2011 The American Mold Builder - Summer

Summer 2011

The Official Publication of the American Mold Builders Association

•LaborTrendsChanginginFarEast•StreamlineSchedulingwithERPSoftware•RapidPrototypingOpensNewMarkets•2012AMBAConventionGoes‘Grand’

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It’s hard to believe its mid August and summer is nearing an end. As I look back over the first half of 2011, I am amazed at the activity that has occurred both within the AMBA and the industry in such a short amount of time. Many shops I’ve talked to indicate they are swamped with work, which seems to be generating a renewed sense of confidence in the growth of our industry. Opportunity is out there for those who continue to seek new technologies, search for best business practices, benchmark for improvement and most importantly, embrace change.

As far as the AMBA, we have seen a lot of change over the past 6 months and it’s only the beginning. I can truly say I am excited about the many ‘areas of opportunity’ that have presented themselves to our company throughout our membership in the AMBA. The convention in Las Vegas has been a springboard for new value-added programs that have been designed to save members money, time and resources.

The tour workshop at Mold Craft this past June was an invaluable experience. As we continue to move these workshops to different areas of the country, I encourage all members to take part in these unique forums. Stay tuned, as the next one will be November 10th at Industrial Mold & Machine in Twinsburg, OH.

Hopefully, many of you received the letter I sent regarding the site for our 2012 AMBA Convention. The board and I are confident in our decision to bring this educational opportunity to Grand Rapids, MI, a Midwest location that will be more accessible to a much greater percentage of our membership. Being part of the AMBA will far exceed your dues investment as long as you take the time to participate. If you attend the 2012 convention, both you and your business will better for it!

Another new program soon to launch to AMBA members is our Legal Resource Program from Schottenstein Zox & Dunn Co., LPA (SZD), which includes access to legal advice on many topics such as contractual disputes, doing business in overseas, employment/HR/Immigration, intellectual property (patent, trademark, trade secret and copyright) and so much more. Many business leaders have questions but often don’t know where to get good, quick advice. I personally have utilized SZD and can attest to their quick response and expert assistance. Look for the complete program rollout soon.

The AMBA is on the move and I hope you will join in the excitement and get involved; take advantage of all the resources the AMBA has to offer and continue (or start) to reach out to your fellow mold builder. Collectively, we offer a wealth of practical knowledge. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, “It truly is an exciting time to be a part of the AMBA!”

Proud to be an American Mold Builder,

Mike Armbrust, Mako Mold CorporationAMBA President

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, Schottenstein Zox & Dunn

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

4 the american MOld Builder Summer 2011

Features 6 Market Trends • rapid Prototyping Promotes New Business development efforts • Summer Business Forecast Survey Shows Work is Steady

10 Focus Give & Take: New era of Professional development

14 Special Report Productivity Alone No longer enough for the North American Business

16 Technology • determining Optimum Vent Sizes for injection Molds • How to Make life easier with erP Scheduling

36 Strategies • The Advantages of independent Quality System Certification • is it Time to upgrade Your Financial Talent?

42 Inside Track The Pros and Pros of developing employment Polices

departments

3 Speak Out

28 Product

30 Association

40 Industry

46 Calendar

46 Ad Index

Visit our website:www.amba.org

Contents

Summer 2011

14

6

32

10

departments

3 Speak Out

28 Product

30 Association

40 Industry

46 Calendar

46 Ad Index

Visit our website:www.amba.org

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Market Trends

Rapid prototyping has been around for about two decades. During the first few years, this technology was limited in the scope of available materials, size of the parts that could be developed and the price of the equipment required to perform rapid prototyping. The technology, therefore, was relegated primarily to service bureaus whose sole business was making prototype parts for the major OEMs that could afford them.

While moldmakers could have benefited from this technol-ogy, few took advantage of this because 1) they were afraid of the disruptive nature of this technology (if parts could be made through the additive manufacturing (AM) process, maybe that would make molds obsolete); and 2) they couldn’t see the benefits of this technology as a path to new or addi-tional business.

Today, that has mostly changed as the landscape has been altered in the additive manufacturing (the new and official term for the RP process) industry. No longer do mold manufacturers see AM as a disruptive technology to the need for molds, and many are beginning to recognize AM as a path to new and increased business. It helps them do what many mold manufacturers want to do and that is get in early on the front end of a new product so as to provide necessary input to design-for-manufacturability.

While only a few mold manufacturing companies offer AM in-house, even though the price of the equipment has dropped considerably over the course of the past decade, there are a number of service bureaus that offer many new technologies and services. Mold manufacturers can partner with these service bureaus.

AMBA member Vista Technologies, LLC, (VistaTek) located in Vadnais Heights, MN, is a service bureau offering

a variety of AM services such as SLA (stereolithography), SLS (selected laser sintering) and FDM (fused deposition modeling). VistaTek’s in-house services have evolved over the years to include in-house moldmaking and injection molding services as well.

SLA is a process by which 3D prototype parts can be produced by directing UV laser radiation onto a vat of polymer resin (liquid plastic), which is then cured in a UV oven and hand finished to specs. SLS creates durable metal, plastic or rubber-like parts directly from any solid CAD model in just days from powered thermoplastics, thermoplastic elastomer and powered metals and composites, eliminating the need for machining, tooling, casting or other secondary processes. FDM creates plastic prototype models and production parts by extruding layers of plastic out of high-performance engineering materials such as ABS, PC and medical class VI PC and polyphenylsulfone (PPSF) via 3D printing.

Tom Caron, VP of sales and marketing for AMBA member Custom Mold & Design in New Hope, MN, partners with a company that provides AM services. “We can provide SLA prototype parts and quick low-cost tools and machined components in both metal and plastics, and provide full part and tooling design support,” says Caron. “The advan-tage to providing these AM services for our customers is that people come here for solutions and don’t have to go to multiple suppliers. Plus, when it comes to doing the produc-tion mold, we know the nuances of the part and can design and build a mold that will optimize their manufacturing and the costs. We manage the program because sometimes SLA designs aren’t conducive to injection molding, so we can help them get a design that’s optimum for the process.”

Materials evolve, open opportunitiesOver the past two decades, materials used for rapid prototyping of parts have evolved from a general all-purpose material for SLA parts (good primarily for looking at the design, a “touchy-feely” part to hold and for marketing to evaluate) to materials such as ABS, polyamides, polycarbonate, polyetherimide, thermoplastic elastomer and even a PEEK (polyetheretherketone) grade of material from EOS – Electro Optical Systems. The wide range of materials available today for AM not only allows mold manufacturers the ability to provide customers with sample parts but also, allows mold manufacturers to provide parts

Eye-Com Corp. went to Quickparts, a subsidiary of 3D Systems, to develop an eye tracking device that uses frame-mounted micro-cameras that record eyelid and pupil activity for research into driving fatigue de-tection, assistive communication for handicapped or disabled people, military training, medical use and video games. The result is this one-off prototype of the EC7T eyeglasses.

By Clare Goldsberry

Rapid Prototyping Promotes New Business Development Efforts

7www.amba.org

in the actual materials, parts that permit functional testing and even parts to be used for end-use. Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) from EOS is a pow-dered metal that permits the rapid production of many types of metal components and comes in a variety of metals and alloys, including titanium used for the aerospace industry. DMLS can be used to create conformal cooling channels for molds and can even be used to make cores and cavities for molds in a matter of days. While these don’t hold up under injection molding pressures and heats for high-vol-ume parts or abrasive materials, some molders have gotten several thousand parts from a DMLS core/cavity.

EOS’ newest system, the EOSINT M 280 is the updated version of the EOSINT M 270, a system for the additive manufacturing of metal components. It directly produces high-quality metal parts on the basis of 3D CAD data auto-matically and in only a few hours with no need for tools. “Our newest system reflects a growing demand, led by precision-driven industries such as aerospace and medical manufacturing, for laser sintering as a proven production method,” says Andrew Snow, regional sales director for EOS North America. “The M 280 can build fully function-al parts in a wide range of materials, with standardization and quality assurance capabilities on a par with those of traditional processes.”

Other systems include those from Z Corp., Object Geometries and 3D Systems. 3D Systems manufactures a wide range of systems from personal 3D printers, also called desktop print-ers, to professional 3D AM printers. The V-Flash is a personal printer that can produce hard plastic parts with smooth sur-faces and fine-feature detail. It can be used for functional testing as end-use parts. 3D Systems just introduced a new desktop 3D printer, the BFB 3000 Plus. At a price point of $3,900, it makes personal manufacturing a reality with a wide variety of materials and colors for almost any engi-neering department.

Adding AM to your business?Wohlers Associates Inc., a leading independent consulting firm that provides technical, marketing and strategic advice on the new developments and trends in rapid product development and additive manufacturing, reported in its latest publication that AM has “rebounded strongly” in 2010 (39 percent added AM systems) after a significant drop in AM systems installations from a peak in 2006 (62 percent added AM systems) to only 22 percent that added AM systems in 2009.

The Wohlers Report 2011, which surveyed 70 companies in 19 countries (37 from the US), also revealed that service

providers or service bureaus often provide services other than additive manufacturing, such as those that VistaTek offers. The most popular services are design and CAD services, which are offered by 75 percent of those surveyed. Urethane casting (or vacuum casting) is the second most popular, offered by 68.8 percent of the survey respondents. Engineering services, at 59.4 percent, is third. Other popular services include injection mold tooling (45.3 percent), 3D scanning/reverse engineering (43.8 percent) and injection molding (40.6 percent).

Given that most service providers offer these other services, which typically also fall under the purview of the capabilities of mold manufacturers, the opportunities for mold companies to expand their services into some type of additive manufacturing seem to make sense. The advantages to mold manufacturers would be the opportunity to get in on the product concept and development phase of the project. This would increase revenue for companies offering this added service.

According to Wohlers Report 2011, the compound annual growth rate (CGAR) of revenues produced by all AM products and services in 2010 was 24.5 percent. While 2009 saw an industry decline by 9.7 percent, the CAGR for the industry’s 23-year history is an impressive 26.2 percent.

“We expect the industry to continue its strong double-digit growth over the next several years,” said Tim Caffrey, associate consultant at Wohlers Associates, which conservatively forecasts industry-wide growth to be $3.1 billion by 2016 and $5.2 billion by 2020.

The AM advantage is the ability to perform R&D and execute projects on the fly, quickly going from concept parts to production molds through streamlined development.

Moldmakers are generally seen as reluctant adopters where new technology is concerned. The key to making any new technology work is not to see it as a disruptive technology and reject it for fear it will cut into the business model but rather, to adopt it and make it part of the business model. ■

This propeller prototype was made using 3D Systems V-Flash personal 3D printer, showing the versatility and ca-pabilities of smaller, personal 3D AM printers.


Market Trends

Summer Business Forecast Survey Shows Work is SteadyBusiness among AMBA member mold companies isn’t booming, but work is holding steady, according to the Summer 2011 Business Forecast Survey. Business conditions range from Good (56 percent) to Excellent (22 percent) for a total of 78 percent of the respondents, up slightly from the Spring survey. Projections of their company’s business over the next three months have the majority of respondents saying that they will either Increase Moderately (38 percent) or Remain the Same (47 percent), which indicates that work continues to flow in the US mold manufacturing business.

Comparing their company’s different business activities, Quoting is Up (31 percent) or the Same (49 percent) for the respondents, indicating a steady flow of RFQs. Shipments were up considerably for 48 percent of the respondents to the Summer survey, compared to 37 percent in the Spring survey. Interestingly, backlog didn’t drop at all, which indicates that while shipments are up, the work in the pipeline is enough to keep a good backlog. Profits are Up or the Same for 85 percent of the respondents, so companies don’t appear to be losing ground in this area.

Employment ticked Down for 28 percent of the respondents, but remained the same for 64 percent, which appears to indicate that hiring has slowed. The number of shop employees dropped to 22 in the Summer survey from 25 in the Spring survey, back to the same number as the Winter survey. Design and engineering employees also dropped by one to four, down from five in the Spring survey. Work-week hours however, ticked up by one hour from the Spring survey, for both shop employees (49 hours in the Summer survey) and for design and engineering

employees (48 in the Summer survey compared to 47 in the Spring survey).

With business up for the first two quarters of this year, we wanted to know if payment terms have been improving, and asked whether shops were getting paid in 30 days, 60 days or 90+ days. The majority – 72 percent − get paid in 60 days; 25 percent get paid in 30 days. A few noted that terms differ for each customer and can range from 10 to 45 days.

We also wanted to check up on that “kinder, gentler” automotive industry we keep hearing about since the recession took so many suppliers out of business, and asked AMBA members if working relationships have improved in that industry. Some respondents reported they are extremely busy. “Automotive is abuzz, and we can’t get the mold built fast enough,” said one respondent. “You get the feeling that they are in a hurry to get product to market without any of the offshore quality issues they have had with these types of molds.”

