The All-Axis Podcast

IMTS 2026 Preview: Modern Manufacturing Trends with Tom Skubala

• Michael Thiessen, Tom Skubala

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Attending IMTS requires significant time away from the machine shop floor. For shop owners and engineers, separating must-see manufacturing technology from event noise is essential for real operational gains.

In this episode, host Michael Thiessen sits down with MTDCNC technical specialist Tom Skubala to preview IMTS 2026 at McCormick Place in Chicago. Dubbed the "World Cup" of manufacturing, IMTS showcases breakthrough CNC machining, software, and shop-floor automation. Together, Michael and Tom discuss how multi-tasking mill-turn centers, digital twin simulation, and advanced robotics are reshaping production, along with practical strategies for navigating the show floor to eliminate real-world bottlenecks.

Whether you are a machine shop owner, manufacturing engineer, CNC programmer, or plant manager, this episode provides an actionable guide to getting the absolute most ROI out of your IMTS experience.

In this episode: 
00:00 - Introduction: Why IMTS is the "World Cup" of Manufacturing
04:15 - Advanced Automation, Robotics & Multi-Tasking Mill-Turn Centers
11:30 - Digital Twin Simulation, CAM Software & Unlocking Lights-Out Production
18:45 - Navigating the Chicago Show Floor: Strategies for Maximum ROI
25:10 - Closing the Manufacturing Skills Gap & Preserving Knowledge
33:20 - Leveraging Industry Networking to Solve Shop-Floor Bottlenecks

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Thanks for listening!

Speaker - Voiceover

Welcome to the All Axis Podcast from the experts and Tebis. Each episode we'll talk about technology topics, trends, or solutions that manufacturers need to know in today's rapidly evolving times. Now, sit back, enjoy the discussion and let us know what you think.

Speaker - Michael Thiessen

Hello, my friends. Welcome to the All Axis Podcast. Hey, today is going to be a great day. Today is going to be a great episode, and we are so lucky that you start that you dialed in and uh decided to listen into today's episode. It's going to be a spectacular episode. Why? Why am I so excited? Because I get the chance to talk to my uh to one of my good friends from across the pond, one of my good pals, my bloke, my whatever you want to call him. But I'm not just talking to a friend, I'm talking to a true expert, a true genius. And what are we talking about? That's the coolest thing. Because we have the greatest spectacle for manufacturing. So what we want to talk with this individual, get a little bit of insight of what should we focus our time on? What should we look at? And then talk a little bit about some of the technologies that are going to be coming up. So you question yourself, who am I talking to? He's from England and he's been on this show before. So you probably recognize his voice because he's got one of those voices you just can't um ignore. So we'll be talking to a gentleman from MTDCNC. Of course, you've seen MTDCNC almost everywhere. If that's on LinkedIn, if that's on YouTube, they're doing a great job in order to highlight manufacturing all across the world. They're in Asia, they're in the Americas, they're in the UK, in Germany, they're everywhere. And so we said, why not talk to one of those guys and see what kind of technology should we look out for? So who do we talk? Who are we talking to? To my good friend Tom Skubala. Uh, he's been with MTDCNC since I think what 2021? And he's been one of the voices that you hear in all of the videos that are going on. So that's why we're talking to Tom. Get his insight. So, Tom, welcome on the All Axis Podcast, buddy.

