2012 The American Mold Builder Magazine - Winter

Winter 2012

The Official Publication of the American Mold Builders Association

• MoldBuildingin2012• NPEShowPreview• ComponentMiniaturization

AMBA Convention

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3www.amba.org

True Success Comes from Falling Down

Today I had a unique experience, a reality check that brought to surface the amazing resilience of the AMBA organization. Although I hesitate to share my experience with a national audience, I am doing so for the greater good of our industry. I’ve altered the passage below, found in John C. Maxwell’s book Attitude 101, as a basis for what I’m about to tell you: “In order to achieve success, organizations must embrace ad-versity and make failure a regular part of life. Failure, in and of itself, is simply an essential part of experiencing success.”

I had the opportunity to make a sales call to a member of the AMBA who made the decision to drop his membership. After my failed attempt to get the lead executive to change his mind, I hung up the phone and sat in my office disappointed in my efforts. Although I did my best to explain AMBA’s benefits, emphasizing our new programs, services and events that have positively impacted my own business over the last nine months, I was still not effective in making the sale.

Quite interestingly, however, while debriefing about the call with Executive Director Troy Nix, he asked me to highlight my conversation. I indicated to him that this company’s leadership was unwilling to take a day away from its shop to attend an event like an AMBA plant tour workshop or the AMBA’s annual benchmarking convention where moldmaking executives gather to improve their individual companies. Yet, as odd as this may sound, the company’s leadership was disappointed in the lack of contact they’ve made with other shops, as their hopes were to obtain overflow work from others.

Having a long history in running manufacturing associations, Troy had an interesting response. He took accountability for his team’s failure to meet the objectives of this member. At the same time, he was astonishingly optimistic. Troy was enthusiastic because he felt that AMBA’s leadership has proactively addressed gaps in AMBA’s value proposition, and that a new breed of member would soon surface, one interested in learning about best moldmaking practices. This new member would understand the need to leave the confines of its own shop in order to benchmark and share best-in-class ideas, and would be interested in working collectively to build leverage by working cohesively to make its business one of the best mold builders in the world. This new breed represents both new members and long-time members who have altered their approach and increased their participation in order to recognize a tangible return on their association investment.

As I prepare to hand the reins of my presidency over at our Spring Convention, to be held in Grand Rapids, MI on May 16-18, I can say without equivocation that the AMBA organization is better positioned today to survive, thrive and bring ultimate value to our members than ever before. AMBA’s leadership team is not afraid of failure because it understands that failure, in and of itself, is simply an essential part of success!

In closing, I challenge each of you to take advantage of the benefits the AMBA has to offer. As hard as it may be to leave your business for a few days, or even a few hours, make it your goal in 2012 to attend one meeting or one plant tour. Networking opportunities are out there if you get involved.

I have cherished my time as AMBA’s president, and I will continue to serve this organization because of the value it brings to me, my management team and to my industry!

The American Mold BuilderPublished by the

American Mold Builders Association 3601 Algonquin Rd., Suite 304

Rolling Meadows, IL 60008p 847.222.9402 • f [email protected] • www.amba.org

OfficersandBoardofDirectorsPresidentMike Armbrust, Mako Mold Corporation

Vice PresidentTodd Finley, Commercial Tool & Die

SecretaryShawn McGrew, Prodigy Mold & Tool

TreasurerMichael Bohning, Creative Blow Mold Tooling

Legal CounselAlan Rothenbuecher, Ice Miller LLP

BoardofDirectorsAndy Baker, Byrne Tool & Die Robert Earnhardt, Superior ToolingDan Glass, Strohwig IndustriesRoger Klouda, M.S.I. Mold Builders Justin McPhee, Mold Craft Tim Peterson, Industrial Molds GroupScott Phipps, United Tool & Mold Steve Rotman, Ameritech Die & MoldMike Walter, MET PlasticsWendy Wloszek, Industrial Mold & Machine

AMBATeamTroy Nix, Executive DirectorKym Conis, Managing DirectorSusan Daniels, Member Services CoordinatorShannon Merrill, National Chapter Coordinator

Managing Editor: Kym ConisAssistant Editor: Sue DanielsContributing Author: Clare GoldsberryArt Director: Cara PedersonAdvertising/Sales: Shannon MerrillCirculation: Shannon Merrill

Opinions expressed in this publication may or may not reflect the views of the Association, and do not necessarily represent official positions or policies of the Association or its members.

Speak Out

Mike ArmbrustAMBA President

-See you in Grand Rapids in May Mike Armbrust, Mako Mold Corporation

4 the american MOld Builder Winter 2012

34

Features 6 Market Trends •PlanningforFutureOpportunitiesin2012 •MoldBuildingin2012

12 AMBA Convention Preview

16 Focus •OhioMoldmakerMakestheMostoftheSocialNetwork •MoldManufacturingv.Moldmaking–M.S.I.MoldBuildersPlant TourWorkshop

20 Technology •In-MoldLabeling:AddingValuethroughMoldTechnology •ComponentMiniaturization–PushingtheEnvelopewith Ultra-PrecisionMachiningandOpticalMetrologySystems

32 Special Report •Outsourcing–OUT;Insourcing–IN

34 Show Preview •NPE2012ShowPreview

38 Strategies •MarketingandSalesStrategiesforMoldManufacturers

41 Inside Track •HiringandTerminatingEmployeesinToday'sEconomy

departments

3 Speak Out

28 Association

44 Industry

46 Product

50 Calendar

50 Ad Index

Visit our website:www.amba.org

Contents

Winter 2012

1612

departments

3 Speak Out

28 Association

44 Industry

46 Product

50 Calendar

50 Ad Index

Visit our website:www.amba.org

AMBA Annual Convention • Amway Grand Plaza • Grand Rapids, MI

2012AMBA CONVENTION•OperationalandFinancialBenchmarkingData&Metrics

•BestPracticesInformationfromLeading-EdgeMoldBuildingExecutives

•PlantTourWorkshopsShowcasingBest-in-ClassOperations

•Peer-to-PeerExchangeForumsTacklingCurrentBusinessChallenges

•SalesandMarketingStrategiestoDriveBusinessandOpenMarkets

Details on programming, registration and

accommodations at www.amba.org.


Market Trends

Has the end of the economic turmoil been seen?

• Has this been a temporary dip, or is another recession inevitable?

• Will OEMs continue to force low-cost country tooling sources?

• If the Japanese earthquake and tsunami did not bring the world economy to its knees, will realignment of the euro or collapse of the common currency do it?

• Will banks under pressure restrict access to credit as they did in 2008 and 2009?

Enumerating the challengesThe economy is slowly beginning to rotate, despite all the changes that occurred in 2011. Unemployment still is at record high levels and as much as the government tries to create jobs, it still is not happening at the pace politicians would like. The crisis in Europe and its impact on currency are having a substantial effect on the US economy. The world stock markets are on a significant roller coaster, and no one can predict when or if stabilization will occur.

The effect of China and other low cost countries on the US manufacturing base is changing yet again. In 2011, the Chinese government instituted a mandatory 15-percent wage increase across the entire workforce. Additionally, the Chinese Government is anticipating more wage increases over the next five years as it works to grow the middle class and skill level within China. This will surely change the calculation of outsourcing tools to low-cost countries and begin to level the playing field. Let’s not kid ourselves though – in 2012, China will continue to be a manufacturing powerhouse even with these unprecedented increases in cost. Chinese manufacturers are working on the right tactics to create sustained manufacturing excellence across multiple facets of their value proposition.

Economics were, no doubt, overshadowing all else in 2011, and 2012 will bring another economic cycle, up and down,

Mold Building in 2012By Laurie Harbour and Scott Walton, Harbour Results, Inc.

but mold building is now a fact of life because plastics are here to stay. No matter how soft or unpredictable the economy becomes, polymers will continue to increasingly drive applications across multiple markets and industries. Even if fewer tablet computers and mobile phones are sold, they still will be made of plastic and the tools to produce those will be even more important.

Probably the most significant underlying factor affecting the US manufacturing base today is the stalemate in the government and the effect on consumer spending. The government will not move until the elections in November are behind us. Meanwhile, as companies continue to improve productivity and increase volumes, they are making money. Companies are performing better, operating efficiently and are just doing more with the same number of people. These productivity improvements, combined with the uncertainty of the economy and the government stalemates, have driven companies to hoard cash and only hire the critical few. Banks are lending money, but not without a painstaking, drawn out process.

2012 will bring another economic cycle, up and down, but mold building is now a fact of life because plastics are here to stay. Even if fewer tablet computers and mobile phones are sold, they still will be made of plastic and the tools to produce those will be even more important.

Mold builders live in one of the most difficult and ever-changing industries in the global manufacturing environment, so as December fades into the distance, many companies will look to the past and attempt to project into the future to see what is in store.

7www.amba.org

page 9 u

All these variables put significant pressure on consumers to spend money to spur economic growth. According to economists, if consumers can drive spending the economy will begin to really rotate.

With all these challenges facing US companies in 2011, a bifurcation began to occur among mold builders. The industry leaders are growing their revenue lines, financially strong and operating at over 85-percent capacity utilization. The laggards are struggling to maintain market share, operating at less than 50-percent utilization and just plain scraping by. The gap will continue to widen as the best companies become more selective and continue to sell value rather than capacity.

So what challenges are companies facing in 2012 and beyond?

• What will an election year bring?

• Will the Middle East finally gain dominance of the market’s upstream end, or will the scepter pass to China?

• If money is tight, will consumers continue buying new cars?

• If Chinese labor rates continue to rise, will another low-cost country take its place for tool building?

In the next 12 months, beyond the underlying economic issues, mold builders will face constant raw material fluctuations and supply uncertainty for the near term. Additionally, companies are looking at the next 12 months with a need to determine future sales demand. It has been erratic over the last 12 months, and uncertainty leaves companies wondering what to do about manufacturing forecasts. These uncertainties will force the best and brightest to continue doing more with the same to maintain a profitable competitive edge.

Focus on the front end for 20122012 will be full of surprises as the next act from the financial and political power brokers unfolds. Saying farewell to 2011, there are some words of advice for 2012 – the most important being, “focus on the front end of the business”. Mold builders should work more diligently than ever to understand where the market is headed and the demands customers will put on their businesses.

Customer demands are changing as they add product or design complexity and variation to meet their customer demands, which means more tools, but of course the cus-tomer wants them for less money. Operational flexibility

and agility are becoming club dues, and those organiza-tions that can meet the ever-changing market dynamics will get the gold.

Building flexibility in this environment requires greater focus on understanding customer demand. Comparing internal historical data to customer projections and cross-referencing those numbers to an external market source will provide clearer visibility of demand. Mold builders can then apply this demand data across the entire business value chain, working to match their supply and demand at a 1:1 ratio. Wherever an out-of-balance condition is seen, it is time to stop to identify the over capacity or the bottlenecked condition, and then work to bring the demand and supply ratios back in balance.

Moving through the business model in this fashion will quickly identify those areas requiring additional flexibility. Mold builders should avoid the temptation to go right to the shop floor to find improvement opportunity. Sizable out-of-balance conditions often manifest in the transactional processes, such as quoting, costing, project management or engineering.

Beyond the next 12 months, companies are concerned about what will happen with globalization. Will the balance of manufacturing change as costs rise in low cost countries? If so, what will the impact be on US manufacturing? Another huge concern of mold builders and all manufacturers is the lack of labor in both skilled and general manufacturing. There is a related concern with

Mold builders should avoid the temptation to go right to the shop floor to find improvement opportunity. Sizable out-of-balance conditions often manifest in the transactional processes, such as quoting, costing, project management or engineering.


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9www.amba.org

the lack of young talent entering the manufacturing field. So, while China grapples with unprecedented increases in labor costs, US manufacturers continue to struggle with the next generation of skilled workers.

There are certainly challenges beyond the control of the mold builder, but opportunities exist that are being missed – or ignored. During a recent survey of tool suppliers, there were disturbing findings, including the following:

• Data revealed that a majority of companies are not formally communicating with their customers. As times have changed, tool suppliers have stopped sitting down with customers on a quarterly, or even, annual basis. These meetings are critical for companies to better understand future demand and areas of improvement. A simple written customer survey is not good enough, especially since many customers do not complete these.

• Additionally, data revealed that over 80 percent of companies surveyed have the owner or president leading the sales effort. Filling the role of president is a full time job in itself. Attempting to lead sales efforts will lead to neglect of one role or the other, to the detriment of the company. Owners need to invest in the right person to lead their sales efforts, while keeping their own eyes on the vision of their companies.

• Another incredibly troubling finding was the lack of continuous improvement focus by most companies. This year, the data actually revealed a backwards trend in this area. As volumes have increased, companies are working less on continuous improvement. If the opportunity to drive efficiency improvement was not seized during the recession, the answer now is to throw labor at the increased volume to push output rather than throughput. In the survey, tool suppliers continued to state that operational improvements are one of their biggest challenges for the next 12 months, yet those same companies are not focused on continuous improvement. It is critical for companies to see continuous improvement not as an extra credit assignment, but rather as a part of doing business. These companies need to constantly challenge thinking and push for improvement. This can be done with more teamwork and involvement from the people on the floor, but this too was a backwards trend in the survey.

As mold builders look to the future, they should expect the uncertainty to go on as the US government and economy

sort themselves out and the European Union woes continue. Sizable challenges and barriers will remain, and tomorrow’s leaders will need nerve, drive, knowledge and creativity to be effective. Companies need to focus on what they can control: continuous improvement, communication with customers, solid business plans and stronger employee involvement. Work on understanding customer demand, and position business to meet this demand with continued tenacity and determination. Driving flexibility in an environment is far easier with a greater understanding of future demand. Build an agile organization around this predicted demand pattern, and be prepared for anything. 2012 will surely deliver on a new series of challenges and opportunities.

Combining operational and financial advisory expertise with industry analysis and thought leadership, Harbour Results delivers results that impact the bottom line. The company specializes in manufacturing, production opera-tions and asset-intensive industries, as well as a number of manufacturing processes including stamping, tooling, pre-cision machining and plastics. For more information, visit www.harbourresults.com.

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t page 7


Shipments are Up for 35 percent of the respondents, the Same for 51 percent and Down for 14 percent, nearly where they were for respondents to the Winter 2011 survey.

Backlogs are Up for 37 percent of respondents, which is always good news for moldmakers, the Same for 36 percent of the respondents and Down for 27 percent of respondents.