Another respondent hasn’t seen much change in attitude. “No, things are still the same with automotive paying poorly and abusing their suppliers,” said another respondent. “I also have seen more and more automotive tooling being sourced offshore and not domestically. I would think with the bailouts that the automotive companies received there would be some stipulations on having more work done domestically.”

A third respondent said, “[Nothing has changed] at all. Most companies are stretching terms to 100 percent at PPAP, which is usually up to a year or longer.”

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 Summer 2011Survey resulted a response rate of 39% from AMBA members. Business remains "Good"for 56% of the respondents, and for 22% of the respondents it is "Excellent."

AMBA Summer 2011 Business Forecast Survey Results

AMBA Members Current Business Conditions

56%

20%

2%

0%22%

Excellent

Good

Fair

Poor

Bad

Projection of Business Over the Next 3 Months

38%

6%

0%

9%47%

IncreaseSubstantially

IncreaseModerately

Remain theSame

DecreaseModerately

DecreaseSubstantially

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

nwoDemaSpU

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 4

0

10

20

30

40

50

Pla

nt E

mpl

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s

Average Shop Employees Average Design & Engineering Employees

How much time do you typically get paid in?

25%3%

72%

30 days

60 days

90 days +

Have your customers been pushing for off-shore suppliers recently?

30%

35%4%31%

Customers areaggressively lookingfor off-shore suppliers

Customers aremoderately looking foroff-shore suppliers

Customers are open tothe idea but notactively looking for off-shore suppliers

Customers arerelocating work fromoff-shore back to U.S.suppliers




56%

20%

2%

0%22%

Excellent

Good

Fair

Poor

Bad


38%

6%

0%

9%47%


IncreaseModerately

Remain theSame

DecreaseModerately


0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

nwoDemaSpU


Quoting

Shipments

Backlog

Profits

Employment


49 48

0

10

20

30

40

50

Wor

k H

ours



22 4

0

10

20

30

40

50

Pla

nt E

mpl

oyee

s



25%3%

72%

30 days

60 days

90 days +


30%

35%4%31%





9www.amba.org

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CUSTOM COMPONENTS WITH EXACTING TOLERANCES & COMPLEX GEOMETRIES

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Luer Taper Core Pins · Ejector Pins & Blades · Punches Die & Stripper Inserts · Die Blocks

In-house capabilities include CNC Wire EDM, Conventional EDM, CNC Lathe and Machining Centers, Jig Grinding, Centerless Grinding, OD/ID

Dedtru Grinding, Surface Grinding, Honing, and Polishing.

Precision Die & Mold-Ready Tooling

Ezell Precision Tool Co. 727-573-3575 Fax: 727-572-6235

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Standard Components

THE ULTIMATE COMBINATION OF TOUGHNESS AND WEAR RESISTANCE FOR THE MOST DEMANDING PRECISION

MOLDING APPLICATIONS

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56%

20%

2%

0%22%

Excellent

Good

Fair

Poor

Bad


38%

6%

0%

9%47%


IncreaseModerately

Remain theSame

DecreaseModerately


0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

nwoDemaSpU


Quoting

Shipments

Backlog

Profits

Employment


49 48

0

10

20

30

40

50

Wor

k H

ours



22 4

0

10

20

30

40

50

Pla

nt E

mpl

oyee

s



25%3%

72%

30 days

60 days

90 days +


30%

35%4%31%





Speaking of offshore suppliers, we also asked the status of this situation and whether customers are going to or pushing for off-shore suppliers during the last quarter. A majority of respondents (65 percent) said that customers are “moderately looking for off-shore suppliers” or customers “are open to the idea but not actively looking for off-shore suppliers.” The good news is that 31 percent reported that “customers are relocating work from off-shore back to US suppliers.”

One respondent wrote, “While we’re seeing some coming back, it’s a very mixed bag right now. We’re not totally

out of the woods as purchasing management still has the mindset that offshore is cheaper. Until they get the real cost figured out for the life of the program, we will always be seen as more expensive. If measured over the life of the program, I believe we are the low-cost provider.”

Another respondent noted, “People are starting to understand the importance of keeping business in the US; also with the Euro so much stronger than the dollar, it is cheaper for Europe to build in the US.” ■


The New era iN ProfessioNal DeveloPmeNT By Troy Nix, Executive Director, AMBA

Focus

Located just outside of St. Paul, Minnesota (down-town Willernie to be exact), sits a machining center that focuses on small, intricate parts for the medical device, dental, electronic/telecommunications and consumer products industries. Established in 1964, Mold Craft, Inc. has evolved into a design-intensive company, starting from the moment a job is quoted. Under the helm of management team Justin McPhee (VP of Engineering) and Tim Bartz (VP of Opera-tions), Mold Craft operates from a strategic plan that takes aggressive steps to utilize technology and in-tegrate automation in nearly every job it processes.

ThejourneytogreaterproductivitySpecializing in high-precision, multi-cavity molds, Mold Craft recognized the need to increase productivity of its machines and specialized craftsman while reducing costs for its customers. The company was already using multiple vises and multiple components on a magnet, but could envision still a better system. (It had been using the EROWA work-holding system since the early 80s.)

According to McPhee, “We started out relatively small with chucks in the heads of the sinker EDMs. This allowed us to implement the complimentary

chuck in our CNC electrode milling machines.” He continued, “Now the electrode could be machined, inspected and installed back into the mill for redressing without having to pick-up the electrode again. It then could be installed in the tool changer on the sinker EDM, which now could burn a component unattended.” From there it was utilized in the wire EDMs and CMM inspection equipment.

The wire EDM took it to the next level by building several of the same components on a single piece of steel. “We got by for a little while just passing around uncontrolled 8 1/2 x 11” pieces of paper so the other departments knew where the inserts were located on the bar,” said McPhee. “At that point, we really started bringing in the design team.” Mold Craft needed an accurate and controlled document where everyone was working off the same geometry, and it only had to be created once. He continued, “Our design department has continued to create these bar drawings as the shop has expanded by adding the EROWA system for hard milling and most recently, two EROWA robots. One robot can feed electrodes and workpieces to both the sinker EDM and hard milling machine while the other handles all our electrodes in the machining center.”

The stage was set: a perfect spring day accentuated

by the precise sounds of CNC high-speed mills, CNC wire and sinker EDMs, CMM inspection equipment and high-tech robotics doing exactly what they do best − automating the production process of high-tolerance molds.

Mold Craft VP of Engineering Justin McPhee points out the capabilities of Mold Craft’s new Sodick Linear Motor Wire EDM including cut angles up to 45 degrees.

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Mold Craft Shop Foreman Tom Emmons fields a question about the ability of the EROWA Robot to support two machines with 60 work-holding positions and 180 electrodes.

The New era iN ProfessioNal DeveloPmeNT By Troy Nix, Executive Director, AMBA

Today, Mold Craft has reached approximately 90-per-cent implementation throughout the shop. Most of its machines are fitted with work-holding systems with the exception of its mold base machine, which could utilize large pallets. McPhee pointed out another future goal would be to implement robots in the wire EDM to pull out workpieces when complete and put the next one in to continue the unattended machining.

Theworkshoptourprocess“As a young and prospering management team at Mold Craft, we saw the plant tour workshop as an opportu-nity to show people what has helped make us successful while at the same time, reap the benefits of having them pick out some of the finer points that we may walk by each day but never notice,” said McPhee. “It is benefi-cial to get another set of eyes to look over your process to help you improve.”

On June 14th, tooling and machining professionals from eight different states (as far away as California) desended on the premises at Mold Craft; the occasion - the opportunity to witness a moldmaking operation at the pinnacle of an amazing journey. Tooling and machining professionals from all walks of life, from different educational backgrounds and from all employment levels came to see how Mold Craft was successfully automating its operation to improve efficiency and productivity.

The engagement began with an overview of the Mold Craft business, including machining technology utilized on location, industries served and core strengths such as providing detailed, dimensioned and tolerance prints along with accurate solid models from which to build, as well as engineered clearances to eliminate guess-work and fitting in the shop. During this exchange, the host company management team explained in great detail its journey.

After being educated on the process that Mold Craft used to begin its journey to increase productivity and reduce cost, attendees at the plant workshop were assigned into small groups and taken to different

stations throughout the company. Each station was designed to show attendees a different aspect of the Mold Craft operation, specifically identifying how each area contributes to increased productivity. During this process, Troy Nix of the AMBA gave each attendee very specific instructions and responsibilities while on the tour including the identification of best-in-class methods, the identification of unusual but value-added practices and the identification of areas of new improvement opportunity. The engagement that took place during the station tours between Mold Craft employees and attendees and between the attendees themselves was vibrant and extremely exciting. Professionals asked questions and talked about the methods and processes they used in their own machining businesses and compared that

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Mold Craft VP of Operations Tim Bartz explains the Zeiss CMM and how it is used to inspect 100 percent of the electrodes, ensuring positional accuracy.

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data to what they were actually seeing in the Mold Craft operation. A great deal of learning took place during these individual engagements and attendees exchanged business cards and contact information.

The‘giveandtake’experienceAfter attendees had the opportunity to visit each station and examine every nook and cranny of the Mold Craft organization, they returned to the “Engagement Center.” During this free flow of information and conversation, all attendees had the opportunity to discuss what they had learned on the tour. Many attendees commended the progress that Mold Craft had made on its journey by sharing very specific examples of what they felt to be good (and even great) methods and processes being used on the machining floor. In addition, attendees shared viewpoints on new opportunities for the Mold Craft management team that included suggestions on lean manufacturing and how to improve energy usage.

“Although we currently use some cross-training to help level out workload and capacity, there were specific areas that the tour attendees were able to point out as areas to improve,” stated McPhee. Ideas were given to improve the scheduling process to yield an even greater on-time delivery percentage and a recommendation was made along the lines of lean manufacturing where an attendee noticed an individual walking a long ways to inspect a component. “We have already taken the feedback about scheduling and began to tweak our system and utilize it more efficiently.”

Hosting the tour workshop offered great benefits to Mold Craft employees as well. According to McPhee, “Our team thought it was a very unique, eye-opening experience. They couldn’t believe the number of people in attendance, not to mention the fact that they traveled from as far away as North Carolina and California. They enjoyed being able to explain some of what they do to the attendees in a casual, no-pressure situation.”

At the end of the day, all attendees were asked to comment on their experience of attending the AMBA Plant Workshop event and were encouraged to provide critique on how to improve the format of the event. The comments from business owners, company presidents, general managers, supervisors and machining professionals directly pointed to the value of the event. The overall consensus highlighted the fact that creating an environment for the industry to come together to see other operations, discuss ways to improve and network by meeting new people and learning about different resources is critical in this day and age. “Not only are there tremendous benefits from attending such an event, but there are even greater benefits to hosting such a function,” stated Nix. “It’s very difficult to put a value on the experience of having so many industry professionals scrutinize how things are done in the host company’s operations.”

Finally, as Justin McPhee summarized, “Hosting the AMBA Plant Tour Workshop at Mold Craft was very beneficial for our company and our guests. We were able to talk to our peers about specific processes we do and get immediate feedback on what we are doing right and what could use improvement. Although intimidating at first glance, I feel that the more people we can help in our association, the better we will become. The time we were able to spend with our friends networking before and after the event was priceless and needs to be on everyone’s agenda when they plan their attendance at a tour event.” Many attendees will fondly remember a phrase Bartz and McPhee used repeatedly during the event that relates to helping others and always looking for the best in them, “You gotta LOVE people!”

The next Plant Tour Workshop is scheduled at Industrial Mold & Machine in Twinsburg, OH. Look for specifics and registration information coming this fall. For more information on hosting a Plant Tour Workshop, please contact the AMBA offices at 847.222.9402. ■

Photos ©2011 Todd Schuett, Creative Technology Corp.

t page 11

AMBA Executive Director Troy Nix explains the process of identifying best practices and areas of opportunity to plant tour attendees.

13www.amba.org

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Special report

Productivity Alone No Longer Enough for the North American Business

By Scott Walton, COO, Harbour Results, Inc. and Ken McGill, Senior Manager, Harbour Results, Inc.

For centuries the value placed on efficiency in American culture has led to a level of productivity unrivaled elsewhere in the world. Despite

staggeringly low labor costs in various parts of the globe, exceptional productivity rates have allowed North America to remain a serious competitor in the manufacturing sector on a worldwide basis.

On a recent trip to the Far East, it was evident that a change in the low labor or low cost country trend is occurring. Recently, labor costs in countries like China and South Korea have taken a steep turn upwards. China, in fact, has instituted a manda-tory pay increase for all companies. These rising labor costs are eating away at their competitive advantage and company leader-ship was unanimous with their concern in regards to this erosion.

In the global manufacturing environment, the productivity efforts of the recent decades have driven the cost gap between goods manufactured in China and the United States down to less than a 10-percent differential. There was a point in the not so distant past that this difference

was in excess of 25 percent. These productivity gains from the manufacturing sector have contributed heavily to leading the United States out of recession. Profits have been driven back into the coffers of multiple organizations as is reflected in recent annual reports and in financial market gains.

