Podcast Show Notes: The Metal Guys Talk Business - Special Episode Hosts: Peter Comerford, Michael Bolton, and special feature host Nadine Bloxsome (CEO, ALFED) Episode Title: Addressing the Skills Gap in the Metal Industry Release Date: 1st October 2024 Episode Summary: In this special episode of The Metal Guys Talk Business , hosts Peter Comerford and Michael Bolton are joined by Nadine Bloxsome (CEO of ALFED) to discuss the challenges and opportunities surrounding the skills shortage in the m...
Oct 01, 2024•1 hr 35 min
The Metal Guys Talk Business - Bonus Episode Hosts: Pete Comerford and Mike Bolton Episode Title: Active vs. Passive Candidates in Recruitment Release Date: 3rd September 2024 In this bonus episode, Pete and Mike dive into the nuances of recruitment, specifically focusing on the differences between active and passive candidates. They discuss the challenges and strategies of recruiting top talent, particularly in the metals industry. The hosts share insights on effectively engaging passive candid...
Sep 03, 2024•44 min
The Sertec story with Grant Adams Host : Pete Comerford and Michael Bolton Guest : Grant Adams, Chief Executive Officer of Sertec Episode Title : Metal Bashing to Multi-Million Success Release Date : 27th August 2024 Episode Summary : In this episode, Pete and Mike sit down with Grant Adams, the Chief Executive Officer of Sertec, to delve into the fascinating journey of transforming a modest metal bashing operation into a multi-million pound success story. Grant shares his experiences from his e...
Aug 27, 2024•1 hr 16 min
Hosts: Pete Comerford and Mike Bolton Guest: Liam Conway Episode Title: The 2024 Energy Market with Liam Conway Release Date: August 20th, 2024 Episode Summary: In this episode, Pete and Mike sit down with Liam Conway from Greenfields Energy Group to discuss the state of the energy market as of 2024. Liam shares his expert perspective on how the market has evolved since the chaotic period of 2022, the impact of wholesale cost changes, and strategies businesses can adopt to manage their energy co...
Aug 20, 2024•51 min
Hosts: Pete Comerford and Mike Bolton Guests: Dan Fedyszyn and Joe Johnson Episode Title: Sharpening your business development with Joe and Dan of KR Saws Release Date: August 13th, 2024 Episode Summary: In this episode, hosts Pete and Mike are joined by Dan and Joe from KR Saws to discuss the cutting-edge innovations in automated saws and the strategic marketing decisions that have propelled KR Saws to success. The conversation highlights how automation is revolutionising the metal cutting indu...
Aug 13, 2024•54 min
Host: Pete Comerford and Mike Bolton Guest: Kirsty Davies-Chinnock, Managing Director at Professional Polishing Episode Title: Women with Metal the Kirsty Davies-Chinnock Story Release Date: August 6th, 2024 Episode Summary: In this episode, Kirsty Davies-Chinnock, Managing Director at Professional Polishing, joins Pete and Mike to delve into her career in the metal industry. Kirsty shares her journey of starting and growing Women in Metal, how she became a personal brand before the trend of per...
Aug 06, 2024•1 hr 39 min
Hosts: Pete Comerford and Mike Bolton Guest: Liz Burley Episode Title: Discrimination in the workplace with Liz Burley Release Date: July 30th, 2024 Episode Summary: In this episode, we delve into the complexities of post-furlough work environments, exploring the challenges employees face when returning to work and the importance of flexibility. We also discuss effective recruitment strategies and how businesses adapt to changing the workforce. Our guest shares insights on maintaining productivi...
Jul 30, 2024•1 hr 17 min
Host: Pete Comerford Guest: Kyle Greenwood, CEO of BM Steel Episode Title: The Marubeni-Itochu takeover of BM Steel Release Date: July 23rd, 2024 Episode Summary: In this episode, Kyle Greenwood, CEO of BM Steels, joins Pete (One-half of The Metal Guys) to discuss various topics crucial for modern businesses. From the integration of acquisitions and the benefits of centralised systems to the importance of carbon reporting and the challenges posed by economic fluctuations, Kyle shares his expert ...
Jul 23, 2024•43 min
Hosts: Pete Comerford and Mike Bolton Guest: Tom Mallens Episode Title: Sales Techniques for Industrial Sales Professionals Part 2 Release Date: July 16th, 2024 Episode Summary: In this episode, we are rejoined by Tom Mallens for part 2 of his Sales Training Podcast As a seasoned expert in sales strategy, Tom joins us to discuss how businesses can shift their mindset towards proactive selling, develop effective sales processes, and overcome internal resistance to change. Tom shares invaluable in...
