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MMT Chats: 4 Keys to a Successful Mold-Building Operation: Innovation, Transparency, Accessibility and Relationship

MoldMaking Technology Editorial Director Christina Fuges chats with Steve Michon, co-owner of Zero Tolerance in Clinton Township, Michigan, about the excitement of solving problems, the benefits of showing gratitude, the real struggle with delegation and the importance of staying on top of technology.  This episode is brought to you by ISCAR with New Ideas for Machining Intelligently.

Christina Fuges
Christina Fuges
Editorial Director, MoldMaking Technology

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This episode is brought to you by ISCAR with New Ideas for Machining Intelligently.

From a knack for mechanical things and the willingness to work for free to becoming an owner and focusing on using his skillset to serve others, Steve Michon and his wife have built a mold-building business that isn’t afraid to think outside of the box with technology and process.

Here are just a few tidbits from this conversation about Zero Tolerance to whet your appetite for our full conversation:

  • Being an employee, you don't really see what it takes.
  • The excitement of new things and doing something that no one's done keeps me going.
  • It’s fulfilling when you can come up with something, design it, build it and then it solves a problem for someone.
  • Using my skill set to serve someone is what it’s all about.
  • We can make things happen quickly.
  • Our advantage is that we know technology.
  • As an owner, I struggle with wanting to help everybody that comes to me; sometimes I'm just not accessible.
  • The people side of things is a challenge without a doubt.
  • The Wall of Gratitude.
  • Being a part of creation is a beautiful thing.
  • Wire EDM and the sinker EDM machines are some of the best that I've ever used.
  • We have two presses. Having them in-house makes us a better mold builder because you can take what you're building and go into production immediately.
  • 3D printing is really a different thought process.
  • Until you get your feet wet, you're not going to know if it makes sense to have it.
  • Challenging gun frame two-cavity mold that the manifold manufacturers didn’t want to work on.
  • The business's biggest challenge is delegating more of my tasks to others.
  • Our social media strategy started five years ago after I read a book about exposing who you are but not selling. Just tell your story and show what you do.
  • We had a million views on one little cutting electrode. But our posts are not random. It's normally something I think is really interesting or I'm proud of.

For the full quick chat, watch above, and for more MMT Chats, click here.

This episode is brought to you by ISCAR with New Ideas for Machining Intelligently.

 

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