Diacakis, chief troublemaker and software effectiveness coach at Cosmic Teacups, to dig into why so many software teams struggle to get products out the door, even when they know their industry inside and out.

Thanos has spent almost 30 years in software, from earlystartups to leading Uber's bikes and scooters team to running his own consulting practice today. He and Peter talk through why teams reach for long term planning before they've even mastered short term execution, why "specialization" can quietly wreck a team's ability to ship, and how AI is changing what's actually possible when it comes to speed, safety, andrewriting old codebases without blowing everything up.

They also get into how manufacturing environments handle the tension between moving fast and staying safe, why bad habits stick around long after anyone remembers the reason for them, and what Thanos thinks the future actually looks like for software jobs in the age of AI. Whether you're managinga software team or just trying to figure out why your company does things the way it does, this one's worth a listen.

Sponsored by Promess Inc., the leading provider of fullyelectric servo presses for manufacturing.

Peter Parsons wraps up his two part conversation with Mike Kubacki and Elliot Keas of IACMI, digging into the perception problem manufacturing still faces with parents and students alike. Elliot and Mike talk through why so many people still picture manufacturing as dangerous and dirty, and how technology and innovation have reshaped what these environments actually look like today.

The conversation also covers the different tiers of skill development in a modern facility, why apprenticeships matter for knowledge transfer, and how IACMI is partnering with veterans groups and job boards to connect people directly with industry. Mike and Elliot close things out by sharing their 10 year vision for the program, from expanding westward to building industry confidence in US manufacturing for the long term.

If you missed part one, check out our previous episode for the full conversation.

Learn more:

IACMI.org

MetalForAmerica.org

americascuttingedge.org

Sponsored by Promess Inc., the leading provider of fully electric servo presses for manufacturing.