In conflict of these productivity gains is the fact that not a day goes by that politicians do not lobby for job creation and complain that corporations are sitting on cash that should be put to use creating jobs. Unfortunately or fortunately, however people choose to view it, these productivity gains are sustainable and will continue to lead to slower than expected job growth. Corporations will free up their cash to drive growth, but it will not necessarily be for job creation; the contention is that it will be used for technology and innovation.

During the time spent in the Orient, it became readily apparent that Asian manufacturers are investing heavily in productivity improvement. The realization of dwindling labor cost advantage is manifesting in a real operational behavior change. Several of the manufacturers visited are truly “Doing more with the same” or in some cases, “Doing more with less.”

In order for North American manufacturers to take ad-vantage of rising la-bor costs in Asia, they must consider invest-ment in technology advancements while continuing to focus on productivity gains. These technology leaps will more read-ily close the existing

gap much quicker than the incremental gains anticipated from productivity initiatives undertaken in parallel. The global neighborhoods, including the low cost countries, al-ready realize this opportunity and are reacting accordingly with focus on new and different ways to manufacture and process standard materials.

In the global manufacturing environment, the productivity efforts of the recent decades have driven the cost gap between goods manufactured in China and the United States down to less than a 10-percent differential.

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Harbour Results employs a standard assessment tool designed to benchmark a company’s performance across the entire value stream. The most recent trip taken includ-ed both manufacturers of injection molded components and mold/tool builders. Several tool manufacturers were assessed in both China and South Korea. The resulting studies indicated that in most all cases the emphasis was on technology efforts to improve throughput, eliminate waste and streamline systems.

An important point was that this initiative was not just rel-egated to the production and manufacturing disciplines, but also evident in the transactional areas of the businesses as well. The front and back end of businesses, those sur-rounding the value added processes, represent great areas of opportunity that have not been addressed with automat-ed systems and ERP systems introduced in recent years. Program management and engineering functions were be-ing scrutinized heavily to understand system “gaps” and response to customer timing and accuracy. Continuous improvement action registers were robust with ideas for reducing redundancies and improving timing.

Supplementing productivity gains with innovation and technology is key to North America maintaining a global manufacturing presence in the future. Companies are well prepared for combining several steps in the value chain, building tools and manufacturing parts but they also need to put a full court press on this combined effort.

Opportunities for Academia exist to supply the necessary skills and training for the next generation employees to tackle this challenging issue. Leaders in industry must again think outside the box and allow for the practical application of these skills by fostering creative thinking throughout their organizations and development of their successors. The public sector also is critical in this process in that it must not develop barriers to these initiatives. North America has to be able to compete and companies have to be able to invest in these technologies to be built to last and compete globally. ■

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Technology

AbstractA mold was designed and built to study the optimum size of the vents needed in injection molding. Results demonstrated that vent sizes primarily were dictated by the part design immediately behind the vent. The localized shear rate of the polymer is determined by the flow cross section of the part in the vent area. The higher the shear rate, the lower the viscosity of the polymer, thus limiting the vent depths in the mold. The experimentation proved that for a given polymer material larger vent sizes can be accepted in the mold with no flash when the shear rate was low. For the same mold and under identical processing conditions, when the localized shear rates were high, the polymer flashed and the vent depths had to be reduced. The injection phase of the molding cycle is the high shear phase and the pack and hold phases are the low shear phases. This leads to the conclusion that the vent depths for the mold in the injection phase area can be significantly different from the vent depths at the end of fill where the pack and hold phases come into play.

IntroductionThe air inside the cavity needs to be evacuated if the plastic is to fill the cavity. This is the reason why vents are added to the cavity blocks in the mold. If the air is not evacuated it will cause inadequate filling, resulting in short shots or poor packing of the parts. Further, the air also can get pressurized and super heated, resulting in a dieseling effect and subsequent burning of the plastic. Over time the mold steel can get damaged because of the excessive air pressures in the local area at the end of fill or in corners where the air and plastic tend to get pressurized. Internal voids are another common defect that is seen with insufficient venting. Depending on the flow pattern of the plastic, the air gets trapped inside the part forming voids. Lack of vents also can create excessive pressures in the cavity causing the mold to open sufficiently enough to cause flash on the parting line.

The vents are machined in typically on the parting lines

from where the plastic reaches the end of fill to the outside of the mold. The end of fill here must not be confused with the end of fill of the part. End of fill for this discussion refers to the stopping of the polymer flow in the particular local area. The viscosity of the plastic should be high enough to prevent it from flowing out of the mold through the vent. Figure 1 shows the cross section of the mold showing the vent area and types of vents. The relieved section that is closest to the cavity steel is the primary vent. The dimensions of the primary vent are the most critical.

First, the vent depth D should be such that it helps the evacuation of air but not let the plastic escape. This article will deal with estimating this dimension. Second, the vent land L should not be long enough to cause a pressure drop and prevent air from being pushed out nor should it be so short that the plastic easily finds its way out to the secondary vent. Typical land lengths should be around 1.2 to 1.5mm (0.060” to 0.080”), assuming the vent depth is designed correctly. Third, the vent width W should be at least 5mm to 8mm (0.200” to 0.320”). On the high end, it can be as wide as desired and in some cases it can run around the

Figure 1: Primary and secondary vents in a mold

Determining Optimum Vent Sizes for Injection MoldsBy Suhas Kulkarni, FIMMTECH Inc. and Timothy Curnutt, Distinctive Plastics

Research is being conducted to establish the relationship between part volume, material viscosity, vent depths and vent widths. This article, first presented during the Society of Plastics Engineers ANTEC® 2011, May 1-5 in Boston, MA, discusses only the initial findings.

17www.amba.org

ExperimentMaterials. ABS, manufactured by BASF, Grade: Terluran GP22.

Equipment. Toyo molding machine, 200 Ton, 13.1 oz shot size, 1.97” screw dia.

Custom injection mold. Designed and built by Distinctive Plastics and FIMMTECH NAUTILUS Process Engineering Software1

Procedures. A special mold (Figure 2) was constructed. The molded part was comprised of a circular disc with a center-gated sprue. There were tabs of different thicknesses around the periphery of the part. There were three sizes of the tabs: 3.175, 1.588 and 0.794mm (1/8, 1/16 and 1/32”). Each tab had one vent. There were six vent sizes: 0.0127,

entire perimeter of the part (ring vents). Vents in localized sections that do not run around the perimeter of the part are called spot vents. The secondary vents are also called vent reliefs. The dimensions of the secondary vents are larger than the primary vent and therefore help in the easy transport of the air inside the mold out to atmosphere. They are mainly used as a dump area for the air as it exits the mold. Secondary vents should be about 0.25mm (0.010”). In all cases, the vents must be well polished to avoid any build up of residue from the gases. The vents also must be draw polished in the direction of air flow. Research is being conducted to establish the relationship between part volume, material viscosity, vent depths and vent widths. The dimensions of the primary vents depend on a number of factors. Typically the material manufacturer will provide recommendations on vent depths. For example, the recommended vent size for ABS is 0.05mm (0.002”). Moldmakers typically follow these recommendations when building an injection mold and tend to stay on the lower end of the recommendation for fear of flashing the mold. If plastic is able to enter the vent, then the vent is too deep and must be corrected. This involves welding and repairing the surface. To avoid this, the moldmakers are conservative and leave the vent depth steel safe. However, the processor desires the largest vent possible to evacuate the air as fast as possible and establish an optimum and robust process. Currently there is no established method to strike a balance between the processor’s request and the moldmaker’s fear. This article addresses the initial research conducted on estimating primary vent depths.

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Determining Optimum Vent Sizes for Injection MoldsBy Suhas Kulkarni, FIMMTECH Inc. and Timothy Curnutt, Distinctive Plastics

Tab

Vent

Figure 2: Vent mold showing details of the tab and the vent

Tab

Figure 3: Molded part with the tab


Technology

Several factors dictate the flow of the polymer into the vent and causing flash. Vent dimensions, polymer viscosity, the air viscosity, polymer pressure inside the cavity and air pressure inside the cavity all can be responsible to create the flash. Effects of these, when acting on their own, are detailed below.

Vent dimensions: Typical vent dimensions for spot vents are shown in Table 1. The width and the depth will determine the cross section of the vent and will determine the flow rate of the air leaving the cavity. The larger the part, the greater is the volume of the air inside the cavity and therefore the cross section of the vent should also be greater. Vent depths are more critical and larger depths can cause flash. Since vent depths have to be limited, the only option is to increase the width of the vents, tending to make them ring vents around the parting lines. In cases where the end of flows are not at the parting lines, adding vent pins, venting of cavity inserts and ejector pins can be helpful. If Fpi is the desired flow rate of the plastic into the cavity and if Fa is the maximum possible flow rate of the air out of the cavity, then Fa must be greater that Fpi.

Polymer viscosity: The lower the polymer viscosity, the higher the possibility of the flow into the vents. Polymer viscosity is a function of polymer temperature and the shear rate and is inversely proportional to these factors. As the plastic flows into the mold cavity, depending on the part geometry, there can be several flow fronts. Each flow front will have its own characteristics of temperature and shear rate. Further, both these characteristics are a function

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0.0254, 0.0381, 0.0508, 0.0635 and 0.0762mm (0.0005, 0.001, 0.0015, 0.002, 0.0025, and 0.003”). The mold had 18 tabs in all, covering each tab and vent size combination. A part molded from this mold is shown in Figure 3 on page 17. The mold was mounted on the molding machine and the melt and the mold temperatures were set within the manufacturer’s recommended parameters. The injection speed was optimized using the in-mold rheology study shown in Figure 4. The speed was set to a machine speed of 60 percent that equaled an apparent shear rate of 1.754 sec-1. The Decoupled Molding technique (service mark of RJG Inc.) was used to transfer over into the pack and hold phase. The optimum pressures were determined by doing a pressure window study. Parts were molded and the flash in the vent area was measured with the help of the optical comparator. The results were documented and graphed.

ResultsA molded part from the ABS is shown in Figure 3. The center-gated sprue assured that the plastic reached all the tabs at the same time. The 18 tabs allowed the study of each of the six vent sizes for each of the three tab thicknesses. Table 1 shows the presence or absence of flash for each combination. ‘N’ indicates the absence of flash and a ‘Y’ indicates the presence of flash. It is evident from this data that for a given vent depth the onset of the evidence of flash is a function of the thickness of the tab. For example, for a vent depth of 0.0635mm (0.025”) flash begins to occur at the tab thickness of 1.5875mm (1/16”). However, for the same vent depth there is no evidence of flash at 3.175mm (1/8”). Considering the tab thicknesses, the onset of the evidence of the flash will occur earlier as the tab thickness reduces. For example at a tab thickness of 3.175mm (1/8”), flash can be seen at vent depths of 0.0762mm (0.003”) but for a tab thickness of 0.79375mm (1/32”), flash can be seen at 0.0508mm (0.002”).

t page 17

Figure 4:

In-mold rheology

curve

Viscosity Curve

Vis

cosi

ty

Injection Speed

Table 1: Presence and absence of flash for varying tab thickness and vent depth

Part Thickness 3.175 mm (1/8”) 1.5875 mm (1/16”) 0.79375 mm (1/32”)0.0127 mm (0.0005”) N N N0.0254 mm (0.0010”) N N N0.0381 mm (0.0015”) N N N0.0508 mm (0.0020”) N N Y0.0635 mm (0.0025”) N Y Y0.0762 mm (0.0030”) Y Y Y

Part Thickness

Vent Size3.175 mm

(1/8”)1.5875 mm

(1/16”)0.79375 mm

(1/32”)0.0127 mm (0.0005”) N N N

0.0254 mm (0.0010”)

0.0381 mm(0.0015”)0.0508 mm (0.0020”) N N Y

0.0635 mm (0.0025”) N Y

0.0762 mm (0.0030”) Y

Y

Y

Y

N N N

N N N

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Technology

of time (mainly from start of injection to end of fill). In designing vents, the local shear and temperature must be therefore taken into consideration.

Air viscosity: Air viscosity is primarily influenced by its temperature but its change is not significant between the mold temperature, and melt temperature ranges that are encountered in the molding process. However, its viscosity is worth mentioning here to point out the fact that the viscosity of air is very low compared to the viscosity of the polymer and therefore changes in its viscosity have a negligible effect on the filling process.

Polymer pressure inside the cavity: The polymer pressure inside the cavity increases as the mold is being filled and then reduces once the filling process is completed. The reduction of pressure takes place because of the shrinking of the polymer away from the mold surface. When the molten polymer comes in contact with the vent, the higher the polymer pressure, the higher the possibility of flash. Polymer cavity pressure increases during the pack and hold phases and therefore these phases are more critical for determining the flash when considering the polymer pressure.

Air pressure inside the cavity: The air pressure inside the cavity should ideally never increase if the mold has sufficient venting. If the air pressure increases, then the flow rate of the air out of the mold is less than the flow rate of the plastic into the mold. If the air pressure increases, it will increase the plastic pressure and have the effect described in the previous paragraph.