Speaker - Tom Skubala

Oh, thank you, Mike. Honestly, it just comes down to having such a great team. We have we have people from every aspect. So, how I like to say we are different to everyone else, we we don't talk about manufacturing because we've read up on it, we've looked in a book. We talk about manufacturing because we've lived it, and I think that's why we love it so much. Like, these podcasts are great because I could talk about manufacturing all day long, but I talk to my friends about it, and they're like, I don't know what you're talking about. Well, you should up. But then I meet someone like you, and like you said, we we become more than colleagues, we become friends. You meet people from all around the world that don't just become a customer, they become a friend as well, and we can have a laugh. It's that bond with people that really gets me because everybody in manufacturing, it doesn't matter if you're friends, your competitors, it doesn't matter. Everybody just wants to see manufacturing growing in the right direction, and that to me is just the main point of manufacturing. Without manufacturing, there is nothing. We wouldn't be doing this, we wouldn't be doing this without manufacturing. Everything you use or touch on a daily basis has been manufactured. A lot of people need to realise just how important manufacturing is and why we need to put a spotlight on it for worldwide. Yeah, and it's just it's amazing how it becomes full circle. We try in, we're trying to just get the message out and and obviously help bring young people in because people still see it as this dark, dirty, dingy career. Yeah, when you will have been in places where saying that you could eat your lunch off the floor, it's absolutely spotless. But how fast you can move up and where you can get to, you will learn skills you can't learn anywhere else. Absolutely, and to me, that is that's why manufacturing is just so amazing.

Speaker - Michael Thiessen

And it's the set of satisfaction that you get when you've put something together or you manufactured something or you see and see something, having that thing just being created right in front of your eyes, and then later on have hold it in your hands before it was all digital, it was a dream, and now it became reality. That's one of the greatest feelings, and a lot of the young kids uh I think they're they're getting a little bit of a a bum world because everything is digital to them, they grow up in a digital world and they don't realize that feeling, that that passion that we have when we uh when we deal with manufacturing of actually creating something not virtual, but in reality.

Speaker - Tom Skubala

Oh, 100%. It's that feeling when you've when you've got this raw stock billet and you've put it in the machine, and then what that that finished part you get out and you check it all, and everything's in tolerance, and there's all nice finishes, right? There's no there's no better satisfaction than seeing that part ready to go out to a customer that you know you've made from start to finish, it's right, like you said, it's a digital world, which is why I think OEMs are doing such a good job of trying to, if we take machine uh tool builders for one, their new their controls now are getting more and more digital and more like your phone. So it's it's like if you look at a Herco control, they say if you can use an iPhone, you can use their control. Absolutely, and let's be honest, everybody can use an iPhone these days.

Speaker - Michael Thiessen

There's something special happening in Chicago. IMTS. This is not your first rodeo at IMTS, I assume. Oh no. And uh of course, asking you this question of are you looking forward to this show? I think it's it's kind of bittersweet for you because it is such an exciting show, but at the same time, everybody wants to have a piece of you.

Speaker - Tom Skubala

Oh, you know what? These shows, how do you not get lost at these shows? Because they are so big, and obviously you'll see MTD, they'll be bouncing around from company to company. And it the thing is, I was I was looking into IMTS, and there's a couple of things I didn't realize about it. I it's the largest manufacturing event in North America. Yes, now I knew that, but that you get a global attendant, which where else can you go where you're gonna meet people from the whole world? Yeah, every major OEM will be there. There'll be thousands and thousands and thousands of different technologies, and there'll be solutions there you've not even thought of for problems you haven't even got yet. It's all this under one roof. Why wouldn't you want to go? To me, this is the World Cup for manufacturing.

Speaker - Michael Thiessen

Oh, it definitely is.

Speaker - Tom Skubala

The one thing about manufacturing is you've got to try and keep ahead and not get left behind. So places like IMTS are such an incredible place to be because you will see the technology you're using now, you will see the technology you you will be using in your next step, but then you'll see technology that you'll be using in years to come, and it's just how it keeps evolving, like the industry just keeps evolving and evolving, and places like IMTS just showcase how incredible it's becoming and how easy it's becoming as well. Because let's not forget of the days where everybody was a manual machinist and it was a dark and dingy place to be, and where now it's it's it's all robots and automation and AI, yeah. And this is the thing you'll get students looking into manufacturing and going, Oh, I don't want to do that, it's just machining, but there's so much to manufacturing that people don't realize, and that's where IMTS comes in.

