Manufacturing Leadership Lessons from the Shop Floor

The long-awaited first edition of They Just Don't Get It: How Manufacturing Site Leaders Translate Between Strategy & Execution by Don Robb and Bob Siepka — has officially gone to print. Rooted in more than 70 years of combined operational and manufacturing leadership experience, the book gives site leaders a practical, story-driven roadmap for bridging the gap between executive strategy and shop-floor execution.

Written for the people “caught in the middle,” They Just Don’t Get It tackles the disconnect that exists between executives, supervisors, and frontline teams—and offers a clear framework to align them around data, culture, and business impact. The printed edition features stories from real plant turnarounds, practical tools for prioritization and ROI thinking, and a leadership philosophy shaped by transparency, trust, and continuous improvement.

With the first edition now printed, the authors are actively preparing the official eBook release, which will be available soon across major platforms. Readers who want early access—along with launch notifications—can now join the Early-Access eBook List.

Update: Available Now!

Buy now on Amazon/Kindle https://amzn.to/3NuW9wH

Flex-Metrics and BCL Join Forces for Frontline Leadership Training

ROANOKE, VA — (Nov 5, 2025) — Tracy Wilkins, owner of Flex-Metrics, has acquired BCL Training, a Durham, North Carolina–based learning-design and leadership-development firm. BCL will operate as a sister company to Flex-Metrics, bringing together shop-floor performance technology with modern learning systems designed to turn data visibility into frontline execution and sustained improvement.

The acquisition addresses what Wilkins calls “the capability gap” in manufacturing: plants are generating more performance data than ever, but many frontline leaders and supervisors lack the practical leadership skills and daily execution habits required to convert visibility into sustained results.

“Plants aren’t struggling for lack of data — they’re struggling to turn that data into daily discipline and improvement. Technology creates visibility. Leadership capability creates performance. You need both.”— Tracy Wilkins, Owner, Flex-Metrics & BCL Training

Flex-Metrics captures the production insights manufacturers need to drive sustainable improvement. It provides clear visibility into current performance and the underlying trends, helping leaders diagnose recurring issues, focus improvement efforts, and reinforce the right behaviors over time.

BCL Training, founded in 2013, specializes in translating leadership principles into practical learning programs that build capability and change behavior. The firm has served organizations such as Intuit, Google, WHO, UNICEF, Mars, Marriott, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

The partnership also aligns with the forthcoming book They Just Don’t Get It: Bridging the Gap Between the Top Floor and the Shop Floor, authored by Don Robb and Bob Siepka, which equips manufacturing leaders to build clarity, capability, and execution discipline across their organizations.

Together, the sister companies will convert the principles in They Just Don’t Get It into practical learning systems that teach leaders how to apply those concepts on the plant floor. Their joint work will focus on equipping manufacturing teams to:

·        Translate performance data into clear priorities and actions

·        Build leadership habits and communication discipline at the frontline

·        Create consistent execution systems that sustain improvement over time

While BCL will continue serving its existing clients independently, the two companies will jointly develop leadership programs and frontline training tools tailored for manufacturing environments. The first integrated offering is expected in Q2 2026.

About Flex-Metrics

Flex-Metrics is an operations-performance platform purpose-built for manufacturing teams. It empowers plants to achieve sustainable operational improvement by combining production visibility with actionable insights that help leaders solve problems with confidence.

Learn more at flex-metrics.com

About BCL Training

BCL Training (formerly Bull City Learning) is a Durham, NC-based learning-design and leadership-development firm founded in 2013. The company builds capability and develops behavior-change programs for global organizations across industries.

Learn more at bcltraining.com

Jay Foster Retirement Marks New Chapter at Flex-Metrics

After 27 years at the helm, Jay Foster has retired. His impact is woven into everything we do, and we’re grateful for the foundation he built. 

With Jay’s retirement, I’ve stepped into the role of CEO.   At my core, I’m an Ops Guy—not a software guy. I’ve spent my career on the floor, leading teams, solving production problems, and trying to hit numbers.  I successfully used Flex — at multiple locations — to make that happen. That’s why Flex isn’t just a software solution to me, it’s a tool and a capability built by operators, for operators. A tool that sparks the right conversations and drives measurable results. 

We will remain committed to your success. We will continue to focus on “get it in run and keep it in run”.  We will double down on our belief that data should lead to action—not just charts. 

You’ll be hearing more from me in the coming weeks, including opportunities to share your feedback and help shape what comes next.

In the meantime, thank you for the trust you’ve placed in us. We’re just getting started. Let’s keep the conversation going—and keep things in Run.

Don Robb, CEO and Ops Guy