🎙️ Mai Bui, co-founder and CEO of Quarter 20, joins Tool or Die to discuss how they’re revolutionizing documentation for manufacturing and why automating assembly instructions is critical for scaling U.S. industry. With experience at SpaceX, Tesla, and Alta Motors, Mai brings deep insight into the challenges of bringing hardware products to market, from battery safety to robotics to manufacturing inefficiencies. Plus, a deep dive into the state of smart locks (and why they’re still frustratingly bad).
TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 Introduction
02:20 The wild inefficiencies of smart locks
08:45 Mai’s background in engineering and manufacturing
14:10 How Quarter 20 automates manufacturing documentation
22:00 The challenge of making good assembly instructions
31:40 The factory floor reality vs. automation myths
38:10 Quarter 20’s roadmap and AI’s role in documentation
45:30 Lightning Round: Cars, screws, and oil rigs
Key Topics:
Why smart locks are still bad and what should be done about it
Lessons from working at SpaceX, Tesla, and Alta Motors
The huge gaps in manufacturing documentation and how to fix them
Why reshoring U.S. manufacturing requires better software tools
How Quarter 20 is making factory documentation smarter, faster, and more adaptable
The challenges of automation and robotics in real-world manufacturing
👉 Follow: @buildquarter20
Website: buildquarter20.com
TOOL OR DIE is produced by Johnson & Roy (Johnson-Roy.com), a strategic advisory firm specializing in technology, mobility, manufacturing, and robotics. Your hosts are Joel Johnson, a former technology journalist and media executive who pioneered brands like Gizmodo, Jalopnik, and Wirecutter, and Alex Roy, a General Partner at New Industry Venture Capital (NIVC.us) known for breaking the Cannonball Run record and his work in autonomous vehicles.
Follow them at:
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alexroy | linkedin.com/in/joeljohnson
X: @alexroy144 | @joeljohnson
Web: johnson-roy.com
#Manufacturing #Entrepreneurship #Automation #SmartFactories #AmericanMade
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