2019 AMBA Leadership Summit – Save the Date
February 27-March 3, 2019 • St. Kitts
The biennial AMBA Leadership Summit allows mold building executives the opportunity to reflect on their current business situations while providing activities and engagements that challenge each leader to establish new robust plans for an improved business model.
The 2019 Leadership Summit will take place on the “island of a thousand treasures” – St. Kitts – where guests will discover warm, iridescent waters along pristine island shores, breathtaking views around every turn and carefully preserved architecture and historical sites. Perfectly situated between the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean, St. Kitts Marriott Resort & Royal Beach Casino provides an unparalleled location in Frigate Bay, steps from the ocean shore and a short walk to the island’s charming eateries and beach bars. The resort boasts an 18-hole golf course, casino, luxurious spa and fitness center, outdoor pools and five on-site restaurants. From water sports, snorkeling and sailing to zip lining and four-wheeling through the rain forest, St. Kitts offers a wide array of exciting excursions to tantalize, relax and rejuvenate. Details on programming, all-inclusive resort package and registration available soon at www.amba.org/summit.
AMBA Plant Tour Workshops Foster Strategic Networking
The strength and popularity of AMBA Plant Tour Workshops lie in the extreme experience and take-away value they deliver. Each half-day tour is custom designed to focus on key strategies employed by top member companies in a variety of areas: Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Electronic Data Interchange (EDI), workforce development, workflow management, business preparedness, employee engagement and so much more.
Each plant tour delivers a new experience, as attendees have the opportunity to:
- Tour the manufacturing operations of industry peers
- Examine innovative processes used on the production floor to maximize quality
- Explore various business systems and approaches to serving the customer
- Engage in cross-discussion on approaches to continuous improvement
Upcoming Plant Tour Workshops:
June 12: Quest Industries, Lapeer, Michigan, Sold Out
Fall 2018: To Be Announced
Visit www.amba.org for details and registration.
Two Opportunities to Support iWarriors Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge
Larry Patten, vice president of Dramco Tool Co., Inc., Grand Island, Nebraska, soon will participate in the 2018 Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge, July 15 through 28. The endurance ride will take Patten approximately 10,000 miles along backroads of the US’s lower 48, where technical riding skills, as well as navigational skills, will be challenged, as no electronic aids are permitted. Patten hopes to rally the AMBA community in support of this event, with 100 percent of funds raised going directly toward the iWarriors iPad program. Pledges may be sent to Kim Bartz at info@iwarriors.org.
Second Annual iWarriors Golf Scramble
Sponsored by Alliance Specialties and Laser Sales
Join Alliance Specialties and Laser Sales and AMBA members at the 2nd annual iWarriors Golf Scramble, Countryside Golf Course, September 21, 2018, Mundelein, Illinois, and support a great cause. Last year, the inaugural golf scramble gathered 90 golfers from across the US and raised more than $25,000 in support of iWarriors. This year, organizers are striving to break all records. Registration includes 18-hole golf scramble, putting green, driving range, lunch, dinner, beer, entertainment and gift. All profits benefit iWarriors. To register and/or sponsor, visit www.alliancelasersales.com/golf.
Founded in 2011 by Tim and Kim Bartz, Mold Craft, Inc., iWarriors honors and supports severely injured members of all branches of the US Armed Forces with personalized iPad packages to help them stay in touch with loved ones while undergoing months of surgery, rehabilitation and recovery. Since its inception, iWarriors has raised nearly $400,000 in support of more than 500 wounded warriors. www.iwarriors.org.
Environmental, Health and Safety Summit
Columbus, OH • July 18-19
Executives who run best-in-class manufacturing companies understand the importance of comprehensive Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS) management. It not only makes good business sense, but it also significantly impacts the bottom line. The EHS Summit provides executives with different approaches to optimizing the management of EHS areas in the workplace to minimize incidents and maximize return on investment. Visit www.amba.org for details and to register.
New Webinars
Peer Networking Webinars
June 27
New this year, AMBA will provide the opportunity for professionals in different functional areas to reach out for help from their peers. By having an expansive and energized group of professionals, AMBA’s Peer Networking Webinars allow AMBA members to solve problems and find new and more efficient ways of doing business. These groups consist of member professionals who work in common positions, such as Human Resources, Sales and Marketing, EHS and Senior Leaders. The purpose of these webinars is to eliminate “re-inventing the wheel.” Learning from one another is one of the best professional development tools. Senior Leaders will be the first to launch on June 27, 2018.
