Dual Plant Tour Workshop: Extreme Customer Value

Join AMBA members and other manufacturing executives in Kansas City, Missouri, on March 16 for a unique two-part plant tour event. Two leading mold manufacturing shops, Creative Blow Mold Tooling and Vector Tool & Engineering, will open their doors to mold manufacturing professionals. At this tour event, attendees will understand how these moldmakers create a competitive advantage by focusing on building extreme customer value. Tour includes Welcome BBQ Reception at Boulevard Brewery on March 15, 6:30-8:30 p.m. To register, visit www.amba.org.

Commit to the Challenge – Registration Open for the AMBA 2017 Annual Conference

Registration is open for the AMBA 2017 Annual Conference, May 10-12, in Cleveland, Ohio. “Commit to the Challenge” and join more than 200 mold manufacturing professionals as they gather to learn new ways to increase profitability, connect with industry peers and improve operations and tactics to impact bottom-line profits. For more information, including programming, schedule, hotel and registration, visit www.amba.org/conference or see conference highlights on pages 6-9. Early-bird pricing has been extended through March 31.

Take the 2017 iWarriors Challenge

Celebrating its sixth year, iWarriors officially kicks off with a goal of $90,000 for the 2017 iWarriors Challenge. According to co-founders Tim and Kim Bartz (Mold Craft), “This will allow us to support 130 combat-wounded service members with an updated iPad Air2 package.” iWarriors invites everyone in the manufacturing industry to honor wounded service members in 2017 by participating in the challenge.

iWarriors.org was founded with the mission to give back to service members of the US Armed Forces who have been wounded in combat. To honor these heroes, iWarriors.org provides iPad gift packages that consist of a personally engraved, iPadAir2, an OtterBox Defender protective case, ear buds and an iTunes gift card. The iPads allow the service members to stay in touch with family and friends miles away while undergoing months, and in some cases, years of treatment at the hospital. Apps are available for use on the iPad that aid in the treatment of PTSD and more. Materials needed to hold an “In Shop Challenge” can be found at www.iwarriors.org.

iWarriors.org is a 501(c)3 nonprofit with 98.5 percent of each dollar going directly to the iPad gift fund.

AMBA National Scholarship Program Accepting Applications

AMBA’s National Scholarship Program has awarded over $250,000 nationally since the program’s inception in 1991, continuing to demonstrate AMBA’s commitment to the industry, to education and to offering valuable member benefits. Scholarships will be awarded to AMBA member employees or employee dependents. Authorized by the Board of Directors, AMBA will grant up to 10 $1,000 scholarships depending on the number of qualified applicants for the 2017-2018 school year. Scholarships are paid directly to the educational institution. Applications must be submitted and postmarked by May 5. To access the application and more information on the AMBA scholarship program, visit www.amba.org.

New Webinars Scheduled

AMBA Members Quarterly: Maximizing Your AMBA Membership ROI
March 31 | 11 a.m. EST | This is a members only event.
Whether a new member or a long-standing one, these short, quarterly webinars will help members learn how to get the most from their AMBA membership, taking participants on a virtual tour of the AMBA website, where a host of valuable tools and resources can be accessed. From recruitment tools and business and technical resources to upcoming events, webinar attendees will discover a wealth of value – right at their fingertips – through their membership in the AMBA. To register, contact Susan Denzio at sdenzio@amba.org.

Key Components of a Best-in-Class Sales Process
April 12 | 1 p.m. EST
A robust and effective sales process is the foundation on which mold shops can build a profitable business. The challenge is creating and implementing a process that works for your business. Last year, Harbour Results hosted a webinar on what data companies should be collecting and analyzing to help develop a sales strategy. This webinar will take it a step further, focusing on business tools shops can employ to execute their sales strategy. Participants will get a detailed overview of specific sales management activities and exercises, as well as examples of how companies have successfully implemented these tools within their sales process.

Specifically, the webinar will look at how to:

• identify target markets and the ideal customer with criteria and opportunity filters;
• improve communication internally and with potential customers through call logs, account plans and sales meetings;
• understand how to track progress to established sales goals with a metrics scorecard; and
• effectively allocate your sales focus and resources through a “weeding the garden” exercise.

By creating a sales strategy and implementing one or more of these tools, businesses will be able to improve their sales performance and ultimately fill their business pipeline well into the future.

NEW MEMBERS

Universal Tooling Corp.
Scott Sando, Vice President
716.985.4691 • www.u-t-c.com
Universal Tooling Corporation (UTC), established in 1981, is a full-service tool and die shop designing and manufacturing quality plastic injection molds, blow molds and die cast dies. The company has a wide range of in-house capabilities and serves a variety of industries, including the automotive, toy, electrical, medical and food industries. UTC strives to maintain a reputation for close-tolerance mold builds, to continue producing quality products, to provide on-time delivery and to sustain customer satisfaction. UTC is ISO 9001:2008 compliant.

D&M Tool Corporation
Tim Deckard, President
812.279.8882 • www.spcmfg.com
D&M Tool Corporation is located in southern Indiana and is a full-service mold shop. From aluminum or steel, D&M Tool produces production tooling and molds and prototype molds and components. With its state-of-the-art equipment, extensively trained employees and management commitment, the company is dedicated to customer satisfaction and is ISO: 9002 certified.

Augustine Die & Mold, Inc.
James Brown, President/CEO
814.444.6310 • www.amoldinc.com
Augustine Die & Mold, Inc. (ADM) – an ISO 9001:2008, ITAR and AS9100 Rev C certified company – offers precision machining and tool and die design, manufacturing and repair services. ADM, established in 1995, began as a general machine shop focused on mold design, mold manufacturing and mold repair. Today, the company has grown into a complex and integrated machining facility and offers waterjet cutting, CNC, and EDM machining services to many industry segments throughout the United States and abroad.

NEW PARTNER

Federated Insurance
Jack West, National Account Executive
507.455.5175 • www.federatedinsurance.com
Federated is proud to partner with AMBA as the association’s exclusive endorsed insurance provider. Since 1904, Federated has protected businesses through valuable insurance and risk management services. Policyholders have access to a wealth of risk management resources focused on employee training, estate planning, business continuation, workplace safety, human resources and many other loss prevention topics. Rated A+ (Superior) by A.M. Best Company® and recommended by hundreds of national and state associations, Federated Insurance believes its value is measured by your success.