Going to IMTS 2026? 7 Tips for Machine Shop Owners | Lean Built - Manufacturing Freedom E158
About this episode
If you’re heading to IMTS 2026, don’t spend three days wandering around looking at machines you could have watched on YouTube.
In this episode, Andrew and Jay share their best advice for machine shop owners who want to get real value out of IMTS, from crafting a better elevator pitch and making the right connections to finding hidden capacity gains in the tooling, workholding, and processes surrounding the machines you already own.
They talk about why you should guard your time at booths, meet the technical people behind the sales teams, use your phone as an external memory, network with other shop owners, and debrief every night before valuable contacts and ideas disappear.
Plus: free dinners, IMTS transportation hacks, CMM shopping, and where you can find Andrew and Jay at the show.
Get every episode summarized
Each time Lean Built: Manufacturing Freedom publishes, we email you a written briefing from the transcript — the topics, who appeared, and any specific claims, with the ad reads skipped.
Email me new episodesFree for 3 shows. No card needed.
Hosts & guests
No transcript yet
This episode has not been transcribed. Request it and it moves to the front of the queue.
More episodes
More from Lean Built: Manufacturing Freedom
Don’t Automate Waste | Lean Built - Manufacturing Freedom E162
Lean Built: Manufacturing Freedom
When to Cut Your Losses in Business | Lean Built - Manufacturing Freedom E161
Lean Built: Manufacturing Freedom
When Automation Creates More Work | Lean Built - Manufacturing Freedom E160
Lean Built: Manufacturing Freedom
Your Shop Doesn’t Have to Be Clean to Be Lean | Lean Built - Manufacturing Freed...
Lean Built: Manufacturing Freedom