Profits are another critical area for mold companies and 32 percent of the respondents to the Winter 2012 survey say profits are Up, compared to 24 percent in the Winter 2011 survey. Profits are the Same for 54 percent (compared to 56 percent a year ago) and Down for 14 percent (compared to nine percent a year earlier).

Employment is Up for 36 percent of the respondents, the Same for 62 percent and Down for only two percent of this survey. Work-week hours for shop employees stand at 49, and 48 hours for design and engineering employees. While employment is up, the numbers show that there’s been no difference in the current number of shop employees over the past year (22) or in the number of design and engineer-ing employees, which remains at five.

One respondent commented, “We need to find qualified help for taking on larger tooling packages. We went through two apprentices in the last year that didn’t have what it takes, but had to try as there doesn’t seem to be anyone interested in moldmaking.” This sentiment seems to prevail in the industry as another respondent expressed, “We need to do everything possible to attract people (young and talented) into this trade.”

A large majority of respondents purchased new equipment in 2011 (82 percent) and of that number, only 29 percent said they purchased it to get the accelerated depreciation that was set to expire on Dec. 31, 2011. One respondent expressed the hope that “we get the government to extend the accelerated depreciation to stimulate our manufacturing in the USA.”

Most of the respondents spent under $100,000 for their equipment (34 percent); 25 percent spent between $100,000 and $250,000; 26 percent spent $250,000 - $500,000; 11 percent spent between $500,000 and $1 million and four percent spent more than $1 million on equipment in 2011.

Generally, conditions in the industry are improving, with some respondents anticipating increased volume in 2012. Getting more business and new customers remains at the forefront in the minds of many mold company owners.

Everything heard on the street about what a good year 2011 was for mold manufacturers seems to be rolling over in 2012, according to the latest results from AMBA’s Winter 2012 Business Forecast Survey. Excellent current business conditions jumped 10 percentage points to 25 percent for survey respondents, from 15 percent for the same period a year ago. Current business conditions are Good for 60 per-cent of the survey respondents, up four percentage points from a year ago and Fair for 15 percent, down five percent from the Winter 2011 survey. Even better news is that no respondents said business is Poor or Bad. “This can keep going for the next 10 years!” one respondent wrote, obviously wanting the good times to keep on rolling.

Projections for business over the next three months were positive as well, with four percent of the respondents pro-jecting that business will increase substantially; 35 percent projecting that business will increase moderately and 52 percent expecting business to remain the same – an in-crease of 12 percent from the Winter 2011 survey report. Only nine percent expect business to decrease moderately, a drop from 11 percent in the year earlier survey. No one projects business to decrease substantially. When comparing their current level of business with that of three months ago, 27 percent of respondents said that quoting is Up, a drop from 37 percent that saw an increase in quoting a year ago. Quoting remains the Same for 49 percent of the respondents, compared to 41 percent a year earlier and quoting is Down for 24 percent of the respondents (22 percent in the Winter 2011 survey).

The AMBA Business Forecast Survey was developed to provide AMBA members with informationon the current business conditions and a projection of the upcoming months. The Winter 2012Survey resulted a response rate of 38% from AMBA members. Business remains "Good"for 60% of the respondents, and for 25% of the respondents it is "Excellent."

AMBA Winter 2012 Business Forecast Survey Results

AMBA Members Current Business Conditions

60%15%

0%

0% 25% Excellent

Good

Fair

Poor

Bad

Projection of Business Over the Next 3 Months

35%

4%

0% 9% 52%

IncreaseSubstantially

IncreaseModerately

Remain theSame

DecreaseModerately

DecreaseSubstantially

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

Up Same Down

Current Level of Business in Last 3 Months

Quoting

Shipments

Backlog

Profits

Employment

Current Work-Week Hours

49 48

0

10

20

30

40

50

Wor

k H

ours

Average Shop Hours Average Design & Engineering Hours

Current Number Plant Employees

22 5

0

10

20

30

40

50

Pla

nt E

mpl

oyee

s

Average Shop Employees Average Design & Engineering Employees

What type of software does your company use?

51%

49%

SpecializedGeneral

Did you buy any new machine tools or other

equpment in 2011?

18%

82%

Yes No

How much did you spend on new equipment in 2011?

26%

11% 4% 34%

25%

Under $100,000$100,001 - $250,000$250,001 - $500,000$500,001 - $1 millionMore than $1 million

The AMBA Business Forecast Survey was developed to provide AMBA members with informationon the current business conditions and a projection of the upcoming months. The Winter 2012Survey resulted a response rate of 38% from AMBA members. Business remains "Good"for 60% of the respondents, and for 25% of the respondents it is "Excellent."

AMBA Winter 2012 Business Forecast Survey Results

AMBA Members Current Business Conditions

60%15%

0%

0% 25% Excellent

Good

Fair

Poor

Bad

Projection of Business Over the Next 3 Months

35%

4%

0% 9% 52%

IncreaseSubstantially

IncreaseModerately

Remain theSame

DecreaseModerately

DecreaseSubstantially

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

Up Same Down

Current Level of Business in Last 3 Months

Quoting

Shipments

Backlog

Profits

Employment

Current Work-Week Hours

49 48

0

10

20

30

40

50

Wor

k H

ours

Average Shop Hours Average Design & Engineering Hours

Current Number Plant Employees

22 5

0

10

20

30

40

50

Pla

nt E

mpl

oyee

s

Average Shop Employees Average Design & Engineering Employees

What type of software does your company use?

51%

49%

SpecializedGeneral

Did you buy any new machine tools or other

equpment in 2011?

18%

82%

Yes No

How much did you spend on new equipment in 2011?

26%

11% 4% 34%

25%

Under $100,000$100,001 - $250,000$250,001 - $500,000$500,001 - $1 millionMore than $1 million

Market Trends

Mold Builders Enter 2012 with Strong Optimism

11www.amba.org

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"Strength in Numbers" is the theme for the 2012 AMBA Convention, May 16-18, 2012, in Grand Rapids, MI. According to AMBA Executive Director Troy Nix, "It is our goal to make this convention the best format in America for executives to learn how to improve the profitability

of their moldmaking operations." The convention will be anchored in best practices information and data derived

from leading-edge manufacturing surveys and operational assessments. The May convention is where members will hear

the results of AMBA's new first quarter benchmarking initiatives, delivered by the industry's foremost experts and analysts. The

content of this convention is driven to identify and correlate profitability to operational behaviors, market choices and more!

A M B A C O N V E N T I O N

SCHEDULE:

Wednesday, May 16

7:00 am Registration Opens 9:00-9:30 am Convention Kick-Off, Troy Nix, AMBA 9:30- 11:00 am Keynote Presentation: Made in America, Made for the World Scott Paul, Alliance for American Manufacturing

11:00-11:30 am Exhibitor Networking Break 11:30-12:45 pm Tooling Trends Laurie Harbour, Harbour Results

12:45-1:45 pm Lunch (Riverwalk Veranda) 2:00-3:00 pm Terms and Conditions: Contracting for Economic Certainty Alan Rothenbuecher, Ice Miller LLP

3:00-4:30 pm Open Engagement Sessions

6:00-8:30 pm Welcome Reception (Riverwalk Veranda)

Thursday, May 17

8:00-8:30 am Kickoff – Benefits Exchange

8:30-9:30 am Benchmarking Metrics – Opportunities for Stronger, More Profitable Mold Building Operations Steve LeFever, Business Resource Services

9:30-10:00 am Exhibitor Networking Break 10:00-11:30 pm Profit Mastery: Break-Even 360° – the Absolute Best Tool to Drive Unit Profitability Steve LeFever, Business Resource Service

11:30-11:45 pm Plant Tour Overview – Troy Nix, AMBA

11:45-1:00 pm Lunch and Plant Tour Breakouts

1:00-1:30 pm Depart for Plant Tours

1:30-3:00 pm Plant Tours

• Attention: Moldmaker Addresses Skilled Workforce Issues In-House! – Hosted by Commercial Tool & Die, Inc.

• Tool Complexity Defines Niche – Advantages of Doing the Impossible – Hosted by CS Tool Engineering, Inc.

• The Journey beyond Survival: Lean Manufacturing as the New Standard for Injection Tool Manufacturing – Hosted by Byrne Tool & Die, Inc.

• Automation – The Key to Future Sustainability in the Moldmaking Industry – Hosted by Die-Tech & Engineering, Inc.

3:00-4:15 pm Return to Amway Grand for Tour Cross-Exchange

6:30-7:30 pm Awards Reception

7:30-9:30 pm Awards Banquet

Friday, May 18 8:00-9:15 am The 30-Minute Marketing Plan – How to Market Your Company in the New Economy Eric Keiles, Square2Marketing Sales & Marketing

9:15-9:45 am Exhibitor Networking Break

9:45-11:15 am Driving to Be the Best – Eradicating Waste and Focusing on Improvement Moderated by Troy Nix, AMBA

11:15-12:00 pm Making the Next Move to Become More Profitable Laurie Harbour, Harbour Results

12:00 pm Convention Adjourns

New this year, all attendees will have the opportunity to participate in a plant tour workshop as part of the programming in the afternoon on the second day. These carefully designed plant tour workshops provide an excellent opportunity for participants to share best practices in a 'give and take' environment that offers phenomenal value - providing attendees a convention experience like none other!

For convention details, including pricing, online registration and hotel, visit www.amba.org.

AMBA Convention Preview

13www.amba.org

CONVENTION SESSIONS

DAY ONEMade in America, Made for the WorldScott Paul, Alliance for American Manufacturing

Scott Paul’s theme "Keep It Made in America" focuses on getting "manufacturing" back on the public radar. This keynote presen-tation will relate best practices for enterprises looking to recruit and retain good, skilled talent; share exclusive “Made in America” branding information and why there is a bright future ahead for companies that manufacture in the USA; give practical advice on fighting unfair trade practices from other nations; provide connec-tions with local resources that can aid in innovation and product development; teach participants how to engage the community to make their business a community-wide concern and not a “special interest” by opening their doors, reaching out and sharing eco-nomic impact information with community leaders; look ahead at macroeconomic trends and what that means for the business; and finally, focus on how we can restore “soul” to America by focusing on making things.

Tooling TrendsLaurie Harbour, Harbour Results

Trends in the global tooling industry are important for US-based mold building executives to know and understand. During this session, Laurie Harbour will reveal ground-breaking information on her team’s discoveries as a result of assessing over 70 tooling shops around the globe over the last year. These visits have provided incredible perspective on tooling trends both within the automotive industry and across multiple industries with tool shops large and small. Laurie Harbour will provide insight on global trends, as well as opportunities for US-based moldmaking companies, and highlight how the challenges of the last couple years have affected tool shop operations. She will provide an overview of challenges still to come and explain what moldmakers can do to position themselves to tackle these opportunities.

Terms and Conditions: Contracting for Economic CertaintyAlan Rothenbuecher, ICE Miller

Given the competitive business environment, all moldmaking executives are looking for ways to improve bottom-line profits. Even after combating some of the more traditional problems that erode profit such as raw material costs, machine rates and labor expenses, the bottom line of a business is still subject to significant exposure if its sales terms and conditions (T&Cs) are deficient. T&Cs can be one of the most valuable defenses to economic uncertainty and dealing with financially distressed customers. Discover how to make full use of your terms and conditions to shift risk and lower exposure in customer relationships.

Open Engagement SessionsAttendees interested in growing their peer-to-peer networks will appreciate the opportunity to meet one another in a highly facilitated environment where professionals will exchange ideas on various topics. In these sessions, executives will have the opportunity to pick a discussion series and engage with other mold building executives on issues relative to the topic. Driven by attendee feedback and the desire of the AMBA leadership to have customization during this function, these focused sessions will be identified by a survey issued to convention attendees prior to the event.

DAY TWOBenchmarking Metrics – Opportunities for Stronger, More Profitable Mold Building OperationsSteve LeFever, Business Resource Services

At long last, here are the industry metrics you’ve been seeking to measure your operation! Join Steve LeFever as he unveils invaluable financial benchmarks specific to the moldmaking industry. Derived from the AMBA’s newest 2012 benchmarking initiative, this informative session will reveal the analysis and comparative performance data from the study, helping owners and managers evaluate and determine where opportunities lie to grow their companies, while creating fiscally stronger, more profitable operations. Discover where your operation ranks side-by-side with peers and top performers in this data-intense session!

Profit Mastery: Break-Even 360° – the Absolute Best Tool to Drive Unit ProfitabilitySteve LeFever, Business Resource Services, Inc.

It’s all over the news. The economy is sluggish – translation: The “R” word?? The ripple effect impacts all businesses and business owners. What to do? It’s time for every business owner/manager to take stock – and take action. Taking stock requires tools and a process – and taking action requires a “rifle shot” focus. This session will offer a uniquely powerful tool, Break-Even Analysis, to provide you an action plan to identify and capture incremental profits. Steve LeFever’s “Cup Theory” is a 360° approach to profit management that will enable you to see performance measurement in a whole new light. After this program, you will understand why you would want to know your cost structure, how to calculate it – and what to do with the results. By using the tools of cost and Break-Even Analysis, participants will have a road map to make critical decisions regarding the profitability of individual locations and products – as well a gauging the impact of changes in cost, volume or pricing.

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Attention: Moldmaker Addresses Skilled Workforce Issues In-House! Hosted by Commercial Tool & Die Inc.

It’s no hidden truth that the American manufacturing industry, and more specifically, the US tool and die industry, faces the enormous challenge of finding and developing skilled workers in order to continue to be a world leader. During this plant tour workshop, attendees will see how Commercial Tool & Die, a moldmaking operation with 130 employees and serving the needs of customers in the office furniture, appliance, heavy truck and automotive sectors, has attacked this problem head on. Using an innovative approach to skills enhancement, Commercial Tool has created a leading-edge educational development program that has been certified by the Department of Labor (DOL). Commercial Tool’s training program relies on absolutely no outside resources for the creation of certified apprentices; full CNC machining journeymen or mold journeymen are the end result of the process. The executive team of Commercial Tool utilizes this state-of-the-art training development system to continually assess the skills and knowledge gap of its current employees to ensure its employees are intellectually equipped to maintain the company’s competitive edge. In addition, Commercial Tool will demonstrate its high-tech capabilities in CNC machining, which utilizes some of the newest, fastest technology in the industry.

Tool Complexity Defines Niche – Advantages of Doing the ImpossibleHosted by CS Tool Engineering, Inc.