For a given mold and polymer combination all the above factors play a role and have a combined effect. The mold used for this study was a round part and was center gated. Since the ABS flowed from the center of the part to the outside and the tabs were all placed at the same distance from the gate, it can be assumed that the melt temperature, the shear rate and melt pressure of the polymer entering the tabs were identical. Therefore the results obtained from the study were all results of phenomenon taking place inside the tabs. For the sake of this discussion, ‘thicker tabs’ refer to tabs whose height dimensions (H) were greater and ‘thinner tabs’ refer to those whose dimensions were comparatively lower.

Since the plastic pressure at the entrance of the tab was the same, the flow rate in the thinner tab was greater than that in the thicker tab. As the flow rate increases the shear rate increases. Since viscosity is inversely proportional to shear rate, the viscosity in the thinner tabs is lower than the

viscosity of the thicker tab. This thinning effect explains why at the same vent size the polymer flashes in the thinner tab but does not do so in the thicker tab.

For example, for a vent size of 0.0508mm (0.002”) flash can be seen on the tab with a thickness of 0.7938mm (1/32”) but there is no flash on the 3.175mm (1/8”) tab. Since these tabs are at the end of the fill, the plastic is influenced by the pack and hold phase and not the injection phase. Although the theory will remain the same for the injection and pack phases, the results will differ since the part geometries, flow front velocities and flow front temperatures can all be different. It is therefore possible that a given mold can accommodate different sizes of vents at different locations.

ConclusionsTraditionally, establishing vent sizes has only been a func-tion of the material. Material suppliers often recommend a vent depth range. The present work proves that part design can heavily influence the dimensions of the vent. The actu-al viscosity of the plastic in the area of the vent must be considered to incorporate the right size vent. Robust mold-ing processes reduce scrap, reduce start up time and reduce human intervention on the production floor, thus increas-ing the profitability of a molding operation. To establish

t page 18

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robust processes, one of the requirements is that the plastic flow as easily as possible into the mold. Inadequate vent-ing hinders this process and too much venting can cause parts to have flash. Balancing the two is not impossible and with an educated approach can be accomplished.

Flow simulation software has gotten better at predicting the required fill times for a given part. Therefore the flow rate of the plastic into the mold can be calculated. For the plastic to fill the mold cavity without any resistance from the air, the air must be capable of exiting the cavity at a higher flow rate than that of the plastic. Based on the vent depths, vent widths can be calculated for the desired flow rates. Vent lands also must be considered since there is a pressure drop associated with them. In summary, vent depths are mainly a function of polymer rheology and cav-ity pressure, vent widths are mainly a function of polymer flow rates into the mold and vent lands are mainly depen-dent on the pressure drop of the air across their lengths. In cases where the calculated vent width is more than the available real estate, it becomes clear that forced venting would be necessary. Vacuum venting is commonly used. There is a lower limit on reducing land lengths and reduc-ing air pressure drops. These initial findings shed light on the various factors that play a role on the design of vents. Future work will include experimenting with various polymers, understanding vent sizes for a given material in the injection and pack phases and effect of land sizes of vents on the pressure drop that may prevent the venting. ■

References1. Kulkarni S, Robust Process Development and Scientific Molding, 2010, Hanser Publications, Germany.

FIMMTECH Inc, San Diego, CA, is a consulting firm that specializes in services related to injection mold-ing. Suhas Kulkarni is the founder and president of the company. He is the author of the book “Robust Process Development and Scientific Molding”, as well as several magazine articles and research papers. Vent depth stud-ies and reports can be provided on any material requested. The company also provides seminars in injection mold-ing. For more information, contact Suhas Kulkarni at [email protected] or visit www.fimmtech.com.

Distinctive Plastics, Vista, CA, is a full-service custom injection molding company. The company specializes in two-shot molding and in-mold decoration. It has a com-plete tool room for mold building, repair and maintenance. More information can be found at www.dpi-tech.com.

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Technology

It’s no wonder. Foolproof scheduling is critical to the smooth operation of most companies. Yet, planning and scheduling the workflow is like trying to juggle 150 different balls all at once. However, the balls are all different shapes and sizes, some move faster or slower than others and while you’re juggling, other people are constantly pulling some of the balls out of the air and tossing new ones at you. Keeping track of all the different orders, managing all the different tasks and work processes and meeting all the due dates, change orders and everything else the customer throws at you is truly a Herculean task. It’s not surprising that many schedulers work 60- to 70-hour weeks and still feel like they need another 20 or 30 hours to get the job done.

At the same time, the job scheduling function has a huge impact on productivity and profitability. It also impacts the customer relationships upon which your company depends. Your ability to manage limited resources, satisfy customer demands and respond to the ever-changing conditions on the shop floor determines, to a large degree, whether individual orders and the company as a whole make or lose money.

For example, how many times have you gone in and pulled a job before it is completed in order to react to another, more urgent customer order? You know that prematurely pulling jobs will significantly impact the flow of work currently on the shop floor. Plus, you have no idea how it will affect future orders that may be scheduled days or weeks out.

How to Make Life easier witH erP scHeduLing

By Dustin Alexander, Global Shop Solutions

“Every time you pull a job in progress out of a machine, you’re making a

decision to lose money on that job.”

We all want to keep our customers happy. But the fact is, every time you pull a job in progress, you’re making a decision to lose money on that job; and making a reactionary decision not only means that the job that got pulled will be late, but within the next few days, the customer whose job got bumped will be calling and demanding that you expedite the job. Chances are you will have to pull another job to get it back in the queue, which only leads to another round of headaches and potentially bad decisions. Moreover, unless you practice lean set-up procedures, you have now doubled your set-up time, lost several hours of production time on that machine, and increased the probability of higher scrap and rework.

Most companies try to solve these kinds of problems by hiring more schedulers to manage the chaos. But all that does is increase overhead costs, add to the complexity of the scheduling process and increase the number of schedules. Fortunately, there is an easier, better and much more cost-effective way.

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) software is specifically designed to automate, streamline and reduce the stress of scheduling work orders in a busy manufacturing environment. It serves as a highly sophisticated central communication hub for all the activities in a manufacturing business. It consists of different modules that handle

Ask anyone in a manufacturing or project-driven company who has

the most difficult job, and without hesitation they will tell you: the scheduler/planner.

Using a color-coded scheme, this ERP scheduling screen from Global Shop Solutions illustrates the workload by various departments.

23www.amba.org

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everything from estimating to job scheduling to final delivery and billing, as well as the financial aspects of work generation, purchasing, inventory management, administrative overhead and all the accounting and financial activities. The end result is a software system that integrates all the essential activities of the business into one nice, neat electronic package.

The benefits of using ERP software include faster cycle times, better on-time delivery rates, reduced administrative overhead, lower labor and materials costs, improved productivity and more. ERP also enables companies to manage the numbers in real time (instead of at the end of the month or quarter), so that management can make better decisions for the long term. When properly implemented, ERP acts like a company-wide, ongoing process improvement tool that empowers the entire organization to become leaner, more efficient and more profitable.

What does this mean for the scheduler?At its core, your job involves making decisions − hundreds of them every day that determine the flow of work on the shop floor. The difficulty lies in the fact that so many variables go into each decision: the number of machines, part attributes, employee availability, employee skill set, the capacity of each machine, the work order, the due date, the number of jobs currently on the shop floor and on and on.

ERP software, and in particular the scheduling module, streamlines the decision-making process by making most of the decisions for you. By doing so, it allows you to manage the entire job-scheduling process faster, more efficiently and more effectively. With ERP scheduling, work orders that used to take hours and even days can be completed in a matter of minutes, freeing you to spend more time on the shop floor.

How does ERP scheduling make life easier?Through a variety of features and functions, ERP scheduling evolves from a hair-pulling exercise in frustration into a streamlined, low-stress process that efficiently and effectively guides and directs all the activities that need to occur on the shop floor. The most important of these features and functions include:

• Automated scheduling. Scheduling with ERP is completely automated. Once all the job and machine data has been entered into the router or project and other modules, the system automatically schedules the jobs for you. Jobs that used to take all day to schedule can now be done in seconds.


Technology

• Improved accuracy. Because ERP tracks what, how and how many you’re making, as well as work in progress at any given moment, the system allows you to say exactly when the job will be done. With ERP, “safe” dates are a thing of the past, as you can tell customers an exact due date.

• Improved visibility. Perhaps the hardest part of manual scheduling is tracking down all the information needed to make decisions about when and where to schedule jobs. ERP gives you complete visibility by storing all the data in one central location. Every piece of information about every job − from work order number to completion due date − is instantly available to you in a variety of formats. In addition, you can search the data using a wide variety of criteria such as work order number, part number, project number or customer.

• Amazing flexibility. ERP delivers amazing flexibility to manage everything from individual work orders to every project in the entire system. For example, you can balance your load across resources by instantly identifying which resources have excess capacity or excess load. You can

modify the labor default schedule, including interjecting holiday calendars or schedules. You can easily create work groups and assign alternate work centers for a resource. Best of all, most changes, whether big or small, are made with only a few clicks of the mouse.

• Fewer bottlenecks. A major source of frustration with manual planning occurs when multiple jobs get stacked on top of each other due to limited capacity. ERP reduces and, in many cases, eliminates these bottlenecks by making it easy to schedule the right job on the right machine at the right time. You also can reschedule a job at any point in the system and, with just a few clicks of the mouse, instantly see how that rescheduling affects every other job in the system.

• Reduced costs. Customers often order the same item to be delivered at different times. ERP allows you to significantly reduce set-up time by scheduling multiple jobs of the same item to run concurrently, rather than running them days or weeks apart, as often is the case with manual scheduling.

How ERP scheduling worksThe ERP scheduling module is a sophisticated tool that allows the planner to efficiently and effectively manage the entire job-scheduling process from the moment the order comes in the door until the part or project is completed and shipped off to the customer. The schedule can be completely automated or can require minimal input. The system tells you what parts need to go on which machines and when, how much material is required, whether that material is in stock or needs to be ordered, employee availability and constraints and any other task that needs to be performed for that specific job.

More important, the ERP scheduling module allows you to track everything you need to know about every job or proj-ect in the system from beginning to end, including labor costs, machine efficiency, set-up and run times, work in progress and on-time completion rates. In fact, everything you used to do on multiple spreadsheets, white boards or in your head is now handled instantly and error-free by the ERP system.

Must-have macro featuresKeep in mind that no two ERP products are exactly alike, and their scheduling modules can vary widely in their features, functions and effectiveness. The best ERP systems come with a very robust scheduling module that includes the following macro features:

• One-time data entry. When you enter data for a new work

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25www.amba.org

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order or project, the system automatically makes changes to the entire system.

• Single screen simplicity. In many ERP software systems, making a change on a work order or project requires accessing multiple screens. The best programs allow you to adjust your schedule in one screen and see the results of that one rescheduling throughout the system.

• Multiple sorting capabilities. The best scheduling modules allow you to view, sort, manipulate and report on the data according to multiple criteria. The system should allow you to see the data graphically and in list view.

• Simple rescheduling. The scheduling module should not only allow you to reschedule a job with just a few mouse clicks, but also show you how that reschedule affects everything else in the system.

• "What-if" planning. Suppose you want to see the impact of a potential job change without actually making the change to the system? The what-if planning feature allows you to enter

any number of scenarios to see the potential impact without actually changing the jobs currently in the system.

• Finite scheduling. This important feature helps the planner identify and deal with bottlenecks and backups when available work outstrips resource capacity.

• Schedule visualization. This is perhaps the most powerful feature in the entire scheduling module. By displaying the data in various graphic formats, this feature gives the planner unprecedented ability to determine what is really happening on the shop floor and plan accordingly.

Power in your handsBut it’s not what graphic scheduling allows you to see that makes it so valuable. It’s all that it enables you to do. More than any other feature in the ERP scheduling module, graphic scheduling enables you to make timely decisions that cut costs, increase productivity and enhance customer relationships.

For example, suppose a customer calls in with a rush job that requires you to reschedule several other jobs. After


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Technology

you finish rescheduling, graphic scheduling pops up a “bump list,” which says, “Based on the transactions you just made, we have taken all these work orders and moved them out to the right. You will be late on these orders if you continue with this decision.” The bump list tells you how many days each job will be moved out so that you can look at the effects your rescheduling will have on that job and make any necessary decisions. Figuring that out with manual scheduling would take hours, if not days.

Ultimate visibilityERP scheduling gives the scheduler/planner the one thing he or she needs to perform the job at maximum effectiveness: visibility. Without it, you’re at the mercy of a multitude of different variables beyond your control. Suppose a customer calls up and says, “This is Joe from A-1 Metals. Where is my order? I need it quicker than originally promised.”

