Starting a new venture and breaking away from what you know is overwhelming, scary, and often, incredibly rewarding. What are some of the secrets to a successful manufacturing start-up that will not quit? What key lessons will help you break into the space with confidence? Ask John LaFleur. He might just have the answer.

Now the CEO of Fleur Consulting, John brings a wealth of inter-disciplinary skills to the worktable. Not only did he lead the development of the very first full-size, full-electric pickup truck, but he also helped his teams touch on effective and sustainable development that ranges from engineering to design, purchasing, and everything in between.

Ready to find out more about the ins and out of starting a new venture with confidence? Join our conversation to discover the power of reaching out, the need to understand what you’re up against, and the potential for life-changing success that can be achieved when you know where and when to start working.

How did you get involved in engineering and manufacturing?

I have a degree in industrial design and mechanical engineering from the University of Cincinnati back in the early 80s. So, I’ve been at this long time. We were trained to do concept development as well as mechanical design. And through my career in both design and plastics engineering and metal fabrication production, I grew in my different roles throughout the years to a point where I was in leadership. I have a lot of experience in both domestic manufacturing and all different processes. And then, importing from all over the world on that element as well. So that’s what kind of got me into leadership roles with different sectors.

What challenges do manufacturering start-ups face in todays market to cope with competition?

I think it’s an opportunity, not necessarily a challenge. These start-up companies want to think out of the box. My background is industrial design, its problem-solving. I have never approached things as here’s the way it’s been done – we’re doing it that way. I’ve always been very open to suggestions from employees, outside help, consultants and so forth. Of course, your legacy companies, giant manufacturing companies are settled in and they move like icebergs. But, new manufacturing start-ups, people that are on the fringe of new technology, have a huge advantage over the big guys.

The negative is not having as much money, You’ve got to raise a lot of money. So that’s something I’ve been involved in for the last ten years. Reaching out to the financial institution, investors, venture capitalists etc. But I think the opportunity for a manufacturer both domestic and abroad is gigantic. The speed is important. A start-up or a small/mid-sized company can really capitalise on that, to compete with the big guys. And you learn from the big guys. You hire from the big guys. You bring them in and they know how not to do things. Listen to them because they’ll give you the straight answer.

What are some of the key lessons to make start-ups more likely to succeed?

Do your research. Understand the market you’re going after, know who the competition is. Do a thorough market study. That is what I found to be the most important thing, You need to know who your competition is and what the greatest and latest technologies are.  In addition to that, you need to reach out. I believe in bringing in an expert from an outside field. I’m actually on a couple of advisory boards for start-up software and high-tech companies. I tell them what hurdles they’re going to face and also help them with fundraising, capital venture opportunities or going public. It helps to have an outside person.

You also want to make sure that you protect your concept idea and your technology IP. Make sure you have all of your ducks in a row when it comes to patents and things like that. And then when you share your technology with outside personnel, make sure that you have an NDA in place with any suppliers or potential customers.

What are your thoughts on handling culture change to tackle growth?

That’s a good question because I dealt with that for the last six years. You had a start-up environment and anybody that was with the big companies, GE or Ford or Toyota, had certain ways of doing things. We got to break them out of that mould. Ask them what worked and what didn’t, what held them up or what progressed them. And they’ll be honest with you. And you got to take that advice and really implement it. You can’t just be freewheeling, you need stability and process. And a lot of the big companies have great processes, they just take too long to do it. And I’m not saying you skirt safety measures or governmental regulations, but you can do things a lot quicker as a manufacturing start-up than a big, traditional legacy OEM.

For example, when we took over the Lordstown Motors factory, there were a lot of guys from GM that stayed there and wanted to work for us. But we had to really vet them because some were so entrenched into the way it was done, and we weren’t going down that route. Others were so delighted. You wouldn’t believe the enthusiasm from people saying, we’re going to do it differently, and you’re going to let me help you put that together. That’s encouraging, it builds camaraderie and teamwork, You need a mix, guys that have been in start-ups and guys that have been in established, big companies. The leadership level must be diverse as well. And then at some point, the sales side is very important. But to begin with, you’ve got to have a good product and good people, Then you can start selling because they believe in the product.

Do you have any kind of tools or techniques that you think can help with this?