Like any successful business industry sector, moldmakers who define and exploit their niche develop distinct advantages in the marketplace. Since 1967, CS Tool Engineering has focused on building mid-sized complex injection and compression molds with mechanical actions to separate it from the pack. An emphasis on customer service has always been a foremost business principle. CS Tool's reputation as a builder of robust tooling has enabled the company to position itself as a supplier of choice within its customer base. In its 40,000 square foot modern facility, CS Tool has made investments in horizontal machining centers, a 3+2 axis high-speed machining center and laser welding.

Attendees will gain a better understanding of CS Tool’s use of horizontal machining centers with a modular work holding system and learn how the company better serves its customers with the integration of mold filling software right at the start of the mold design. Dealing with repairs and engineering changes requires flexibility within new mold builds, and CS Tool will share its daily morning meeting format that ensures communications. CS Tool is a member of a tool and die collaborative and will share how a group of smaller shops can share ideas and work together.

PLANT TOUR WORKSHOPS

The Journey Beyond Survival: Lean Manufacturing as the New Standard for Injection Tool Manufacturing Hosted by Byrne Tool & Die, Inc.

A difficult economic climate in which a third of all tool shops have closed in the past decade has forced surviving shops to transform their businesses to become competitive in a changing and challenging environment. Some shops have struggled to survive by slashing costs, production capabilities and skilled labor to become low-cost tooling options. Other shops have transformed their culture from a “skilled trade” mentality (delivering work on their own schedule) to lean, “on time with less waste” manufacturing processes that better align with the needs and deadlines of their customers.

Byrne Tool & Die has taken the longer, more difficult path of transforming its culture into a self-directed, results-driven environment. With lean manufacturing as the driving force, Byrne Tool has instituted an internal process it calls “Common Sense Manufacturing” (CSM). Byrne Tool utilizes blitz approaches to obtain continuous, incremental improvement in its operations. Identifying and driving out waste is now a part of the Byrne Tool culture and CSM contributions are expected from every employee. During this plant tour workshop, participants will gain a better understanding of how Byrne Tool has applied LEAN thinking to its CULTURE, including best practices the company has implemented to create a high-performing workplace.

Automation – The Key to Future Sustainability in the Moldmaking IndustryHosted by Die-Tech & Engineering, Inc.

Leading executives in the moldmaking industry understand the ever-increasing need for speed and efficiency. Although meeting customer demands is essential to growing and maintaining a sustainable business, more important is the cognizance of knowing that global competition is not resting on the laurels of the past decade. The adoption of automation and automation practices is essential for US-based moldmakers, and Die-Tech & Engineering is an operation that has invested heavily in high-efficiency machining technology and palletization. During this plant tour workshop, attendees will have the opportunity to see how Die-Tech & Engineering has integrated laser scanning technology to improve quality control, utilized “palletized” work cells to reduce labor costs while improving accuracy and created a workflow to improve agility and speed. In addition, executives will understand how capital investment has reduced the amount of EDM, spotting and polishing time.

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Frederik Meijer Gardens and City Tour (Optional) Wednesday, May 16 9:30am – 3:00pm

Discover the beauty and splendor of Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, a spectacular botanic garden and world–class sculpture park in Grand Rapids, Michigan. This 125-acre attraction features the most comprehensive outdoor sculpture collection in the Midwest, indoor and outdoor gardens, the largest tropical conservatory in the state, nature trails, guided tram and 5-acre Children’s Garden. Upon arrival, a tour guide will reveal the lush and unique tropical plants from around the world to you. A tram ride through the 70 acres of prime wetlands, woodlands and meadow showcasing the over 40 sculptures in the Sculpture Park and a delicious lunch will complete your visit to the gardens.

Upon departure from the Frederik Meijer Gardens, a city bus tour will allow guests to see the many historical sights of Grand Rapids, including the Heritage Hills area – one of the largest urban historic districts in the country and voted 'best-of-old-neighborhoods' by This Old House magazine for the entire state of Michigan. The tour will stop to see where the country's 38th President, Gerald R. Ford, was laid to rest in the beautiful gardens of his Public Museum. (This activity is optional for convention guests. Additional fee applies.)

DAY THREEThe 30-Minute Marketing Plan – How to Market Your Company in the New EconomyEric Keiles, Square2Marketing Sales & Marketing

With the advent of the internet, buyer behavior has changed dramatically. And, understanding the new tools at hand is critical. Most entrepreneurs have not changed their sales and marketing processes to keep up with this change in buyer behavior. In this session, you will learn how to develop the “remarkables” about your company and then use new digital marketing tools (such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Yelp, iPhones, iPads, Craigslist and more) to reach prospective clients and get clients and prospects talking about your business. Discover how to help prospects learn about your company, hear your content and step forward, raising their hands to say “I want to do business with you.” In just one session, Eric Keiles will take you through the process of revamping your marketing strategy, providing a “suitcase full of nuggets” to carry back to your office and begin to enhance your marketing the very next morning.

Driving to Be the Best – Eradicating Waste and Focusing on Improvement Moderated by Troy Nix, AMBA

Leading moldmaking executives agree that to compete, a company must continually defend its marketplace niche while being laser-focused on becoming more efficient in every aspect of business. During this panel engagement, three US-based mold builders will share specific best practice ideas of actions they that have taken to drive overall continuous improvement in their operations. Absolutely relentless in their approaches to eliminate waste and drive efficiencies, each of these innovative companies has made significant improvement in its business model. Attendees will have opportunities to engage with the panelists and ask the hard-to-answer questions addressing the challenges of developing continuous improvement cultures. This session provides attendees the perfect opportunity to learn from their peers.

Making the Next Move to Become More ProfitableLaurie Harbour, Harbour Results

So what’s next? Convention attendees now are in the position to most closely understand the metrics and benchmarks that define best-in-class moldmaking companies, but to close the performance gaps, mold building executive attendees must take action to improve. Utilizing the trends identified in the Tooling Trends session outlined on Day 1, Laurie Harbour will share tactical solutions companies are utilizing to improve their businesses that can be immediately implemented and applied for bottom-line results. A well-suited ending to an information-packed event, participants will find this session extremely helpful in the development of their own unique action plans, ensuring a return on investment for the time spent at the convention.

GUEST ACTIVITIES

HOTEL INFORMATION

The Amway Grand PlazaThe Amway Grand Plaza has been making history since the original hotel – The Pantlind – opened in 1913. Fashioned after English Adams architecture by designers Warren & Wetmore, the hotel's special details included one of the world's largest gold-leaf ceilings in the Pantlind lobby. Today, the Amway Grand Plaza combines this graceful heritage with the modern amenities of the new Glass Tower. Whether it's a stroll through the Pantlind Lobby, the great view from one of the Glass Tower rooms, the classical architecture or a bite of one of the hotel’s signature entrees, The Amway Grand Plaza is much more than a hotel. It's a true destination. Special AMBA rate: $129/night. For reservations, call 800.253.3590 or for online reservations, visit www.amba.org and follow the convention link to hotel reservations.


Wloszek holds a deep respect for the know-ledgebase contained within the minds of her employees, and as the skilled workers in the shop move toward retirement, her primary concern was the process for handing that knowledge down to new employees.

“Manufacturing, as a whole, is complicat-ed,” said Wloszek. “To keep up with the changes, you’re always redefining your process. That’s what makes it fun, but it also deserves respect.”

Redefining the process at IMM began with a heavy focus on the use of technology, and contrary to current trends, Wloszek doesn’t mean manufacturing technology. “I’m talking about process technology and information technology,” she explained. At IMM, an internal wiki known as IMM Connect – an internally accessible web-based data storage system – is used to store data that is critical to every day workflows. The information includes everything from the employee handbook and MSDS sheets to a wiki page for each job that is in production.

Now… how to access that information? If the goal is instant information, requiring employees to return to a desktop computer in a fixed location wasn’t the answer. Enter the iPads: 23 of them, to be exact. In April of 2010, IMM purchased four iPads – one for Wloszek, one for the IT manager and two for machinists on the floor. “We didn’t know what the potential would be,” she said, “but

CNC machinists access detailed drawings on the fly utilizing iPads on the shop floor.

Focus

Ohio Moldmaker Makes the Most of the Social Network

A t Industrial Mold & Machine (IMM), Twinsburg, OH, the battle to hire qualified moldmaking employees was taking its toll. President Wendy

Wloszek saw her business struggling to replace experienced mold craftsmen, looked at the national unemployment rate and listened to the experts decrying the dearth of young people entering the manufacturing trade. She saw her business gaining speed as the economic recession lessened its hold, and worried about the ability of the US toolmaking industry to support the increased need, without losing a step to its offshore competition. Wloszek chose her weapons carefully. Vigilant study of her target audience revealed a love of and dependence on technology. A survey of current employees showed a wealth of knowledge, waiting to be passed to the next generation. By marrying technology and knowledge, IMM hopes to engage a new generation of toolmakers, revitalize the moldmaking industry and put itself in a strategic position far ahead of its competition.

Adopting technology In operation since 1988, IMM creates high-tolerance molds for injection molding and blow molding. When Wloszek assumed the presidency, she had known many of the company’s 41 employees for more than two decades.

IMM operators utilize iPads to view current jobs in production or to prepare for the next job.

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Ohio Moldmaker Makes the Most of the Social Network

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we knew there was something here. The challenge was getting the information we needed into the wiki – and understanding what information it was that we needed.”

That’s when Meredith Crock entered the picture. “It’s Meredith’s job to decipher the language,” explained Wloszek, “I call her a miner, because her job is to listen and find the nuggets of information that need to be passed from one generation of employee to the next.”

Crock’s official title is apprenticeship facilitator. Her job, while centering around the seven apprentices at IMM, has been managing and creating a wiki-based center for learning. Critical to the apprenticeship program and to preserving the company’s knowledge base, the wiki pages contain information about molds and moldmaking, materials, cutter specifications and so much more. “The guys who have been in the business for 24 years don’t even know how to tell you what they know about ma-chining the materials,” said Wloszek. “We get nuggets of information, like ‘this material is similar to that material, except you can’t put a diamond polish on it.’ Meredith’s job is to put that information in a place that is accessible to all employees.”

In the last twenty-one months, IMM has purchased an additional 19 iPads, and the tablets are in the hands of sales staff, CNC machinists, EDM Machinists, mold assemblers, programmers, all seven of the apprentices and the truck driver. Employees use iPads from wherever they are to log into IMM’s social network and view current jobs running on the production floor or to prepare for the next job. Each job has its own page on the network, containing the steps that need to be taken to produce that piece, detail drawings in both 2D and 3D and programming sheets. “Operators can access work dispatch reports from the iPads, and they also can click through to the next job,” Wloszek explained. “We’re changing the workflow. We’re trying to cut the ties from printed sheets of paper and blueprints. If you have to go look for a print, the information isn't instant.”

Apprenticeship program provides new recruitsThe development of IMM’s apprenticeship program was born in much the same way that all inventions are born – out of necessity. The traditional apprenticeship model, where a new employee stands next to an experienced employee and is trained visually, wasn’t working. The gap between new and experienced was too wide; the differences

in knowledge transfer methods too large. “We had skilled workers who didn’t know all of the things they knew. We had apprentices who didn’t understand all of the things they didn’t know. There was a generational clash, with the apprentices feeling as if they were receiving lectures and the skilled employees feeling as if the apprentices weren’t listening.”

One of the ways in which the IMM apprenticeship program solves the generational struggle is to assign a project to the apprentices so that they are instantly creating value, both for themselves and for the company. “Training used to be a long, laborious progression that gave apprentices very little control or responsibility. These new employees don’t want to wait that long, so we’ve adjusted the way we train,” Wloszek stated. “Their first week on the job, the apprentices got an iPad and a project that was all their own. They love it.”

At the same time, IMM is building the level of respect that the apprentices feel for their teachers. “We’re reiterating that these skilled operators are the experts,” she said. “Their knowledge needs to be revered.” IMM uses an initial six- to nine-month training program for its apprentices that provides a few weeks of training in twelve different areas of the company, including scheduling, IT and assembly. “Each part of the company is a tool that we use to get our product made,” Wloszek explained. “How those tools are used is subjective, as long as people realize how connected each department is to the others, so we want our apprentices to see the whole picture.”

The apprenticeship program continues to evolve. Crock has created standardized checklists for various processes that give a structured progression for job tasks. In addition, she gathers feedback from the apprentices, mining them

In the last twenty-one months. IMM has purchased 23 iPads.


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for additional nuggets that can be shared with the next apprentice in the program. The depth of knowledge that has been accumulated is impressive, especially since the apprenticeship program didn’t exist a year ago.

“It’s the most rewarding thing to witness,” Wloszek explained. “Watching a 55-year-old teach a 25-year-old how to patiently put a diamond polish on a mold over the course of four days is inspiring. The expert is honored that someone wants to carry on his tradition and his legacy, and I think when you respect that, great things will happen.”

AMBA tour brings unexpected benefitsOn November 8, 2011, IMM hosted 45 members of the AMBA for a plant tour. Members came from all across the US to see how IMM was leveraging social networking to share information and knowledge among its employees. They looked at the data contained within the internal wiki, they viewed the Apple TVs on the shop floor that Wloszek uses to communicate information company-wide and they talked to the apprentices and employees. Wloszek believes the tour provided a moment of great growth for her employees. “It was amazing to watch these

skilled laborers coming together to discuss the best ways to present our company. They felt pride in our organization and in themselves when they presented,” she said.

Perhaps the biggest benefit, however, was for Wloszek herself. When preparing her presentations for the day, she spent time reviewing the organization’s history, trying to understand how IMM got to its current position. “It was a great reminder,” she said. “Many of the battles that we had been through to get to that moment with the social network had been forgotten. By revisiting the processes that led to success, we’ve been able to capitalize on some of the bright sides, releveraging some of the past success and applying that knowledge to struggles we have now.”

Wloszek will need every weapon in her arsenal to continue the battle facing US manufacturing. “25 percent of skilled workers are slated to retire in 2020,” said Wloszek. “There are one million unfilled skilled worker jobs, while at the same time unemployment is at 10 percent. We’re in a crisis situation, and our company was in a bad way with not being able to find qualified people. We solved the problem in our own way – we couldn’t find a CNC machinist so we had to create one.”

Wloszek admits that the processes in place at IMM are challenging traditionally held views. “People on the tour kept asking how we could afford to purchase all of the iPads; afford to hire one person to supervise seven apprentices; afford to devote so much time to creating a knowledge center. My response was that we can’t afford not to. Look at the average age of your employees. Look at the labor shortage in the industry. I’m responding to the circumstances we’re being dealt.”