With manual scheduling, you have to walk onto the factory floor, track down the job foreman and ask if that order is running. If so, you have to determine when it will be done, which involves looking at the router and manually scanning the schedule of every machine and process involved. In contrast, with ERP scheduling you can click on the customer’s job and instantly see the status, as well as the detail of raw materials, labor, etc. You can see how much material has been issued for the job and whether it is enough to make all the parts. If not, you can instantly determine how many parts you can make with the material that has been issued. You also can see how much material you have on hand and whether it is enough to complete the job.

The bottom line is that ERP scheduling gives you instant visibility for every aspect of every job in the system, so that you know exactly how any decision you make will affect other jobs and projects.

Your scheduling job easier to controlERP scheduling dramatically reduces the time required to process a new work order and schedule a job. (In many cases, scheduling a job with ERP takes only a few moments.) It reduces the headaches of trying to track down important data that is stored in many different places. It

allows you to view and manipulate the data in many different ways in order to achieve the most efficient and productive use of your equipment and labor resources. And it reduces, and in many cases, eliminates the frustrating bottlenecks that occur due to insufficient information, poor scheduling or simply being overwhelmed by the demands of the job. Perhaps most important, ERP scheduling gives you realistic promise dates with unprecedented control over your job and your environment. ■

Dustin Alexander is president of Global Shop Solutions (GSP). Founded in 1976, GSP is a family-owned corpora-tion, currently in its second generation of leadership by the Alexander family. Headquartered in The Woodlands, Texas, Global Shop helps manufacturing companies streamline their operations for increased sales, lower costs and improved on-time delivery and quality. Global Shop consistently deliv-ers these results through One-System ERP Solutions™ that include unsurpassed levels of customer training, service and support. For more information, call 800.364.5958 or visit www.globalshopsolutions.com.

“One of the most common problems revolves around the issue of

infinite scheduling.”

27www.amba.org

ProductProgressive Debuts New ProtoBridge System

To help minimize costs associated with new product development, Pro-gressive Compo-nents, Wauconda, IL, has introduced its new ProtoBridge™ standardized tooling kit. The pre-engineered ProtoBridge system is designed specifically for closure manufacturing. The design is flexible and can be used for applications with the DT Series Collapsible Core, as well as jump thread designs. It offers the ability to be converted from one part design to another while the mold is still in the press. Two options are available for implemen-tation: ProtoBridge Rental (available to be rented and used for a specific product development or sampling need) and ProtoBridge Purchase (giving ongoing flexibility in prod-uct development.) “The adage ‘the whole is greater than the sum of its parts’ comes to mind when one considers the comprehensive advantage to using this flexible system,” says Glenn Starkey, president of Progressive. “It’s a com-plete solution for tooling engineers who are looking for ways to minimize costs associated with all phases of prod-uct development.” Designed and built for years of produc-tion, the ProtoBridge system is an exclusive new platform for part design development. To view product animations and for more information, visit www.procomps.com/demo.

New Unix III Workstation from Alliance Laser Sales

Alliance Laser Sales, Wauconda, IL, in partnership with Vision GmbH, introduces the Unix III Workstation – an advanced laser welding workstation built with moldmakers in mind. Ergonomically redesigned for comfort over long periods of use, the Unix III features an adjustable, removable base for easy application to any size job. A wide travel range of the X-Y stages allows one to work on large areas without having to reposition the part. The Unix III is the only machine of its kind offering high-grade automated control, laser movement synchronization, laser-marking technology and a state-of-the-art teach-in program providing automatic driving of the most complex 3D geometries. For more information, visit www.alliancelasersales.com.

New Generation Haas Mold Machining Centers

Haas Automation, Ox-nard, CA, recently rede-signed its VM Series mold machining centers to make them better than ever. Haas engineers reviewed all as-pects of the VM machines, including motion control, coolant containment, chip evacuation, ergonomics and serviceability; made improvements and put everything into an all-new package. Designed for the moldmaking, tool & die and medical in-dustries, Haas VM Series machines provide the accuracy, rigidity and thermal stability required for high-precision work. Available in three frame sizes, each VM Series ma-chine features a 12,000-rpm 40-taper spindle, a 30 hp vec-tor dual-drive system, a 24-pocket side-mount tool chang-er, a high-speed control with full look-ahead and a unique, multi-fixturing table. Designed and built in the USA, the New Generation Haas VM machines provide more perfor-mance and value than ever before. For more information, visit www.HaasCNC.com.

New ADVANTiGE™ Technology from Makino

Makino, Mason, OH, offers the new T2 5-axis horizontal machining center with ADVANTiGE™ technology designed for mid-sized titanium aerospace part production. Its purpose-built design provides the rigidity, dynamic stiffness, vibration damping and agility necessary for more productive titanium machining and longer tool life. “Makino’s ongoing titanium research and development continues to offer the most effective process solutions for a wide variety of today’s aerospace structural and engine components,” says Mark Larson, Makino’s titanium process R&D manager. The T2 provides X-, Y- and Z-axis travels of 2,000mm, 2,000mm and 1,800mm, respectively, allowing for part sizes up to 1900mm by 2000mm and 5,000kg. The T2’s construction features large way surfaces and table casting for extra rigidity and vibration damping, as well as a 120-position automatic tool changer (up to 190 available) for continuous, uninterrupted machining. The T2’s HSK-A125 spindle delivers higher torque, horsepower and clamping force than all predecessors. The T2 includes an automatic pallet changer system that features continuous operation and eliminates costly downtime for part changeovers with pallet change times of only 60 seconds. For more information, call 800.552.3288 or visit www.makino.com. page 28 u


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Product

Create Flawless Models with Objet Materials

Objet Geometries, Inc., Billerica, MA, offers 3D printing solutions which enable highly realistic visual and function-al simulation for rapid prototyping purposes. Objet’s ma-terials are capable of simulating properties ranging from varying grades of rubber to clear transparency, all the way to rigid, ABS-grade engineering plastics. Objet materials are REACH compliant. They are delivered in fully sealed 1kg, 2kg or 3.6kg cartridges that are simple to use, change-over and replace. Using Objet’s materials, designers, man-ufacturers and engineers can create highly accurate, finely detailed models and parts to answer the rapid prototyping needs of virtually any industry. For more information, visit www.objet.com.

Yankee Mold’s Safety Lift Ring

Yankee Mold, Machesney Park, IL, announces the Safety Lift Ring for the safe, easy handling of molds. Moving molds is a time-consuming, unwieldy process that can be danger-ous. Since many mold com-panies use shelving and skids indexed for location, it often morphs into multiple molds teetering on thin skids designed for boxes of plastic (not cubes of steel). With Yankee Mold’s Safety Lift Ring on a forklift, it becomes easy to pick and place molds onto shelves, move them to the tool room, load them on a truck or spot in-line for the next press job. The Safety Lift Ring allows the ability to send someone to remote cold storage areas to find the mold, pick it up, run it back and spot it in the press queue, thereby reducing safety concerns. The Safety Lift Ring holds the mold solidly and safely dur-ing transport. No more bouncing off skids, no more damage and no more wasted time. Screw the Safety Lift Ring onto the mold and spear it with the fork truck. It’s now ready to sit it on the flatbed, take it to the shop or move it right on to the mold table for service. For the safety of workers and the tools, Yankee Mold Safety Lift Rings are optimal. For more information, contact Yankee Mold, Inc., 815.986.1776, www.yankeemold.com.

Modular Tooling System for Wire EDM

EROWA, Arlington Heights, IL, introduces a new Wire EDM tooling system that makes a WEDM plant substan-tially more flexible and productive. It relieves the WEDM center of unproductive set-up time: the machines are able to work around the clock. An optimal utilization of machines is a central factor of competitiveness. The cru-cial advantages of Erowa’s Wire EDM tooling system are

• Workpiece carriers to fit every workpiece size

• Modular tooling system for single-part and multiple palletizing

• 0.002mm repeatability for the highest precision requirements

• Wire EDM basis kits for all established WEMD facilities

• Can always be automated as a matter of principle

For more information, visit www.erowa.com.

A single clamping process allows 5 sided machining,reducing set up times and decreasing reclamping errors.

System solutions fromone single source

www.erowatech.com [email protected]

With our Self Centering Vise 148P/iWith our Self Centering Vise 148P/i

We increase Efficiency!

29www.amba.org

Millstar Tools take the HEAT — Increase Mold-Making Production.

Millstar World Headquarters30200 Ryan Road • Warren, MI 48092 U.S.A.

Tel: (586) 573-9450 • Fax: (586) 573-9451Email: [email protected] • www.millstar.com

With Millstar cutter strategies and high-speed machining solu-tions mold makers produce more finished molds and dies in less time.

Millstar cutting tools provide mold makers:

• Decrease lead times with unmatched process and product support

• Industry leading accuracy for true contouring results

• Advanced tool geometry and coatings for simultane-ous chip and heat removal

We’re ready to take the heat! Contact Millstar today.

Call 1-877-645-5792(1-877-MILLSTAR)

Don’t be fooled by imitations—look for the Cole Crown on every insert.

Celeritive Technologies Announces VoluMill™ v4.0

Celeritive Technologies, Cave Creek, AZ, announces the release of VoluMill™ v4.0. The latest version of the ul-tra high-performance toolpath engine includes the Ac-tive Chip Thickness Control (ACTC™) interface, which makes it easy to achieve even greater reductions in rough milling cycle time, and the new Non-Concentric Milling technology, designed to reduce tool load and improve chip clearance. “We have reengineered VoluMill 4.0 from the ground-up to improve machining dynamics during arc moves,” says Dr. Evan Sherbrooke, chief technology of-ficer of Celeritive. “Toolpaths have always contained arc moves that share the same center point and entry angle as arc moves on previous passes. Unfortunately, when the tool enters these arc moves, the tool load increases quite suddenly. Our new Non-Concentric Milling technology lo-cates arcs at different center points, so that each successive pass begins its arc move sooner than on the previous pass. As a result, the tool load changes more gradually, and the chips evacuate more easily.” For additional information, visit www.volumill.com.

DME Offers Two New Unitized Hot Runner Systems

DME Company, Madison Heights, MI, recently announced the launch of two new unitized hot runner systems. The company now offers pre-wired and pre-assembled hot runner solutions for both the Stellar and Galaxy lines, specifically designed for customers who want a pre-wired manifold system without plates. Unitized hot runners are available for both open gate and valve gate systems. All heating and sensing elements are pre-wired for reduced set-up time and simplified installation. Both the Galaxy and Stellar systems offer the excellent performance of proven DME hot runner technology. The Unitized Galaxy system addresses the performance, reliability and serviceability demands of today’s molders; Unitized Stellar systems are better suited for micro-part molders. These systems deliver superior performance through highly conductive tip designs and precise heat profiling in all nozzle lengths to ensure consistent processing temperatures. Stellar also offers suitability for commodity or engineered-grade resins, choice of balanced multi-nozzle assemblies (MNAs) for standalone use or under a manifold for higher cavitation molds, threaded nozzle connection and five different nozzle assembly “A” dimensions from 65 to 145mm. For more information, visit: www.dme.net. ■


Association

After analyzing historical data, membership demographics and

direct member feedback, the AMBA Management Team and Board of Di-rectors thoughtfully and carefully con-sidered the site for next year’s annual convention. “As we move forward and focus on providing greater value to our members, our leadership team is intent on growing member-ship participation to improve the overall return on member investment,” said AMBA Executive Director Troy Nix.

“Addressing issues such as cost, days away from work and take-away value, we did an extensive search to lo-cate a property that would allow a good number of AMBA members and other industry professionals to drive to the convention, thereby reducing cost and requiring less days away from the office,” said AMBA Managing Director Kym Conis. “This also will provide the opportunity to bring key employees to the convention, driving value di-rectly to member organizations.” Therefore, on behalf of the AMBA Management Team and Board of Directors, the AMBA is excited to announce that the Amway Grand Plaza in Grand Rapids, MI, May 16-18, 2012, will be the site of the 2012 AMBA Annual Convention. “Our goal moving forward with our annual convention is to engage more of our AMBA membership, attract new potential members and continue to drive better content and take-away value,” said AMBA President Mike Armbrust.

“We accomplished an integral part of this goal by provid-ing outstanding content to the attendees at our most recent convention in Las Vegas,” Armbrust continued. “We’re on an upward trend, and it’s going to keep getting better.” Programming is already in the works for the 2012 conven-tion and operational benchmarking and industry metrics are definitely on the schedule!

The convention will kick-off on Wednesday, May 16, with ample time to drive (or fly) in that morning and attend the first session. The convention will conclude in the early af-ternoon on Friday, May 18, to end the work week. Spread

out over fewer days, the 2012 convention will actually provide more value-add programming than ever before, including a plant tour workshop event and supplier trade fair.

In line with tradition, the convention will provide several key networking opportunities, such as the Welcome Recep-tion on the banks of the Grand River and the time-honored Awards Banquet on the final evening in one of Amway Grand’s exquisite ballrooms.

Grand Rapids is an excellent location for the convention and the Amway Grand (www.amwaygrand.com) provides an incredible venue for the AMBA’s premier event. Located just two hours from Detroit and three hours from Chicago, it is a drivable distance for many. With an international airport, the charming city of Grand Rapids is located on the Grand River and is home to many local attractions and points of interest.

