LIVE from FRSA with MetalForming - PODCAST TRANSCRIPT

Editor's note: The following is the transcript of a live interview with Ken McLaughlin of MetalForming. You can read the interview below or listen to the podcast.

Intro: Hey, we are back on the sound stage live from the FRSA show sponsored by Beacon as our sound stage. And I'm so excited because we are going to be having interviews all day long. I'm Heidi Ellsworth and I am here right now with Ken with Metal Forming, one of our, we love going to their booth and seeing all the machines. They are so awesome. Ken, welcome to the sound stage.

Ken McLaughlin: Thank you very much Heidi. We're really excited to be here. Really excited to be at the show. Great turnout already. Line of people at the front door. I'm excited to get back inside now.

Heidi Ellsworth: Yeah, I know, we'll go fast, but I want to hear all about everything that's going on. So why don't you introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about Metal Forming.

Ken McLaughlin: Great. My name's Ken McLaughlin. I'm the vice president of architectural sales for Metal Forming based in Peachtree City, Georgia. We are a representative for major manufacturers out of the European market with folding equipment, roll forming equipment and we brought it all here. It's all on the floor.

Heidi Ellsworth: We've been to their booth. It's amazing.

Ken McLaughlin: Yeah, the guys did a great job of getting set up. Six machines there, three of them under power, two manual machines, a curving machine. We can do the whole deal.

Heidi Ellsworth: That is awesome.

Ken McLaughlin: So we're excited. So people got to come by and see us.

Heidi Ellsworth: Yeah. Okay. Tell us a little bit about what machines you have here.

Ken McLaughlin: So we brought in a two short folders, a shear and then two manual machines for the roofer that wants to take stuff onto the job site and do really specific things on a job site. We have a panel curver and we have a panel roll former. So we've got material for all and we want you guys to come by and say, hey listen, show us how we can do better things, greater things, what we can do next.

Heidi Ellsworth: We've been working on a lot of things together over the last year and just see this constant growth of contractors who are starting up the sheet metal shops, are expanding their sheet metal shops. What are you seeing out there, Ken, around that?

Ken McLaughlin: We're seeing a big call. I mean obviously the hardest thing to find in this industry is labor. So that we have to show our contractors and our partners how they can work smarter and how they can get equipment that allow them to work faster and be more in control. And so that's the stuff that we try to bring to these shows.

Heidi Ellsworth: Yeah, I think, I love watching this and I was also taken both last year and this year, walking in there, the amount of metal that is at the FRSA show.

Heidi Ellsworth: This show is great; a great representation of metal and you go to roofing shows, most of them don't say sheet metal in it and this one has it as part of the title. It's exciting. And then the market here is so driven by it, and just because of storm requirements, Florida building code, Miami [inaudible 00:02:34] , I hate to say it's a perfect storm, but it's a perfect storm. And every year they have needs for new equipment and you've got contractors that are here and they've got a great base to work from.

Heidi Ellsworth: Yeah, they do. It's pretty incredible. And when you really look at, like you said, the perfect storm, I mean the hurricanes that come through here, they have to have that type of performance and durability when it comes to the metal roofing on the coastline and across the whole state.

Ken McLaughlin: I think the contractors here are really in a unique place because they have to build for a storm. They literally do. And the guys that are doing well at it are doing that and they come to these shows and they want to see what we have to offer.

Heidi Ellsworth: They do.

Ken McLaughlin: And they want to know why it's better and I think that's a great thing. And so we're constantly talking about innovation and that's constantly what we want to bring to these shows. So we need you to come by the booth, 1417, say hello, look at the innovation.

Heidi Ellsworth: Yes. So one of the things I want to touch on, so when you go by the booth, you're going to see a lot of this, but we've really been focusing since IRE on a number of the shekel. I said that wrong.

Ken McLaughlin: That's okay. Shekel.We'll get your German up to speed soon.

Heidi Ellsworth: But you've really brought in a lot of different machines that no one else has.

Ken McLaughlin: Correct.

Heidi Ellsworth: So talk a little bit about that.

Ken McLaughlin: Yeah, so we do automated folders. So we have, shekel is our main brand. That's 10 - 13 foot folders. Then we move into yarns, which are single and double folders. And then we have Schlebach in our roll forming line, which has a changeover within minutes for the contractor to make it easy. And then a bunch of manual craftsman machines that are nobody else in the world has.

Heidi Ellsworth: No, that's what I've just loved watching and learning. I mean, honestly learning, there's so much to learn. Speaking of learning, I have to tell you, we have some amazing videos that we have done with Metal Forming on YouTube and we are just looking at some analytics the other day. Ken, I think you guys are winning the overall, we have so many views on YouTube of the machinery. People love it.

Ken McLaughlin: We just added a new partner to our team, a new marketing director who didn't want to be on camera today, so we're going to call him out on the side. But Michael joined our team and he's got his hands full now, because now he has to take all of that and help us turn it into different things.

Heidi Ellsworth: It's so much. So obviously you're on YouTube right now, you're watching this. Go check out the playlist. Go check out the really cool machinery that comes out from Metal Forming. And if you're here, again what booth number?

Ken McLaughlin: 1417.

Heidi Ellsworth: 1417. Go visit. It's so cool. Just sit there and watch. It's amazing. Ken, thank you so much.

Ken McLaughlin: Heidi, always a pleasure guys. Thank you for everything you do for us.

Outro: Thank you. We love it. Hey, thank you all. We're going to be back. We've got so many great interviews. Stay tuned. We'll be seeing you soon.