MC-04 / Automated MachiningRobert McFarlin · Manufacturing systems
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Operator notice 2408-04 · System ready
Select a document at the machine operator panel.
A selection requests a controlled cycle stop. The robot loads the guarded transfer bay; outer access enables only after the inner lock and robot-clear circuits are proven.
Creating value in the age of AI by building the capital allocation, data, automation, and control systems that help industrial companies grow faster, govern smarter, and fund long-horizon wins.
01 · Strategy
Choose where to compete
Fund the few activities that fit together to create durable competitive advantage.
02 · Focus
Concentrate the 80/20
Find the customers, products, plants, constraints, and workflows driving disproportionate profit, cash, risk, or drag.
03 · Infrastructure
Make finance intelligent
Move finance from a reporting function to an intelligence layer with better data, faster forecasts, cleaner workflows, and stronger controls.
Scope · Six entities · Four manufacturing plants · Finance connected to operating reality
Manufacturing finance work translated into measurable enterprise value.
3×Available credit capacityCompetitive multi-lender process
−50 bpsBorrowing costGreater flexibility at lower cost
4Locations on one HRISUnified payroll and HR
0 → 1Internal audit functionGovernance built from zero
Systems shipped
Rebuilt enterprise reporting on a Microsoft Fabric lakehouse and Direct Lake semantic model, surfacing production, labor, and financial signals in near real time.
Reduced workflow debt through automation, returning recurring manual effort to higher-value analysis and decision support.
Created internal audit from zero, strengthening governance, compliance, and risk visibility as the business scaled.
Consolidated payroll and HR across four locations into one source-of-truth HRIS environment.
Built a PE-style capital approval framework with approval gates and portfolio-level FCCR forecasting.
A career spent connecting financial integrity to the operating decisions made on the manufacturing floor.
RCM Industries, Inc. · Manufacturing
Chief Financial Officer
Restructured the primary banking relationship through a competitive process, expanding available credit capacity 3× while reducing borrowing cost by 50 bps.
Rebuilt enterprise reporting on Microsoft Fabric for stronger leadership visibility and faster operating decisions.
Automated recurring finance work, created internal audit from zero, and unified payroll and HR across four locations.
RCM Industries, Inc.
Corporate Controller
Built the financial data infrastructure from the ground up using Microsoft Power BI and an imported semantic model.
Led accounting, AP/AR, and payroll teams across four plants while keeping finance connected to operations.
Built consolidated forecasting models for strategic planning and resource allocation; governed reporting for a six-entity group.
RCM Industries, Inc.
Division Controller
Owned plant-level P&L accountability, connecting financial outcomes to operating decisions at the source.
Implemented KPI dashboards for inventory, carrying costs, and operational drivers; partnered directly with operators on efficiency improvements.
RCM Industries, Inc.
Accounting Manager
Prepared and analyzed financial statements across multiple manufacturing plants.
Streamlined multi-plant reporting processes, improving the reliability of financial information.
ScanSource, Inc. · Technology Distribution
Staff Accountant
Managed balance-sheet reconciliations and revenue accounting in a public-company control environment.
Served as subject-matter expert during SAP implementation, protecting continuity and data integrity through change.
Non-negotiable constraints for how I lead, build systems, and make long-horizon decisions.
01
Relentlessly pursue purposeful progress
Motion without direction is noise. Every system, report, or automation must move the business forward in a way that can be measured and defended.
02
Give more in value than you receive in compensation
Trust compounds faster than capital. Deliver clarity early, surface problems before they become expensive, and serve the whole enterprise.
03
Everyone sweeps the floor
No task is beneath the person accountable for the outcome. Titles are temporary; standards are not.
04
Share good news quickly, and bad news even quicker
Surprises are the most expensive input. The earlier the signal reaches those who can act, the smaller the correction required.
05
Treat every experience as an opportunity to learn
The best operators remain students: what did we see too late, and how do we see it sooner next time?
The CFOs who create the most value in the next decade will build the infrastructure that generates the forecast.
In motion
Current forces
AI agents transforming finance and accounting workflows
Real-time operational data compressing the monthly close cycle
Conversational AI agents embedding into operating workflows
The spreadsheet demoted from system of record to consumption layer
The CFO evolving from financial steward to infrastructure architect
Building
Active bets
Agentic financial and operational intelligence
Direct Lake semantic layers as the new general-ledger interface
Natural language as the query interface for operations
Post-ERP modular architecture replacing monolithic financial systems
Watching
Coming disruptors
Orbital computing constellations lowering AI infrastructure costs
Quantum optimization delivering measurable gains in computing power
Humanoid robotics entering manufacturing at pilot scale and changing the workforce
The practical stack behind the work: enterprise value, data systems, operating control, and execution.
01
Enterprise value
Strategic capital allocation
PE-style approval gates and portfolio-level FCCR forecasting.
Data-driven operating leverage
Power BI to Fabric lakehouse and Direct Lake, surfacing production, labor, and margin drivers.
Banking architecture
Competitive bank process producing a 3× larger revolver and greater flexibility.
02
AI and data systems
Microsoft Fabric & Power BI
Enterprise reporting designed for faster, more visible operating decisions.
Finance automation
Manual workflow returned to analysis, controls, and decision support.
Integrated definitions
One HRIS across four locations so finance and operations share a source of truth.
03
Operating control
Internal audit buildout
Governance, compliance, and risk visibility built from zero.
Statement integrity
Accurate, repeatable reporting across a six-entity manufacturing group.
Plant economics
KPI dashboards connecting production, inventory, and operating drivers to floor decisions.
04
Execution stack
Excel, VBA & Power Query
Multi-plant reporting and forecasting systems built for reliability.
Python & ETL
Automation and scripting that free capacity for higher-value work.
Leadership & change
Teams led across four plants while implementing systems, controls, banks, and faster cadence.
Credentials and education
Certified Management Accountant (CMA)Institute of Management Accountants
Master of AccountancyStetson University
B.S. Business Administration (Accounting)University of South Carolina Upstate
Continuous studyAdvanced financial modeling, data analytics, strategy, and valuation
Secure line · Available
Building for the same future?
I'm open to conversations about manufacturing finance, capital allocation, data infrastructure, automation, and where the CFO seat is headed.