Speaker - Michael Thiessen

It it is uh one of the greatest spectacles. I've been at this show, I mean, I've been 23 years now at Tebis, I've been every single year at IMTS and I've seen IMTS evolve. And I mean, for me, when I tell people, because I go to a lot of shows, and I see some of the shows they're not getting the attention. IMTS is one of the shows where I'm gonna tell you you need to be there in person, not just looking at the technology on online and look at everything and say the videos. No, you need to be there because you will not just see, like what you said, technology right now, but you can talk to the people about what's the technology gonna be coming up next week because technology evolves so quickly, and you've got everybody there, you've got lubricants there, you've got tooling there, you've got clamp uh uh uh clamp holdings there, you've got CNC machines, you've got software, you've got I mean, everything in manufacturing that you have in your shop floor you can find there. I mean, everything is there.

Speaker - Tom Skubala

And I was talking to a company quite recently as well, and like software, being able to put your model into a program and then that spit your program out without you even doing anything. Or and like look at Tebis and the and the automations you've got in Tebis, yep, and how safe you can make and the and the presets you can put in. So if you've got a time-served engineer and you've got an apprentice, the stuff you guys have in Tebis, you can make an apprentice look like a time-served engineer.

Speaker - Michael Thiessen

Well, that's that's the key to today. You know what? We need to be fast.

Speaker - Tom Skubala

We see it at the moment where there's a lot more people leaving than there is coming in, yes, and obviously we need to change that. Yes, so there's a lot of experience that's leaving the industry and not getting passed down. If I want to if I want to make it like quite terrorist-related, there's a lot, there's so much stuff in your software I did not know. And it's it's all to make it easier for if you've lost a lot of expertise, you don't need it anymore because the software will all will help so much.

Speaker - Michael Thiessen

Yes.

Speaker - Tom Skubala

And I always look back at this from every time I do like a video or or anything like that, I always look at it from the angle of how could I have used this? How much easier would have it would have it made my day to day? And I tell you something now. If I'd have had Tebis when I was on the shop floor, with what you guys do now, my scrap rate would have been a lot less than what it was.

Speaker - Michael Thiessen

So now it when you come over to the IMTS, I mean, because you already said this is thing is this thing is so huge, and there's so much content and so many companies there, how can you go through before you even get there and trying to make yourself a plan of what to see, what should you look at, what should you be looking for when you look when you go to this IMTS show? Because companies are going there to improve their process, improve their bottom lines. What kind of technology should they be looking at when they get to IMTS or even before they get to IMTS?

Speaker - Tom Skubala

So let's say I was going to IMTS as a as a CEO or a managing director. I would look at what I'm doing now and think, how can I make this better?

Speaker - Michael Thiessen

Yeah.

Speaker - Tom Skubala

But then the problem is you don't just want to go to IMTS to look at the solutions you're thinking about right now. So obviously you want to go to IMTS with such an open mind. And I think the problem is you can't just go for a day. Because let's let's say you go to let's say you go to a stand and they have a solution you're looking for, you could be on that stand for an hour. So another problem, I think, like you can't just go for a day, you've got to make a couple of days out of it, and then there'll be people at home saying, Yeah, but I can't afford to do that, I can't afford to do that. Well, actually, yes, you can because what you'll lose in them three days you're not working, you will gain back tenfold once you've put into practice these new solutions you've learned at IMTS. So I think people just need to be a little bit not be so short-sighted of God, well, if I if I if I go for three days, the week after I'm gonna be really, really busy. Yes, that might be true, but then in six months, you may have got something from IMTS, a new piece of software, a new machine, a new piece of work holding, new tooling that then takes that three days, and now you're saving a week, you're saving a week here, a week there. So I think I think it's about going with an open mind, go with what you want solution-wise. Like if you're struggling with work holding, make sure you you go there. If you're struggling with CAD/CAM, make sure you go and check you out. It there's there's so many things to look at, but just don't go for one specific thing. Look at everything else. And I know saying that is it's a massive show, it's gonna take you a while, which is why I think you people need to realize they can't just go for a day, right? There's too much to look at. I would easily go for three days, if not more, because I would want to go around every section. So I'd want to go through the software section into the machine tool section, tooling section, and you don't just want to talk to one person, you want to talk to a few and get the best solution for you. Because one solution doesn't fit everybody. Yeah, so you need to talk to different people and get the right solution for you. That's how I do it. I I go with what other what bottlenecks have I got in my manufacturing process now? Right, let's sort them out.