Rated number three in the nation for fun and recreation by Placed Rated Almanac, Grand Rapids offers all the diversions of a cosmopolitan city, along with the spectacular recreation of an outdoor paradise. From culture and art, such as the Gerald R. Ford Museum, the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park and the John Ball Zoo to dining, nightlife and recreation (such as biking, dune rides, golf, world-class beaches and much more), Grand Rapids promises a memorable experience for visitors of all ages. For more information on Grand Rapids, visit www.experiencegr.com.

The AMBA is thrilled to provide you the opportunity to join us, and your fellow member companies, at the 2012 AMBA annual convention. In the words of Mike Armbrust, “This truly is an exciting time to be a part of the AMBA!”

31www.amba.org

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The AMBA recently launched its new Plant Tour Workshop Series to a sold-out crowd at Mold Craft, Inc., Willernie, MN. Attendees traveled from eight states (as far away as California) to attend the half-day workshop and tour which focused on automation and design integration. During the workshop, Mold Craft shared its journey to utilize technology and integrate automation in nearly every job it processes, evolving into a design-intensive company from the moment a job is quoted. Attendees came away with valuable information and implementable ideas as to how operator input during the machining process can best be minimized and unattended machine time maximized for greatest efficiencies (see the complete story on page10). Starting with an overview of Mold Craft’s operational strategies, attendees next toured the facility. According to AMBA Executive Director Troy Nix, “The engagement that took place during the station tours between Mold Craft employees and attendees and between the attendees themselves was vibrant and extremely exciting. Professionals asked questions and talked about the methods and processes they used in their own machining businesses and compared that data to what they were actually seeing

in the Mold Craft operation. A great deal of learning took place during these individual engagements.” The tour event ended with lively cross-talk amidst a light lunch, providing extreme value for both the attendees and hosting company alike. “Hosting the AMBA tour at Mold Craft was very beneficial for us and our guests,” said Mold Craft VP of Engineering Justin McPhee. “We were able to talk to our peers about specific processes we do and get immediate feedback on what we are doing right and what could use improvement. Although intimidating at first glance, I feel that the more people we can help in our Association, the better we will become.”

The next AMBA Plant Tour Workshop is scheduled for November 10, 2011, at Industrial Mold & Machine in Twinsburg, OH. For more information on AMBA tour events or on becoming a host company, call 847.222.9402 or visit www.amba.org. The AMBA expresses its thanks to Mold Craft Tour sponsors Erowa and Progressive Components.

Plant Tour Series Launches to Sold-Out Crowd


Product

The Midwest’s Plastics Processing Resource for Project Acceleration

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PLASTECmidwest.com

September 20–22, 2011McCormick Place North

Chicago, IL

Source the full spectrum of machinery, technology, and services for the plastics industry:

• Automation Technology• Computer-Aided Design & Manufacturing • Contract Services• Enterprise IT • Material Handling/Logistics• Materials• Molds & Mold Components• Primary Processing Machinery• Production Machinery & much more!

Sponsored by:Presented by:

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33www.amba.org

The AMBA recently awarded $10,000 in scholarship funds to students of AMBA members nationwide. The Annual Scholarship Program continues to demonstrate AMBA’s commitment to the industry, education and offering valu-able member benefits. “The AMBA Annual Scholarship Program underwent some critical changes in application criteria in order to better channel funds back into the in-dustry to support those going into moldmaking or a related trade,” said AMBA Managing Director Kym Conis.

Each year the national office of the AMBA awards schol-arships to the employees or dependants of employees of AMBA member companies. The Annual Scholarship Pro-gram is designed to help facilitate education in moldmak-ing in the US. This scholarship’s priority is to assist stu-dents who desire to pursue a career in mold design, CAD/CAM programming for machine tools, machine tool skills or moldmaking, plastics industry manufacturing (includ-ing plastics engineering, plastic part design or plastics pro-cessing technician) and other areas of continued training/education.

The AMBA wishes to congratulate all ten deserving students:

• Kevin M. Finley, Purdue University, son of Todd Finley, president of Commercial Tool & Die

• Kyle Totzke, Michigan State University, son of Jack Totzke, machine operator at Accu Die and Mold

• Kaylee Weiringa, Ferris State University, daughter of John Weiringa, moldmaker at Die-Tech and Engineering

• Natalie Nicole Rocque, Elmhurst College, daughter of Donald Rocque, moldmaker at Creative Die Mold

• Lacey Reuvers, Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College, daughter of Ben Reuvers, wire EDM operator at Isometric Tool and Design

• Wayne Welsch, Concordia University – St. Paul, employed by Mold Craft, Inc.

• Katrina Thomas, Mercyhurst Northeast, daughter of Charles Thomas, designer at Reddog Industries

• Michaela Liesenberg, St. Olaf College, daughter of David Liesenberg, lead toolmaker at Carlson Tool and Manufacturing

• Erin Halstead, University of Iowa, daughter of Kent Halstead, engineering manager, MSI Mold Builders

• Ashley Langenecker, University of Wisconsin – Washington County, daughter of Harold Langenecker, foreman, CDM Tool & Mfg

AMBA Awards $10,000 in Scholarships

Chapter News

WestMichiganThe chapter held a dinner meeting and special awards pre-sentation on June 7 with guest speaker Lynne Jarman-Johnson on “Hammering Your Way to Success – Tools That Matter Most to Your Future”. During the meeting, the chapter presented its annual chapter scholarship awards to nine students.

The chapter’s 4th Annual Golf Outing will be held August 26 at the Egypt Valley Country Club. To sign up or for sponsorship information, contact Jill Finley at [email protected] or call 616.443.9574.

Back row (l-r): Sara Ransom, Tyler Keur, Sean Bannen, Kevin Finley, Steven Baas Front row (l-r): Hannah Snow, Rachel Dyer, Zach Keur, Brenden Magnan

CDM Tool President Brian Priestaf presented a $1,000 AMBA National Scholarship check to Ashley Langenecker. She is the daughter of one of CDM’s toolmakers, Harold Langenecker. Ashley is a student at the University of Wisconsin – Washington County.

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M.S.I. Mold Builders President Roger Klouda presented a $1,000 AMBA National Scholarship award to the daughter of Kent Halstead, engineering manager. Erin Halstead is a student at the University of Iowa.


Member News

M.R.Mold&EngineeringExpandsitsWorkforceM.R. Mold & Engineering’s (Brea, CA) niche in the liquid silicone medical market has sustained the company through the past several years of industry ups and downs. Today, the specialty of building tight tolerance flash-less molds has necessitated that M.R. Mold & Engineering expand its workforce to 24 employees to help handle the workload created by the volume of current projects. M.R. Mold is pleased to welcome two new people to its team: a veteran of moldmaking for the past 27 years and a moldmaking Journeyman of over eight years. These two individuals bring a wealth of knowledge and a combined 35+ years of experience to the table, enabling the company to continue to serve customers with quality and precision. M.R. Mold continues to interview qualified individuals, including apprentices, to add to its team. Visit www.mrmold.com or call Geri Anderson at 630.853.1264.

CustomMold&Design,New Hope, MN Tom Caron, VP Sales and Marketing763.535.2334 • www.custommold.netCustom Mold & Design was founded in 1965 and today occupies a state-of-the-art 22,000-square-foot facility offering a range of services and employs 60. In addition to designing and building molds for injection molding applications, Custom Mold builds molds for thermoset, rubber and metal injection molding (MIM). CMD Express is a division that provides rapid prototyping of parts, one and two-cavity prototype molds and machined components for R&D purposes. Custom Mold & Design serves the healthcare, defense and aerospace, consumer, electronics and industrial markets. The company is ISO 9001 certified and AS 9100 certified.

SourceOne, Murrieta, CATibor Nagy, President951.677.3002 • www.source-one.netSource One is an international product development company that provides a variety of services including product design and development; mold design, Mold Flow™ analysis; rapid prototyping and mold building. The company joined the AMBA to contribute to and enjoy the benefits of belonging to a professional organization in the mold manufacturing trade.

BohleMachineTools,Inc., Plymouth, MI Benjamin Lorenz, Account Manager 734.414.8220 • www.bmtbohle.comFor over 55 years, Bohle Machine Tools has worked with high-quality European machine tool manufacturers for boring, turning, multi-axis milling and other machining applications. The company provides world-class sales, project management, spare parts and service in order to build long-term growth and success with its customers. The product line now includes FOOKE ENDURA Linear Motor Drive 5-Axis milling machines.

MicroArcWeldingInc., Worcester, MA Scott Malkasian, President, Owner and “Chief Welder”508.852.6125 • www.microarcwelding.comMicro Arc Welding is a family-owned business founded in 1983 by Scott Malkasian, an accomplished moldmaker. By 1988, the company became incorporated. Today, Micro Arc Welding is an innovator in micro dimensional welding applications, providing advanced welding technologies primarily for mold manufacturers, such as micro laser welding, micro TIG welding, micro and laser fabrication.

Mold-TechMidwest, Carol Stream, ILPaul Williams, Sr. Account Manager 630.588.0400 • www.mold-tech.comMold-Tech Midwest is the Midwestern division of Mold-Tech, a company that has served the mold manufacturing industry for many years with mold texturing, engraving, laser engraving, texture repairs and prototype part texturing.

Association

AMBA Exhibits at PLASTEC Midwest

For the latest developments, technologies, products, and services affecting primary processing machinery, comput-er-aided design and manufacturing, production machinery, materials, molds and mold components, automation tech-nology and more, PLASTEC Midwest, September 20-22, McCormick Place North, Chicago, IL, is the plastic indus-try’s premier regional event. While at the show, visit the AMBA booth #1879 to get the latest news on events, such as the next Plant Tour Workshop coming up this fall, and to pick up your copy of the 2011 AMBA Sourcebook and the latest issue of The American Mold Builder.

Welcome New Members & Partners

35www.amba.org

TakeAdvantageofYourYRCShippingDiscountsAMBA members can lower costs and increase margins when they ship with YRC, the heavyweight expert with the most comprehensive network. As a benefit of AMBA member-ship, members receive a 70 percent discount on qualifying less-than-truckload (LTL) shipments. YRC offers flexible, efficient solutions, including comprehensive domestic and North American coverage with a full suite of guaranteed, expedited, exhibit and custom services. More customers rely on YRC than any other provider. Take advantage of YRC discounts today by contacting the AMBA associa-tion benefits coordinator at 800.647.3061 or [email protected]. AMBA members can enroll in the program at www.enrollhere.net.

UnbeatableValueandServicewithOfficeMaxFor more than 40 years, Of-ficeMax has been provid-ing the cost savings, time savings, selection and personalized customer service that makes life simpler by putting a relentless focus on its cus-tomers’ needs. AMBA and OfficeMax have put together a special agreement that offers AMBA members signifi-cant savings on more than 12,000 office products. Mem-bers even have access to OfficeMax ImPress™, the perfect partner for all print and document needs – from training manuals to marketing materials to sales presentations – and more! Whether choosing delivery to the office or pur-chase products at a local OfficeMax retail location, AMBA members can expect world-class service from OfficeMax. For additional information, call 800.647.3061 or email [email protected] and start saving today.

DiscoverGrainger’sComprehensiveDiscountProgramAMBA’s newest member discount program is with W.W. Grainger. Because all moldmaking operations utilize consumable products (safety, health, sanitation, etc.) and industrial items (motors, lighting, grease, oil, material handling, elec-trical, etc.) and mechanical repair parts, AMBA has initiat-ed an aggregate buying affinity program which will allow for significant savings for participating AMBA members on the following: • Real-time pricing and availability on over 290,000 products on Grainger.com • Free shipping on all orders • Special pricing on tools and motors • Sourcing of products beyond the catalog • Repair parts are available for many products • 1,700 specially selected items – customized and discounted for the AMBA• Ability to save time and money by consolidating spend

Visit www.amba.org and login to “My AMBA” to view a complete listing of 1,700 specially selected items dis-counted for AMBA members.

Free Webinar in AugustTurning Over the Maintenance Rock to Uncover a New Revenue Stream Wednesday, August 17, 2011 - 12 Noon CST

AMBA Discount Affinity Programs

Follow this QR Code to see information on

Grainger's program.

Hosted by the AMBA, ToolingDocs Global Training Manager Randy Winton will present a free webinar titled “Turning Over the Maintenance Rock to Uncover a New Revenue Stream”. Mold maintenance is one of the last places companies look to streamline operations and bolster

their bottom line. Joined by Tom Caron of Custom Mold & Design, ToolingDocs’ first Certified Maintenance Provider, Winton will discuss how mold shops trained and certified in systemized mold maintenance can create new opportunities for revenue generation in today’s competitive marketplace.