Jul 16, 2024•52 min
Hosts: Pete Comerford and Mike Bolton Guest: Tom Mallens Episode Title: Sales Techniques for Industrial Sales Professionals Part 1 Release Date: July 9th, 2024 Episode Summary: In this episode, we dive deep into Tom Mallens' career journey, exploring how he transitioned from journalism to becoming a sought-after sales trainer. Tom shares his insights on the challenges faced by salespeople, the importance of structured sales training, and how he discovered his passion for helping others succeed i...
Jul 09, 2024•1 hr 2 min
Host: Peter Comerford and Michael Bolton Guest: Nick Robbins and Mark McGregor Episode Title: Matsource Release Date: July 2nd, 2024 Episode Summary: TBA Key Topics Covered: TBA: TBA TBA TBA: TBA TBA Learn more about Matsource: Website Link Connect with Mark McGregor on LinkedIn and Nick Robbins on LinkedIn SEASON THREE of The Metal Guys Talk Business is sponsored by: SteelBuy - SteelBuy are a digital platform revolutionising the way businesses trade metal products online. TW Metals - TW Metals ...
Jul 02, 2024•54 min
Episode Summary: In this episode, Mike and Pete are joined by Joe Stallion for a deep dive into the intricacies of marketing and sales within the industrial sector. The discussion highlights the unique challenges faced by businesses in this sector, strategies for managing customer expectations, and the importance of building a strong online presence. Key Topics Covered: Introduction : The show opens with an introduction to Joe's background and current roles in the industrial space. Joe discusses...
Jun 25, 2024•1 hr 17 min
Host: Peter Comerford and Michael Bolton Guest: Gail Thomas, VP & Managing Director at TW Metals Episode Title: Navigating Aerospace Supply Chain Challenges Release Date: June 18th, 2024 Episode Summary: In this insightful episode, we delve into the intricate world of aerospace supply chain management with Gail Thomas, a seasoned expert with over 46 years of experience in the industry. We explore the current pain points, geopolitical impacts, and the future outlook for material procurement i...
Jun 18, 2024•1 hr 8 min
Hosts: Peter Comerford and Michael Bolton Episode Title: The Metal Guys are Back! Release Date: June 11th, 2024 Welcome back to "The Metal Guys Talk Business" for the much-anticipated Season 3! In this episode, hosts Pete Comerford and Mike Bolton kick off the new season with exciting updates, reflections on the past year, and plans for the upcoming episodes. After almost a year-long hiatus, the podcast returns with a commitment to weekly releases, bringing fresh content and insightful conversat...
Jun 11, 2024•1 hr 5 min
In this BONUS episode, Pete speaks with Rob Cooper and Eric Partington about the new Stainless Steel in the Food and Beverage Industry event, which will be held on 9th March 2023 at the Warwickshire Golf and Country Club, Leek Wootton, Warwick. The event is jointly hosted by the British Stainless Steel Association (BSSA), the Nickel Institute and the European Hygienic Engineering and Design Group (EHEDG), and will showcase a variety of information and material relating to the use of stainless st...
Feb 27, 2023•30 min
In this episode, Pete and Mike met Terry Sargeant, the new CEO of SteelBuy and the current Chairman and CEO of ThyssenKrupp UK PLC. We've spoken with a number of e-commerce platforms since we started the podcast, and Terry gave us some great insight into the why, how and future plans for this website. With finance in place, a clear plan and a small but growing team, it will be interesting to see how this platform performs in the coming months and years. The SteelBuy website makes the following s...
Dec 02, 2022•1 hr 7 min
In this episode, Pete and Mike spoke with Cathy Bell from i-SPACE - the latest innovative research project by Swansea University. i-SPACE is an acronym, which stands for "Innovative Steel Processing Accelerating the Circular Economy". In layman's terms, they aim to develop an industrial-scale end-of-life material shredding and sorting facility for the UK steel industry, supporting the work towards zero-waste and the elimination of down-cycling. Cathy is the project manager for this WEFO- and ERD...
Nov 22, 2022•1 hr 13 min
Fractory is a multi-national digital manufacturing platform, enabling designers to obtain instant quotations for the production of parts based on their CAD drawings, and to manufacture and deliver the parts quickly and reliably to anywhere in the world. In September 2022 we met up with Johnny Ly and Mark Kerwin to talk about the Estonian start-up's bold claims and discuss the future of digital platforms in the metal and engineering sectors. Having spoken with the now-defunct digital start-up Ste...
Oct 25, 2022•59 min
Fellow podcaster Adam Bradley of Corrosion Resistant Materials (CRM) joined us this week to talk business. Adam is very active on social media, and champions the metals industry, so it was an interesting podcast to record, and he had a lot to say about the sector in this episode of the show. Having won a host of awards over the last year, it was great to catch up with Adam, to talk about the rapid rise of the business, and how they had recently won the Queen's Award for Enterprise. CRM are a She...
