Wildland firefighter turned aerospace shop owner.
In this episode of Capacity, Sunny Han sits down with Rhys Anderson, Founder & CEO at Method MFG in Austin, Texas, to unpack how he’s built a high-mix, high-requirement aerospace machine shop around systems, communication, and careful technology bets.
Rhys shares:
How a childhood in a Montana sewer and fab business led to a love for making things
What thousands of hours on wild land fires taught him about checklists and communication
The story of buying and rebuilding an enormous used CNC machine with no prior experience
Lessons from early business partnerships and planning the “exit” on day one
Method MFG’s path into aerospace and operating as if they were AS9100 from the start
Why front-end quoting and reading quality clauses deeply is so critical
How he avoids single points of failure by cross-training machinists on everything—even the nicest five-axis machines
Using data on machine performance, floor space, and automation cells to decide what stays and what goes
Constantly trialing CAM, ERP, and automation tools while refusing to be trapped by sunk costs
His view on robotics and AI as a way to let machinists do more interesting, higher-level work
If you lead a machine shop or sheet metal fabrication business and you’re thinking about quality, scalability, and modern workflows, Rhys’s story offers a grounded look at what it takes to evolve without losing control.
Connect with Rhys & Method MFG
Method MFG: https://www.methodmfg.com/
Rhys on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rhys-andersen-austintx/
Learn more about Fulcrum at https://fulcrumpro.com
Follow Capacity for more conversations with manufacturers who are pushing toward more dynamic, agile shops.