Kennametal Goes Full Throttle: The Next Level Shop at IMTS 2026 | Ep. 540

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Kennametal isn’t showing up to IMTS with another wall of cutting tools. They’re building a working custom motorcycle shop in the middle of the West Building—and they plan to cut chips, build a bike, and give that bike away before the show ends.

Kim Wilson, Global Director of Marketing Communications, and Matt Jacques, Global Brand and Creative Services Manager at Kennametal, join us for a look behind the curtain at what it takes to build an IMTS experience this ambitious. The concept started taking shape during IMTS 2024 and grew through collaborations with custom motorcycle builder Carey Hart, machinist Satya Krause, artist Taylor Schultz, and several Kennametal customers.

Inside the Next Level Shop, those customers will machine real components using Kennametal tooling—including parts destined for a customized Indian Sport Chief. Attendees can watch live demonstrations, bring application challenges directly to the Kennametal team, explore its digital machining capabilities, and enter to win the completed motorcycle.

But this episode isn’t only about building an unforgettable booth. It’s about replacing the traditional trade-show pitch with real conversations. Kim and Matt explain how Kennametal is training its team to begin with a manufacturer’s challenges—not a product catalog—and help customers uncover opportunities around productivity, tool life, applications, and digital machining.

Visit Kennametal in Booth #431800 in the West Building, Level 3, to experience the Next Level Shop, see live machining demonstrations, and enter to win the custom Indian Sport Chief.

What’s Covered in this Episode

• (0:00) Nick’s fifth baby is due the Tuesday of IMTS, and his attendance is still up for debate
• (2:26) Kim Wilson and Matt Jacques on their roles (and the IMTS that doubled as Matt’s first day)
• (5:43) Metal Mania in 2024 and why Kennametal had to come back looking different
• (7:20) How the Next Level Shop theme morphed into a full custom motorcycle build
• (9:08) Taylor Schultz, Satya Krause, and Carey Hart putting their hands on the booth concept
• (10:34) From giving away a machine in 2024 to giving away a bike built in the booth
• (13:15) Win a fully tooled SVM 4100 from MakingChips, DN Solutions, and Kennametal
• (14:02) A 100 by 60 booth, project sheets, and leaning hard on the EWI relationship
• (16:49) An in house design team taking over all the creative for the first time
• (17:47) Why so many IMTS booths run the same branding show after show
• (19:23) Racks of tooling versus something a shop owner can stand and watch
• (20:19) The 2024 lesson: cutting chips at a show takes about a year of prep
• (21:19) Elevate, powered by AMT and Women in Manufacturing, during IMTS 2026
• (22:12) Customer demos from Spire Motorsports, Purdue students, and Tim Drinkwater
• (23:26) Partnership in practice: tooling up the mini tombstones in the Hennig booth
• (26:04) Two huge giveaways happening on Friday the 18th
• (28:45) A Monday announcement and a first to market additive technology launch
• (29:44) Find Kennametal tooling at 14 different booths in the South Hall
• (30:20) First timer advice: comfortable shoes, hydration, and map the show before you go
• (33:04) Who trains the booth team and how the floor gets divided up between them
• (35:35) Ask questions and be human, because nobody wants to be pitched at
• (37:42) Take your shop to the next level with DN Solutions
• (38:54) ProShop’s booth staffed with 40 customer ambassadors
• (41:48) Does a booth theme actually stick with a shop owner two years later?
• (44:32) What they’re most excited about, and what’s keeping them up at night

Resources Mentioned

• Kennametal
• MakingChips Machine Giveaway
• IMTS
• Elevate at IMTS 2026
• DN Solutions
• ProShop ERP
• Superfeet

Connect with Kim Wilson and Matt Jacques

• Connect with Kim on LinkedIn
• Connect with Matt on LinkedIn
• Kennametal
• Kennametal at IMTS 2026: Booth 431800, West Hall, Level 3

Connect with MakingChips

• www.MakingChips.com
• On Facebook
• On LinkedIn
• On Instagram
• On Twitter
• On YouTube