MoldMaking Conference and Exposition

Thursday, April 24, 2008

KEYNOTE BREAKFAST SESSION
8:00am-9:00am
Session 16
A Look Inside OEM Expectations
Tom Worcester, Sales Manager, REXAM Mold Manufacturing

Rexam is a leading global consumer packaging company and the largest beverage can maker in the world. In this seminar, Rexam will lead a discussion on how the company succeeds through its leadership, commitment to innovation and passion to deliver exceptional value, as well as its investment in moldmaking technology and strategies including its relationships with tooling sources. They will share the company’s views on its relationship with mold manufacturers, expectations, current challenges, requirements and any recommended improvements. The presentation will cover the following topics: knowing where we all fit, organizational development, technology, leadership development, measuring human performance, using and developing technical competence and global strategies. Sampling of points to be covered:

Strategy for identifying new sources of tooling.
Topthreefactors to consider.
List of needs/wants (in order of priority) from their tooling sources.
Definition of a long-term supplier partner.
Specific examples of methodologies used by your company to develop these relationships.
Views on the most important attributes that establish whether a vendorprovides valueas opposed to price.
Level of commitment to the success of your partners.
Variance in level ofcommitment to the supplierfrom domestic to off-shore sources.
Views on whethertrade agreements with China and other low-cost regions will be ratified to include substantial changes inhuman rights protection, currency manipulation and government subsidies, and their opinion on how this will influence their moldmaking supply chain.
The average service life of the molds they buy.
Whether engineering, purchasing or manufacturing makes the purchasing decisions.
Whether they spec the materials (steel types)to be used in their molds to their moldmakers.
Level of involvement of moldmakers in product development.
Method of communicating exactly what they want with regard to mold complexity, life expectancy of the mold, product quality requirements, tooling interchangeability.
Process for mold qualification.
The features of the P.O. that pertain to indemnification due to defects, end user damages, etc.
Legal protections that apply to buyer and vendor.
Third-party liability for the molder.

WORKSHOP: SHOP MANAGEMENT
10:15am- 12:15am
Session 17
A Strategic Plan for Competing with Southeast Asia
Harry C. Moser, GF AgieCharmilles

Too often, shops speak of overseas manufacturers as if there is nothing we can do to establish a competitive advantage. While Southeast Asia and other areas of the globe present a real challenge to U.S. shops, success is still achievable. It is vital that today's North American manufacturers carefully analyze their markets and capitalize on all available advantages. SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis provides a particularly effective tool for taking inventory of your shop's position and maximizing your potential for profit. This seminar will present a SWOT matrix for a typical American job shop in relation to a typical Southeast Asian competitor, and then identify suggested markets, ideal workpiece characteristics, and tactics for the American shop to take advantage of its strengths and overcome its weaknesses. You will receive everything in a Word format, so you can customize to your shop’s unique situation. For a preview go to: http://us.gfac.com/industry.

CASE STUDY: MOLD REPAIR/WELDING
10:15am- 11:15am
Session 18
Benefits of Laser Welding for Mold Repair
Rick Skaja, Hommer Tool & Manufacturing
Tom Stapleton, Alliance Laser Sales

So you think you know what you need to about laser welding. Well, technology has given laser welding a boost, and this session will review those technological advances including: very low heating of the part; ability for extremely fine welding applications; compatibility of materials; perfect inert gas protection; and smooth welded surfaces. This session will also provide an introduction to the benefits of laser welding for mold repair, a demonstration of areas where laser welding is superior to other forms of welding when it comes to mold repair and real life testimonials from customers.

LEAN MANUFACTURING
Session 20
11:30am-12:30pm
Lean Measureables by Robust Value Stream Mapping
Subra Manivannan, Ford Motor Company

Most manufacturing methods create many forms of waste, the cost of which are passed onto customers. Improving your production system will improve quality, cost, delivery and time. Using lean measureables on the production floor to track changes and drive improvement is a crucial step forward. This session will cover the following: (1) identification of major lean measureables, (2) demonstration of how to implement the measureables in production and (3) linking the measureables with lean tools.

CASE STUDY: CUTTING TOOLS
11:30am-12:30pm
Session 21
Shop Floor Improvement: Implementing New Technologies
Noel Pinto,, Husky Injection Molding Systems, Ltd.
Thomas Raun, Iscar Metals, Inc.

Husky Injection Molding Systems, Inc., and Iscar Metals, Inc., will partner to present how they took ideas (technologies) from the board room to the shop floor for improved results in a bottleneck operation. Points of discussion will include:

In order to create a future road map for the shop floor, invite multiple cutting tool manufacturers and task them with the same problem (An unbiased approach).

Review one customers process on how they used 6sigma tools (not all of them) to pick the tool solution that best served their needs.

Conference attendees will see first hand how to properly “benchmark” an application, measure a proposed solution, test, and implement new technologies to meet desired goals.

CASE STUDY: MACHINING/WATERJET/EDM
11:30am-12:30pm
Session 22
Waterjet Technology Aids Moldmaker Evolution and Versatility
Mold Shop To Be Announced
Steve Szczesniak, Mitsubishi EDM/Waterjet Systems

The domestic die/mold industry is facing a global market, making this traditionally competitive business even tougher. The greatest single threat to the moldmaking industry is resistance to change. Ongoing evolution includes adding automation and programming software, streamlining processes and incorporating new technologies. In moldmaking, EDM is the conventional method of machining. Although the accuracy and quality of EDM cannot be matched, other technologies can greatly complement the process. Waterjet is becoming increasingly accepted as a complementary technology. For moldmakers, waterjet’s speed is ideal for reducing production times attached to roughing and bulk material removal before finishing on EDM. Learn when it is appropriate to apply waterjet technology to the moldmaking process, and why it makes sense to combine these seemingly very different processes. In addition to reducing overall production time, waterjet brings speed and flexibility into EDM environments.