There is a graveyard full of the carnage of companies, in the EV space alone, not to mention everywhere else. But you learn from them, you find out, what they did wrong. You do a lot of questionnaires to the customers out there, the potential customers. What didn’t you like about start-ups that you tried? And you bring them into an advisory committee. I put together Duke Energy, UPS, Rider and all different sectors, and had them as an advisory team. And you wouldn’t believe the specifics that were important to them, but not necessarily to us because we were developing.

I’ve also tried true methods of supply chain management techniques and tools, and those are changing. You don’t always have to have the big SAP ERP systems that no small start-up can afford. Most people use their email, and they just track and communicate. It’s just so time-consuming, a burden. There are now lots of software systems and companies out there developing cloud-based supply chain management tools that are very inexpensive and much better than SAP. It works with SAP if you want to go up to the big guys, but the small and medium-sized guys can do it. I’m on an advisory board for a company called Cloud Site, and they’re mainly for supply chain management and import and export, that’s kind of their focus. But what I found was those companies also work with governments, cities, counties and municipalities that are trying to figure out where is their carbon footprint and how are they spending their money.

Those are tools that would not necessarily be in your playbook if you come from big legacy manufacturing. So, keep yourself open to the newest, latest, greatest tools. And I will say this, the younger generation, they are so much smarter and so much more educated in the technical aspect of software and easier ways to do things. You really need to listen to the younger generation when it comes to technology.

What are you working on at the moment?

I retired. I was working 24/7 for about five years, so that put about 20 years on my life! When I got my latest notice from Marriott that I stayed 80 times in a hotel in six months, I thought I need to take a break. So, I do independent consulting, I’m Fleur consulting. I’m also on a couple of advisory boards, and I’m looking at being on a full-time board for a couple of local companies, and

I’m also doing podcast interviews. But I try to stay neutral when it comes to my previous companies. I’m supportive of them, but I try and stay broad in my ideas and thoughts because it could seem like I’m partisan in one way or another. So, I do these paid consulting, hourly calls with the financial institutions out there that want to know where to invest their money. I know all the suppliers and all the OEMs in the business. I also help a lot of recruiters find people for major OEMs because I know of a lot of them, and I’ve hired most of them.

What’s the best way, if people want to ask you any questions, find out a little bit more about you, what’s the best way for people to find you?

I have a personal email. Jlafleur@IX.Netcom.Com. Also, LinkedIn, if they pull up my profile John LeFleure. There is another John LeFleur, he’s about 30 years younger and he’s not in my business. But LinkedIn is a big networking tool that I use, so if somebody reached out to me and they want to talk, I can share my phone number with them over email.

Draw. Inspect. Fail. Repeat. There are few things as frustrating in the engineering and development fields as the usually painful and ever-repetitive process of creating drawings from CAD models. That’s where Vin Kettay and Brian Gullette of Vectra Automation are coming in hot. Instead of spending hours draughting, inspecting, and ultimately redoing designs, they’re simplifying the process with the first robotic process automation platform. Now, that previously painful process becomes faster, more accurate, and less likely to result in mistakes in the actual manufacturing process.

So, why does that matter? With their pioneering system, companies and engineers around the world can do their part to cut down on scrap and ramp up productivity to create and deliver the products that could just change the world.

Want to find out more about the wonders of engineering technology right now? Read on!

How did you find out about robotic process automation and what inspired you to create a business around that?

We started on automating the process of engineering drawing generation, well before the term robotic process automation even became popular. So, we started out at Vector as a design services company back in 2005, supporting tier-one suppliers of major automotive OEMs like GM Ford and Chrysler. In terms of supporting our clients, they would do the engineering of 3D CAD models, and then send it over to our team in India who would create the two-dimensional engineering drawings.

It became pretty obvious that it was a very time consuming, error-prone, chaotic process. So, we just decided there had to be a better way. And the obvious way of making a process better is to introduce software to automate the process. We developed new, very sophisticated algorithms and also leveraged existing algorithms used in other domains and other application areas. Our clients were excited about the ability to turn around engineering drawings in one or two days, as opposed to the three to six weeks that it currently took them.

Do you focus on specific verticals?

Firstly, Vinod’s team were developing RPA configurations for body-in-white assembly tooling, for that particular engineering domain. However, the customers also need to make sure that the output is correctly formatted for the end customer. OEMs have their own design standards that the drawings must adhere to as well.

