Evaluating 2025 and building smarter fab shop strategies for 2026

Written by

Caleb Chamberlain

Published on

December 11, 2025

Lance shares how a flat year suddenly surged in Q4 (driven by data centers, telecom, and a surprise spike in WIP) while investing in five-axis machining, automation, and AI-driven programming. Caleb explains OSH Cut’s record-breaking growth, the balancing act of running an on-demand model, and why capacity, lead times, and recession planning all collide in ways most shops underestimate.

The conversation dives into scheduling pitfalls, tube-bending innovation, lights-out realities, ERP limitations, tooling shortages, and how both leaders think about resilience heading into 2026.

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Listen to the entire episode at The Fabricator

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