Speaker - Michael Thiessen

I completely agree with you, Tom. Uh, 100%. When you walk the aisle, one of the things that you should not be doing, put your head down and just walk. No, look left, look right, see what is there. The people that are in these booths, they're friendly, they want to help, they want to understand what are some of the challenges that you're going through. They're not those sleazy uh salespeople that I just want to sell you something, they want to help, and that's the biggest difference to us. We are truly trying to make sure that you have technologies that help you out at the end of the day and make you more successful than what you've been beforehand. And you're right, three days minimum. The show is from four the September 14th through the 19th. If you can make it the entire week that uh that the show is going on, do it. One day is not gonna be enough. You're hardly gonna make it through one haul, but there is, I think, what, four halls that are going that are going on with different different ideas, different technologies, and it's gonna be spectacular. So, yeah, take your time and you're 100% correct.

Speaker - Tom Skubala

I really like what you said as well about it's not you're not going there to see sleazy salesmen. The thing about IMTS is as well as finding new suppliers, you can learn, you can network, you can build partnerships. That's what I think trade shows are really good at as well. Where if you're even if you're working with someone, go to their booth, go and say hello. You might have only spoke to a few of these people over the phone or over email, go and have a chat because as good as technology is, it's nothing without the people. Absolutely, people make manufacturing. And I've not met anybody in manufacturing that wants to just sell me something to tick a number, to tick a tick a box on a spreadsheet, right? It's not like you go to a a car place and they're just trying to sell as many cars as possible. It's not like that. People want to help you solve a problem, they want to help you be more productive.

Speaker - Michael Thiessen

Yep.

Speaker - Tom Skubala

So the thing is as well, and and this is one thing I really like about IMTS, and and you might go with one problem, but actually, the problem you're having isn't actually the problem you're facing, it's a problem because of something else further up the line.

Speaker - Michael Thiessen

Much deeper, yeah.

Speaker - Tom Skubala

But then you won't know that without talking to people like you, like the experts. You I could come to you with you with a problem, and you'll go, well, actually, no, that's not your problem. Your problem stems from here, but then it's coming down, and you're only seeing it here.

Speaker - Michael Thiessen

Well, you know what? It's a benefit from from our side. We see so many different industries, and and we will have so many companies that are going to be walking, so many people walking through the show that are in the aerospace industry and the in the automotive industry and the mold industry, you name it. And the issue, like what you said, that a certain person has, and they don't think there's a solution for another person has already solved, and because we are out there and we're seeing so many things, we can come up with and saying, Yes, I've seen this before, and it's being solved this way. It's not because we're geniuses, no, because we are out there just like what you are going to so many different companies and interviewing individuals. You kind of learn and see because manufacturers they usually are stuck in their four walls. They they they see what only they see, and they're trying to do the best that they can in order to be productive. And this gives them now the opportunity to go out to see what technology there is. So let me stay on the on the people per uh on the people subject because you already alluded to it that a lot of the experts are moving into retirement, and we have this issue of backfilling these positions. So there's there's there's two ways to look at it, and saying, okay, manufacturers, you need to hire more, you need to have apprenticeships, and you need to have all of those things happening. Or you need to say, okay, so how can I utilize technology to kind of backfill my problems that I'm having? And of course, when I look at CNC equipment, for example, when I look at CNCs from 23 years ago, relatively, so to speak, primitive, and now I'm going and looking at these turn mills with two spindles with a robot feeding it, and all those kind of things, this seems to be, and I always call turn mills this the Swiss Army knives of manufacturing because they can do so many different things. But is this something that at IMTS we need to expect that these machines become more and more complex, pretty much taking care of some of the the lack of individuals and the lack of people uh that that are gonna be that are are joining our workforce?