The fight goes on, but by adjusting to the changes on the battlefield, Industrial Mold & Machine has every intention of winning the war. The addition of the seven apprentices has brought IMM’s average employee age to 44, significantly below the industry average. The addition of next generation employees has revitalized the organization, changing its culture in significant ways as the established process methods merge with fresh ideas and renewed enthusiasm. “Everyone talks about how you drive innovation, and these young people are doing that for IMM,” said Wloszek. “The work that needs to get done doesn’t change. Some of the systems for how we do things have been in place for decades, and the processes may not have changed. But where you put the next work piece, how you know what to work on next – all of that can change, and looking at the process with new eyes brings innovation.”

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Mold Manufacturing v. Moldmaking M.S.I. Mold Builders Plant Tour Workshop

AMBA will host the third tour in its Plant Tour Workshop series at M.S.I. Mold Builders, Cedar Rapids, IA, on March 1, 2012, entitled The Cultural Difference between Mold Manufacturing and Moldmaking – Flowing Cash to the Bottom Line.

The executive team of M.S.I. Mold Builders has adopted a unique culture in providing its customers with value-added custom molds – a culture that tends to separate itself from the pack. Although M.S.I. does build one-off, distinctive custom molds for prominent customers like John Deere and Caterpillar, the organization’s associates view their operation more as a true manufacturer environment and NOT as a custom job shop. Their vision is “of mold manufacturing, not mold building.”

Thank you to our Plant Tour sponsors:

Ohio Carbon Blank

In fact, the workflow process analysis and evolution of work methods used to literally “pull” work through the system has been instrumental in transitioning the organization. M.S.I. uses conventional manufacturing processes and applies them to the one-off builds. These processes begin as soon as the first communications piece enters into the M.S.I. environment via email, fax or direct customer meeting. While many mold builders use standardized components and software formats, M.S.I. takes standardization to the next level, going further to actually standardize what the industry standardizes! From the M.S.I. management viewpoint, a large portion of what is customized for its independent customers is literally the

same. From job set-up to manufacturing launch, M.S.I. has successfully worked to decrease the number of differences between jobs to increase efficiencies, quality and speed in its operation.

During this AMBA Plant Tour Workshop, attendees will have the opportunity to:

• Tour a first-class mold manufacturing operation with a goal of being world-class

• Observe best manufacturing and business practices

• Network with other leading mold building executives

• Expand business network and resources

Visit www.amba.org for more information or to register.


completing phase two at that facility. The company also has a facility in Winston-Salem, NC. Today, 30 percent of Treofan’s label capacity is in North America.

Inland Label, headquartered in LaCrosse, WI, had become known for its creative and expertly produced Cut & Stack labels for beer producers in North America. Today however, the company is a specialty printer of a variety of labels including Cut & Stack, injection IML, pressure- sensitive, blow-mold IML and in-mold roll-fed labels for the beverage, food and consumer products markets.

That said, 60 percent of IML labels for injection molded containers (I-IML) still come from Europe. The big excitement at the November 2011 IMLCON in Phoenix was the fact that the first global North American brand owner has committed to I-IML. Kraft Foods is producing cream cheese containers with I-IML, which is a huge leap forward for IML in North America.

In 2010, according to William Llewellyn, senior consultant and vice president for AWA Alexander Watson Associates, in his market review for IML/IMD, the global demand for all labels was 43.5 billion square meters. Asia saw the greatest demand with 33 percent, Europe represented 31 percent of that demand, followed by the United States with 24 percent. South America saw only 9 percent of the global demand. “We’re seeing a significant softening in demand in 2011,” commented Llewllyn.

Jon Knight, director of packaging, Label and Technical business for Treofan America LLC, noted in his presentation at IMLCON that several North American converters “are committed to IML and are investing in equipment.” The number of molders entering the IML market for packaging also is growing, he added.

IML has been popular with blow-molded containers for a number of years. IML also is being used to a greater

Europeans were early adopters of IML technology, and because of that, most of the label sources were in Europe until recently. That means that while the Europeans had local label sources, US packaging companies didn’t, resulting in IML remaining a “niche” technology in North America. Given that, there remains a tremendous opportunity for IML technology to catch on and grow, once the brand owners begin adopting IML.

Local label availability is one big key to the growth of IML in North America. There are a few companies that have started to supply labels to the North American market. One of those is Treofan Group, headquartered in Raunheim, Germany. As a global supplier, the company recognized the opportunities in North America and invested heavily in its N.A. manufacturing. In 2007, the company invested $110 million in a plant in Mexico, and recently completed the installation of a new five-layer OPP line for labels,

Technology

In-Mold Labeling: Adding Value through Mold Technology

By Clare Goldsberry

In-mold labeling (IML) for packaging applications has been commonplace in Europe for nearly two decades. In the United States, however, it’s been on a slower track, but it’s a track that’s been picking up speed in recent years.

An IML molding cell consists of a mold built specifically for IML, the molding press, the labels and the automation equipment for placing the labels into the mold. Photo Courtesy of Stackteck Matrix, Brampton, Ontario

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extent in thermoformed containers (T-IML) as that technology develops, particularly in mold technology and thermoforming machinery. Heilbronn, Germany-based Marbach Group, a maker of thermoform molds for form, fill and seal lines and other equipment introduced the Zapod2 automation and advanced label handling system for “tilt” molds. That company just announced the establishment of a facility in Charlotte, NC, to serve the North American market.

Thermoforming Systems LLC in Union Gap, WA also developed its “Tilt” mold system for T-IML, which they introduced at K-2010 in Düsseldorf.

Pros and cons Mold manufacturers need to be aware of the pros and cons of IML. One of the big drawbacks to the use of IML for many packaging suppliers is the number of SKUs that most brand owners (such as Proctor & Gamble, Kraft Foods, etc.) have, i.e., the sheer numbers of products within a given brand family (think laundry detergent types/brands, among others). Once an in-mold label is put into the mold and the container molded onto it, the label becomes a permanent part of the packaging. If the brand owners

need to reduce the volume of a certain product, having the containers already made with a specific label means that those containers will not be able to be used for that product. That fact alone is enough to cause many brand owners to think twice about the IML process.

The good news is that many of the newer labels are now being made in the same polymer materials as the containers, which means ease of recycling. And, unlike glue-applied labels or pressure-sensitive labels that typically would have to be removed due to the fact that they are either paper or of another plastic material before recycling, the containers that contain IML labels of the same material can be recycled together.

Another advancement in IML is smaller labels. CBW Automation, a developer and manufacturer of IML

automation equipment in Ft. Collins, CO, has developed equipment to place very small labels onto small medical parts that it will showcase in April at NPE. “Typically, small labels are more difficult to handle,” said Jim Overbeeke, vice president of sales for CBW. “But we’re making good progress in those applications.”

As brand owners look to save money, IML permits extremely thin wall sections on containers because the label actually becomes part of the wall structure to add strength and stability to the container. That means less material usage, which could result in reduced costs to manufacture. With the big push among many brand owners to reduce the costs of packaging by reducing the wall thickness of containers, the IML process offers a way to maintain the container’s integrity while providing a nice billboard to promote the product.

Supply chain considerationsWe’ve already mentioned the fact that labels are beginning to be readily available in North America, but there are many other supply chain considerations. The fact that the IML supply chain is long and more complex than other processes also serves as a deterrent to OEMs and brand owners. However, as injection, thermoform and blow-mold IML catches on among more brand owners, mold manufacturers need to be ready to collaborate with the various entities that comprise the supply chain.

Mold manufacturers need to educate their molder or brand-owner customers that if they are considering IML

This injection molded container has areas of thin wall sections to reduce material usage. The in-mold label serves to provide greater support to the container walls, reducing overall cost to manufacture. Photo Courtesy of Stackteck Matrix, Brampton, Ontario.

It’s an absolute necessity that the mold be built from the get-go for the IML process to ensure optimization of the entire IML system.


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for containers and packaging, they need to come to the table very early in the process. It’s an absolute necessity that the mold be built from the get-go for the IML process to ensure optimization of the entire IML system.

Other members of the collaborative team also should include the molder (if it’s not the brand owner), the molding machinery supplier, the label supplier and most importantly, the automation supplier. All IML processes, whether choosing pre-cut labels that are stacked and placed in a magazine or the latest technology of “cut-in-place” labels, require automation to pick and place the label in the mold.

The precision involved in the mold, the molding process/molding press, the labels and the automation equipment is critical to the success of an IML project. Because of this complex supply chain, the lead time to produce a product that will use IML can be much longer than for other label processes.

As the IML process increases in demand from brand owners, mold manufacturers need to understand that supply chain collaboration is the key to success.

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June 13-14, 2012Novi, Michigan • Suburban Collection Showcase

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EXHIBITSTooling & MachiningDesign & EngineeringMaterials & Components

CONFERENCEConformal Cooling5-Axis Machining

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NETWORKING VIP Cocktail Reception

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The Event for Tool and Mold Makers, Molders & Additive Technologies


these technologies within their own shop environments to improve the understanding of the process result, thus improving the efficiencies of process development and the quality and consistency of the final machined product.

Establishing the foundationThe foundation for accurate, repeatable and predictable processing of micro-tolerance tools and molds lies in the stability and resolution of a machining center.

There are many machine tools on the market today that try to reduce vibration and thermal displacement through the use of sensors and software, rather than by addressing the issue at its source. However, the most effective means of eliminating vibration is to build rigidity into a machine’s base construction. With heavy base construction and close control of clearances between slide way and bearing components, machine vibration can be eliminated before it occurs.

Machine temperature control technologies offer additional means for improving accuracy by reducing thermal drift resulting from the machining process.

While core- and jacket-cooled spindle technologies are ideal for general die/mold applications, more advanced cooling technologies are required to effectively eliminate thermal growth and displacement from the micromachining process. With an ultra-precision machining center, a core-cooled, enclosed-jacket temperature-control system offers additional precision and control of the axis drives. The cooling circuits for each axis operate independently of one another, enabling temperatures of the axis drive components to be monitored and precisely controlled, based on the duty or workload of each individual axis. This provides sustained dynamic accuracy even during long hours of high-speed machining.

With respect to machining accuracy and the ability to make precise iterations to the machining process, the most critical feature of an ultra-precision micromachining center

As micro-components continue to shrink in size and grow more complex, the demands placed on micro-mold builders continue to elevate. Today, micro-mold manufacturers are challenged not only by tighter tolerances and better surface finishes, but also by the measurement and inspection requirements for making informed adjustments to the machining process.

The development of ultra-precision machining centers and metrology systems go hand in hand. With advancements made on both sides of the fence, new opportunities emerge to push the envelope of component miniaturization. In a similar fashion, mold manufacturers working with micron and submicron features are encouraged to marry

Technology

Component Miniaturization – Pushing the Envelope with Ultra-Precision Machining and Optical Metrology Systems

By John Bradford, Micromachining R&D Team Leader, Makino, Inc.

Alicona’s Infinite Focus optical 3-D measurement system provides EDM Department with the capabilities to measure and verify surface roughness, form and flatness for processing capabilities as fine as 1.78-micron.

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below 20µm. In some cases, micro-component features may even be too sensitive to handle the pressure of the touch probe, resulting in deformation to surface quality or critical geometries.

Optical measurement solutions, however, can avoid these issues entirely through the use of light-scanning technolo-gies. Two of the most common optical measurement sys-tems are interferometric profilers and three-dimensional focus variation measurement systems. Interferometers are ideal for ultra-smooth surfaces, such as lenses, where contours are extremely fine and exacting. These systems enable manu-facturers to characterize and quantify vertical step heights in the single-nanometer resolution range.

Three-dimensional surface measurement systems are ideal for measuring and mapping entire surfaces. The advantage is originated in being able to measure complex geometries of various materials at a sufficiently high resolution and measurement point density. By using these systems, manufacturers can measure anywhere from thousands to millions of data points. Each point can then be combined and displayed as a full, three-dimensional surface map with intricate details on surface roughness, form, flatness and more.

“By measuring large volumes of data both horizontally and vertically, our Infinite Focus technology is able to collect over 100 million data points within minutes to produce high-resolution, three-dimensional images of any surface feature, including deep crevices and steep angles of more than 80 degrees,” explains Scherer. “These images can then be overlaid onto the original design model, allowing manufacturers to more closely evaluate for errors and make informed adjustments to the machining process for improved accuracy and quality.”

is its resolution. Similar to the tick marks on a watch, resolution provides a scale for the machine’s accuracy and predictability. If a watch featured tick marks only every quarter of an hour, the odds of reading the correct time to the minute would be low. This analogy becomes even more pertinent when time is requested to the second. Similarly, a machine with poor resolution offers far less accuracy and predictability.

With a scale feedback system of 0.005 micron [5nm] and a highly refined motion-control system, a minimum increment of movement of 0.01 micron [10nm] can be achieved. This level of mechanical and control resolution is one order of magnitude, or 10 times finer than that of standard machining centers, providing tooling and component manufacturers with a higher level of programmable accuracy and predictability in the adjustments of the machining process.

Modern metrology solutionsOnce a reliable machining solution has been determined, manufacturers must then begin to consider their options for micro-metrology systems. Appropriate micro-metrology solutions need to provide not only a sufficient measurement resolution but also the required accuracy and reproducibility based on the desired tolerances. This capability is often assessed through a Gage R&R evaluation. Especially in micro-manufacturing, the volume of data points that can be collected is essential to the level of form and surface measurement detail.

According to Stefan Scherer, CEO and founder of Alicona Corporation, a manufacturer should ask several questions before investing in a micro-metrology system: What is the current performance level of your manufacturing system? How skilled is your measurement and inspection team? What level of versatility is required, and do you need a measurement system for one or multiple applications? The answer to these questions can help guide a manufacturer to an appropriate metrology system.

Two basic types of measurement systems exist: tactile and optical. Tactile probe systems are ideal when large-scale mold-feature and point-wise measurements are required. However, a common issue with this measurement system is its inefficiency in measuring surfaces. In order to determine surface qualities with a tactile probe, multiple single-point measurements must be recorded. Those points must then be sewn together to retrieve a map of the mold surface, a process that is highly time-consuming. Measurement capabilities of these systems also are limited by the physical size of the contact sensor, rarely providing measurements page 27 u

By combining the use of ultra-precision machining technolo-gies with optical 3-D metrology, EDM Department is able to produce molds with standards fea-tures of under 10 microns.