• Learn about maintenance provider certification, the process and what is being certified• Learn the benefits of being a certified provider of mold maintenance services including increased revenues• Find out about resources that are available to help get this service communicated to the market• Hear a testimonial from fellow AMBA member company Custom Mold & Design

Register online at www.amba.org.■


Strategies

The Advantages of Independent Quality System Certification

By Dan Brown, Lead Auditor and 13485 Registration Services Manager, EAGLE Registrations Inc.

The ISO 9001:2008 standard is built around a model of quality management based on eight principles:

• Customer Focus• Leadership• Involvement of People• Process Approach• System Approach to Management• Continual Improvement• Factual Approach to Decision Making• Mutually Beneficial Supplier Relationships

It is well understood in today’s market that every company must have a quality system in order to survive. Companies that lack a formal process to verify product conformity prior to shipment do not last long. ISO 9001 provides a reliable, proven structure for such a system. That said, why must companies invest hard dollars in having someone else come in to certify that system? Isn’t being compliant enough? After all, the external auditor doesn’t know your company, your customers or your unique problems, so from where does the value or return on investment come?

The reality is that there are few new or unique problems under the sun – just different twists on the same problems. An experienced auditor understands these problems and looks to discern how your company is addressing them. Does your management system identify your problems and correct them (Continual Improvement)? Are you allocating resources and addressing concerns based upon facts and data (Factual Approach to Decision Making)? Are you comparing relative risks and addressing the real threats first (System Approach to Management)? When problems arise and are corrected, are you looking to determine where else in your company similar conditions exist and fix those as well (Process Approach)? The experienced auditor looks for these and other issues and provides you with “Findings” and/or “Opportunities” where the answers are “NO”. Addressing these concerns is where your return on investment comes!

The Certification Body (CB) is another set of eyes. These eyes (and mind) are independent of your people, providing an unbiased evaluation. As human beings, we not only make mistakes but we take these mistakes and, at times, turn them into everyday practices. As a CB, this becomes

a process audit, not an inspection. The benefit of a process audit can include the following:

• A firm evaluation of the supplier’s process • Understanding of employee roles and responsibilities

through on-site interviews with staff • Commitment from top management to the process and

the measures/metrics through meetings • Increased accountability – ensuring accurate follow-

through • Established goals for customer service and a process

for measuring them

According to the IAF-ISO Joint Communiqué on Expected Outcomes for Accredited Certification to ISO 9001, “an organization with a certified quality management system consistently provides products that meet customer and applicable statutory and regulatory requirements, and aims to enhance customer satisfaction.” While we can all point to examples where this is not true, the reality is that there are many controls in the certification process to minimize these exceptions. When you select an accredited registrar, the IAF-ISO Organization provides oversight to the American National Accreditation Board (ANAB), or other Accreditation Bodies (AB) like ANSI or IAOB who provide oversight to the CB, who provides oversight to the certified companies, whose internal auditors provide additional oversight. The flow chart on page 37 shows you the “oversight” that flows down from the ISO Standard involved with the IAF/ISO Independent Oversight.

Therefore, it fails logic to blame occasional lapses in certified competitors as the reason not to certify one’s own system all the while continuing to lose market share to them. If the marketplace demands that you be certified, make it to your advantage by not merely becoming certified, but also make the system your Business Management System. Refuse to accept a “piece of paper on the wall.” Make your system real by putting your authority behind the internal efforts and support your quality manager. Large organizations need this level of assurance to prevent management from becoming disconnected with daily operations. Small organizations need this level of assurance to drive forward its strategic plans.

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page 38 u

ISO/IEC 17021, ISO/IEC Guide 65,ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 22000,Conformity Assessment Bodies &

Product Certifiers

ANSI/ASQ National AccreditationBoard/ACLASS; A2LA; UKAS

ANSI/ASQ National AccreditationBoard/ANAB; RvA; UKAS; ANSI;

IAOB

ISO

ILAC IAF

ISO/IEC 17025, ISO/IEC 17020Testing & Calibration & Inspection

Bodies

LaboratoriesEAGLE Food Registrations Inc.,EAGLE Registrations Inc., NQA,

IAPMO


Strategies

By focusing our quality efforts on meeting customer needs, we establish a model for growth (Customer Focus). No one wants to be told anymore that you can “have any color you want, as long as it’s black!” By listening to our customers’ needs, and actively – even proactively – addressing them, we have delighted customers that keep coming back. By recording our past failures and responding to them we can assure that we do not repeat past mistakes even after the key participants have left our company. By trending types of problems we can predict future problems and address them before they occur.

Further, a focus on quality provides verified improvements throughout the company. A study conducted in January 2010 of 1,000 ISO 9001-certified companies by the Harvard Business School showed some remarkable results:

• Significant reduction in occupational injuries and deaths versus non-certified companies

• Higher sales rates due to customer’s positive perceptions of their quality

• Improved system documentation, speeding the learning/training curve for new employees

• Improved skills among the management staff, including cost reduction which directly translated into improved corporate earning

• Improved workforce efficiency due to identification and correction of poor work practices

In addition, a recent study by the Independent Association of Accredited Registrars (IAAR) determined that 84 percent of respondents had a measurable return on their investment in their quality system. In fact, an impressive 11 percent saw returns of over 20 percent in fewer than 18 months. This beats bank rates any day!

So what happened with the 16 percent that failed to see a return on investment? These are the companies that view certification as the end game and not a process for continuous growth and improvement. The adage “you get out what you put in” comes into play. You make the difference, not your customer, not even your employees. You must lead by example and inspire commitment by all by your actions more than your words (Leadership) and successful companies understand this. Once you have inspired active participation by your staff, get out of the way and allow them the opportunity to succeed. Grant your team the authority to do the job right the first time and back up their decisions (Involvement of People). You will be amazed at the results.

Another under-appreciated aspect of business is the value of your supply chain. You know that you can’t build a quality product without quality components. You know that you are upset when your customers are too busy telling you what to do instead of listening to your suggestions for improvements. So why not treat your suppliers the way you wish your customers would treat you (Mutually Beneficial Supplier Relationships)? You depend on your suppliers: clearly communicate your needs to them and listen to their suggestions on better ways of meeting those needs.

By building such quality systems, certified companies have seen many gains – even in a down economy. Again, the IAAR survey indicated that 55 percent saw gains in customer satisfaction; 38 percent saw improved competitive advantages, 11 percent saw increased market share; 37 percent saw increased efficiency and 9 percent even saw improved employee morale.

Must you certify your quality system? If your customers do not require certification, then you can always choose to save these costs. But relative to the implementation costs, certification is a very small expense for the external validation of your efforts. Be proud to share that certificate with your customers. Make certain that the certificate bears the mark of an independent accrediting agency such as ANAB for assurance that it is being held to higher standards than you. Look for a registrar that knows your business. Check the credentials and experience of your auditor. History, research and audit data provide proof that certified companies realize positive, measurable results across the entire organization. The fact is, using a CB with oversight by an independent AB gives you better results with your business plan and a more robust system than uncertified companies. ■

Dan Brown is a lead auditor and 13485 registration services manager for EAGLE Registrations Inc. of Dayton, OH. He also is president of DB Performance Solutions, LLC, a qual-ity management consulting company. He is active in the Chi-cago Section of the American Society for Quality (ASQ) and has led ISO 9001 and Quality Training for nearly twenty years. EAGLE Registrations Inc. and EAGLE Food Reg-istrations Inc. is a CB headquartered in Dayton, OH, that does only Third-Party Conformity Assessment Audits by In-dependent Oversight Bodies, ANAB, ANSI and IAOB, SQFI and FSSC22000, related to the aerospace, automotive, envi-ronmental, food and sustainability industries, to name a few. For more information, contact Dan Brown at 800.795.3641 or visit www.eagleregistrations.com.

t page 37

39www.amba.org

Is it Time to Upgrade Your Financial Talent?

By Michael Bohning, Principal, HSMC Consulting

As your company grows, so does the financial complexity and

need for professional expertise. Consider the fol-lowing scenario: you started out handling your

small businesses finances at the kitchen table in the eve-nings. As your company grew, you hired a part-time book-keeper, who eventually became full-time, then found an accountant to handle the taxes and more complex issues. Your company has continued to grow and the time has come to consider the next step to manage not only your current financial challenges, but also help plan for future growth.

ReadthesignsYour business can more than likely limp along for a period of time with limited internal financial help. As your busi-ness continues to grow and financial needs become more frequent and complex, however, you’re going to have to consider how to address an under-powered financial depart-ment. Typical triggers that may signal a need for additional financial help include the following:

• Sudden growth in your business• Increased regulatory reporting requirements• Difficulties forecasting and managing cash flow requirements• Internally prepared financial statements that are often late and inaccurate• Weak internal controls and lack of standardized processes• Lack of financial or capital budgeting• Major monthly swings in profitability• Too much or too little inventory• Unproductive fixed assets• Little or no financial support in business planning activities

HireinternallyorfindaCFO“Lite”Growth-minded small business owners need more than just someone to handle the day-to-day finances, they need someone to help set strategic financial direction and guide the company toward those goals. Small business owners have two choices to beef up financial support: upgrade the current team by hiring new talent, or consider contracting with an outside CFO or controllership service.

The advantage of hiring someone is that you have a dedicated resource available to help you manage and grow your business. The disadvantage is that hiring an

experienced controller comes with a price tag (salary package of $65-$75,000). Candidates for an internal controller position should have the following characteristics:

• Four-year accounting degree• Financial reporting and analysis experience• Industry experience• Knowledge of accounting software• Supervisory experience• Good written and oral communication skills

If you think that adding a controller is not economically feasible, or you’re just not ready to do it, consider hiring outside expertise—a CFO “lite”.

Many accounting firms offer outsourced controller/CFO services on a fee-for-service or monthly retainer basis. The advantage here is the scope of work and fees are scalable, depending on your situation. You’ll work with a professional who can help you with payroll processing, cash management, monthly financial reporting and analysis. Firms with more experienced staff can assist business owners with complex issues and provide in-depth business advice.

The other advantage to the CFO lite solution is that you’re working with a professional who has experience with best practices in other small businesses. Chances also are good that you will have access to additional professionals in tax, consulting and audit, should you need those services later.

Hiring an outsourced controller or CFO service is similar to hiring an internal professional, in that you should choose a candidate who has good listening and communication skills, strategic thinking, problem-solving experience, honesty and a “can-do” attitude. Ask for client references of other small businesses to get feedback on the performance of the person and the firm. ■

Michael Bohning is principal at HSMC Consulting, which provides management consulting services to owners of small and mid-sized businesses looking to grow the value of their companies. For more information, call 816.525.9699 or email [email protected].

Reprinted with permission, Thinking Bigger Business magazine, Vol. 20// Issue 05 // May 2011, © 2011 Thinking Bigger Business Media, Inc.


industryDMS North America Announces DMS ASIA

DMS North America, with head offices, distribution and assembly operations in Oldcastle, Ontario, as well as Taunton, MA, Schaumburg, IL and Fountain Valley, CA, has added DMS ASIA to its group of companies. DMS is a wholly owned North American supplier of standard and custom mold components and related accessories to the moldmaking, molding and diecasting industries. DMS has supplied these industries for over 50 years.

In 2009 Dave Belleperche purchased the DMS North American operations with the intent to increase market share and begin reaching out to supply a growing glob-al market. “We have been adding new products monthly since mid-2009 and now it’s time to look at supplying these products outside of our current market territory,” said Bel-leperche. “I visited Hong Kong and the Chinaplast Show in Shanghai, as well as various plastics-related companies in Southern China last April, and came to the conclusion that DMS should be offering our products and services to the Asian markets.”

The new venture has opened offices in Hong Kong with ini-tial warehouse distribution in Dongguan, Guangdong, PRC.

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Xact Wire EDM Expands Capacity and Quality System

Xact Wire EDM Corporation, one of the largest wire EDM facilities in the United States, with locations in Waukesha, WI, and Cary, IL, is growing to serve its customers with added capacity and an elevation of its quality system. The company has recently installed an additional five Sodick AG400L wire EDM machines and is pursuing AS:9100 certification.

The additional machines bring the total at Xact to 43 EDMs and will allow Xact Wire EDM Corporation to continue to give its client base competitive delivery times. The AS:9100 certification will allow the company to further its service to the aerospace industry. Established in 1984, Xact Wire EDM Corporation combines people and technology to provide precision wire EDM machining services to its customers in the aerospace, medical, defense, energy, packaging, tool, die and machining industries. For more information, visit www.xactedm.com.

41www.amba.org

(Pacific Master), was named Mold Maker of the Year. He has been working in the moldmaking and molding industry in Asia for over 30 years. Jay Shoemaker, product design engineer at Autodesk, Inc., was named Mold Designer of the Year. He has spent 27 years as a project engineer, customer support engineer, trainer, training material developer and product designer for Moldflow and now Autodesk.

The Mold Maker and Mold Designer of the Year awards are given annually and they are sponsored by DME Company and Progressive Components respectively. Each honoree is awarded a $500 scholarship to give to the technical school of his choice. Criteria for the awards includes contributions to the industry or society, strong technical experience and possessing a reputation for conducting business in a fair and honest manner. Individuals are nominated by industry colleagues. For more information about the SPE technical division or its awards and programs, visit www.4spe.org/technical-groups/information.

