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1) |
What is your company niche and what does your company do that is
notable,
unique or different?
 Since the beginning, our
specialty has been to take complex parts and simplify the tool design by
innovative “old world” methods. Building tools that are above the
standard, this is what gives us a good reputation with our customers –It
raises us above the competition and keeps them coming back.
We build not only injection
and die cast tooling but compression and transfer molds; and we also
build and repair blow molds and vacuum forming tooling. With most
emphasis going into designing we work primarily in a 3D environment and
take part design to building prototype molds. In addition, we have five
molding machines ranging in size from 90 to 400 tons that we use for
sampling and custom molding. We’re working on growing that part of our
business.
My philosophy is that by
offering all of these services under one roof we can control as much of
the production process as possible and control quality as well as speedy
delivery. We’ve invested a lot of time and effort into buying
state- of-the-art machinery, such as high speed machining, unattended EDM
and water jet cutting machines and more, so we can offer lights out
machining. We have developed ways to make parts rather unconventionally
by combining the capabilities of each of these machines. It’s really
opened up the opportunity to experiment and learn new and better ways of
building tools.
With times as they are right
now, it gets tougher and tougher to stay in business because of cheap
competition from other countries. So the only way to be successful is to
utilize new and better production techniques through the use of equipment
that allows more lights out operation. A toolmaker in our shop these days
doesn’t work on just one machine but specializes in running several
pieces of equipment to get the job done.
Our computer system and
machines are the latest available on the market. Hopefully, if my
philosophy works out, I will be around at least another twenty-five years
and hopefully see some changes being made in our trade policies with
China so that we can compete on a fair level.
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2)
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When and how did you get into the industry, what attracted you to
it?
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Coming from Germany as
I did, you are almost destined to work in some technical field.
Over there I learned machine building as well as die making and
continued with it when I came to the U.S. with my family in 1965.
My youngest son, Ralf, works with me here at Helm Tool. I actually
wanted to go into the Merchant Marine in Germany, but my relatives,
with much concern, talked me out of it. So I decided that if I
ever did get the chance to join the Merchant Marine, knowing the
die/mold making trade could come in handy. That’s how I became a
toolmaker.
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Helmut Mueller, president of Helm Tool Company
in Elk Grove Village, IL and his son Ralf Mueller.
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3) |
Relate a notable "best time" for your company.
When I came here
from Germany I did not know anyone. All I knew was machine and
tool building and some engineering that I had started before I
left. But this education from the vocational school at that
time was not only machine building or tool making. The
curriculum was built on if you had plans to further yourself in
engineering, manage a shop or start your own business and how
to operate it. But this very education helped me when I wanted
to start my own company. After I started Helm Tool I went
looking for jobs from customers, but they only gave me small
jobs or those with problems. As we successfully repaired the
troublesome jobs more work came, so the best time for us was
the first five years of business. Those were very good years
for Helm Tool and we just kept growing.
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4) |
Similarly, relate notable challenges that your company has
overcome.
On a personal
level, I did not know English when I came to the U.S. But I
have always believed that if you are determined enough, you
will have no barriers. A friend of mine in Germany had a
Sears Roebuck catalog that he got from his sister who lived
in South Carolina. I studied that catalog to see what I could
learn about products in the U.S. and to see if I could make a
living here. It didn’t take me long to pack up my family and
move to Chicago with the promise that we’d return to Germany
if my wife didn’t like it here. I came to Chicago only
because I knew someone who lived here and was willing to
sponsor me. I have never regretted it. For many people who
are born here, they don’t realize what they have in a country
like the U.S.
From a business
standpoint, looking at some of the molds we’ve built over the
years there have been many times when we were able to solve
design problems and build molds smaller in size for less cost
as well as help customers save time in production. Our
customers value our input on their products and in many cases
we design some of their parts and make them better, stronger
yet with less weight. We can build prototypes in a few days
and show the customer what the actual part will look like,
and indeed, that has gotten us many job opportunities. |
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5)
6)
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When you are working on projects with your customers, what aspects
would you like them to
better recognize?
When I work with customers, new or not, I try to listen to their
project goals and then go back and evaluate what can be done to
maximize production. I present ideas for improving projects. I’m
not afraid to tell them to change their processes if I think they
could do things better. I don’t want
to make them mad, but I like to point out ways to improve
production if I find them. I think that’s what our customers like
about us.
List newly acquired technology, machinery or
key personnel (in last
year).
We have invested
in 5-axis machining and some other, smaller equipment geared
toward automation. We also recently bought some equipment for
our quality inspection department. |
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7)
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Has your company recently expanded? Plans to expand or form
partnerships/alliances?
Between both our buildings
we have 20,000 square feet and have plans to add approximately 1,400
square feet more. We will be breaking ground for an addition onto our
building this spring.
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8) |
Are you involved in any industry organizations or educational
programs related to the trade?
We are members of the
American Mold Builders Association (AMBA), the Tooling &
Manufacturing Association (TMA), the National Association of
Manufacturers (NAM), the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) and
the Society of the Plastics Industry (SPI). I serve on the Chicago
Board of the AMBA.
Periodically I display
HTC at the local high schools for the job fairs, mostly to create
awareness of our industry. When I go it seems like the booths
displayed are for either military or some kind of food service job.
But what choices do these kids really have? I have a hard time
telling them what a great trade we have with over 2 million
manufacturing jobs lost in the U.S. I see our country’s top
tool-makers working as apprentice electricians and even in building
supply and department stores at a severe financial loss to them and
their families. I have always been involved in apprentice training
programs and sometimes it’s hard to bring people into manufacturing
when it seems doomed and on the way out.
I want to add that
everybody is so busy making a living that I worry they don’t take
the time to contact their representatives in Congress and get
involved with industry groups to help facilitate the changes we
need in our country’s trade policies. Our politicians alone do not
do this for us, and it’s clear they know nothing about
manufacturing. I hope that more people will wake up and come
together to make a difference before it’s too late. |
9)
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What do you think about changes occurring in the industry due to
globalization? How has it
affected the way you do business?
Until our politicians
change the trade laws and the way we use trade agreements we’ll
always be at a severe disadvantage here in the U.S. To try to stay
competitive we take extra care and effort working to maintain our
customer base and leaning out our manufacturing process. We cross
train our employees and they are working with us hand in hand. They
know we’re in this together and they work harder and do more in
order to keep our company competitive. Hats off! |
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10)
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What will the industry look like in 3 to 5 years?
As I said, if nothing
changes I believe there will be 50% fewer tool shops in the U.S.
than there are today. Trade organizations will continue to try to
bring people together, but our government knows what is wrong and
yet it is reluctant to do anything. It’s up to us to change that.
Our government officials, who we elected, should be working for us
– for U.S. business owners in the U.S. and not for anyone else. It
would be better if our politicians came from different walks of
life including the manufacturing industry instead of mostly the
legal profession. Then maybe they would understand what’s happening
and would do something about it. The labor unions and even other
companies here could probably stand a little belt tightening, but
it’s the trade agreements that are killing our industry. |
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Additional Background Information |
Number of years in business: Helm
Tool was established in 1977.
 Current number of employees: 27
Current square footage (each
location): 20,000 sq ft
Helm Tool
1290 Brummel Ave
Elk Grove Village, IL 60007
Phone: 847-364-0855
Fax: 847-364-0863
Additional locations: None at this
time.
Website:
www.helmtool.com
Types of tools built and/or run:
Injection, compression and transfer molds, stack molds, die cast
dies and injection molding for sampling and custom molding
Industries served: Plastic cutlery,
healthcare, communications, electronics, housewares and automotive |
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