2014 Leadtime Leader Award Winners Recognized at amerimold

Before we kicked off our annual casino-themed networking party, we took a few minutes to recognize and honor the hard work and dedication of those who make up the moldmaking industry we serve by presenting the winners of MoldMaking Technology’s 12th Annual Leadtime Leader Awards.

These Awards were designed to recognize outstanding North American moldmaking shops and their ability to succeed. Winners were chosen based on their performance in leadtime, sales growth, technology usage, business strategies, education/training initiatives and customer service.

Both of this year’s Leadtime Leaders stand out for their investments in continuous improvement, efforts in workforce development and passion for their people. However, each shop also has a unique story to tell … which are beautifully told in the video feature created by Creative Technology and our June issue feature stories by Senior Editor Matt Danford.

This award is sponsored by Progressive Components. As a supplier of tooling components to this industry, Progressive understands the importance of innovation and the need to speed mold manufacturing, so they are pleased to once again sponsor this annual Award.

MoldMaking Technology and Progressive extend their sincere congratulations to this year’s honorees.

The 2014 Honorable Mention title goes to:

Aalbers Tool and Mold Inc. of Ontario, Canada

Aalbers earned this mention because of its slow and steady growth philosophy, the latest in technology, control and track systems, components standardization, a focus on environmental responsibility, a move to inlay cloth tooling, a new business development hire, monthly innovation and improvement meetings, a team mentality, training seminars for employee advancement, and a “promote from within” philosophy.

Accepting the Award was owner Gary Aalbers, president Toni Hansen, and Chris Gorham and Doug Thompson both in technical sales.

And our 2014 Leadtime Leader Winner is:

Westminster Tool of Plainfield, Connecticut

A few highlights attributing to its win include: a new technology center, a move into aerospace work, the addition of “from concept to production” services, daily/weekly production meetings, strategic supplier partnerships, a palletization program, lights-out manufacturing, value stream mapping, a lean culture, the addition of a marketing department, the Eastern Advanced Manufacturing Alliance to help direct curricula for the future of manufacturing, a five-year/$500,000 cross-training investment, and a focus on employee empowerment and work-life balance.

Accepting the Award were president Ray Coombs, marketing coordinator Kylee Carbone and VP of Business Development & Marketing Mark Ypsilantis.