EP 51 — Pindel Global Precision’s Bill Berrien on How Military Training Models Can Transform Manufacturing Skills

Bill Berrien, CEO of Pindel Global Precision, has discovered a fascinating parallel: both special operations and advanced manufacturing rely on highly cohesive, highly trained teams enabled by cutting-edge technology to punch above their weight. In this episode of DIB Innovators, he reveals how he's revolutionizing manufacturing by adopting military principles, from creating a model for workforce training called "forward skilling" to implementing special operations team dynamics on the factory floor. 

The results speak for themselves, as he tells Dave: employees mastering advanced automation have seen their wages double or triple, while the company has evolved from making ventilator components during COVID to producing sophisticated rocket engine parts. But Bill’s vision extends beyond his company: he's on a mission to transform Wisconsin from #30 to top 10 in defense industrial base contribution by helping manufacturers bridge the gap to defense contracts through innovative training and technology adoption.

Topics discussed:

• How military NCO development principles can transform manufacturing workforce training, including the creation of "forward skilling" — a shared economy model for upskilling that leverages unused resources across companies to accelerate training capabilities.
• The strategic positioning of CNC Swiss technology for complex, high-precision parts at production volumes, enabling the company to serve demanding aerospace clients.
• Strategic implementation of CMMC certification through targeted CUI data segregation, full Microsoft GCC High deployment, and CSP partnership for continuous compliance monitoring.
• Transforming manufacturing careers through substantial wage increases (2-3x over 10 years) for employees mastering advanced automation, demonstrating the potential for high-skill, high-wage manufacturing jobs.
• Building Wisconsin's defense industrial base by increasing the state's contribution from #30 to top 10 through the Wisconsin Defense Industry Council's initiatives to connect manufacturers with defense primes.
• Strategy for integrating AI and automation while maintaining workforce growth — focusing on compressing "white space" in manufacturing processes rather than replacing workers.
• The parallel between special operations and advanced manufacturing: both rely on highly cohesive, highly trained teams enabled by advanced technology.  

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Guest Quote: 

“Going for the lowest-cost overseas supplier, not investing in the technology and the people especially. And so you just create a gap between those two communities. And I see the opportunity for the US and for advanced manufacturing these days being, take those pages out of the military's playbook and apply them to the advanced manufacturing workforce and professionalize it. Real focus on continual training and development. I think brighter days are ahead for advanced manufacturing with that kind of an example.”