Employing faster cutting/burning techniques, better cutting tools, better software in cutting path programming, better design and mold flow, and new materials is well and good, but if you don’t have a solid business strategy and a grasp of basic business principles, you will not reap the rewards of all that technology.

To continue to succeed, mold manufacturers need to focus on becoming better craftsmen and businessmen. In that vein we have dedicated a portion of our pages to business issues in addition to our technology issues for the past few years. This format also has been reflected in our annual MoldMaking Expo conference program, but this year we are going one step further with this mission by joining up with NPE 2006 to bring you a free (with exhibition registration) business development technical conference—a simple six-session program the morning of June 20th and repeated the morning of June 21st at McCormick Place in Chicago, IL.

Attendees of this triennial event also will discover a wide range of technology and solutions for their design and tooling challenges within a new North American Moldmakers Pavilion, which is jointly sponsored by SPI Moldmakers Division, AMBA and CAMM. Turn to page 66 of this issue to see our NPE Exhibitor Product Showcase, highlighting some key industry moldmaking suppliers.

The educational portion of NPE 2006 is more diverse than before, and among the NPE “firsts” at this year’s show is an extensive program on moldmaking. Any registered show visitor may attend presentations offered as part of this conference, which has 72 free presentations, organized into sessions sponsored by SPI, the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE), the Rubber Manufacturers Association (RMA), the U.S. Dept. of Commerce, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), MoldMaking Technology magazine, Recycling Today magazine, Gabriel & Associates, and Avery Plastics Consulting.

MoldMaking Technology’s program, which we hope to see you attend, includes:

• Economic and Industry Outlook for Moldmakers
  Bill Wood, Mountaintop Economics and Research, Inc.
  
  
• Strategic and Tactical Supply Chain Issues for the Toolmaker
  Don Tijunelis, DKT Engineering, Ltd.
  Richard W. Hammond, P.E., RWH Partners
  
  
• Significant Cash for Your Shop through R&D Tax Credits
  Royce Palazzo, Axiom
  
  
• Using Staff Meetings to Improve Your Bottom Line
  Jean Kroes, J H Kroes Consultants
  
  
• The Growing Importance of Forensic Engineering in Product Litigation
  Alex Sommers, University of New Haven
  
  
• Management from the Heart
  Craig Yarde, Yarde Metals, Inc.

For further details on the exhibits or technical conference visit www.npe.org/education.