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In the fieldOne manufacturer applying this practice to its micro-mold production is EDM Department of Bartlett, IL. Serving the aerospace, defense, medical and telecommunications industries, the company has witnessed a rapid miniaturization of standard features and elements – from the 100-micron level to 25 microns, and in some cases, even 10 microns.

The solution that EDM Department implemented was a combination of Makino’s EDAC1 sinker EDM and Alicona’s Infinite Focus optical 3-D metrology system. This pairing of technologies has enabled the company to achieve overall machine performance that continues to surpass expectations. With the sinker EDM alone, EDM Department was achieving plus or minus 4-micron tolerances. However, by implementing a proactive measurement approach, the company was able to achieve 1.78-micron process capability and a seven-percent improvement to surface-finish capabilities.

EDM Department uses its measurement capabilities to examine surface characterization and true-to-form evaluation. This approach has been built into the company’s closed-loop manufacturing process, in which measurements are conducted on cutters before programming is written, on electrodes before burning cavities and on cavities before parts are molded.

“This measurement strategy has helped us create a more accurate workpiece, as well as turnkey solutions for our customers. Closed-looped metrology also has enabled us to branch into new reverse-manufacturing opportunities,” says EDM Department Founder and CEO Mark Raleigh. “As an example, when working with assembled components, we can scan established mating surfaces and compare with initial designs to show potential interference fits. We can then alter our molds as early as the design phase of the process, allowing for improved matching and functionality with existing components.”

Combining ultra-precision machining centers and optical 3-D surface measurement technologies also has enabled EDM Department to apply new types of surface measurement and process characterization.

“Traditionally, machined surfaces have been measured by their average surface roughness; however, this ne-glects the total deviation from the desired finish,” says Raleigh. “With our ability to measure millions of data points per millimeter, we can now define variation with

linear ‘R’ values, as well as two directional ‘S’ param-eters. This allows us to machine and evaluate surfaces more accurately to increase the efficiency of our cus-tomers’ applications. On average, our process perfor-mance has improved six percent by simply removing some of the excess safety margins inherent to standard-ize machining technologies.”

Big opportunities for micro-mold manufacturersFor micro-mold manufacturers like EDM Department, demands for continued miniaturization mean big opportunities. According to Raleigh, EDM Department’s current capabilities are only scratching the surface of the potential possibilities available from combining ultra-precision machining centers and optical 3-D surface-measurement technologies.

“The micro industry is in a constant state of evolution, always pushing the envelope for tighter tolerances and accuracies,” says Raleigh. “I see the combined efforts of companies like EDM Department, Alicona and Makino as the future. As iron sharpens iron, combined research and development continues to create new opportunities and practices for micromanufacturing.”

John Bradford is the micromachining R&D team leader for Makino. He started his career in precision tooling manufacturing as a toolmaking apprentice in 1986. Since joining Makino in 1995 as an EDM applications engineer, Bradford has been actively involved in product management, team leadership and research and development. In 2006, he led the development of Makino’s micromachining R&D group for North and South America, which has expanded into a formal business unit for Makino that includes focused R&D applications, as well as service and support.

Makino’s iQ300 vertical machining center is the company’s newest development in ultra-precision machine technology, incorporating its latest advancements in thermal and positioning control.

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and engaging. Expert Tech has designed a program that caters to OEMs and shop floors alike by offering training in the most accessible online format available. Lessons and testing are grouped together in one global system that is always available and never demands time away from work like in-house training. Expert Tech provides a full line of off-the-shelf training courses, as well as a professional in-house production staff for creating custom training to suit your company's unique needs. Expert Tech believes that American manufacturing needs experts; nothing less. It has exactly what you need to ensure that your workforce is always ahead of the pack. For a complete list of online courses or for more information on Expert Tech, visit www.expert-technical.com. Call the AMBA at 847.222.9402 to set up your training and guarantee discount pricing.

AssociationMake Your Operation More Profitable with the AMBA Benchmarking Initiative - Now in Progress

The AMBA is committed to providing comprehensive financial and operational metrics to our membership. We are excited to announce that the first phase – a new financial benchmarking initiative – is now in progress and we invite all AMBA members* to participate and benefit from this intense, data-driven study. The analysis and comparative performance data from the study will prove to be invaluable for evaluating and determining where opportunities lie to grow your companies, while creating fiscally stronger, more profitable operations. To produce the report, we've teamed with Business Resource Services, Inc. (BRS) of Seattle. Many of you know BRS' founder, Steve LeFever, through his top-notch presentations at our conventions. BRS has produced dozens of benchmark studies over the years and will be working closely with the AMBA management team to ensure that members receive a high-quality, timely, useful tool to help manage the dollars and cents side of their businesses. By participating, you will benefit in the following ways:

• Help create network standards to measure, assess and refine member performance

• Collectively develop a common focus, a common means of measurement and a common way to communicate issues

• Identify your own strengths, weaknesses and areas of opportunity to improve profit and cash flow

• Be provided meaningful data to use as a management tool for owners and managers

• See how your performance ranks side-by-side with your peers and top performers – and see where the differences lie – which leads to creating goals and action plans, and developing best practices

• Enable yourself to manage more effectively and efficiently in a sluggish economy

Make yourself the commitment to participate in this initiative; the information and tools you receive will provide you a multi-fold payback for the time it takes to complete the study questionnaire.

Deadline to submit data will be March 31, 2012. In order to have the data compiled and analyzed in time for our May convention, it's critical that this deadline be met. If you did not receive this impactful survey via email, contact the AMBA at 847.222.9402 or Shannon Merrill at [email protected].

*Participation is limited to those AMBA members that have been in business for at least one year as of their 2011 fiscal year-end (start date of January 1, 2011 or earlier required to participate in this study).

AMBA Teams Up with Expert Tech

AMBA is pleased to announce the latest in a series of brand new member benefit programs! An alliance with Expert Technical Training (Expert Tech) offers discounted rates on specialized manufacturing training to AMBA members. AMBA has negotiated special discounted rates with Expert Tech. AMBA members will receive a 36 percent discount on all online courses offered by Expert Tech and a 10 percent discount on customized training or consulting. Expert Tech's online classes, normally priced at $235 per person/per course, will be available to AMBA members for only $150 – a substantial savings found only through the AMBA! Expert Tech provides manufacturers with an affordable, video-based training format that is as in-depth as it is current

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SZD Now Combined with Ice Miller

Ice Miller LLP, Indianapolis, IN, has finalized its combination with Schottenstein Zox and Dunn Co., LPA (SZD). The combined firm, operating as Ice Miller LLP, ranks among the top 150 largest law firms in the US, with offices in Indianapolis, Columbus, Chicago, Cleveland, DuPage County, IL and Washington, D.C. The two firms announced the combination on August 19, 2011, and the agreement was finalized when partners at both firms approved the combination last fall.

As an AMBA member, the Legal Resource Program with Ice Miller LLP (formerly SZD) offers you complimentary legal advice (limited) and special set rates and fixed fees on items such as terms and conditions review and confidentiality and nondisclosure agreements. AMBA members also can take advantage of Ice Miller LLP's industry knowledge and advice via the following:

• Timely podcasts and relevant webinars on topics of interest

• Monthly online articles addressing the latest legal needs and opportunities

• Timely updates of the most recent inventions patented throughout the industry

Ice Miller LLP provides practical, comprehensive advice and legal services to plastics industry businesses throughout the nation. From labor and employment to corporate counseling to creditor rights to patent protection, its clients receive advice tailored to their specific needs and business on a fixed fee basis. To obtain legal advice and/or utilize a service, simply contact AMBA for details. You will be contacted shortly thereafter by an Ice Miller LLP associate who can address your particular question.

$1,000 Scholarships for Your Employees from AMBA

AMBA's National Scholarship Program to date has awarded over $211,000 nationally since the program's inception in 1991. The Annual Scholarship Program continues to demonstrate AMBA's commitment to the industry, education and offering valuable member benefits. Scholarships will be awarded to your employees or employee dependants. The employee has to be working full-time for your company for at least one year in order to participate in the program. Previous scholarship recipients are eligible to apply for the 2012/2013 scholarships. Authorized by the Board of Directors, AMBA will grant up to ten (10) $1,000 scholarships depending on the number

of qualified applicants for the 2012-2013 school year. Scholarships are paid directly to the educational institution. Applications must be submitted/postmarked by April, 20 2012. Visit www.amba.org/AMBA_Scholarships.php for details on the program or to apply.

New Alliance with Acrisure

The AMBA launched a new commercial insurance program with Acrisure in early January. To identify and cultivate this new alliance, the AMBA Board of Directors underwent a very comprehensive and manpower-intensive process to select and identify the best commercial insurance vendor for the AMBA. Through this rigorous process, the Acrisure team, headed by Jay Fagan and Rick Miller, has been chosen as the AMBA’s new insurance carrier based on its 40 years of experience insuring the moldmaking industry and its proven ability to identify the specific insurance needs of our membership. Each mold shop is unique and Acrisure’s acute

understanding of the industry and commitment to personal service gives our members an advantage when shopping for commercial insurance. As this program grows, the potential benefits to individual member companies and to the AMBA as a whole are phenomenal. For more information, visit www.acrisure.com or call Rick Miller and Jay Fagan at 800.748.0351.

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ScholarshipAward Program


The AMBA Chapter of the Year Award was established to recognize those chapters that have made outstanding contributions to the moldmaking industry. AMBA chapters may nominate themselves or be nominated by individuals outside the chapter. The award recipients will be the chapter as a whole. If you believe that a particular AMBA chapter is doing positive things in the industry, we encourage you to nominate it. Does the chapter work toward implementing or maintaining apprenticeship programs? Does your chapter work to promote moldmaking in your state and nationally? These are some of the accomplishments that we're looking for from the Chapter of the Year! Tell us about it and why you believe your chapter deserves to be the award winner.

The 2012 AMBA Chapter of the Year Award will be presented during the upcoming Annual AMBA Convention in Grand Rapids, Michigan – May 16-18, 2012 at the Amway Grand Plaza. Announcement of the winning

Nominations for the AMBA 2012 Chapter of the Year

chapter will be made to local newspapers, national industry publications, The American Mold Builder magazine and posted on the AMBA website (a representative from the winning chapter is highly encouraged to attend the convention). The winning chapter also will choose the industry-related educational program that will receive a $5,000 Progressive Components scholarship grant. Visit www.amba.org for more information or to download the nomination form.

Chapter News

ChicagoThe chapter held a Plant Tour at Camcraft Precision Machined Components in Hanover Park, IL on January 25. Camcraft is one of the most technologically advanced facilities in the Chicago area. Opening its doors for the tour provided the opportunity to learn about state-of-the-art technology in the field.

2012 Mold Builder of the Year Nominations

Nominations are now being accepted for the 10th Annual Mold Builder of the Year Award (MBOY)! The award was instituted to recognize outstanding contributions made by an AMBA member. The recipient of this prestigious award will be an outstanding business leader, dedicated to the industry and an active member of the AMBA. Last year’s Mold Builder of the Year Award was presented to Alan Petrucci of B A Die Mold. (A complete list of past recipients can be found on the AMBA website at www.amba.org.)

The 2012 AMBA Mold Builder of the Year Award recipients will be announced during the upcoming Annual AMBA Convention in Grand Rapids, Michigan – May 16-18, 2012, at the Amway Grand Plaza (the award recipient is expected to attend the convention to receive this award). Announcement of the award recipient will be made to local newspapers, national industry publications, The American Mold Builder magazine and posted on the AMBA website. The MBOY award recipient also will choose the industry-related educational program that will receive a $5,000 Progressive Components scholarship grant. Visit www.amba.org for more information or to download a nomination form.

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Welcome New Members & Partners

Le Vannes Inc., Portage, MIAnthony Stender, Vice President269.327.4484 • www.levannes.comLe Vannes is a family – owned and – operated business based in Southwest Michigan. The company specializes in the production and prototype of plastic injection molds for the furniture, automotive and consumer products industries. Le Vannes Inc. has the capability to produce and repair molds up to 8,000 pounds and excels at producing quality molds with short lead times. Le Vannes is fully staffed with a competent team that has over 35 years of experience in the mold building industry.

M.S.P. Mold & Engineering, Inc., San Diego, CAMasood Parsa, President619.280.4449 • www.mspmold.comMSP Mold was founded in 1991. The company operates a fully equipped machine shop to construct its molds, including CNC milling and turning, CNC EDM, Hole EDM and EDM wiring. MSP produces high-quality tools with a fast turnaround and is able to run molds for parts production. MSP designs and manufactures plastic injection molds for the medical, automotive, irrigation, electronics, home products and toy industries.

MAC Automation Concepts, Inc., Woodstock, ILJason Gutt, Web Designer/Developer815.337.3000 • www.macautomation.comEstablished in 1980, MAC Automation Concepts, Inc. has earned a solid reputation for quality, innovative products and conscientious service. Staffed with experienced and dedicated personnel and supported by state-of-the-art design and fabrication equipment, MAC has the resources to ensure consistent quality and support. Products include conveyors, automatic box-fill systems, part/runner separators, under-press chutes, diverters, part/resin containers, weigh scales and trunk-line systems.

Chapter News (cont.)

West MichiganThe chapter held a general membership meeting on November 8, with guest speaker Dev Butler of THINC Consulting who spoke to the group about, “Handling Difficult People – Identify Positive Actions to Build More Healthy Relationships with Difficult People”. The chap-ter also held a general membership breakfast meeting on February 14, with AMBA Executive Director Troy Nix as a guest speaker.


Special report

President Obama, to his great credit, gathered about a dozen businesses and many more experts at the White House to strategize on how to bring manufacturing jobs back to America. Within the past year, major consulting firms have published a litany of reports urging businesses to take a look at reshoring. Recently, the White House issued its own report.

There is no doubt that some progress has been made. American manufacturing jobs have grown over the past two years – the first time that’s happened in more than 15 years. Our nation gained 23,000 manufacturing jobs in December alone. Other manufacturing indicators – sales outlook, growth in output – also have been in consistently positive territory. The Center for Automotive Research predicts that the auto industry and its suppliers alone could add 167,000 American jobs over the next three years.

Here are five areas the President should highlight to ensure that the significant trickle of reshored jobs becomes a genuine trend:

1. Adopt insourcing tax incentives, such as extending a domestic manufacturing tax credit for clean energy and enlarging a deduction for US manufacturing activity. Also, improve the research and development tax credit by making it more generous for innovation that is actually commercialized in America. Finally, adopt a federal tax incentive for companies that reshore high-paying jobs.