As a result, Vector came up with a way to create autonomous robotic process automation configurations. You can think of them as individual bots. Each bot is trained to recognise the engineering domain that the CAD modelling is designed for. So, for assembly tooling or product design, recognition of the features in that model are all pre-configured. It then generates the drawings accordingly. It also configures to ensure that the output adheres to the design standard of the end customer.

Do you think improving machine efficiencies is another piece of the puzzle for improving productivity?

Yes, it definitely reduces the launch time and the time to market by a quantum of weeks. In terms of actual manufacturing, it reduces the number of headers transmitted from the design process to the manufacture. It also reduces scrap, rework, and the need to get into expedited shipping or expedited installation at the customer facility. There are a lot of benefits.

One other critical component of productivity enhancement that comes from this type of RPA application, is the designers themselves. The 3D CAD engineers are now spending a small fraction of the time that they used to spend inspecting drawings manually, or making sure that the quality control has been adhered to appropriately. Now, the whole engineering team have a significant amount of time to allocate to better design and to do the work that they loved in the first place.

How did you come up with your software ideas?

They were driven by need. When we got into business in 2005, we were growing like so many other companies in the outsourced design space. At that time, our sole value proposition was to lower cost engineering, because our engineering centre is based out of India. But there’s a lot of back and forth that happens in the conventional buying creation process, in terms of chaos errors as well as human error, so it was a painful process.

Everybody in the world accepted it as status quo because nobody knew how to do anything differently. And that’s when I decided that there had to be a better way. With did a lot of research and development, and found there were certain APIs associated with the CAD platforms, that enabled us to automate joins. We went live several years ago. Then following on, we figured out how to make our software three configurable for any kind of engineering domain.

Our plans are to go into aerospace and defence, but we’re not stopping there. With enough training models for our algorithms to automatically examine and detect, we can easily render architectural drawings and plug into something like Revit. When I say it’s essentially a turnkey solution, it really is. You have your CAD platform and you have your engineering domain. We can set up robots to essentially automate that process end to end.

At what point does it make sense to do robotic process automation?

Eventually, I think it makes sense for almost any engineering design task for its mechanical components and systems. This is a mechanical engineering solution for that design scenario, especially if it’s 2D is a bottleneck.

For complex tooling that has thousands of components, each one has a different view angle. Those are the tedious, simple calculations that we can do algorithmically, and that’s where it really makes sense. Why spend all this time and effort, whether it’s outsourced or not, when the amount of work is the real question.

Our plastics components manufacturer get design changes from customers up to the last moment. They have this big 2D bottleneck that they’ve got to finish in the final form. They’d like to be able to test some 2D outputs to go to pre-manufacturing or manufacturing design and have those drawings to work with and redo if there’s a design change at the last minute. So, in that scenario, pressing a button to get the drawings done, error-checking them and releasing the manufacture, is definitely a big game-changer. In that context of time or volume of work, that’s where we come in and can provide significant benefit.

What are your plans for 2022?

I’m most excited to see the amount of engineering capacity that we’re helping to boost with our customers. These are teams that are doing 50,000 to 100,000 hours or more of 2D annually, and we’re building configurations to put all that into automation.

Our existing customers want a configuration built out for SolidWorks and another one built out for Crio. We’ll also have another one built out on AutoCAD for a company that designs plant layouts and plant engineering systems. So our main thrust is that. We’re also going to be bringing on new customers. We spent quite a few years just focusing on a couple of key clients. Now, we’re finally opening up the door to bring on new clients and have quite a few coming on board as we speak. We’re going to be working directly with automotive OEMs and have them introduce Auto 2D, which is our product to their suppliers. That’s the best way for an OEM to gain the benefits.

What’s the best way to get in touch with you or to find out more?

You can use the email vkettay@vectraglobal.com. Or, type in sales@vectraglobal.com and we’ll respond immediately.

Vector are also very open to running full demonstrations of the software using CAD files from customers, provided that it is closely proximal to the configurations we’ve already created. We can typically take an example file and show a potential prospect what it would look like to have that fully automated, and what the required steps are to complete the configuration. It’s very powerful software, that we can set up in a day or so.

Our world is facing some incredibly pressing issues at the moment, and companies around the globe are looking for new ways to solve them. Actionable sustainability in manufacturing – and how to achieve it as quickly and as effectively as possible – is the topic of the day.