Speaker - Tom Skubala

Oh a hundred percent. But I also think people's mindsets need to change as well because obviously you will have heard it same as I have. Automation is taking people's jobs. No, automation doesn't take people's jobs, automation takes the tasks you don't want skilled people doing. So why would I why do I need to pay someone to stand in front of a machine and just change parts when I can get a robot or a power learning system to do that? But that doesn't mean the guy who stood there loses his job. No, that means I can now train him to be better, I can train him to do more in the business, which then again just helps the business because I'm getting more skilled employees. I know what people say with a robot, he doesn't take a lunch break, he doesn't sleep, whatever. But you it's just a waste of a personnel having them stood there loading parts in and out when you could have him doing something different, you could have him preparing the parts, you could have him programming it. See if you've got that that gentleman or or lady who was stood there just loading parts, if they're now programming, they could have the next two or three jobs ready to go instead of waiting until that batch run's done and then having to start programming. And I do think, like you said, Swiss Army Knives of Manufacturing Terminal Machines is definitely the best saying. I do think machines are becoming more and more complex to do more on the machine because there's another way of looking at it as well, is if I'm doing a part on three machines, that means every time I take that part from one machine to another, there's a risk. If I don't put it back in the work holding right, if I don't clock it up right, if I don't put it in the vice the right way, there's there's risks. Every time you move that part, there's a risk something's gonna go wrong. But yet, if I can do that all in one machine, you're lowering the risk, you're lowering your scrap rate. And if you're you can bring everything into tolerance on that machine, which means you're not constantly moving it backward backwards and forwards. We were talking about in-process measurement. Now, in-process measurement is an amazing piece of equipment or an amazing piece of software where you're not machining your part, taking it off, taking it to an external CMM, bringing it back, and then hoping you've got it in the right place, you've clocked it up right. If you can do all that on the machine, then you're getting work off faster, which means your customers are happier, which then hopefully they will give you more work.

Speaker - Michael Thiessen

Well, and the quality is better, and you have not forgotten something, and and all of those things. And and you know what? We just did a um a big case study just recently at uh one of our clients, and one of the biggest things when you walk into this shop, all the machines are humming, all the machines are running, but you had a minimum amount of people walking around and attending to the machines. Why? Because it's truly lights out, everything has been simulated up front, everything has been verified up front. These machines are running like a well oiled machine. And and it used to be that you had for every single machine one operator that is constantly watching with their fingers on the pod, constantly turning it down and up and turning up and all that. Now you have setup, they're walking away, running the tool pass, unattended, fully unattended, and the entire automation is taking over. And that's what the new the new future is going to be, where you've already said a lot of automation, a lot of technology built into the software, into the systems, into the machines that you didn't have beforehand. And now, and I mean 23 years ago, when I was in the shop, yeah, I was running lights out too. For me, lights out at that point in time was physically turning the lights off and leaving and hoping that the job was still on the table when I came back in the morning. That was lights out.

Speaker - Tom Skubala

I relate to that. I've done that. I relate to that. Yeah. Setting it running at five o'clock on a Friday, and even though it's only got an hour left of the program, and I can guarantee when you got home, all you could think about was your machine for that hour.

Speaker - Michael Thiessen

Exactly.

Speaker - Tom Skubala

So you knew if I leave at five, my machine finishes at six o'clock, even when you're sat at home on the sofa or whatever, watching TV, you've been looking at your phone, waiting for six o'clock to come around before you can relax.

