By Dianna Brodine, managing editor
The American Mold Builder

With 32 years in the mold building industry and 18 years as the owner of his company, the recipient of the AMBA Mold Builder of the Year award has seen challenges and industry growth. Through it all, Mike Zacharias, president of Extreme Tool and Engineering in Wakefield, Michigan, has remained passionate about his career, dedicated to employee advancement and open to helping those who might be considered his competitors.

The AMBA Mold Builder of the Year award was created to recognize an outstanding business leader who is dedicated to the industry and an active member of the AMBA. The nominees are those who are working to promote mold building through their communities and educational partnerships; committed to company growth through technology, innovation and creativity; and representative of what the AMBA promotes in its members.

Zacharias’ career started hands-on, like most builders, as a moldmaker apprentice in the 1980s, and then progressed into mold design, project engineering, project management and plant management in facilities all over the US. He had been running a tool shop for another owner in Michigan when the business was sold, and he was faced with the option of going to work for someone else or starting his own business. He chose the latter. “It was the best decision of my life, other than marrying my wife,” he said. “I LOVE what I do for a living!”

Extreme Tool and Engineering started in 1998 with six employees, three letters of recommendation and a life’s savings. Today, the company employs 85 people in two facilities in Northern Michigan and is a leading supplier of turnkey plastic injection mold solutions for the packaging, medical, electronics and automotive markets. Extreme has had significant exposure to the global tooling arena, including ownership in Mexico and Asia, and has exported many molds to Europe, as well.

The company has invested heavily in premium machine tools and software, training, infrastructure and high-level engineering. A multi-axis lathe and laser marking equipment are recent additions, as is a 5-axis Yasda machine tool. The creation of an automation team, consisting of two electrical engineers and two mechanical engineers, has allowed Extreme to provide more automation opportunities press-side and throughout the facility, and infrastructure improvements have included the implementation of virtual networks.

“It gives us more mobility,” said Doug Hippe, director of continuous improvement and training, “so when we’re out of the office, as long as we have a web connection, we have access to the desktop we have in our virtual environment.” A Microsoft surface hub in the conference room includes a 55-inch touchscreen that acts as a white board and provides collaboration for online meetings with customers through web cameras and microphones. Extreme also added 100mb internet service. “We were running at 3mb, which was crippling the business,” explained Hippe. “When you’re in a rural area, you have to come up with creative solutions to things that a lot of companies take for granted, and faster access is the key to many of those solutions.”

The investment in technology and the training that allows employees to utilize it effectively is a priority for Zacharias as he nurtures his company, his employees and his customers. “If you look at my role,” said Hippe, “there aren’t many small to medium-sized businesses with someone dedicated to continuous improvement and training. That’s a pretty significant commitment in my eyes.”

In addition to growing his own business, Zacharias has been active within the mold building industry. He serves on several college advisory committees and is a MoldMaking-Technology Advisory Committee member, as well as an active member of several trade organizations that include AMBA, SPI and MAPP. Education of future mold building employees is a priority, as Zacharias participates in Northwoods Manufacturing, a metal and woods manufacturing business run by a local high school. In addition, Extreme sends representatives to local career fairs at the high school, college and university levels.

Zacharias has served as an AMBA board member in the past and will once again support the AMBA’s mission as one of its newly appointed board members in 2016. “I have been a strong proponent of the AMBA mission since we started in business,” he said, “and Extreme was an active participant in the apprenticeship development process, as well.”

AMBA member Ray Coombs explained, “He is a visionary and a doer. I admire his passion and appreciation for the people around him. He is always willing to help and share. I am honored to call him a competitor and a friend!”

Zacharias owns and runs Extreme Tool with his wife, Shari, and two college-age daughters, and owns a farm in Kimball, Wisconsin. He has a passion for bow hunting and is an avid football fan. According to Zacharias, the hunting and fishing in the Northern Wisconsin/U.P. of Michigan is what brought him to Wakefield, but it has been the dedication and talent of the people in the community that have made him stay and start a business there. “We have the best people in the world and provide the best jobs,” he said. “This recipe is our single biggest secret to success.”