AMBA Announces Mold Builder and Chapter of the Year Award Recipients

2013 Mold Builder of the Year was awarded to Steve Rotman, president of Ameritech Die & Mold Inc

The American Mold Builders Association (AMBA), proudly presented Steve Rotman, Ameritech Die & Mold, with the 2013 Mold Builder of the Year Award during the AMBA’s Annual Convention, April 24-26 in Schaumburg, IL. The Chapter of the Year (COTY) Award went to AMBA’s West Michigan Chapter. The awards, sponsored by Progressive Components, include a $5,000 endowment to each for continuing education in moldmaking, to be presented to the educational institution of the recipient's choice.

The 2013 Mold Builder of the Year was awarded to Steve Rotman, president of Ameritech Die & Mold Inc., Mooresville, NC. Presenting the award, AMBA President Todd Finley, Commercial Tool & Die, cited Rotman’s long commitment to the industry, the AMBA and to the development of the Apprenticeship 2000 program in North Carolina – a cutting-edge program that brings the education community, parents and employers together. Serving on the AMBA Board of Directors since 2000 (and AMBA President from 2008 – 2010), many notable accomplishments were cited, including the inception of the AMBA’s Fall Conference in Washington D.C., where members were given the opportunity to talk to Legislators from their own states about issues that were important to the mold building industry. Rotman also met with the Obama administration during the automobile crisis and represented the interests of the AMBA membership.

AMBA’s West Michigan Chapter was commended for its promotion of education through strong scholarship programs – awarding $8,000 in scholarships to talented students in 2012 and $15,000 in 2013. Working to support AMBA membership, the chapter’s quarterly meetings provide numerous resources to grow their operations. West Michigan’s efforts to support the mold building trade within Michigan, where the highest concentration of tool and die companies reside, was also noted. Many West Michigan chapter members regularly meet with Congress and Representatives to keep them informed of the needs of the industry. Members also work with educators to inform them of the great working environments and high-paying careers available within the technologically advanced industry.

AMBA 2nd Annual Mold Industry Benchmarking Survey Now in Progress -
Deadline extended to June 7.

The AMBA is committed in its quest to provide comprehensive financial and operational metrics to its membership. The AMBA Board of Directors is excited to announce that the 2nd Annual Mold Industry Benchmarking Survey is now in progress and invites all AMBA members and non-members* to participate and benefit from this intense, data-driven study. The analysis and comparative performance data from the study will prove to be invaluable for evaluating and determining where opportunities lie to grow your companies, while creating fiscally stronger, more profitable operations. Participants from last year's 2012 Benchmarking Survey were polled and 86 percent said that the survey was helpful in understanding some aspect of their business and nearly 93 percent said they will definitely participate in the 2013 Benchmarking Survey in order to compare year to year data.

To produce the report, the AMBA has teamed once again with Business Resource Services, Inc. (BRS) of Seattle. Through data derived from the 2013 Benchmarking Survey, participants will

• Discover how your performance ranks side-by-side with your peers and the top performers and see where the differences lie - which leads to creating goals and action plans, and developing best practices
• Enable yourself to manage more effectively and efficiently by closing the gaps on world-class competition
• Identify your own strengths, weaknesses and areas of opportunity to improve profit and cash flow
• Collect meaningful data to use as a management tool for owners and managers
• Compare your company's performance to last year's survey results (repeat participants)

Each participant will receive a copy of the complete group study showing performance of all participants' collective results, broken down as a whole group, by sales size categories and by the Top 25 percent most profitable. The group study also will contain information about how to interpret and use the data. You'll also receive a confidential, individualized analysis of your company's numbers compared to the group as a whole, your sales group, and the Top percent most profitable - along with suggestions about specific areas that may need additional management attention.

Click here to download the survey.

Deadline to submit data will be June 7, 2013.  If you did not receive this impactful survey via email, contact the AMBA at 847.222.9402 or Kym Conis at kconis@amba.org.

*Participation is limited to those AMBA members and non-member mold building operations that have been in business for at least one year as of their 2012 fiscal year-end (start date of January 1, 2012 or earlier required to participate in this study).

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