According to Rajiv Bongirwar, CEO of Hemraj Consulting, the only way for manufacturers to reach the sustainability targets, is to make design, safety, and security a priority from the very beginning.

During our chat, Rajiv and I discuss his history in the Indian Naval Defence League. We also talk about how his experiences with global aerospace and automotive companies in the U.S. were shaped by his love of pushing boundaries.

Watch the video to learn more about Rajiv’s thoughts, ideas and hopes for actionable sustainability in the future of manufacturing.

How did you get where you are today?

As a child, I had to be adaptive and resilient because my father was in the Indian Navy. So, we used to change not just houses but cities and schools too. When I was a teenager, he challenged me to take The National Defence Academy examination – one of the unique military academies worldwide, where officers from the Army, Navy and Air Force are trained together,

After I graduated from the National Defence Academy I joined the Indian Navy, Here, I designed and developed a major upgrade to one of the in-house helicopters, as well as the first digital communication system which is in use today.

As I was already into systems in new product development, and because avionics was a very controlled sector, I moved into the automotive industry. I applied my learnings and offered embedded design development services to global OEMs and Tier One customers. We did some interesting product development for the Grand Cherokee. We came up with a completely new, simplified harness system, distributing a centralised body control computer into multiple, smaller control units.

From a personal standpoint, I wanted both my sons to get the best education facilities and opportunities. So, I decided to come over to the UK. I had a one-way ticket and one month of money to sustain myself. When I arrived there was an economic downturn. People were losing jobs and all migrants were going back to their home countries. However, I learned in the National Defence Academy to never give up, so I stayed and set up my consulting firm. Then, in under six weeks, I got my first consulting assignment with Jaguar Land Rover back in December 2008.

What do you think are the biggest challenges facing the automotive industry in the next decade?

I think the underlying challenge that our planet faces is zero carbon emissions and 1.5 degrees. The Cop 26 in Glasgow was very good. A lot of actions that have been delayed in the past are, hopefully, now on track.

To that end goal, technology is playing a role. This can be seen with autonomous or automated vehicles, electrification, connected and shared mobility and sustainable mobility. That’s a real revolution that’s on the horizon. We are already seeing an uptake of electric vehicles. There’s also a lot of work on hydrogen fuel cells and connectivity. What we need to remember is while this technology is a promise to deliver the Cop 26 targets, it comes with its own challenges, like safety security.

There are so many increasing layers of automation in a vehicle and that can cause an increased opportunity for malfunction. These malfunctions are, on one hand, causing safety hazards and accidents to the humans involved with infrastructure, and on the other hand, creating new opportunities for security threats and hackers penetrating not only the vehicle but also the entire organisation and IT infrastructure. And these problems are increasing. So, while we need to leverage the advantages that the technology offers, we also need to understand the challenges. We must address them by designing safety and security upfront, rather than leaving it to a later stage when it’s much more expensive and much less effective.

Do you think manufacturing companies are actionably working towards the sustainability goal?

I think there is a lot of hope, as was evident from Cop 26. But, it is actions rather than words that matter. So, I think each manufacturer has to look at what they can do to contribute to this. This could be something as small as minimising waste, making efficient processes and thinking about safety and security at all times.

I believe the need of the hour is collaborative partnerships. Work on strengths, and remember in this ever-changing world, we must collaborate with experts to make one plus one, eleven. That’s the only way to achieve the sustainability targets in manufacturing and save the planet.

How do you get involved in helping people in manufacturing?

Currently, I’m working with different clients in the autonomous electric vehicles industry and the defence industry. We’re finding new ways of assuring safety and using state-of-the-art risk analysis techniques to identify safety hazards as comprehensively as possible.

It’s strange to still believe techniques of the ’60s can help us identify and assess the hazards in this century. We need to adapt to the latest techniques. We must harness them together and use them alongside existing techniques, new technology and product development.

Hence, I’m partnering with some world-leading academic institutions and doing potentially collaborative research. I’m seeking funding to come up with delivering a product to manufacturers, designers, developers, end-users, regulators and insurance companies. We’re working towards a goal of having products operating seamlessly, allowing different end-users one version of truth, in real-time. Keeping in mind protecting GDPR and intellectual property of all the stakeholders involved.

Do you have any tools or techniques that have helped get you where you are today?

