You Agreed to WHAT?! Flowdowns, AVLs, and the Silent Killers of Margin

Most manufacturing shops don't lose margin on the shop floor—they sign it away during contract review. In this episode, Jim Carr breaks down how customer flowdowns, quality clauses, and Approved Vendor Lists quietly redefine your risk profile the moment you accept a PO. We'll cover why contract review is an executive control point, why risk analysis must happen before production starts, and why your Quality Manager needs to be in the room—not cleaning up the mess afterward. If you've ever assumed your certification covered you, trusted tribal knowledge to manage customer requirements, or said "we've always done it this way," this episode will challenge that thinking. This is a real-world conversation about compliance, accountability, and protecting margin before the first chip flies. No theory. No checklists for the sake of checklists. Just the hard truths about what you actually agreed to.