AMBA Reveals Work Capacity Tool

The American Mold Builders Association (AMBA) announces the launch of the AMBA Work Capacity Tool — an innovative resource now available to help mold manufacturers share and fill capacity when needed. Designed specifically for AMBA member shops, this online, members-only tool enables a mold builder to locate open capacity in over-capacity situations and, conversely, fill open capacity when work is needed, thereby helping to fuel sustainability and growth.

One year ago at the AMBA Conference in Grand Rapids, Michigan, a group of AMBA members started a conversation on a common struggle in their companies — the need for a means to even out the ebbs and tides in their operations. That is how the capacity tool concept was conceived, according to AMBA president Don Dumoulin of Precise Tooling Solutions.

“If we could develop a tool where individual shops could share needs or wants of machining, polishing and EDM — all of the things it takes to make a tool in today’s environment — then we could level out the capacity for all of our shops,” Dumoulin recounts.

The newly designed, user-friendly AMBA Work Capacity Tool enables mold manufacturers to log open capacity over a 90-day period in over 50 areas of operation, including special machines and additional services. Members are encouraged to update capacity every 30 days, with automatic reminders sent to help keep the information current. From three-, four- and five-axis milling (including the ability to select size ranges) to EDM, polishing, design and more, a simple click of the button connects members with shops that meet their needs, including direct links to email for quick communication and rapid results.

“Our ability to quickly find open capacity we need help with will be a valuable resource to help provide more continuity during busy stretches. Conversely, if we have the open capacity to fill, being able to advertise that inside of a trusted network is equally valuable to our business,” says Tyler VanRee, Legacy Precision Molds Inc..

Shops searching for open capacity simply hit the “Search Work Capacity” button on the AMBA homepage, log in and search by date(s), areas of operation, location or multiple states. The search function has the ability to perform a search in multiple categories. Once finished entering information, the search engine instantly pulls up the matching results, including company address, capabilities and contact information for immediate access.

Tom Barr of TK Mold & Engineering Inc. says, “Currently, we have a small group of mold shops that we can pick up the phone and ask what their capacity is. The Capacity Tool will open us up to the ‘best of the best’ in our industry!”

The AMBA team worked diligently over the past year to bring this new resource to its members and created a “how-to” tutorial located on the AMBA website for ease of implementation. “Sharing best practices, benchmarking operations and discussing challenges have long-been the hallmarks of the AMBA network,” states Kym Conis, AMBA managing director. “The new Capacity Tool now enables members to share work, resources and even personnel more easily and with greater resolve.”

“The best part of this is that it is our industry helping our members,” Dumoulin adds. “It’s the best way to make our industry strong in the face of global competition.”