Leveling the Playing Field: Customer Contracting Pitfalls and Opportunities
June 28
Join attorney Joe Keglewitsch with Ice Miller for a discussion on strategies to help businesses come out on the winning end of contracting with customers. The presentation will include a look at key terms and conditions concepts, approaches to shifting risk, opportunities to limit exposure and ways of getting the terms desired even when there is no negotiating leverage.
For details and to register, visit www.amba.org.
AMBA Skills Certification –
Study Guide and Credentials Now Available
The American Mold Builders Association created the AMBA Skills Certification Program to assess and certify the skills of front-line mold manufacturing workers, from entry level through first level of supervision within all sectors of the industry. The purpose of the program is to recognize, through certification, individuals who demonstrate mastery in three body-of-knowledge content areas: 1) Primary Skills, AMBA-PMBC, 2) Master CNC Technician, AMBA-MCTC and 3) Master Moldmaker, AMBA-MMBC.
For each of the certifications, study guides and “blueprints” are available, detailing topics that will be covered on each skills test, along with a few sample questions. These study guides can be used in the following ways:
- Create a study guide for the skills certification tests
- Create internal training and apprenticeship programs
- Assist local technical educational institutions in formulating their curriculum
- Access levels of competencies in current workforce
- Identify opportunities for advanced internal training
For more information or to order tests, visit www.amba.org.
AMBA Chicago Chapter Announces Tools for Schools Grant Recipients
Twelve high schools in the Chicago area have been awarded grants from the American Mold Builders Association (AMBA) Chicago Chapter. The grants, each awarded in amounts of up to $1,500, are part of the AMBA Chicago Chapter’s inaugural Tools for Schools grant program. The grants are earmarked to assist schools that offer manufacturing programs with purchasing supplies for manufacturing curricula and/or professional development for manufacturing curricula. This is a competitive grant, and to qualify for a Tools for Schools Grant, applicants must be located within a 30-mile radius of an AMBA Chicago Chapter member, offer manufacturing curricula in the 2018-19 school year and allow a mold manufacturing professional to speak to the school’s students about careers in mold manufacturing. A total of $15,000 was distributed in the initial round of grant funding. For more information, visit www.moldyourcareer.org.
Cost Reduction Programs Increase Profitability
AMBA has formed partnerships with leading industry suppliers of products and services that are dedicated to providing additional value to AMBA member companies. These companies, AMBA Premier Partners, are avid supporters of the AMBA network, share in member concerns and understand the challenges of the mold building industry.
AMBA’s Premier Partners provide special offerings to enhance the profitability of member companies. These offerings may positively impact costs with pricing discounts or enhanced services where suppliers offer unique incentives not found outside of the AMBA. Benefit offerings include, but are not limited to, the following: business and consulting services, MRO supplies, technical services, regulatory compliance, shipping and freight, software, technology and equipment, mold components, training and payment terms.
For detailed information on current offerings, visit amba.org/amba-partners.
NEW MEMBERS
Jaco Products
Bill Carter, General Manager
440.632.5800 www.jacoproducts.com
Jaco Products features an extensive portfolio of custom plastic injection molding services across a variety of industries. As a one-stop shop, Jaco Products maintains in-house facilities for tool design, CNC programming and fixture manufacturing, providing rapid turnaround of critical production components. Equipment is ISO 9001: 2008 registered.
Desma USA
Casey Smeeks, Mold Shop Supervisor
859.525.6610 www.desma-usa.com
In 2008, Desma USA, Inc., invested in and opened a North American mold shop in Hebron, Kentucky, to produce molds and cold runners. This facility currently runs three milling centers, two 3-axis and one 5-axis mill capable of producing injection molds up to 800 tons. The company’s process to injection-test all molds, using stock presses in the demonstration lab, sets Desma USA apart from other mold shops.
NEW PARTNERS
R.E.R. Software
Roger Bassous, President and CEO
586.744.0881 www.rersoftware.com
R.E.R. Software is a Michigan-based company dedicated to supplying the tooling, mold and die industry with state-of-the-art technology to help increase efficiency and to provide oversight on operations.
