“Our Molds Aren’t Perfect, They’re +/- 0.0001 Inch”

Minnesota-based MMT Editorial Advisory Board member shop Mold Craft has hit the 50^th anniversary mark this year, and it has a lot to celebrate. Never mind its growth and change since 1964, the past four years alone--since its 2010 Leadtime Leader title grab--have seen increased automation, improved machine tool technology, a solid business plan, a much improved web presence, just to name a few. And this summer ownership opened its doors to friends, family, the community and industry to educate, inspire and entertain.  And what a party it was!

Upon arrival guests were guided through the Mold Craft facilities for a tour before being led onto the parking lot transformed into party central … where family, friends, food, drink and music awaited. Not even a couple downpours could dampen the spirits of that afternoon.  The following day included a beautiful scenic steamboat tour on the St. Croix River where humble thank you speeches and inspiring stories were shared. The family culture of this mold builder was truly evident.

With all the planning that was involved in this milestone celebration, Mold Craft reflected a lot on where the company has been and where it is today. So, I asked  VP of Operations Tim Bartz and VP of Engineering Justin McPhee, owner’s of Mold Craft for the top five changes that will allow Mold Craft to make significant strides in the next 50 years..

Tim Bartz, Pete Manship and Justin McPhee.

Here is what they said:

1. Business Planning: A one-page business plan that includes the business vision, guiding principles and strategies, yearly key performance indicators, yearly milestones, strategic controlled growth, target markets, select customers and projects, target and align with customers.

2. Empowered Staff: Reward innovation and cross train key personnel.

3. State of the Art Equipment: An awareness of new manufacturing methods, attend key tradeshows and manufacturer’s events and replace the old equipment with newer models to stimulate around-the-clock manufacturing.

4. Customer Advocacy: Communication, understanding of customer needs, integrity, relationship-driven focus and community involvement.

5. Mold Craft Experience: 
   • Detailed proposal that includes a thorough scope of work and that outlines complete offerings.
   • Product design review that fosters design collaboration through one-on-one sessions to ensure that together all parties understand the needs of the project.
   • Mold design that focuses on robust design for manufacturability.
   • Customer interaction that fosters open communication through weekly updates on project progress, an increased process window for quality and Ĉ_pk  through tight tolerance capability to ± .0001”;  partnerships built from key principles that bond customer satisfaction and customer relationships.
   • Mold builds with well executed manufacturing by highly skilled toolmakers resulting in on-time delivery.

I, for one, look forward to the innovation we’ll see out of Mold Craft in the next 50 years! Congratulations Mold Craft!