Fields of Expertise

Virtually everyone has a field of expertise, whether it’s editing, plumbing, cooking, teaching or moldmaking—you name it. Excelling in that field of expertise requires continuous learning, and improving the field itself requires sharing that learned skill or knowledge with others. That’s when everybody wins—both individuals and businesses. This coming year, I want MMT to play a part in helping you improve a particular field of expertise: the business of moldmaking. With that in mind, I have organized a fresh lineup of passionate, dedicated people on the ground, so to speak, ready and willing to share what they’ve learned in the classroom and in the field, and then to hear from you. 

First up is Rich Oles of ROI Industries, who has dedicated his work life to teaching, mentoring and learning through solving plastic injection molding problems for customers. Rich will continue writing our Pellet to Part series, but this year instead of focusing on the “what” of plastics, he will focus on the “who.” Rich will highlight unique ways of transferring technology to the current talent pool and examine where the next generation of moldmakers and molders will come from.

Up next is Eric Wild of Toolweld Inc. His knowledge of mold welding has family roots, as his father taught him the art of welding when they started the company in 2000. Our Under the Scope column aims to bridge the gap between moldmakers and tool welders by sharing the logic behind the things tool welders do that impact moldmakers. 

Next up is Lewis Yasenchak, the founder and owner of P&Y Management Resources, a plastics consultancy. Lewis works with customers to improve sales through quality and manufacturing-process improvement. Our Keeping Up with ISO column will review how to move from ISO 9001:2008 to ISO 9001:2015, why and how to adopt ISO management system standards, how moldmakers and molders can implement ISO systems, how to provide business assurance, and how to improve the plastics industry workforce by offering ways to build a cross-functional team for the ISO effort.

Rounding out the lineup of experts is Michael Devereux, CPA, CMP, the head of plastics and tooling industry services for Mueller Prost, a team of certified public accountants and consultants. He spends a great deal of time working with tool builders and their advisors to minimize the burdens of federal and state income tax compliance. Mike’s The Bottom Line column will offer guidance on minimizing income taxes within the letter of the law. 

Now you’re up! Spend some time getting to know these guys and read what they have to offer, but most importantly, share your insights with me (cfuges@gardnerweb.com). It’s all about knowledge sharing!