Speaker - Michael Thiessen

Oh, absolutely. And for me, it was coming in the next morning at five o'clock in the morning, walking in the shop, and having my boss being so enraged because the job was all crap. That was for me, my lights out. So yeah, I was a total mess the entire night through. Nowadays, this is not even an issue. You let the simulation run, you verify if you collision check it, you collision avoidance everything beforehand, and you let technology take over, and you let the software and the machine take over, and it's a beautiful thing.

Speaker - Tom Skubala

It's just having faith in technology as well. I think I think there's a lot of people out there who look at technology as the enemy, not as a helping hand. It's not there to replace people, it's there to help.

Speaker - Michael Thiessen

Yep.

Speaker - Tom Skubala

And that's what I really like about it. It's I use AI all the time to help me. If I was on the if I was on the shop floor now, I'd be using AI, I'd be using all the checkers, all the simulations.

Speaker - Michael Thiessen

Absolutely. Absolutely.

Speaker - Tom Skubala

Because then, like you said, instead of having somebody stood there who's pressed go and then is constantly stood with his hand on the pause button and then worrying, saying, Well, wait a minute, why why is my tool going over there? Why you've already simulated it, you you've collision checked it, you know that nothing's gonna go wrong, so you would have the trust to just press go, walk away, and know you're not gonna come back to just a big mess. Correct, correct, and and this is what I like, and this is why, again, bringing it back to IMTS, this is why IMTS is so important because all these systems we talk about, which people may not know exist or have not seen them, they're all on show, they're all on show at IMTS, and you can talk to like if I was if I was new to this and I was going in and saying, Oh, I want I want to do some AI programming, I'd be I'd be scared to death. But then I could come on and talk to you, and within within five minutes, you would have put all my worries at ease and gone, oh, don't worry, we've got this checker, this checker, this checker. Being able to talk to the experts in one room who aren't there trying to just sell you something, they're there to try and just help you.

Speaker - Michael Thiessen

Well, but you but you know that the thing is too, and we talked earlier about these Swiss Army knives of of machining, these machines are no longer super cheap, they have some value to it. And the last thing that a owner, a CEO of a company wants to do is invest in such a technology that is just outstanding, and then have a mistake happen or have an issue happen. And this is where software really is is making sure that there really is nothing happening. You can you can depend on the software kind of helping you out so that you're not running into any kind of issues down the line. So, of course, we talked already a little bit about AI. AI, I think, is gonna be a big topic at IMTS. I think robots is gonna be a big topic. What else are you looking for? Because I know uh MTDCNC is gonna be covering a whole bunch of companies during the show. What are some of those technologies that you're gonna be visiting at IMTS?

Speaker - Tom Skubala

See, that's a really tough one because I I look forward to everything. I could come onto a stand that I've seen a hundred times and still be fascinated by it. Yes, but the the good thing at IMTS is that I really like is obviously talking to the talking to the people, but also seeing the machining demos as well. Yeah, because I like and not just the machining demos, just the demonstrations over the whole thing. I like to be able to go onto a stand and somebody can demonstrate exactly what I'm gonna get. Yeah, so I I would be there looking at at CAD/CAM because CAD/CAM, the invad the advancements in CAD/CAM are just coming so fast. Every year there's something new, there's something easy. Machine tools, like we talked about, um mil-turn machines, but then horizontal machines and the weight, that's what I always like as well. When you go on a stand and there's a machine with like a big weight on it, like how much it can take on the and machines now are getting smaller, but giving you more capacity, yeah. And then again, tooling, tooling and work holding. I always like them together because I think without the right work holding, you're gonna get problems. Without the right tooling, you're gonna get problems. If you get the right of each, it's it's it's a recipe for success.

Speaker - Michael Thiessen

Well, it's a chain link, everything has to work together.

Speaker - Tom Skubala

And I always like seeing what people are doing with work holding because it's some of the solutions you see. I look at aerospace, some of the aerospace part, you look at it and you think, how do I clamp that? How do I clamp that to machine it? Same with automotive parts, but then you'll go to one of these work holding suppliers, and like you, like you already said, they've already had a customer with that problem who solved it, so they already have that solution for me, and it's technology is amazing, but it's just the people for me, right? And I keep coming back to it, it's the people, it's the people that make manufacturing what it is and make shows like this, what they are, the atmosphere.