2. Work to balance our trade account by continuing aggressive trade enforcement, where a major hat tip should be given to the Obama Administration for supporting of domestic industries. But, the Administration also must work to stop China’s currency manipulation and lower our record trade deficit with that nation.

Outsourcing - OUT; Insourcing - INBy Scott Paul, Executive Director, Alliance for American Manufacturing

3. Invest in infrastructure to make our economy more efficient, our businesses more competitive and to create some demand for manufactured materials.

4. Apply Buy America laws to make sure that our manufacturers get a reasonable preference for federal procurement on everything from commemorative wristbands to major bridge reconstruction. The Department of Transportation does a good job of applying the Buy America laws on the books, but other agencies need to step up and loopholes need to be closed.

5. Invest in our workers to ensure we have skilled human capital on the factory floor, in the research lab and in the executive suite. Our educational system is built towards guiding every child into a four-year college and every MBA onto Wall Street. That shouldn't be the case. We must rebuild our vocational education system from the ground up, or we will never make manufacturing great again.

Hear Scott Paul deliver the keynote address at the AMBA 2012 National Convention May 16-18 in Grand Rapids, MI. Paul will cover topics such as relating best practices for small and mid-sized enterprises looking to recruit and retain good, skilled talent; sharing exclusive “Made in America” branding information, and why there is a bright future ahead for companies that manufacture in the USA; practical advice on fighting unfair trade practices from other nations, especially China and much more.

Factors beyond our control also exist that can help – or hurt – these efforts to reshore jobs: namely, the value of the dollar, shipping costs and consumer preferences. But, if you think we can’t be a manufacturing powerhouse as a high-wage nation, then think again. Germany, where

Insourcing. That's at the top of my trending list for 2012. But, how do we make reshoring – bringing jobs back from overseas – real? For America to have a thriving economy and lower unemployment, we need to create more good-paying jobs. And to do that, we'll have to win back some of the jobs that have been shipped overseas for the past decade.

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average manufacturing wages are in some cases double that of American wages, has balanced trade with China (we have an annual $272 billion deficit) and over 20 percent of its economy in manufacturing (we have 11 percent).

It's clear from the job numbers, as well as voter sentiment, that Made in America is starting to make its way back. But we want reshoring to be more than a slogan – we want it to be our national policy.

Scott Paul is the founding executive director of the Alliance for American Manufacturing (AAM), a non-partisan partnership established by some of America’s leading manufacturers and the United Steelworkers. He is frequently seen on cable news networks defending America’s manufacturers. Over the past five years, AAM has hosted more than 35 “Keep It Made in America” town hall meetings across the nation, as well as a presidential candidates’ forum.


NPE 2012 Show Preview After 30 years in Chicago, NPE 2012 truly is Breaking the Mold, with a trade show that promises to engage the plastics industry in an entirely new way. From April 1-5, the global plastics industry will descend upon the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando in numbers that already promise to exceed the 2009 NPE attendance totals.

One million square feet of floor space will be filled with more than 2,000 exhibitors. Three educational programs will co-locate, including SPI’s Business of Plastics Conference, SPE’s ANTEC 2012 and the Latin American Seminar in Spanish. For the first time, NPE will begin

with an event-filled “Super Sunday” on April 1, consisting of technical sessions, panel discussions, networking events, an industry golf tournament and an evening Opening Gala. In the case of NPE 2012, bigger is definitely better.

Lou Zavala, national sales manager for Frigel North America, holds a unique perspective on the 2012 event. Not only will Zavala be in attendance as an exhibitor, but he also serves on NPE’s communications committee, staging the events, working with speakers and getting the word out about the changes that will be seen when attendees walk the tradeshow floor. He is excited about this once-every-three-years opportunity to explore the latest in plastics technologies.

“SPI has made a commitment to get the show back to an innovative and technically-oriented viewpoint,” Zavala explained. “We will have resin suppliers, recyclers, equipment manufacturers, decorators, tooling companies, design and engineering technology groups and even processors – every aspect of the plastics industry will be represented in Orlando. It’s a great way for companies, both processors and suppliers, to discuss what’s going on globally with the key components that make the business run.”

The following NPE exhibitors may be of interest to The American Mold Builder readers:

Show Preview

American Mold Builders Association (AMBA) Booth #65035 www.amba.org

AMBA is the premier trade association for the US mold manufacturing industry, serving OEMs in every industry in-cluding automotive, medical, electronics, consumer and in-dustrial. AMBA serves its members with financial and oper-ational metrics, cost-saving programs, educational resources (plant tour workshops, webinars and annual benchmarking conventions) and much more. Membership information, the AMBA Sourcebook (a complimentary listing of US mold builders) and the latest issue of The American Mold Builder magazine are available at the AMBA booth.

AST Technology GmbH Booth #4681 www.ast-tech.de AST specializes in initiating systems and standards for OEMs and contract manufacturers and will demonstrate the latest developments of its CVe Monitor, which electronically tracks mold performance, activity and maintenance history. AST’s comprehensive support services help to optimize cost, quality and delivery of injection mold building and plastic part production.

Beaumont TechnologiesBooth #5445 www.beaumontinc.com

Beaumont Technologies, Inc. is a plastics engineering firm that offers unique engineering, development, training and consulting services for the injection molding industry. Its focus on plastic flow drives internal development of pat-ented products revolving around the melt delivery system.

BORIDE Engineered Abrasives Booth #7685 www.borideabrasives.com

BORIDE Engineered Abrasives is a leading US manu-facturer of bonded abrasive products, showcasing mold/diemaker polishing stones, diamond compounds, mounted points, industrial sharpening stones and other specialty abrasive products.

DME CompanyBooth #2803 www.dme.net

DME Company is a global leader for a complete line of mold bases, quick-change mold systems, mold components, moldmaking and molding equipment and supplies, hot runner systems, control systems and cold runner systems for elastomers.

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DMS Booth #7685 www.dmscomponents.com

DMS will be displaying the latest tunnel gate inserts from I-Mold and Exaflow, REDEVAULT, Full-Color mold plaques, Kool Flow water manifolds and Heatlock, plus many other innovative mold products.

GPI Prototype and Mfg. Services Booth #65039 www.gpiprototype.com

GPI Prototype and Mfg. Services Inc. is a premier service provider of direct metal laser sintering (DMLS) and offers conformal cooling in tool inserts for molding applications. GPI also offers rapid prototyping using additive equipment, 3D laser scanning and reverse engineering with great customer service, quality pricing and lead times.

Incoe CorporationBooth #4445 www.incoe.com

Since 1958, INCOE®’s hot runner systems have increased productivity while maximizing molder up-time. Today’s Direct-Flo™ GOLD series offers superior rheological control, unmatched balance, unitized systems and complete hot halves complimented by advanced control systems. INCOE® hot runners are supported in over 35 countries.

Makino Booth #783 www.makino.com

Makino will showcase high-performance horizontal and vertical machining centers designed to help mold manufac-turers improve cycle times, surface finish and accuracy.

Mastip TechnologyBooth #4091 www.mastip.com

Mastip Technology will highlight its complete line of hot runner systems and controllers including valve gates, ther-mal gates and single valve gates.

Materion Brush Performance AlloysBooth #38009 www.materion.com

Materion Brush Performance Alloys is a business of Materion Corporation (NYSE:MTRN). The company’s alloy products can be found in demanding end-use products within the telecommunications, computer, automotive electronics, appliance, industrial components, plastic tooling, optical media, oil and gas, aerospace and defense and off-highway and mining equipment markets.

Meusbuger Georg GmBH & Co KGBooth #49059 www.meusburger.com

Meusburger, the reliable partner for tool and moldmaking, is a global leader in the field of standard parts. More than 8,000 customers worldwide benefit from Meusburger’s excellent service and many years of experience in manufacturing high-quality standard parts that are perfectly adapted to customer needs.

Poco GraphiteBooth #56003 www.poco.com

Poco Graphite, the industry leader in EDM Graphite, is extending its high-end performance-based material system to include solutions targeted at increasing the life of plastic injection mold components. UltraC Diamond DLC Coating will substantially enhance the durability of mold components, reduce friction and increase the run lifetime.

Progressive ComponentsBooth #4681 www.procomps.com During NPE2012, Progressive Components will feature off-the-shelf standards that speed mold building and reduce costs and downtime, including the exclusive CVe Monitor, ProtoBridge System, DT Series Collapsible Cores, Lifter Blades and Cores, Locking Series Date Stamps, standard Expandable Cavities, Internal and External Plate Lock Systems and more.

Rocklin Manufacturing Co.Booth #1287 www.rocklinmanufacturingco.com

Rocklin will feature the MoldMender micro welder for repairing injection molds and dies made of steel using ribbon, wire, paste and powder. Typical applications are parting line repair, scratches and nicks and design changes. Also showing Rocklinizer carbide application equipment for wear protection and gripping on steel dies, molds and other tooling.

Roehr Tool CorporationBooth #4681 www.roehrtool.com

Roehr will feature patented Collapsible Core technology, including the DT Series, proven to reduce cycle times, simplify mold designs and give part design flexibility and space savings by eliminating bulky rack and gear systems and maximizing mold cavitation. New developments in Minicore and Expandable Cavity technology also will be highlighted.

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Slide ProductsBooth #38021 www.slideproducts.com

Slide offers a complete line of plastic processing aids including mold releasers, rust preventatives, lubricants and purging compounds. Free samples and technical support are available at the Slide booth.

Stratasys 3D Printers & Production SystemsBooth #45030 www.stratasys.com

Stratasys produces additive manufacturing systems that use patented FDM® technology to build engineering-grade thermoplastic parts directly from 3D CAD files. Stratasys’ Fortus® 3D Production Systems are used for direct digital manufacturing, while its Dimension® and uPrint SE 3D printers are affordable, networked printers, best used for building functional 3D models.

ToolingDocs LLCBooth #4681 www.toolingdocs.com

ToolingDocs, a leading authority on mold maintenance, will highlight its new Certified Maintenance Provider Program, which provides moldmakers with a viable strategy for increasing revenue. Other unique certification

training programs also will be featured, including Levels 1 and 2 Mold Maintenance, Toolroom Maintenance Manager and Tooling Component Repair.

Vista Metals CorporationBooth #54000 www.vistametals.com

Vista Metals is the largest independent producer of Specialty Aluminum Products, marketing its Duramold-2 and Duramold-5 Aluminum Mold Plate products along with the ATP-5 Aluminum Tooling Plate. From prototype to production, compression to injection molds (all products produced in the USA), Vista experts can assist with any project and/or provide information on authorized distributors.

Yarde Metals Booth #30034 www.yarde.com

Yarde Metals is a worldwide distributor of aluminum mold and cast plate including Q-10 2” through 20”; M-1 and M-5 through 30” thick; K100-S, MIC-6, ALCA-5, 2024 through 6” thick; 6061 through 16” thick; and 7075 through 12”. Yarde also stocks stainless plate in 303, 304L, 316L and 17-4PH through 4” thick.

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While there is no substitute for Mom, nobody looks out for you and your business quite like the folks at American Mold Builders Association. Just when you

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Strategies

Marketing and Sales Strategies for Mold ManufacturersBy John Berg, Director of Marketing, MGS Mfg. Group

What kind of a marketing strategy does your business have? What do you budget to support your sales efforts? What value do you place on this area of your business? In the 1980s and 1990s, the call for engineered steel seemed bottomless and North American tool shops flourished. I knew several shops that had but one customer – for example, a large OEM that was able to keep several tool shops busy and profitable. Most shops didn’t need a marketing plan and dedicated sales personnel. They did what they did best and the work kept coming.

Expanding visibility for growthThe last ten years have been decidedly different. Surviving and, more importantly, growing with just one customer (or market) is an improbability. Tool shops, injection mold builders in particular, must be proactive in acquiring continuous work from existing customers and in soliciting opportunities from new. The methods of doing so have evolved with the constant improvement and widening of communication channels, but the basics of getting your name out there and opening doors for your sales force have been with us for many years:

• Website

• Collateral Material

• Presentations

• Print Advertising

• Web Advertising

• Trade Events

• Press Releases/Published Articles

• Speaking Engagements

• Networking

• Industry Associations

While it would be advantageous to employ every possible technique of publicizing the services your company provides, the ability to pay for such an aggressive campaign

is beyond the means of an independent tool shop. The key is to identify which channels are both affordable and effective for you. To do so requires an understanding of your customers – those you have and those you want.

Understanding your customersWhat do you do for your customers that keeps them com-ing back? Don’t answer that question! Instead, ask your customers. Have them name the top three reasons for their decision to engage your company instead of another shop. Let them tell you what makes you so special they prefer to work with you. Getting that information from four or five of your customers gives you some great marketing bullets for your sales gun.

Don’t be surprised if what you hear surprises you. Many tooling customers (especially the good ones) have positioned price and quality as a given. They’ve done their homework with regard to qualified mold sourcing and you’ve made the cut – you have the capability to hit their numbers, in the steel and in their wallet.

Ask your customers how they first heard of you – what generated that first RFQ? Did they ask an associate in the industry for a recommendation? Did they search the web? Did they see your ad? Did your salesperson get their foot in the door and remain in contact? Did they meet you for the first time at a trade event? Ask how they search/have searched for new vendors.

Communicating to your audience Once you have a better understanding of your customer’s decision-making process, you need to get your message out. Now you need a plan to keep and grow your current customer base and to acquire new opportunities from a target industry that buys lots of molds. Now you need to identify your markets and understand how to communicate to your audience.

Who’s buying molds made in the USA these days? Just about all of our favorite industries: healthcare, packaging, automotive, consumer, electronics… Which of these

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target markets are you in now and in which should you be? Which of them need your special qualities and are willing to pay for them?

The marketing channels you choose should be based on both budget and effectiveness. However, there are two platforms every shop must employ. You MUST have a professional-looking website. Without the ability to be found online, you are at a severe disadvantage. You MUST have professional-looking response material – in both print and in electronic format. Without the ability to properly and quickly follow-up to an inquiry or a lead, you are at a severe disadvantage.

An effectual website is not a photo of your building and a list of shop equipment. Use your website to engage your audience – allow them to quickly see what you do and make it easy for them to learn more. Do you have pictures of molds you’ve built that show off your chops? High cavitation, multiple action, stack, complicated geometry… let us see them. Do you have pictures of the parts that your molds created? Nothing tells a buyer, designer or engineer that they are on the right site like photos of parts that are of similar in scope to their own. Do remember to get approval from your customers to post content.

