A New Generation of Moldmakers Is Here

They’re here. But, not in the creepy way that Carol Anne Freeling portrayed in the 1982 movie Poltergeist when her character is staring at the flickering light of a TV set in the dark, talking to ghosts. No, “they” are our next generation of moldmakers! They are finally here, and not just a few—there are many.

As I visited various shops over the past few years, I started to notice something that I was afraid might never happen: the average age of employees was dropping. I was starting to see both engineering and shopfloor personnel a lot younger than I expected. My first real clue that this was happening was a trip to Nypro and NyproMold in 2015 to shoot the magazine’s “MoldMaking Matters: Your Career Can Make a Difference” video that focused on a unique feeder system to attract and keep a young talent pool.

If you were to have asked me just five years ago whether I thought a younger generation would enter the moldmaking trade, I would clearly have said no.

Now, I hate to admit this, but if you were to have asked me just five years ago whether I thought that a younger generation would enter the moldmaking trade, I would clearly have said no. Keep in mind that when MoldMaking Technology started back in 1997, the average age of a moldmaker was 56. Today, a handful of shops have an average age of 28! The landscape is changing. Something is happening. All the efforts of this industry working within their communities, schools and local governments are paying off. The industry is beginning to see the new face of moldmaking.

Today, a handful of shops have an average age of 28 years old! The landscape is changing. Something is happening.

So, although we spent a decent portion of this year focused on the past in celebrating MoldMaking Technology’s 20-year anniversary, we are now committed to looking to the future, which prompted the launch of our 30-Under-30 Honors program. This special feature acknowledges that the next generation is making its move into moldmaking and, more importantly, it recognizes 30 individuals under 30 years of age who were nominated by their employers and peers because of their commitment, work ethic and passion for the industry. This feature is only our first glimpse at this new face, and we are excited for what the future holds.

If you have a 30-Under-30 candidate in mind, you can nominate that person for MoldMaking Technology’s continuing online coverage at moldmakingtechnology.com/30.