MMT Blog
Taking in the View
Now I know I'm supposed to share with you technology and business strategies that I learn about from covering your industry, but you cannot blame me for saying that the main thing I learned from my trip west earlier this month was that Rancho Cucamonga, CA, has INCREDIBLE mountain views! This I experienced with my buddy Tim (Bartz), as we pulled up for our tour of Prestige Mold.
Read More
Measure Your Performance
It's time to see how you stack up. So consider being a part of the American Mold Builder’s Association second annual industry benchmarking survey. It's open to all industry moldmakers and the end result provides comparative performance data--both operational and financial. This information will help you identify and evaluate growth opportunities, while creating a stronger, more profitable operation.
Read More
One Small Step Towards a Balanced Budget, One Giant Step Towards Insanity
The good news is that if the economic recovery continues to accelerate, then revenues will continue to increase and the deficit will shrink further. And that is the crucial point in all of this. The Republicans and Democrats continue to bicker about who should pay more taxes and whose benefits and loopholes should be eliminated, but by far the best way to balance the budget would be to grow the economy.
Read More
Did You Know It Is National Engineers Week?
Gardner Business Media, which owns MMT, and sister publication Modern Machine Shop collaborated with SME Education Foundation and AMT to produce and distribute a video of GE Quality Control Engineer Becky Miller explaining manufacturing careers to young people.
Read More
MMT Goes West
It has been a year since I headed out to California for the one trip to which I really look forward--to escape the wintry weather here in the east and see the bright beautiful sun, blues skies and snow-capped mountains, all in 70-degree weather; oh and to attend the Plastec and MD&M West shows.
Read More
Celebrating a Solution for a Sticky Situation
In MMT we focus a lot on surface treatment challenges and solutions, so this little tidbit caught my attention. Life changed 60 years ago for a man selling steel to mold builders when the need for "unsticking" plastic parts from molds revealed an opportunity for a new product--silicone oil in an aerosol can. This evolved into the first mold release – and foundation – of the new Percy Harms Corporation, predecessor of Slide Products, which celebrates its 60th anniversary in the injection molding industry this year.
Read More
Manufacturing and the State of the Union
In his State of the Union speech last night, President Obama outlined a broad and ambitious agenda for his second term in office. One of his stated objectives is to increase the output of America's manufacturing sector.
Read More
Currier Plastics Jumps on the Education Bandwagon!
Custom plastics molder Currier Plastics just received a grant by the state Department of Labor to train its employees in all things lean manufacturing.
Read More
"Non Silba, Sed Anthar: Not for Self, But for Others"
These are the words of a very grateful veteran -after receiving his iPad gift--to describe how he felt about the iWarriors mission. Just wanted to share the continuing wonderful efforts of iWarriors--moldmakers on a mission!
Read More
CAD/CAM Eases the Move to 5-Axis Machining for Moldmaker
Automotive moldmaker that handles molds up to 40 tons says Sescoi’s WorkNC helped ease its introduction to 5-axis machining with its effective global roughing strategies; smooth, powerful finishing; speed and ease; reduction in EDM operations; and, shop floor programming. Today it has four licenses, including two 5-axis for its machining applications.
Read More.png;maxWidth=400;quality=70;format=webp)
Time to Spring into Action
It seems to me that winter is as good a time as any to hunker down and think about all the ways your shop has improved within the past year--whether that is increased technology investment, advanced processes, better delivery times, improved quality, an updated business plan, a broader customer base, a solid training program, commitment to industry development--then spring into action and consider giving your company the recognition it deserves. Read on.
Read More
It All Starts with the Steel…
Those were the words spoken by Tim Nealt, Vice President Sales, of steel supplier A. Finkl and Sons, as he and Mold Steel Product Manager Todd Gilhuly guided me and several of my colleagues on a tour of their new 44-acre facility earlier this week.
Read More