Speaker - Michael Thiessen

You talked to one of my favorite peeps just last week, Paul, Paul Scally from Tebis UK, and you had Deepmar over there and Tomek over there, and they were all doing this technical corner with you. Let me be selfish here. What did you learn from those guys that stepped into your arena and showed your things that probably you haven't seen before?

Speaker - Tom Skubala

So I did the first one with Paul, and that was all on aerospace, and it was what you guys have in your software to help people in aerospace. So we know of a lot of companies now that don't allow cloud-based tool libraries or machine or material libraries, but there is some companies that do. So it's great to see that talking to Paul, obviously, your security, we talked about cybersecurity a lot. Oh, yeah, forefront of what you guys do. Now, CAD/CAM and cybersecurity together, you don't really put them together, but when you actually think about it and you think about some of the parts people will have on their computers, then obviously it's it becomes a big thing. So, one of the main things I learned from Paul was your tool libraries, your material libraries, your your uh parts are saved locally to you, not to anybody else. They're saved to your computer or your internal server.

Speaker - Michael Thiessen

Yep, your network. Yep.

Speaker - Tom Skubala

Now, for these aerospace companies, automotive companies, that must be such a load lifted off their shoulders that they cannot be hacked unless it comes through their own thing. But they don't have a cloud-based server that is that is easy to find. Everything is so locally stored. So that was from Paul, and that was that was like I didn't I didn't know. I didn't really before that techcoin, I'd not really put camera cybersecurity together, so that was a great chat. From Deepmar, again, going back to um in process measurement and all the positives that brings. Now, obviously, we know we know of the positives of it, but there's more like getting the control to automatically change to bring your parts into size because it's already measured it, getting your finishes nicer, you can just check everything.

Speaker - Michael Thiessen

Yeah, and and you know what? This this technology is not new to us. We've had this for quite some time, and that's it.

Speaker - Tom Skubala

And I think it's one thing people should really look into because if they if they've if they've not looked into it, it's definitely something they should because I'd have it right if I was to buy a machine now, it'd be the first thing on my list. It saves you having problems with moving parts around without needing to, yeah, yeah. And then I spoke to Tomek about workflows and solutions and and keeping everything in order, yeah. But not just um what and not just in Tebis, but everything, yeah, keeping your entire workflow in order, yeah. And you you will have seen it, you will go to a place and say, Oh, can I have a look at this certificate? And they've gone in the back room in boxes trying to find things. Yeah, and and Tomek was like, Yeah, but you don't need to. We can we can run it all through the same system. Yeah, so if you need something, search, found it. There's no searching because you know where it is. The guys did an incredible job. Obviously, Paul can talk from here to the moon and back, you see the passion, you see just how much you love what you do. Oh, yeah, and it just makes it so easy.

Speaker - Michael Thiessen

Data nowadays, and you mentioned that earlier too with the network. Data drives everything. If you don't look at data and analyze the data, and if if companies don't invest in MES systems to kind of get your company in control and make sure that you deliver in your milestones and really know what your machines are doing, uh this is huge. Scheduling, planning, planning nowadays is is a huge, huge deal. So there's a lot of things that are gonna be happening at IMTS, and um it there's gonna be a lot of talk about getting young people in. I'm expecting a lot of students are gonna be walking the shop, the the aisles at IMTS, getting these young minds involved in manufacturing, explaining to them what we're doing. We've had so many students come into our booth and saying, Oh, was this digital printed? No, no, no, this is machined, it's subtractive, not additive, but understanding that it all started from subtractive and that machining is still key to doing a lot of manufacturing. I think that is key.

