Our 2016 LLA Winners are ...

Since 2003, the outstanding efforts and growth of North America’s premier mold manufacturers have been recognized in MoldMaking Technology’s annual Leadtime Leader Awards. Each year, we set out to find companies that have excelled in mold manufacturing innovation, efficiency, quality and commitment. Both of our 2016 winners have set the bar a little higher and are leaders in their field.

Our 2016 Leadtime Leader Winner is Krieger Craftsmen. This mold manufacturer is “a small shop that acts like a big shop,” according to Tim Krieger, company founder and president. Staying current with technology is a main ingredient to its success, including reducing lead times while maximizing quality, accuracy and efficiencies in its operations. 

“You have to engage in technology to succeed today, but you also have to learn, grow, train and develop. It’s not one thing; it’s the combination of all of them. I’ve been fortunate to have the right people with the right equipment in a safe, positive work environment. Our team shares the same fundamental philosophies of integrity, honesty and quality that I had from the start of the company. They also share a vision, and that is to make Krieger Craftsmen a world-class company that anyone would want to do business with.” — Tim Krieger, Founder and President 

MSI Mold Builders takes this year’s Honorable Mention title with its high level of efficiency and consistency in operations. It accomplishes this through constant evaluation of company processes and a focus on solutions, state-of-the-art machinery and continuously improving project management—a combination that drives more efficient mold setup times, maximized unattended machining and increased mold-building capacity. 

“We remain open to ideas. We’re constantly fine-tuning the way we do things, and our employees are encouraged to offer new and better solutions for any operation they perform. We have also spent more than 15 years implementing lean manufacturing principles to transform the shop from being just a moldmaking environment to a manufacturing environment, by controlling the quality and integrity of our molds, while keeping costs and lead times down.” — Roger Klouda, President and Owner

Click for more about Krieger Craftsmen and MSI Mold Builders. You also can get a virtual glimpse of both shops in a video feature produced by Creative Technology at short.moldmakingtechnology.com/2016lla.

Both winners had booths at Amerimold 2016 (amerimoldexpo.com) and were honored at an awards ceremony during the show.