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This
week the TPR is featuring Chicago Mold Engineering Co., Inc. in
St. Charles,
IL. TPR Editor Cyndi Kustush
interviewed Company CEO & Chairman Ralph Oswald, Engineering Manager
Mike Duquette, Sales Manager Don Mazurek and Joan Williams, an
administrative assistant to these gentlemen.
Cyndi also had the privilege of touring the plant to see
firsthand what the company does that is so unique.
Chicago
Mold Engineering (CME) is a premiere, full-service manufacturer of plastic
injection and compression molds for the Thermoset and Thermoplastic
industries. Well known for
quality tooling and industry involvement since the company was founded
by Eric W. Oswald in 1944, CME has grown, offering cutting-edge
technology in engineering and manufacturing, as well as photogrammetry
services as yet unavailable elsewhere in the
U.S.
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What is your company niche, and what does your company do that is
notable, unique or
different? (i.e., technology, innovations)
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Mike: CME specializes in top quality, complex molds.
The keys to our success are highly trained, dedicated
employees. An
experienced project manager is assigned to oversee the entire
process of every mold. We
have a full complement of excellent designers and manufacturing
personnel that enables us to keep the work in-house.
That provides CME with complete control of the quality, from
start to finish.
Don:
We
have several things that make us unique.
One is our ATOS III system that allows us to quickly reverse
engineer and prepare CAD files for many applications.
This is the same technology used by NASA.
We also excel in the manufacture of thermoset
reflector
molds, with unmatched standards of
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ATOS III |
quality and accuracy.
Our multiple drop cold runner manifold system is the best in
the industry.
Ralph:
As for a niche,
I would have to say it is automotive lighting.
What’s unique and different about us?
ATOS III and White Light Scanning. The ATOS III is so new and
advanced that we are the first company to offer our customers its
numerous benefits. Not only
is data
 extracted by non-contact scanning and measurement, but the
system is portable. We can use it throughout our facility, or take it to
our customer locations.
Joan:
I think
what sets us apart is building molds of exceptional quality combined
with providing a level of service that meets or exceeds our customers’
expectations every time. We
understand that our ability to meet those expectations requires
maintaining a state-of-the-art facility, including our
design/engineering and production areas.
We are always evolving technologically in advance of customers’
needs and that’s key. Specifically,
we utilize the ATOS III technology for inspection, measurement and
verification services to ensure accuracy prior to delivery.
Most importantly, we use its reverse engineering capabilities,
which enable us to machine cavity shapes that would otherwise be
unattainable.
When and how did you get into the industry, what attracted you to it?
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Ralph:
I started working for other mold shops in 1968 [though his
father, Eric W. Oswald, owned CME] and was always interested in
mechanical things and machinery.
Mike:
I started at CME in 1975, drawn
by the intrigue of the mold manufacturing process.
Thirty years later, I still find it fascinating, if not
challenging at times!
Don:
I got into the industry 29 years
ago. In college I majored in
accounting but after my time in the Navy no jobs in that field were
available. Through the
help of a family member I began an apprenticeship as a tool & die
maker. So I changed over to manufacturing for a career and here I am.
The people here
are great to work with, and
|
 Ralph Oswald, CEO & Chairman
Chicago Mold Engineering |
I’ve been lucky to
meet some terrific people among our customers and vendors.
Relate a notable "best time" for your company (can be more than
one)
Ralph:
Right now. Working
with the latest in 5-axis machinery and the technology to go along with
it is really great. Every
day I’m amazed by the next great development in machinery or
manufacturing techniques. A great example of this is how we recently
were able to produce a mold in 3 ½ weeks for delivery!
Mike:
From
my perspective, each day is better than the last.
We’ve had some difficult times, but our commitment to producing
quality molds and "customer care beyond compare" has always kept us
working. While times are
good right now; we know we simply can’t rest on our laurels.
Don: A notable “best time” for our company was when management decided
to change CME from being a model shop to NC (around 1992).
We purchased top-of-the-line equipment and trained the best
technicians, and are now one of the most efficient companies in our
industry. It’s
unbelievable what we accomplish today.
Joan:
I agree
that now is the best time. The
current climate throughout the industry has driven us to work harder,
more efficiently and more accurately to produce high quality tools and
retain our profitability.
Mike:
Times
are good today, but that means nothing tomorrow.
Today’s shorter lead times have eliminated the concept of
"backlog”. You
have a workload but no backlog. Generally,
if you’re not able to start on jobs as soon as they are released, you
don’t get the work. That’s why you can never relax.
Similarly, relate notable challenges that your company has overcome.
Ralph: That’s
easy: global competition.
Mike: We faced the need to reduce our workforce in February of
2002 – the only layoff in the company’s 61-year history.
We’ve made adjustments in technology and techniques to actually
increase sales and improve lead times with 20% less people.
Joan: For us as a company, the layoff was hard.
Other challenges included the automotive industry’s tier-one
payment term extensions, and the foreign dollar exchange rates’ affect
on customers choosing to place their work in
Canada,
Mexico,
Portugal
or China. The payment term problems
illustrate the interdependency and multi-level impact aspects on the
industry.