Everyone has strengths hidden somewhere and that’s where I think it helps to work with a mentor. A mentor can really bring out the best in you and your organisation and give you a road map to your targets and goals.

I’ve written papers and also conducted workshops. I’ve shared my techniques and case studies with examples of how they can be applied in organisations. So it’s a mixed bag. I’m working on pretty demanding projects for the most part. For example, with Ford Motor Company, I was the person responsible for all the engine control features in their products. So, it’s been a challenge. But I take time out and then write a paper or an article. I try to find balance in delivering success and solutions to my clients, pursuing my passions and sharing my learnings with the community.

One more thing I would like to mention is I’m a certified Heartfulness trainer with the charity organisation Heartfulness UK. Heartfulness is a free worldwide service. It’s a unique meditation practice, accompanied by subtle life energy. It helps you to focus and connect with yourself. To be at peace when the environment is in turmoil and remain happy and calm no matter what the external circumstances may be.

Contact Rajiv here

Public transport, shipping, and international travel are all transforming to become more sustainable and environmentally friendly. But what happens when you think smaller? What about shorter, faster trips that don’t necessarily warrant hopping on a bus or train to get somewhere?

Jez Williman’s UK-based company is here to make those trips a reality. D-Fly Group is transforming the mobility for individual people, by manufacturing a luxury, electric hyperscooter that shoots to the shops, to the beach, and to the drive-through in a more individualistic and sustainable way. However, people aren’t just doing quick trips – they’re doing everything from doughnuts to wheelies.

Want to know more about this strangely sustainable new solution to how we move? Then join us for another exciting instalment of Manufacturers Makes Strides and find out how Jez Williman is changing the future of mobility for the individual, one spunky little scooter at a time.

Here, I talk to Jez about how his company D-Fly has launched a new form of urban electric transport. Their flagship product, Dragonfly Hyperscooter, is an innovative form of electric scooter. It’s for city dwellers, adventure seekers and also safe path travellers.

Jez used his 27 years of experience in manufacturing to build D-Fly. Firstly they outsourced manufacturing and iterated the designs until they got a unique mobility product out there. As a result, D-fly successfully brought to market an innovative transport solution for automotive consumers looking for something different.

In this interview, Jez also shares with me his vision to take some of the control, ride and feel of track race cars into a completely new design of electric scooters. He tells me about some of the epic things that D-fly’s customers are doing with their electric scooters, as well as talking about his exciting vision. The vision for people to be able to use the scooter for everything – from rides on the beach, through cities and everywhere in-between.

Get in touch with Jez here.

What would life be like if owning a car wasn’t the norm? Antonio Ferreira has his own ideas. I spoke to Antonio about the past, present, and future of the sustainable automotive manufacturing industry across the world.

As a globally renowned visionary in his industry, Antonio believes that we’re about to see some incredible changes sooner than we’d think. He has helped – and will continue to help – manufacturers transform their supply chains to suit an ever-changing market.

Firstly, in this interview, we’re talking about how the idea of getting from A to B trumps vehicle ownership, what that means for car dealerships and manufacturers, and how the endless search for a commodity is going to transform the way we move.

We cover all sorts of things with Antonio. He believes that the current business model for vehicle ownership of transportation isn’t working at the moment.

In the future, consumers will want a commodity, to basically just transport them from A to B. Whether that be an Uber, a taxi, train, or a car, they don’t really mind as long as they have something to take them from the A to B pass. Subsequently, the model of car ownership, where someone takes their test and gets their first set of car keys at 17, is long gone. Today’s upcoming generations are more interested in sustainability and environmental impact and functionality. They’re more interested in the devices and connectivity of the vehicle, rather than the feel or performance of the drive.

We talk about the impact of that on manufacturers and supply chains. Antonio thinks that upfront payments for cars and one-off costs for components throughout the supply chain aren’t working. However, if automotive manufacturers shift to a more service and subscription method of payment, such as joint ownership and joint rewards in the usage of the income from that car over its five- or ten-year lifespan, there will be a more sustainable future for the manufacturing supply chains.

Finally, Antonio speaks about helping automotive companies globally improve and develop supply chains. He also tells me about the exciting new project that he’s working on at the moment. It’s a technology enabler for creating shared ownership of the assets or the income from automotive ownership.

Get in touch with Antonio here.