Episode 78: Innovation and Growth in Manufacturing with Grant Branch

Meet Grant Branch, the Traveling Engineer. He is the CEO of Kamflex, and a global leader in data analytics, robotic systems, and automation. A welding robot engineer by trade, Grant is the consummate entrepreneur. His first business, GATT Corporation, was launched in Lago, Italy, right outside of Milan, as a service provider for robots at the age of 21. Shortly thereafter, upon returning to the States, Grant formed Automated Manufacturing Technology (AMT), a robot system integrator that provides welding, machine tending, and assembly robotic systems to the automotive and aerospace Industries.

In 1991, the two companies merged, and over the past 30+ years, Grant’s leadership has generated millions of dollars in revenue, and he has led acquisitions of four leading companies. Grant believes that “the future of today is now.” He understands that technology helps to transform and provide solutions to solve production problems. His goal at Kamflex is clear: to drive clients and customers toward the future, with solutions for the future. In addition to being CEO, Grant also serves as Associate Minister at his church. Grant and his wife, and two sons have traveled to Africa, Asia, and Europe on mission trips. Grant also coaches baseball, basketball, and football.

In this episode, we discuss:

Customer-driven scaling.
Automation upskills workers.
Strategic business buying.
Infrastructure and trade growth.

Lightbulb Moments:

Unlock growth by directly asking major customers how to better serve and scale alongside them.
Embrace technology and automation as tools to elevate workers into higher-skilled, better-paying roles.
Seek acquisition opportunities among aging owners without succession plans—remember, everything has a price.
Invest in infrastructure and skilled trades to tap into rising demand and build a future-ready workforce.