Speaker - Tom Skubala

Going from machining to 3D printing was a real eye-opener as well. Because when you're taking material away, there's only so much you can do. Yeah, but when you're adding material, you can do so much different. So I know let's uh like like Saritizzi, let's say they they additive manufacture their face mill body because they can put callant holes in specific places you couldn't machine.

Speaker - Michael Thiessen

Correct.

Speaker - Tom Skubala

But after that face mill's been additive manufacturing, it's still got to be machined.

Speaker - Michael Thiessen

Yes.

Speaker - Tom Skubala

The pockets have still got to be machined. There is no additive manufacturing without subtractive manufacturing, which you're 100% right. I went to um I went to DN Solutions additive manufacturing, and their their whole thing is uh additive to CNC. Because you you start the part on additive, but to get the nice finish, to get the tolerances, you've still got to machine it. Without shows like IMTS, I think we would be struggling a lot more than what we already are to bring new people in. Because if it was all down on manufacturers to bring people in, they're too busy. But with an IMTS, they're there.

Speaker - Michael Thiessen

Oh, yeah. And what what you said is is is very, very true. When these young individuals come in, having seeing that spark, it's almost like remember back when you when you were first dating uh your your wife, and and that spark kind of flew. That's the spark I'm looking for for some of these young kids to see, oh wow, the light bulb moment goes off. Oh, you can do this. This is cool, this is awesome. That's what I'm waiting for. And every single time when we go to these shows, there are a handful of individuals that are so excited about manufacturing and uh and and uh seeing what's happening in front of them that they become infatuated with this technology, and that's what I'm hoping I can influence a lot of these young individuals. There's one recommendation I have for you, and for all the listeners that are going to be out there that are trying to get to IMTS, take a lot of sleep before you go to IMTS, because these will be long days. You'll be doing a ton of walking. Um, put your sneakers on to feel comfortable because you will walk several, several miles.

Speaker - Tom Skubala

100%. And every IMTS reminds me of why I love manufacturing. The world-class engineering, the passionate people, and just how technology is evolving. That to me is worth three, four days off work absolutely to go and see, and like you said, a lot of sleep, take a lot of water, and put your walking and put your put your walking boots on because you're gonna need them.

Speaker - Michael Thiessen

And remember, yes, beer has water in it too, but yes, take water. Um, Tom, I think I'm gonna need to leave it there. It was a pleasure having you back on the the podcast, and and uh hopefully a lot of people are gonna be listening to it and taking your advice, looking into all the different technologies and companies and really showing up at IMTS 65 days from now. And uh it will be a true pleasure seeing you and Lindsay and everybody from the MTDCN C team there at IMTS. I think it will be a spectacular show. I'll give you the last word there.

Speaker - Tom Skubala

Well, Michael, thank you. Thank you for your time. Podcasts like this, people really need to listen to because it showcases the side of manufacturing a lot of people don't see. So, Michael, from me, thank you so much for what you're doing here.

Speaker - Michael Thiessen

IMTS, you've already heard, is going to be a spectacular event. Uh, you need to show up if you're in manufacturing. If you're a student, show up there, show you show that you're interested in manufacturing. I think it will be so great. Um, the All Axis Podcast is here to give you advice, to give you a kind of an insight of what's going on in the manufacturing. And we want to make sure that all the content that we're bringing to you is insightful and helps you out and helps you with your bottom line. So I think this is going to be great. If you're showing up at IMTS, stop by at our booth. Say hello to me. Uh, we're in booth uh 133230. There's a lot of threes in there. So again, 133230. Maybe that's better. Tune in to our next episodes uh for uh the All Axis podcast. Maybe we'll talk a little bit more about IMTSS and some of the other topics. Keep on manufacturing, look out for new technology, and I will see you at IMTS. Talk to you guys soon. Bye.

Speaker - Voiceover

Thank you for joining this episode of All Axis. Please leave a comment or review with your feedback or what you'd like to hear in future episodes. To learn more about manufacturing technology solutions and Tebis's capabilities, visit our website at Tebis. That's T E B I S dot com.

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Michael Thiessen

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