Brush Engineered Materials Inc. Now Materion Corporation

Brush Engineered Materi-als Inc., Mayfield Heights, OH, announced that it has officially changed its name to Materion Corporation and unified all of its busi-

nesses under the new Materion brand. The company’s com-mon stock will continue to trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the new symbol MTRN. “We have a high-er-value business model today in terms of our growth poten-tial, margins, cash flow, balance sheet and capital structure,” said Richard J. Hipple, chairman, president and CEO.

Concurrent with the announcement, the company intro-duced its new logo and launched a new website at www.materion.com. “The unification of our businesses as Materion is more than a name change. It also represents a strategic commitment to go to market as one company and more closely align our global structure with the needs of our customers.” The company has transformed over recent years into a leaner, faster-growing, more diversified and less cyclical enterprise. For more information, visit www.materion.com. ■

Real-Time Solutions at PLASTEC Midwest

For the latest developments, technologies, products, and services affecting primary processing machinery, computer-aided design and manufacturing, production machinery, materials, molds, mold components, automation technology and more, PLASTEC Midwest, September 20-22, McCormick Place North, Chicago, IL, is the plastic industry’s premier regional event.

PLASTEC Midwest provides attendees the opportunity to talk with suppliers that understand their industry and are ready to discuss product specifications, design and process challenges. From primary processing machinery, auxiliary equipment, molds and mold components, materials, automation technology, CAD/CAM prototyping and so much more, PLASTEC Midwest provides solutions for manufacturers in every industry.

In addition to a wide array of products and services on display over the three-day event, Innovation Briefs (complimentary with admission, located right in the resource hall), presents the newest industry tools, technologies and fresh ideas to help attendees accelerate their projects to the next level. Delivered by industry experts, these concise and informative presentations take place all three days and cover a wide range of topics. For more information on PLASTEC Midwest, registration or exhibiting, visit www.plastecmidwest.com.

While at PLASTEC Midwest, visit the AMBA booth #1879 for the 2011 AMBA Sourcebook and the latest issue of The American Mold Builder.

SPE Mold Maker & Mold Designer of the Year Winners Announced

The Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) Mold Making and Mold Design Division announced this year’s recipients of its prestigious Mold Maker and Mold Designer of the Year awards. Mr. S.Y. Chu, founder and chairman of Pacific Master Precision Injection Ltd.


inside Track

So many times I receive calls from employers who need to know what to do and how to handle an employment ‘issue’. This article will address the necessity of developing employment policies so that you are protected legally; and also explain why establishing procedures that ensure consistency is so very important. Depending on your size, your customers and whether or not you are a union shop, you are probably covered by a minimum of 28 federal labor laws and 10 (or more) state labor laws. These labor laws govern many ‘issues’ from how you hire an employee to how you conduct layoffs or terminations and everything in-between.

Recently, I received a call from a client who had to conduct a layoff. This client was under the impression that he needed to use seniority as his indicator in deciding who would go and who would stay. His shop was not a union shop so no employment contact governed how a layoff would be conducted. Because he had never laid-off staff before, he did not have a policy or procedure developed. The bottom line, he could use a variety of indicators so long as they were applied equally. Had his shop employed 100 or more employees, federal law may have governed how the layoff should occur. Another call asked what to do about an employee who had been absent for several months. Even though the company had more than 50 employees, the extended absence more than satisfied FMLA (Family & Medical Leave Act) requirements. Bottom line, he could terminate the employment relationship and take steps to protect the company from future law suits.

In both of these instances, the company had no policy detailing what would happen in the given situation. Because no policy was developed, the employee, the supervisor and even the owner had no roadmap to guide in the decision-making process. No laws had been considered so no one knew what was legal, what to do or what to expect.

Employers often want to be the ‘nice guy’ and offer benefits or extend rights that are not normally offered. Keeping an

employee on the group health plan instead of COBRA during an extended absence is a common practice. What happens though, if the employee does not return to work… ever? When is that employment relationship severed? How or will you recoup the insurance premiums? What about COBRA now? What will the insurance carrier say? Will it deny claims because the minimum hours requirement was not been met? Will the ‘nice guy’ attitude ultimately cost the former employee rights under the portability portion of HIPAA? Will the employer end up paying for denied hospital bills? Even if the employee does return to work, will you or how will you recoup insurance premiums?

Does the employee know this up front? If not, how will he/she take news? Will the decision turn a positive employee into a sour apple?

Developing procedures and policies and then communicating them to

your employees will help you avoid these problems and a host of others. Policies help you in a variety of ways. Below are some of the benefits of policy development and an explanation of each.

Identify how the company will act in unusual circumstancesMost problems occur when a company is faced with an employment issue that is not common. The company does not know how to handle the issue because it never, or rarely, has come up before. Believe me, if you have not faced the issue before, you must understand that the way you decide to handle it in this instance basically creates the policy for the future – whether it is written down or not. This is because of discrimination laws that ensure fair treatment for all employees in like situations. So beware when making a decision – what you decide to do in the situation today will govern how you handle a similar situation in the future. You may not remember how you handled something 2, 3 or 4 years ago but your employees will! If the affected employee feels as though he/she is being treated unfairly, and that employee is in a protected class, a call to the Illinois Department of Human Rights or the EEOC could come next. (A ‘protected class’ includes everyone except healthy white males under the age of 40!)

The Pros and Pros of Developing Employment Policies

By Karla Dobbeck, PHR, Human Resource Techniques, Inc.

Policies can give your supervisors and managers justification for their actions while allowing wiggle room

at the same time.

43www.amba.org

Offer a roadmap for supervisors, managers and employeesPolicies can give your supervisors and managers justification for their actions while allowing wiggle room at the same time. Using words like ‘generally’, ‘usually’ and ‘may’ are much better than ‘always’, ‘never’ and ‘will’. How work is scheduled, how performance is managed, and what is considered for promotions, layoffs, terminations can be identified so no one is surprised. The last thing you need to hear from an employee during a termination meeting is that he/she did not know or understand that his/her actions were not acceptable and how the actions may lead to termination.

The employee needs to know what to do also. How and when to request time off, how to report an accident or who to go to with a harassment complaint are common issues employees face. When the employee knows what to do, you will not be surprised either.

Communicatelegalresponsibilities

There are many legal obligations employers have. Some of them include how you pay employees, what records you keep, handling reports of discrimination or harassment, how you manage performance, mandatory training, OSHA, etc. The information age is here and your employees know what your obligations are even if you do not. It is far better to learn about your obligation first and write them down so that your employees know that you are aware of your responsibilities and are complying with the law. If your employee perceives that you are trying to avoid some law that protects him, he will look for more infractions and might even develop that all too famous ‘bad attitude’. When the time comes to discipline or terminate, what you don’t know might come back to haunt you. Better to learn, be up front and comply with obligations to avoid bigger problems later.

Employees have legal obligations too. Many of the OSHA laws, wage and hour laws and harassment laws require employee compliance, as do others. It is best that your policy clearly spell out those obligations to your employees so they are clear as to why the company insists on certain behavior in certain situations.

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Clarifywhatemployeesshouldexpect

What will happen if… an employee is on extended leave, an employee forgets to clock in or out, an employee forgets to call in, an employee is laid-off, an employee needs a personal day off, an employee needs a payroll advance, an employee wants to take a class, an employee wishes to review his/her file, an employee wants to change shifts/jobs? These are just a few of the procedural questions you need to address so that when the question arises, the answer is there. What steps you take in a myriad of situations should be clearly communicated for two reasons. One ensures that you are fair in your treatment in similar situations and the other allows the employee to know up front how the company will handle a request or situation.

Setexpectations

Expectations clearly define what you, as an employer, expect from each employee. What to do in an emergency, safety expectations, attendance, dress code, customer visits, using and returning company property, reporting discrimination or harassment, making/receiving phone calls - the list goes on and on. If your employees know where the target is, they are much more capable of hitting it! As with other policies and procedures, if a problem arises, you can point directly to an expectation when developing an improvement plan. In addition, the law mandates some of these expectations be set in stone such as working safely, taking meal breaks, reporting harassment and discrimination.

Describebenefitprograms

Whether you have many employees or just a few, as the economy continues to grow, you will be faced with finding ways to attract top performers while retaining those employees who serve you well. Describing your benefit programs will help you do just that. By including legally mandated benefits such as jury duty leave, military leave, time off to vote, matching social security contributions, unemployment and workers’ comp insurance, you will enhance your list benefits listing.

Describing benefit programs also ensures that employees will understand how to go about getting the benefit. Does

The information age is here and your employees know what your obligations are even if you do not.

44 the american MOld Builder Summer 2011DW Sales

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45www.amba.org

your employee need to give you advance notice to schedule a vacation day, what will happen to unused vacation at the end of the vacation year, how to get a vacation check early, how to tap into tuition reimbursement funds, and how holiday pay works are all issues that can be clearly defined before the event so no surprises arise afterwards.

Although you will never be able to develop policies for every possible issue, most that you face have been faced by others and by identifying responsi-bilities, expectations and the consequences of not following policy and procedures, you will go far in improving communication and ensur-ing legally sound employment practices. As you begin to develop your policies, remember that you are, in effect, setting precedent so be prepared to follow what you say

and apply the practices fairly. Try to avoid a list of things to ‘not do’ and replace them with a list of things ‘to do’. It is much easier to point to a missed expectation than trying to develop a list of all possible infractions. ■

Karla Dobbeck, PHR, is president of Human Resource Techniques, Inc., which has been providing HR assistance to small – medium employers since 1997. Services include recruitment and selection strategies, new employee integrating and customized

job training, policy and handbook development, employee and supervisory training, employment law compliance, loss prevention and performance management. For more information, call Karla Dobbeck at 847.289.4504, email [email protected] or visit www.hrtechniques.biz.

Employers often want to be the ‘nice guy’ and offer benefits

or extend rights that are not normally offered.


AuGuSTFREE AMBA Webinar: Turning Over the Maintenance Rock to Uncover a New Revenue Stream, August 17, 847.222.9402, www.amba.org

West Michigan Chapter Golf Outing, August 26, Egypt Valley Country Club, Ada, MI, 616.443.9574

SePTeMBerPLASTEC Midwest/MD&M Midwest, September 20-22, Chicago, IL, 310.445.4200, www.plastecmidwest.com

Pack Expo Las Vegas 2011, September 26-28, Las Vegas, NV, 866.ASK.PMMI, www.packexpo.com

OCTOBerMAPP Benchmarking Conference, October 27-28, Indianapolis, IN, 317.913.2440, www.mappinc.com

NOVeMBer2nd Annual American Manufacturing Strategies Summit, November 7-8, Chicago IL, www.manufacturing-summit.com

AMBA Plant Tour Workshop, November 10, Industrial Mold & Machine, Twinsburg, OH, 847.222.9402, www.amba.org

EuroMold 2011 November 30 - December 3, Frankfurt/Main, Germany, www.euromold.com

MAY 20122012 AMBA Convention, May 16-18, 2012, Amway Grand Hotel, Grand Rapids, MI, 847.222.9402www.amba.org

Ad indexA. Finkl & Sons Co. ....................................................www.finkl.com .........................................................................37 AMBA.........................................................................www.amba.org ....................................................................13, 45Boride ..........................................................................www.borideabrasives.com ........................................................26Creative Technology ...................................................www.creat.com ..........................................................................25Crystallume Engineered Diamond ..............................www.crystallume.com ...............................................................24DME Company ...........................................................www.dme.net .............................................................................40DMS ............................................................................www.dmscomponents.com........................................................23D.W. Sales .................................................................. email: [email protected] ...................................................44Dynamic Surface Technologies ..................................www.dynablue.com ........................................ Inside Front CoverEllwood Specialty Steel ..............................................www.ess.elwd.com ....................................................................31Erowa Technology, Inc. ..............................................www.erowatech.com .................................................................28Ezell Precision Tool ....................................................www.ezellprecision.com .............................................................9First American Payment Systems ...............................www.first-american.net .............................................................19Haas Automation, Inc. ................................................www.HaasCNC.com ...................................................................5Incoe Corporation .......................................................www.incoe.com .........................................................................21M & M Tooling ...........................................................www.MMTOOLING.com .........................................................15Makino ........................................................................www.makino.com............................................Inside Back CoverMillstar, LLC ..............................................................www.millstar.com .....................................................................29PLASTEC Midwest ....................................................www.PLASTECMidwest.com ..................................................32Progressive Components .............................................www.procomps.com ...................................................Back CoverRocklin Manufacturing Co. ........................................www.rocklinmanufacturingco.com ...........................................20Ultra Polishing Inc. .....................................................www.ultrapolishing.com ...........................................................15Wisconsin Engraving Co. Inc. / Unitex ......................www.wi-engraving.com ............................................................23

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Documents

2011 The American Mold Builder - Summer