Effective collateral material invariably contains a great deal of the same information as a good website. It has a major advantage over a website in that it allows you customize content to your target’s needs. A great way to waste money (in our industry) is to print 5,000 of something and mail it to 5,000 people. Create your response materials with the ability to be flexible. Printed and electronic brochures can be formatted so that you send what is needed at the time of engagement to put you in the position to get the RFQ and ask for the order. With the full version of Adobe Acrobat (not just “Reader”) you can repurpose and customize response media built with content from your PowerPoint, Word, Excel, website and CAD/CAM apps.

Nearly every company selling its products or services to other businesses through sales people has a PowerPoint presentation. No other tool is as flexible and adaptable. Using PowerPoint, you can present general corporate capabilities and technical information using text and photos, videos and animations, technical drawings and part data… a well-made presentation is like having a website that can be updated and revised by each individual user.

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You can, and should, customize presentations to specifically address the key areas of your customer’s interest.

Advertising, whether online or in print, must be a dedicated and consistent effort to be effective. You cannot expect results from running an isolated ad. Advertising should always be thought of in the context of a campaign. Your audience needs multiple exposures to your message in order for it to be remembered. That translates into a budget of thousands of dollars dedicated exclusively to advertising. Few venues are more effective at establishing name and reputation recognition that a well-planned and funded advertising campaign. However, unless you have the financial resources, there are more effective marketing channels for your shop.

Trade events can be a tremendous source of business – but this strategy carries much the same financial considerations as advertising. Booth space, exhibit displays, travel, accommodations and company personnel working the event are a serious commitment of time and capital. Frequency of participation is important to establish name recognition. Trade shows can be global in scope (NPE, K-Show, Chinaplas) or be industry specific (amerimold, PLASTEC, PackExpo, MedTec, BioMed). There are at least a dozen trade shows every year that offer the potential of new customers – the challenge is to manage your budget to exhibit at the events that offer you the opportunity to meet more customers like the ones you already have. Make no mistake on where to put your money – it is the people in the booth that sell, not your display. While you should strive to have a professional-looking display that represents your scope of capabilities, make certain to have the appropriate staff in the booth –salespeople, not engineers.

One of the best methods of getting your name out in the industry is also the most cost-effective: press releases and published articles. Having your company name associated with a new product or service introduction or having one of your engineers write a “how-to” article is a great way to garner recognition and establish credibility – at a very low cost. Unfortunately, press releases and articles are also the most difficult because they require someone willing and able to dedicate themselves to writing, which is more easily said than done.

Speaking engagements present an opportunity to participate in industry events at multiple levels – providing multiple opportunities to engage with customers.


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Visit us at booth # 4445 Many technical seminars and panel discussions are often

held in conjunction with a trade event. Industry experts are in demand to provide insight into new technologies and business practices.

Being part of a technical seminar as a presenter is the ultimate in networking – allowing you to meet with both industry peers and existing/prospective customers. Just like press releases, the cost of admission is relatively low, but challenging. Someone has to write the presentation and present it – often to a large crowd. This is not an activity for the shy or faint of heart.

Industry associations provide you with the chance to support and further the trade and learn from your peers in different member companies. Groups like the American Mold Builders Association (AMBA), Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) and the Manufacturers Association for Plastics Processors (MAPP) sustain educational efforts, benchmarking metrics, scholarships, political awareness, the definition of standards, shared information, community events, business guides… all supporting the growth of the plastics industry at large.

Executing the messageAbsolutely critical in deploying any, some or all of the above methods is to have an appropriately educated and experienced person responsible for execution – just like you do on the shop floor. Most anyone can eventually figure out how to put a slide show together. Dozens of software applications tout “anyone can do it” web design, page layout, video editing and the like. Successful marketing and sales communications require a dedicated understanding of your business, your customers and your people. The ideal scenario is to have a full-time employee of your company direct your marketing and sales support activities. If you cannot afford an in-house staff and the hardware and software required to create your own materials, you will need to outsource. That means evaluating and selecting a well-reputed individual or agency. The important thing is to take action – get an understanding of what is important to your existing customers so you know how to communicate to your prospective customers.

John Berg has been the Director of Marketing for MGS MFG. Group, Germantown, WI, since 2000. He has over 25 years of sales and marketing experience working for original equipment manufacturers and business-to-business agencies. He is a frequent speaker at industry events, including Moldmaking Technology/amerimold, NPE, Molding 2000 series and many regional SPE chapter meetings. He is a member of the Moldmaking Technology Magazine Editorial Advisory Board and is a member of SPE.

41www.amba.org

inside Track

Hiring and Terminating Employees in Today’s EconomyBy Paul L. Bittner, Esq., Ice Miller LLP

Most employment-related legal claims arise out of termination decisions. More often than not, the need to discharge an employee can be traced back to a poor hiring decision. Proper management of who comes in the “front door” and how an employee is shown the “back door” can go a long way in minimizing an employer’s exposure to wrongful discharge suits.

Employment at will An employer cannot terminate an employee on the basis of certain illegal, discriminatory factors, such as sex, race, religion, age and national origin. An employer may not terminate an employee for engaging in various activities, such as bringing a workers’ compensation claim; bringing an OSHA complaint; whistle-blowing; bringing a charge or complaint of illegal discrimination or harassment (or supporting a fellow employee making such a claim) or union organizing.

The hiring processEmployers should implement a hiring process which focuses on particular job openings, objective qualifications for these openings and whether or not the applicant has the skills and experience needed to perform the available position.

ApplicationsApplications should be reviewed for compliance with the anti-discrimination rules and regulations so that prohibited questions are not asked. For example, the application should not ask an applicant to state his or her age or to disclose workers’ compensation claims, as these types of questions are considered unlawful on their face. In general, applications:

1. Should not contain any medical questions.

2. Should not elicit information about age.

3. Should affirm at-will employment relationship.

4. Should acknowledge misstatements as grounds for discharge.

5. Should put employee on notice that physical examination and/or drug testing will be required, if applicable.

Questions concerning union affiliation or sympathies also are prohibited. Any question that is prohibited from being asked on an application is prohibited in a job interview as well. Both the application and interviewing questions, which should be standardized as much as possible, should be analyzed on the assumption that the employer will have to defend the use of the information sought as a criteria for hiring or will have to explain why the information was sought if it was never going to be used in the hiring decision.

Job requirementsIn establishing job requirements, employers should identify the essential job functions and make sure that any qualification standards are job-related and consistent with business needs. Job descriptions, if properly prepared, are very helpful in proving the qualifications and skill sets that an employer is looking for in its hiring decision.

InterviewsInterviews should, as much as possible, be uniform. Decision-making should be centralized, and the decision-maker should interview all candidates under consideration to avoid the possibility of a candidate claiming that he or she was eliminated from consideration based upon with whom they interviewed. Notes should not be made on applications or resumes. As much as possible, interview questions should be focused on the available opening and whether the applicant is qualified to perform the functions of the position.

Avoiding the pitfalls of termination decisionsThe goal is to establish a comprehensive HR program which will allow an employer to terminate an employee without undue fear of legal repercussions. The following materials will discuss the best practices for safely making terminations, including:

1. Establishing a performance evaluation process

2. Establishing a progressive discipline program

3. Making a termination decision

4. Properly handling a discharge

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The importance of documenting each of these steps in writing cannot be understated. An employer who can point to documented employee evaluations, documented disciplinary actions and documented termination decisions can significantly reduce his or her fear of a wrongful discharge or discrimination lawsuit. Documentation is vital because it allows the employer to explain the legitimate non-discriminatory business reasons behind the discharge and provide written evidence of those reasons should a lawsuit arise.

The progressive discipline processA progressive discipline process is not required by law, but it can be an important tool for avoiding wrongful termination and discrimination lawsuits. Such a process can allow an employee a chance to improve upon his or her shortcomings.

Documentation of employee conduct is critical for employers who may find themselves defending their employment decisions in court. Written documentation of employee misconduct is powerful evidence of the employer’s legitimate, non-discriminatory business reason for terminating an employee. A well-designed progressive discipline program provides the employer with a structured way to document incidents of employee misconduct. In conducting the discipline process:

1. Managers should begin by thoroughly investigat-ing the alleged incident of misconduct. Managers should document the accounts of other witnesses.

2. Managers should also provide the employee with an opportunity to present his or her side of the story.

3. Managers should maintain detailed incident logs and write up the incident on a standard company misconduct form.

4. The manager should document the discipline imposed for the misconduct and explain the basis for it in writing.

5. The manager should meet with the employee to explain the discipline before it is imposed.

6. The manager should present the employee with a written notification of the discipline and require the employee to acknowledge that such discipline is being imposed (even if he or she disagrees with it).

Any corrective action process should include oral warnings. The manager should discuss with the employee what is expected of him or her, why expectations have not been met, what needs to change and what will happen if the change does not occur. Nevertheless, the manager should document the discussion in a written record.

Finally, any corrective action process should allow for disciplinary actions short of discharge. The employer can take numerous disciplinary actions short of immediately terminating an employee for misconduct. Suspension is a particularly effective tool for an employer because it allows the employer to take the time necessary to conduct a careful investigation prior to making a permanent employment decision. Disciplinary actions taken by the employer should be carefully documented.

Making the termination decision The decision to terminate an employee should be made with care. Employers would be wise to restrain their managers from making hasty termination decisions. The termination decision should be the result of careful deliberation. Prior to making this decision, managers should confirm that the basis for the termination is not an illegal reason. The employer should have a legitimate, non-discriminatory reason for the termination. Further, the employer should confirm that the discharge is not a retaliatory discharge for the employee’s engagement in a protected activity (i.e., filing a worker’s compensation claim). Managers should consider the available documentation of the employee’s misconduct or poor performance.

Some conduct may be so egregious that it demands immediate termination upon the first instance rather than a warning under the progressive discipline program. Employers should have a written discharge policy which gives notice of certain offenses which will result in immediate discharge. This is important because it provides employees with notice of intolerable conduct, and it eliminates potentially dangerous delays that the progressive discipline plan might create in the case of serious offenses.

Properly handling a dischargeMost of the precautions an employer should take to avoid termination-related lawsuits take place leading up to the face-to-face termination meeting. However, an employer’s conduct in executing a termination can go a long way toward disarming a backlash lawsuit from a recently terminated employee. This section discusses certain tactics an employer may wish to use in executing a termination.

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First and foremost, a second manager should attend as a witness. Both management employees should submit written memoranda documenting what was said and what occurred at the termination meeting immediately afterwards. Managers should coordinate the statements they will make to the employee prior to the termination conversation. Inconsistencies in management’s explanation for the termination can form the basis of a claim of pretext for a discrimination or wrongful discharge lawsuit.

When terminating employees, managers should treat the employee in a considerate and professional manner. Managers should be brief but truthful in their explanation of the termination decision. The most important point to remember is to be honest! A manager must not lie or give false reasons to the employee for the termination. Remember, the employer may later have to explain the termination decision in a lawsuit. False reasons will only undermine the employer’s credibility.

Terminated employees are only legally required to be paid at their next regular pay period. However, a discharged employee can and should be paid at the time of discharge for all work performed. It is illegal for an employer to deduct from a final paycheck any outstanding debt or lost equipment penalty without prior authorization from the employee. Employers have no legal obligation to pay an employee for unused vacation time unless they have contractually agreed to such an obligation. To be safe, a company should adopt a written policy stating whether accrued but unused vacation time will be paid for upon discharge. The policy should be strictly enforced.

*This publication is intended for general information purposes only and does not and is not intended to constitute legal advice. The reader must consult with legal counsel to determine how laws or decisions discussed herein apply to the reader's specific circumstances

Paul Bittner is the co-Leader of the Ice Miller Labor + Employment Practice Group. He has been practicing law since 1993 with an emphasis on Labor and Employment Law and has extensive experience representing employers. Paul Bittner has represented both public and private sector employers in union negotiations, labor arbitrations, unfair labor practice proceedings and other related matters. He is a frequent lecturer on a variety of employment law topics including traditional labor law, ADA, FMLA, wage and hour and sexual harassment.

[email protected]

Wisc_Engraving.indd 1 10/23/08 1:33:02 PM


industryIn Memory of Andy Lehner

The AMBA pays tribute to long-time friend and colleague Andy Lehner, who passed away on November 17, 2011. Andy was an active member of the AMBA, NTMA, SPE and SPI, where he served and participated for many years. He was a founding member of the AMBA and served as

president from 1980-1981. He also organized and ran the local NTMA apprenticeship contest for 13 straight years. Andy was on the SPI Moldmakers Policy Board for 25 years and on the national board for eight years. He was always promoting the tooling trades, especially mold building. He was the president of Omega Tool Inc. in Menomonee Falls, WI for nearly 30 years. Andy enjoyed a well-deserved retirement since 2006. He and his wife of 51 years, Audrey, spent their summers in Wisconsin and winters in Arizona. The AMBA expresses its sincere condolences to the Omega Tool and Lehner families.

Industrial Molds Group Showcases Moldmaking & Molding Capabilities

Industrial Molds Group, Rockford, IL, is a leading mold manufacturer specializing in injection molds for large, complex parts for Tier 1 and Tier 2 automotive industry suppliers and for industrial equipment and commercial appliance OEMs. It also specializes in multi-cavity, multi-shot molds for the medical disposable and consumer packaging markets. Industrial Molds recently added a Makino F-5 CNC high-speed machining center that will complete the company’s robotics cell, which also has an S56 Makino high-speed machining center. Additionally, the company plans to implement Lean 2012 Manufacturing procedures, including 5S programming. “Currently we are completely reorganizing the entire east side of our production facility,” said Vice President Tim Peterson. “Our goal is to become more efficient in how we work.” Industrial Molds offers mold design, engineering and manufacturing of high-tech injection molds with multiple features and complex geometry. With a team of 55 designers, engineers, machinists and moldmakers, Industrial Molds provides R&D on new tooling and re-design/optimization of older tooling, with mold tryouts, qualification and process validation performed at its Pyramid Plastics Inc. molding subsidiary. For information, visit www.industrialmolds.com.

