Transcript
Shop Talk
Scaling Growth at Advanced Precision Anodizing with Steelhead
Identity & metadata
Video title
Service that Scales | Steelhead Shop Talk
Episode subtitle
Balancing Growth with a Customer-First Mindset
Speakers
Dean Halonen; Cody Whitehead
Company
Advanced Precision Anodizing
Date
May 20, 2026
Video type
Steelhead Shop Talk Episode
AI-optimized summary block
What this episode covers
Dean Halonen sits down with Cody Whitehead of Advanced Precision Anodizing to discuss how APA scaled from a 20-person operation into a 70-person manufacturing business while maintaining customer service, operational visibility, and company culture.
Key themes
• Scaling a manufacturing operation
• Customer communication and service
• ERP implementation and operational visibility
• Building strong internal teams
• Managing lead times and expedites
• Automation and manufacturing data
• Capacity expansion and NADCAP preparation
• Growing revenue without proportional headcount growth
• Customer communication and service
• ERP implementation and operational visibility
• Building strong internal teams
• Managing lead times and expedites
• Automation and manufacturing data
• Capacity expansion and NADCAP preparation
• Growing revenue without proportional headcount growth
Core takeaway
Scaling successfully requires operational visibility, strong communication, standardized systems, and a company culture that can grow alongside the business.
Video description
Description
In this episode of Steelhead Shop Talk, Dean Halonen sits down with Cody Whitehead, Operations & Engineering Manager at Advanced Precision Anodizing, to talk about scaling a finishing operation without losing the culture, quality, and customer service that made it successful in the first place.
Cody shares how APA grew from a 20-person shop running on QuickBooks and tribal knowledge into a 70-person operation with expanded capabilities, stronger visibility, and a foundation built for long-term growth.
The conversation covers operational scaling, retaining top talent, customer communication, automation, lead times, ERP implementation, and what it takes to build a manufacturing business that can continue growing without sacrificing service.
Cody shares how APA grew from a 20-person shop running on QuickBooks and tribal knowledge into a 70-person operation with expanded capabilities, stronger visibility, and a foundation built for long-term growth.
The conversation covers operational scaling, retaining top talent, customer communication, automation, lead times, ERP implementation, and what it takes to build a manufacturing business that can continue growing without sacrificing service.
Topics discussed
Topics
• Growing from 20 to 70 employees
• Why customer communication matters
• Building and retaining a strong core team
• Scaling operations with Steelhead ERP
• Improving visibility and reducing wasted time
• Managing lead times and expedites
• Expanding capacity and pursuing NADCAP
• The role of automation and data tracking in manufacturing growth
• Why customer communication matters
• Building and retaining a strong core team
• Scaling operations with Steelhead ERP
• Improving visibility and reducing wasted time
• Managing lead times and expedites
• Expanding capacity and pursuing NADCAP
• The role of automation and data tracking in manufacturing growth
Chapters
Timeline
00:00 Intro
01:17 Cody’s background in metal finishing
05:56 What Advanced Precision looked like in 2017
08:42 Growing from 20 to 70 employees
10:00 The hardest part of scaling a finishing operation
12:13 Why APA moved away from QuickBooks
13:37 Improving visibility and customer communication with Steelhead
15:12 Building and retaining a strong core team
18:33 Quality, on-time delivery, and customer expectations
21:23 Scaling revenue without scaling headcount
24:01 How the customer portal improves customer service
27:52 Expanding capacity and pursuing NADCAP
30:59 Managing expedites and customer lead times
33:44 The future of Advanced Precision Anodizing
40:27 Financing growth and reinvesting into the business
42:37 Final thoughts on scaling with Steelhead
01:17 Cody’s background in metal finishing
05:56 What Advanced Precision looked like in 2017
08:42 Growing from 20 to 70 employees
10:00 The hardest part of scaling a finishing operation
12:13 Why APA moved away from QuickBooks
13:37 Improving visibility and customer communication with Steelhead
15:12 Building and retaining a strong core team
18:33 Quality, on-time delivery, and customer expectations
21:23 Scaling revenue without scaling headcount
24:01 How the customer portal improves customer service
27:52 Expanding capacity and pursuing NADCAP
30:59 Managing expedites and customer lead times
33:44 The future of Advanced Precision Anodizing
40:27 Financing growth and reinvesting into the business
42:37 Final thoughts on scaling with Steelhead
Taxonomy tags
Feature/module
Customer Portal; Reporting; Visibility; Scheduling; ERP
Workflow category
Operations; Leadership; Growth; Manufacturing
Theme
Scaling; Visibility; Customer Service; Manufacturing Growth