Hardware Is Forever
Hardware Is Forever is your source for the expert insights, ideas and innovations you need to do more in the electronics manufacturing industry. From optimization to operations, join us as we put the pieces together for a better approach to manufacturing.
- Update frequency
- every 16 days
- Average duration
- 16 minutes
- Episodes
- 45
- Years Active
- 2023 - 2025
How Game Theory Shapes Better Business Decisions
Game theory is the study of how people and organizations make decisions when outcomes depend on what others do. In this episode, we explore how that concept applies to business and manufacturing. Whe…
Build It Right: How Documentation Impacts Profitable HMLV
In high-mix, low-volume manufacturing, documentation directly affects performance. Engineering drawings and BOMs serve as production tools, not background files. If they’re unclear or inaccurate, the…
Built-In Reliability: Supply Chain Strategy for HMLV
Supply chain decisions don’t just shape what gets built. They shape how long it lasts, how fast it ships, and whether it even works. In high-mix, low-volume manufacturing, you don’t have leverage wit…
Automation in HMLV: Knowing When to Build and When to Let Go
Automation in HMLV manufacturing isn’t a question of if - it's how much, when, and why. In this episode, Jay Patel, CEO at Amtech, explores how automation can reduce waste, improve yield, and streaml…
Quality in HMLV: Systems That Scale, Standards That Stick
Quality in high-mix, low-volume manufacturing is a moving target. With shifting product types, changing requirements, and limited repetition, traditional approaches to quality control often just don'…
Reducing Downtime in HMLV: Tools, Mindset, and Leadership That Make It Work
In high-mix, low-volume manufacturing, changeover time is the silent killer. It sneaks in between builds, eats up capacity, and turns opportunity into waste. But what if reducing downtime wasn’t just…
Digital Tools in HMLV: Start with Process, Scale with Data
In high-mix, low-volume manufacturing, there's no margin for waste and no time for guesswork. Doing it right means rethinking what digital transformation looks like as a practical, necessary evolutio…
Why Lean Thinking is Non-Negotiable in HMLV
High-mix, low-volume manufacturing doesn’t forgive inefficiency. Every job is unique, and there’s no second chance to make it profitable. That’s why lean thinking isn’t optional—it’s essential. In th…
Becoming Agile in HMLV: The Actions of High Mix, Low-Volume Manufacturing
The ability to be agile in manufacturing is necessary in high-mix, low-volume environments. In this episode, Jay Patel, CEO of Amtech, returns to explain what agility really means on the shop floor a…
High Mix, Low Volume (HMLV) is the Future of Manufacturing
Mass production has shaped the manufacturing industry for decades, but High Mix, Low Volume (HMLV) production offers a smarter approach as businesses increasingly need flexibility, customization, and…
Kaizen in Lean Manufacturing: How Small Changes Build Long-Term Success
Every business wants to improve in some way. But real progress doesn’t happen overnight. The process of Kaizen is continuous improvement through small, consistent changes. Instead of trying to overha…
Pull System in Lean Manufacturing Pushes Out Waste and Keeps Work Flowing
When production is based on forecasts instead of real demand, waste piles up, inventory lingers, and businesses lose agility. That’s the problem with a push system—it assumes rather than adapts. In t…
Creating Flow in Lean Manufacturing to Save Time, Cut Costs, and Drive Innovation
Most of us have systems or processes in place that worked years ago but haven't kept pace with how we do things today. Or are habits or "just the way it's done around here."
When systems evolve out o…
Lean Manufacturing and Value Stream Mapping
Your value stream is the series of steps required to deliver your product or service to your customer, and it's at the heart of creating efficiency and the value promises of Lean Manufacturing. In th…
Lean Manufacturing and What Customers Value Most
When you think of Lean Manufacturing, efficiency and waste reduction probably come to mind. But at its core, Lean is focusing on what customers value most, even when they can’t articulate it themselv…
Lean Manufacturing and the Value of Less
When waste goes unchecked, value is lost, and opportunities slip away. In this first episode of our new series on Lean Manufacturing, Amtech CEO Jay Patel introduces the principles of Lean and how th…
From the Ground Up: TWIG Power’s Blueprint for Scalable Success
Jesse Beeker, founder of TWIG Power, and Amtech CEO Jay Patel join us to discuss TWIG’s evolution from a garage startup to a leader in light electric powertrains. They share insights into the challen…
De-Risk Decision Making: Involve Your Team to Push Limits and Make Moves
When decision-making is limited to a few voices, mistakes multiply and progress stalls. In this final episode of our series on Deming’s 14 Points of Management, we explore his 14th Point and why invo…
The Importance of Continuous Education and Self-Improvement
When industries evolve, companies that don’t keep learning get left behind. Think of how quickly AI is reshaping countless fields—if your team isn’t continuously learning, you risk being outpaced by …
Quality Over Quotas: Improving Pride of Workmanship
Focusing solely on output metrics can create an incomplete picture, undermine employee engagement, and stifle innovation. In this episode, we explore Deming’s 12th point and leadership's critical rol…