Mold-Tech Voted Minnesota Manufacturing Company of the YearM o l d - T e c h , Albertville, MN, was the 2011 recipient of the Manufacturing Company of the Year in the Minnesota Manufacturing Awards. In addition, it was honored with the Leadtime Leader of the Year award by MoldMaking Technology magazine in the small shop category earlier in 2011. Mold-Tech also is expanding its equipment list to include a new Makino EDAF3 Sinker EDM. This machine will complement its existing Makino EDMs and bring the latest technology to its shop floor. In addition, Mold-Tech has announced achievement of ISO 9001:2008 recertification by SGS International Certification Services. Mold-Tech has been ISO 9001 certified since 2000. Jon Lee, Mold-Tech president, said, "This ISO recertification provides reassurance to our customers that we are continuing our commitment to delivering the high-quality molds and support that they have come to expect." Mold-Tech specializes in designing and building complex, multi-cavity, tight-tolerance injection molds using the latest technology. For more information, visit www.mold-techinc.com.

Proper Mold Holds MuCell® Microcellular Foam Molding SeminarProper Mold & Engineering hosted an all-day technical seminar on MuCell® microcellular foam molding at its Warren, MI facility in December. Nearly 60 people attended, including the trade press, vendors/suppliers, customers and potential customers. The seminar featured many of the automotive parts for which Proper Mold designs and builds molds and molds parts. With the automotive industry looking to significantly reduce the weight of automotive components in order to meet the new CAFÉ standards, MuCell microcellular foam molding contributes greatly to this effort. The technology was developed by Trexel Inc. as a way to not only reduce weight in large parts but also, to reduce material usage and improve cycle time, which reduces overall cost to manufacture. Based on good part design, tool design and good water in the mold, a 15-30 percent reduction in cycle time can be achieved. MuCell technology also reduces thermal stress in parts, resulting in more dimensionally stable parts.

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With our Automation and Cell Management Solutions

With EROWA, the machine operator has the production cell under controll at all times.

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More info: www.erowa.comWith EROWA, the machine operator has the production cell under controll at all times.With EROWA, the machine operator has the production cell under controll at all times.With EROWA, the machine operator has the production cell under controll at all times.With EROWA, the machine operator has the production cell under controll at all times.With EROWA, the machine operator has the production cell under controll at all times.With EROWA, the machine operator has the production cell under controll at all times.With EROWA, the machine operator has the production cell under controll at all times.With EROWA, the machine operator has the production cell under controll at all times.With EROWA, the machine operator has the production cell under controll at all times.With EROWA, the machine operator has the production cell under controll at all times.With EROWA, the machine operator has the production cell under controll at all times.With EROWA, the machine operator has the production cell under controll at all times.With EROWA, the machine operator has the production cell under controll at all times.

amerimold Offers Added Benefits for Mold Builders amerimold 2012, June 13-14, Novi, MI, will feature a co-location with the NTMA Purchasing Fair and a special MoldMakers Package. Both of these new features are aimed at creating a single source business solution for mold manufacturers to promote their services, experience the latest product technology, network with and learn from industry experts and win new business. The NTMA Purchasing Fair is an exclusive event that matches OEMs and large companies with contract manufacturers and job shops. The North American MoldMakers Pavilion offers mold builders an opportunity to experience all the benefits of amerimold for one low price (an even lower price is available for AMBA members). The package includes unlimited exhibit hall passes, two full conference passes, a 10’x10’ exhibit space with furnishings and admission to the Industry Networking Reception. amerimold once again will feature a show floor filled with the latest product technology and a technical conference that explores the latest in process innovations and business strategies. With the addition of the show’s many new opportunities, amerimold promises to be a very valuable event for any

mold company looking for a single destination to see products, prospects and processes that can improve and expand its business. For more information, visit www.amerimoldexpo.com.

Help iWarriors Reach its 2011/2012 Goal

Tim Bartz, co-owner of Mold Craft Inc., Willernie, MN, set up the nonprofit iWarriors to raise money for severely injured members of the 5th Marines based at Camp Pendleton, CA. The mission at iWarriors is to keep hospitalized Marines in touch with family and friends while they undergo numerous surgeries and intensive rehabilitation. The Marines chosen to receive the gifts have returned from Afghanistan as single, double and triple amputees. iWarriors is very near its goal for 2011/2012 of $30,000 in donations. The donations are used to buy personally engraved Wi-Fi-enabled iPads, carrying cases, iTunes gift cards and ear buds for the Marines. For more information or to make a donation, visit iWarriors.org.


Electroform Rotary Turntable for Multi-Shot Molds

Electroform Inc., Machesney Park, IL, an injection mold manufacturer specializing in product development, automation and injection molding, announces the availability of the Electroform Turn Table for multi-shot molds. The Electroform Turn Table features include hand pen-dant and standard SPI knock-out patterns. Euromap and custom pat-terns also are available. Other op-

tions include 120 degree position, additional water circuits, electrical circuit, hydraulic circuit and guided support sys-tem, as well as integration with control by original machine manufacturer. Custom designs are available upon request. Along with the table, a special patent pending support has been developed for the table and platen. The system will work on both tie-bar and tie-bar-less machines. For more information, visit www.injectionmoldmaking.com.

Konecranes Compact-10 Overhead Crane

Compact-10 from Konecranes, Springfield, OH, was designed to accommodate demanding material handling needs. It is available as a top or under running, single girder crane with lifting capacities up to 10 tons. It lifts up to 29' 6" (9 meters) and spans up to 59' (18 meters). Compact-10 comes equipped with an overload protection device, dual-speed hoisting and a geared upper and lower limit switch. Inverter control for bridge and trolley provides accurate load positioning, as well as safe and smooth travel along long spans. It also features class F insulation and an IP55 protection class hoisting motor brake. The rugged DC hoist brake is designed for 1,000,000 cycles of operation. Compact-10 is backed with a two-year free parts and labor warranty and a five-week delivery promise. Based on various customer and industry needs, Compact-10 from Konecranes has been designed to be reliable, scalable and upgradable. For more information, visit www.konecranesamericas.com.

New CVe Monitor Features Flash Drive

Progressive Components, Wauconda, IL, recently in-troduced a new, advanced version of the CVe Monitor, an electronic device intro-duced in 2011 that compre-hensively monitors a mold’s performance, from cycle times to maintenance activ-ity. Now the CVe Monitor includes a flash drive for

storing mold performance reports, drawings, setup sheets and more. The data collected can then be viewed at any-time on the CVe Monitor or downloaded from anywhere in the world using its mini USB port. The CVe Monitor connects with CVe OnDemand software as part of a new System Monitoring platform, which was developed by AST Technology GmbH. It also fits into the same pocket as Progressive’s popular CounterView 100/200 PL Series, making it easy to retrofit it onto tooling that is already in production. Visit www.procomps.com for more information.

World's Smallest Standard Ball Nose End Mill

G D E - We r k z e u g e GmbH, Halver, Ger-many, introduces what it calls the world’s smallest standard ball-nose end mill for radi-us cutting of 0.005mm. This innovation for the tool and mold industry was introduced at Eu-roMold and is geared

for those who work in the area of hard- and micro-machin-ing and High-Accuracy Surface Milling. Besides milling cutters and drills from 0.01mm for machining steels and non-ferrous metals trade, the company also offers preci-sion tools for machining the toughest materials such as hardened steels, HSS, carbide glass and more. Highlights include CBN tools for the toughest of materials up to > 70 HRC and the new, smallest radius cutters R = 0.005mm. For more information, visit www.gde-werkzeuge.de.

Product

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MultiCam Introduces V-Series WaterJet

Global CNC cutting system manufacturer MultiCam® Inc., Dallas, TX, has added the Value-Series WaterJet to its product line. Now the flexibility of waterjet cutting is more economical. This pure water or abrasive cutting system features work surfaces up to 60" x 120". Fully enclosed bellows protect both the Y and Z axes from abrasive garnet buildup. The X axis features dual drives and completely covered custom aluminum extrusions to keep all precision bearing surfaces clean during the cutting process. KMT’s new NEOLin™ 10d direct-drive intensifier, rated at 10 hp and 40,000 PSI, powers the V-Series WaterJet. The pump also is available in a single-phase electrical configuration, which makes it ideal for small shops without three-phase power. Visit www.multicam.com for more information.

Reis Robotics Offering Compact Welding Cell

Reis Robotics USA Inc. of Elgin, Ill., has introduced its RV10-6 compact welding cell that has a six-axis Reis vertical articulated-arm robot and two additional, freely programmable axes of motion. The movable cell is

mounted ready for operation and can be used immediately. The robot has a payload capacity of 13.23 pounds and the cell only takes up 32.8 square feet of floor space. Drive elements are enclosed. The robot and a rotary table are mounted on a common transport frame. The manual rotary table is equipped with two mounted head and tailstock turning devices. Reis Robotics USA is a unit of Reis Robotics of Obernburg, Germany. For more information, visit www.reisrobotics.com.

Mold Release Agent for Polyurethane Seating Applications

Huron Technologies', Leslie, MI, Release Coating 7291 de-livers productiv-ity improvements for molders of flexible and high resiliency polyurethane foam typically used in seating applications.

Release Coating 7291 assists molders in achieving longer molding cycles before cleaning and delivers excellent re-lease of seating for off road vehicles, motorcycles and office furniture. Key benefits of Release Coating 7291 include easy clean up, increased time in production and excel-lent surface appearance. For more information on Release Coating 7291 or many other manufacturing solutions, visit www.hurontech.com.

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New DME D-Max Hot Sprue Bushings Are Ideal for Prototyping and Short Runs

DME, Madison Heights, MI, has introduced a new D-Max line of single hot sprue bushings. The bushings incorporate DME’s standard slip-on, cast-in heaters on the nozzle body, which provide a more uniform heat profile than traditional square coil heaters. The new D-Max line, which DME will showcase at NPE 2012 (booth 2803), is ideal for prototyping and short-run production. The standardized bushings enable moldmakers to exactly simulate multi-drop systems using the same basic components – but without requiring special heaters, tips, retainers or needles. The D-Max bushings have two zones of heat: a slip-on, cast-in heater on the nozzle body and a square coil heater on the head area of the nozzle. The square coil heater uses a separate thermocouple and gives the user an accurate temperature reading to eliminate the heat soak time normally needed. Moldmakers can either control the heaters separately or run them together as one zone. The design of the heating mechanisms enables the bushing

RJG eDART ™ Now Has a New User-Friendly Interface

RJG's, Traverse City, MI, has made its advanced process monitoring and control system even simpler to use. The new touchscreen friendly eDART in-terface still allows operators to minimize inherent process vari-ation that is common in mold-ing facilities and allows them to produce repeatable parts of superior quality. By control-

ling the process and implementing part containment, shops guarantee that no bad parts ship to their customers. The new eDART System will be available for viewing at NPE 2012. Visit RJG at booth #2883 or on the web at www.rjginc.com.

to handle a wider range of materials, including a broader range of crystalline polymers. For more information on DME, visit www.dme.net.

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FeBruAryPLASTEC West 2012, February 14-16, Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, CA, 310.445.4200, www.plastecwest.com

AMBA Webinar: Tandem Mold Technology: A New Value-Add Option, February 29, 847.222.9402, www.amba.org

MArChAMBA Plant Tour Workshop, March 1, M.S.I. Mold Builders, Cedar Rapids, IA, 847.222.9402, www.amba.org

AMBA Webinar: Finding, Training and Retaining Skilled Workers, March 14, 847.222.9402, www.amba.org

Ad indexAcrisure .......................................................................www.acrisure.com ...........................................Inside Back CoverA. Finkl & Sons Co. ....................................................www.finkl.com .........................................................................33amerimold ...................................................................www.amerimoldexpo.com ........................................................23AMBA.........................................................................www.amba.org ......................................................................5, 49Boride ..........................................................................www.borideabrasives.com ........................................................43CGS North America ....................................................www.camtool.com .....................................................................30Crystallume Engineered Diamond ..............................www.crystallume.com ...............................................................18DME Company ...........................................................www.dme.net .............................................................................36DMS ............................................................................www.dmscomponents.com........................................................22Dynamic Surface Technologies ..................................www.dynablue.com ........................................ Inside Front CoverEllwood Specialty Steel ..............................................www.ess.elwd.com ....................................................................48Erowa Technology, Inc. ..............................................www.erowatech.com .................................................................45First American Payment Systems ...............................www.first-american.net .............................................................37Incoe Corporation .......................................................www.incoe.com .........................................................................40M & M Tooling ...........................................................www.MMTOOLING.com ...........................................................9Makino ........................................................................www.makino.com......................................................................26Millstar, LLC ..............................................................www.millstar.com .....................................................................31NPE .............................................................................www.npe.org ...............................................................................8Meusberger .................................................................www.meusburger.com ...............................................................11Progressive Components .............................................www.procomps.com ...................................................Back CoverRocklin Manufacturing Co. ........................................www.rocklinmanufacturingco.com ...........................................19Sescoi ..........................................................................www.sescoi.com ........................................................................33Ultra Polishing Inc. .....................................................www.ultrapolishing.com ...........................................................47Wisconsin Engraving Co. Inc. / Unitex ......................www.wi-engraving.com ............................................................43Wounded Warrior .......................................................www.iwarriors.org .....................................................................22

CALENdAr APril

NPE 2012, April 1-5, Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, FL, 703.259.6132, www.npe.org

MAyNational Robotics League National Competition, May 5-6, Circle Centre Mall, Indianapolis, IN, www.gonrl.org

2012 AMBA Convention, May 16-18, Amway Grand Plaza Hotel, Grand Rapids, MI, 847.222.9402, www.amba.org

Juneamerimold 2012, June 13-14, 2012, Novi, MI, 513.527.8800, www.amerimoldexpo.com

SePTeMBerIMTS 2012, September 10-15, Chicago, IL, www.imts.com

RICK MILLEROver 35 years experience insuring mold builders just like you.

JAY FAGANOver 35 years experience insuring businesses just like yours.

For businesses that expect more.

As an AMBA member, you should expect more from your insurance provider. Knowing your business is our business at Acrisure.

www.acrisure.comContact Rick and Jay at 800.748.0351

supply more tools.

Productivity of the molds you build is critical for future success. A tool

running as anticipated opens the door for further sales and avoids

disputes and warranty claims. The CVe Monitor provides:

• Recommended PM points stored to the device by the mold builder

• Flash drive for providing PM procedures and tool drawings

• Remote visibility of adherence to recommended PM’s

Grow with your customer’s success. Consider providing a better running

investment after reviewing new capabilities at procomps.com/CVe.

profit from cooperation

See Progressive Components at: | PLASTEC West | NPE 2012 | MD&M East | Amerimold | Euromold |

2012 The American Mold Builder Magazine - Winter

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Transcript of 2012 The American Mold Builder Magazine - Winter