Editor's Note - Thinking Outside the Shop

EDITOR'SNOTE

Thinking Outside the Shop

By Christina M. Fuges

MMTTOOLS

Close to 2,000 of you thought outside the shop and came out of your shops this past April 18th and 19th to attend the ninth annual MoldMaking Expo in Rosemont, IL.

Attending moldmakers, designers, molders and OEMs walked the show floor and sat in on our technical conference sessions seeking better products, equipment, services and knowledge to bring back to their shops. Many told me they came away learning that they can compete as long as they improve their management skills and strengthen their specialties through proper technology and strategy implementation.

During the show many of you also voiced to me how reminiscent this show was of our 1999 and 2000 Expos … “when times were good for everyone in the industry.” Most of you went on to say there was a general sense of optimism within the industry and a renewed passion for the trade again—uplifting comments to hear, which fall in line with our attendance numbers this year.

Really Thinking Outside the Box

Girls Get S.M.A.R.T. with New Summer Manufacturing and Robotics Training

The Fabricators & Manufacturers Association Foundation and John Ratzenberger’s Nuts, Bolts and Thingamajigs Foundation have partnered with Ulster BOCES Career and Technical Center in NY to offer an innovative Trading Places summer camp to encourage young girls to explore careers in the manufacturing and metalforming industry. Summer schedule is July 16- 20, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. For more details visit www.workforcenewyork.org, www.ulsterboces.org or call (845) 331-6680.

Bill Wood’s Mold Business Index presented during the Expo also was heartening because it predicted that our sector of manufacturing was performing better and should continue an upward climb in the next few years. This month’s Mold Business Index (page 12) echoes these sentiments in terms of an elevated Future Expectations level and a continuing forecast of noticeable improvement in business conditions during the second half of this year.

For full post-show highlights check out the coverage on pages 54 to 59. I hope it provides a good snapshot of the event’s exhibits, conference and networking opportunities; conveys the value of such industry events; and, motivates you to attend next year’s event, which will take place April 23rd and 24th as we return to Rock Financial Showplace in Novi, MI for MoldMaking Technology’s 10th Anniversary.

Issue Must Read:

A Shop to Watch
Canon Virginia, Inc.—a subsidiary of Canon Inc. and Canon U.S.A. that was incorporated in 1985 as an assembly plant for Canon copiers—has built its own molds in the U.S. for in-house use for the past three years and recently decided to build plastic injection molds for outside customers in the consumer electronics, outdoor power equipment and packaging closures industries. The company offers turnkey operations—mold design and build, mold sampling and full assembly. Learn how they do it here.

As you mark this event on your 2008 calendar, also take note that I am in the midst of developing next year’s conference program already and I encourage you to share with me the topics you want discussed, and I will do my best to make them part of the program. Please contact me with your ideas. You can reach me at (800) 579-8809 or via e-mail at cfuges@gardnerweb.com. Or if you’re thinking outside the shop and are interested in presenting on a specific topic yourself, turn to page 62 for our Call for Speakers Presentation Submission Form or visit www.moldmakingexpo.com for online information.