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Minnesota moldmaker--and MMT advisory board member shop--VistaTek is excited about its future as it purchases a new headquarters facility to help with its expansion, bringing in more equipment and offering many job opportunities.

They officially closed their Stillwater site yesterday and plan to start the remodeling on Monday.  They signed on with J&J Remodelers for the build out.  They are scheduled to move in July and will not experience any downtime, according to VistaTek Managing Director Dan Mishek. They are hoping to host an open house in early October.

Currently they have the following job openings:

• Process Technician for Injection Molding
• CNC / Toolroom Machinist
• CNC Programmer
• Injection Moldmaker - Full Time
• Quality Assistant/Inspector - Knowledge of injection molding, ISO, UL & ITAR Requirements
• Tooling/Injection Molding Sales Representative
• Operations Manager
• Injection Molding Press Operator

Founded in 1996, VistaTek® is a second generation, family-owned manufacturing company. The company started off in rapid prototyping with one machine and zero customers. Since then, VistaTek evolved into a U.S. custom manufacturer with in-house capabilities including moldmaking, injection molding and secondary operations.

Come hear VistaTek speak on Putting Focus on Where Customers Are Creating Demand and Excelling in that Area at amerimold expo on June 12 for the Evolving from a Mold Shop to a Mold Manufacturer Panel at 3:15pm.

VistaTek is a U.S. custom manufacturer who does moldmaking and injection molding along with secondary operations (decorating, packaging, and assembly) all in-house. The benefit of having moldmaking and injection molding all in-house gives customers the advantage of getting their quality products to market fast, efficiently and inexpensively. Dan will share the secret to their growth from a moldmaker to a mold manufacturer—by embracing marketing, social media, tracking trends(e.g., reshoring, packaging and decorating) and fulfilling a needed gap of time.  

Register Today!

For the third time in the past four months, the total monthly output of U.S. manufacturers declined. According to data released by the Federal Reserve Board this morning, total U.S. industrial production fell by 0.5% in April. The output for the manufacturing sector slipped 0.4%. This was the result of a drop of 0.6% in durable goods production and a decline of 0.1% in the production of nondurable goods. The bellwether motor vehicle segment declined 1.3%. So output from U.S. factories remains on a trend of gradual weakening. The manufacturing sector had been a source of growth in the overall U.S. GDP data in recent quarters, but it looks like it will be a drag on growth in the second quarter of this year.

The sluggishness in the manufacturing sector is not a total surprise. Foreign demand for U.S. exports remains soft, and most manufacturers have reduced inventory levels in anticipation of stalled consumer demand this summer. The good news is that export demand is not expected to fall much further and consumer spending will gradually increase as the year progresses. Thus, factory output will slowly ramp up in the second half of this year. A more rapid acceleration is in the forecast for 2014.

The two best indicators of future manufacturing activity in the U.S. continue to be the trends in the employment data and the residential construction data. The trend in U.S. housing starts is in a well-established recovery, and this will spur economic growth in all sectors of the economy. Economic analysis indicates that for every one dollar spent in the construction sector a total of six dollars of economic activity is generated. This will drive the employment figures higher, which in turn will result in a rise in household incomes and consumer spending. And that is the recipe for stronger factory output and increasing demand for new molds and tooling.

 

The AMBA Board has approved the development of a modern Apprenticeship template for CNC Machinists and Moldmakers.  The template will be developed in conjunction with standardized testing for CNC Machinists and Moldmakers.  The apprenticeship template and standardized tests will be invaluable tools that will be needed to safeguard the integrity of the knowledge and skills necessary to work in the moldmaking industry.  

To develop the template and tests, the AMBA has hired a consultant, Dr. Kitty Manley from Ferris State University in Big Rapids, MI, to perform a process called a DACUM.  This process requires six to 10 industry experts from each subject area (CNC & Moldmaking) to work with Dr. Manley in establishing the core knowledge and skills.  This will be a three-day process held during the week's listed below:
 

Week of June 24th - CNC Machinists

Week of July 8th - Moldmakers
 

The AMBA needs six to10 expert CNC Machinists and six to 10 expert Moldmakers from regionally and industrially diverse moldmaking companies to go to Grand Rapids, MI, during the week's listed above to contribute to the development of this standard. 

If you would like to send one of your top CNC Machinists or Moldmakers to contribute to setting the industry's new skill standard, please contact one of the people below.
 

Andy Baker
Byrne Tool & Design
bakera@byrne-tool.com
 

Robbie Earnhardt
Superior Tooling
rearnhardt@sti-nc.com

Ryan Pohl
Expert Tech
ryan.pohl@expert-technical.com