Oct 18, 2022•1 hr 3 min
SteelScout was the digital arm of TATA Steel, and was launched in 2017. With a big budget and a team of Developers and Steel Specialists, the goals and ambitions were clear. What was not clear was how the market would react to this disruptive player in the UK metal sector. Shortly after recording a podcast with SteelScout in 2021 (S01E07) the business was suddenly closed. In this episode, Karl Evans rejoined us to talk about the reasons why TATA Steel pulled the plug on the business. Amongst oth...
Oct 12, 2022•1 hr 14 min
Flocon Valves and Fittings are a family-owned distributor business based in South Wales. Supplying stainless steel, carbon steel, plastics and everything in between, this business has become a true success story in our industry. In this episode, we were joined by Craig and Andy Phillips to talk through the last few years, with the aim of understanding why this business has had such consistent growth. We featured Flocon, as our cover story on the first Metal Magazine back in March 2022, and at th...
Oct 04, 2022•49 min
Quality standards, audits and ISO accreditations are fundamentally important to Metal Producers, Distributors and End Users, but they aren't always top of every business's to-do list. In this episode, Pete and Mike were joined by quality aficionado Andrew Milner to talk about all things Quality and Accreditation. This topic may not fill everyone with the same enthusiasm that Andrew has for the topic, but no business in our sector can work outside of a robust internationally recognised accreditat...
Sep 27, 2022•1 hr 3 min
This is a bonus podcast featuring in season 2 of The Metal Guys Talk Business. In this episode we were joined by Liam Conway, head of Business Development at Control Energy Costs https://cec.uk.com With energy prices at the top of many manufacturers agenda this year, Liam talks us through the reasons why energy costs have spiked so dramatically , what today's (21st September 2022) government announcement means for businesses in the UK, and what companies could be doing to best try and protect th...
Sep 22, 2022•37 min
The BSSA or British Stainless Steel Association represent the interests of the UK's Stainless Steel industry, from manufacturers through to the the end users. In this episode, we were joined by Rob Cooper the MD of the BSSA to talk all things Stainless. Amongst other things we talk about: * The role of Stainless in the UK * Training, an ageing workforce and the challenges within the industry * Areas of growth in the UK Stainless Sector * Associations, their changing role and why companies should...
Sep 20, 2022•1 hr 3 min
In this episode, we were joined by Richard Curry who is a Programme Manager at the SUSTAIN Steel Project at Swansea University. The SUSTAIN Steel project aims to deliver cutting-edge science and the engineering research required to create carbon-neutral, resource-efficient UK steel supply chains. Amongst other things we talk about: * The circular steel economy * Scrap, and the competitive position the UK finds itself in * Energy and the issue of a green energy agenda * The key deliverables of th...
Sep 13, 2022•1 hr 11 min
In this episode we were joined by CEO Danny Fantom and Managing Director Daryl Lowe to talk about: * All things laser * The meteoric rise of their business since 2011 * The outlook for laser in the UK * And the business becoming an employee-owned business in 2020 This podcast was recorded in May 2021, so the business has moved on apace since we were first on site. Danny and Daryl spoke about growing a start-up business in the UK Manufacturing sector from scratch. Featured in the podcast are subj...
Sep 06, 2022•1 hr 16 min
This podcast has taken a while to release, but it is just as relevant today, as it was when we initially recorded it. If you have any interest in lasers, then this should open your mind to a whole range of possible uses outside of just cutting holes and shapes in tubes and flat metal products. Edwin has a scientific background in biology, and on seeing a laser in action for the first time, became almost addicted to the possibilities of this technology. We talked about the following in this podca...
Mar 18, 2022•31 min
J Heebink are an international logistics company servicing the Benelux, the German Ruhr, the United Kingdom and Ireland. Simon has been working in the freight sector for almost 40 years, so he has a wealth of experience, and gave us a candid view of how imports and exports to and from Europe had been affected since January 2021, and what customers need to do going forward to maintain the flow of materials to and from Europe. We recorded this podcast in early February 2021, just 5 weeks after the...
Feb 09, 2021•51 min
SteelScout is a digital platform providing purchasing solutions for metal buyers in the UK. The business was set up in 2017 to address what they saw as inefficiencies in the supply chain for metal. In under four years they now have over 8,000 registered buyers and over 130 suppliers nationally, so it was great to talk to them about how they do what they do and what their thoughts were on the market in the metal sector. We were joined for this podcast late in 2020 by Neil Harvey (Head of Marketin...
Jan 26, 2021•55 min
This week's episode covers: * Rebecca's early career in telesales * Personal development, and standing out in her early career * Getting an MBA, and how important that has been in her progression * Turning around an underperforming business * Overcoming gender issues in the workplace * Diversity in the metal and engineering sector * Social media, and what the plans are for Hydroscand * Becoming an MD and then dealing with COVID in 2020 * Rebecca's biggest mistake and what she learned from it Hyd...
Oct 26, 2020•58 min