Don: A notable challenge we overcame was successfully
designing and building center-gated thermoset reflector molds.
To assist our clients who were having problems with quality due
to edge gating, we designed a system that reduced scrap, cycle times and
maintenance time, plus produced a better piece part. Our customers have
seen production increases of 15% with 10% less scrap.
Joan:
In the context of
meeting a specific customer challenge, CME was able to utilize the ATOS
III system to replicate a natural texture our customer desired. They had
been producing the texture with an abraded electrode process with less
than satisfactory results and beyond their time constraints. CME was
able to create the natural texture in finer detail, in one fourth of the
time and at less than one half of the cost.
We have also cut mold design time 30% by utilizing legacy data
within Unigraphics-NX/Mold Wizard.
When you are working on projects with your customers, what aspects would
you like
them to better recognize?
Ralph:
Our full service organization that includes project management
and engineering.
Don: We are a service-oriented company.
We have an outstanding reputation for standing behind our
products.
Mike: Our customers are increasingly facing challenges of their own.
We can help them satisfy their customers by providing front-end
engineering services. With
early involvement our designers often find ways to simplify products
while maintaining or improving their quality and functionality.
This helps reduce the cost and the lead times for the tools
required.
List newly acquired technology, machinery or key personnel (in last
year).
-
ATOS III Photogrammetry system
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FIDIA 5-Axis high speed machining centers including (2) K165 and a K197
with a continuous bi-rotary milling head
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Makino S56 5-Axis Graphite Milling Machine
New personnel to program and operate new equipment
Outside sales engineer
Has your company recently expanded? Plans
to expand or form partnerships/alliances?
Ralph:
Not as yet. In order
to expand you have to expand your customer base.
If business remains
 solid then we may enlarge our
St. Charles
facility.
Mike: We need to fully maximize our existing space before we expand our
building. As we update equipment our plant layout is continually being
revised to increase efficiency.
Joan:
We have
continuing partnerships with many of our customers.
In addition, we partner with local molding companies to provide
sampling opportunities that ensure quality and functionality prior to
delivery of the molds to our customers.
Are you involved in any industry
organizations or educational programs related to the
trade?
CME
is a member company of the American Mold Builders Association (AMBA) and
the Tooling & Manufacturing Association (TMA). Our CFO is a TMA
board member. Some of our personnel also belong, as individuals, to
other industry organizations.
What do you think about changes occurring in the industry due to
globalization? How
has it affected the way you do business?
Ralph:
Globalization
helps keep you on your toes with new technology and faster ways to build
a mold. We practice lean
manufacturing and cross-train personnel to become increasingly more
efficient.
 Don: Globalization has made Chicago Mold work harder to succeed by
challenging us to produce a better product faster and less expensively.
Mike:
We’ve
all heard the comments of how unfair it is that
U.S.
mold makers don’t compete on a level playing field with other nations.
That’s true, of course, on many levels. Still, we refuse to give in to
the pressure. As an American shop, CME will continue to protect our
employee’s rights and provide a safe work environment. It’s our
quality workforce that keeps us a leader in the industry. Together with
our employees we will continue to find ways to improve our efficiency in
producing top quality molds.
Joan: Globalization has tested our adaptability to better meet customer
needs through technology, reduced delivery times and costs.
It’s caused us to seek diversity in our customer base as well.
We understand the economic pressures that cause customers to seek
the best price and we make every effort to be competitive.
Globalization has also provided us with great opportunities to
perform repair work for customers having foreign-built tooling.
What will the industry look like in 3 to 5 years?
Ralph:
After everything that we’ve seen in the last three to five
years, I don’t know what to expect.
But with the positive changes that have occurred, I can’t wait
for the next three to five years! We’ve
evolved through a number of moldmaking stages – I guess you could call
them “eras” – that have brought us to where we are now.
I don’t know how we managed to create the molds 15 years ago,
when I consider that today we’re producing them so much more quickly
and more accurately.
Don: I agree with Ralph. We
couldn’t be producing molds today if we hadn’t stayed current with
technology and equipment. It’s going to remain challenging, this
industry.
Joan: I think there will be an increase in multi-partner, integrated
companies providing customers with single-source concept-to-part
operations. I also think
there will be on-going technological advances in design (CAD) and
production (CAM
, high-speed machining, robotics, scanning, testing and validation,
components and systems).
Mike: I think the industry will look much like it does today, except
more of the small shops will have closed their doors.
The unfortunate practice of treating molds as commodities will
continue, but with an added strain on the industry.
As the trade loses more seasoned craftsmen it also loses their
knowledge and experience. I
expect our biggest challenge will be a shortage of quality people
getting into the business. Along
with CME, the smart shops will stay in business by adjusting to their
customers’ needs and expectations.
Sound business practices and a proactive approach to technology
will enable us to remain competitive without sacrificing quality. As
they say, “The bitterness of poor quality lingers long after the joy
of low price is forgotten.”
Additional background information:
Number
of years in business: 61
Current
number of employees: 56
 Current
square footage (each location):
40,000 square feet
Additional
locations: None
at this time.
Website:
www.chicagomold.com
Types
of tools built and/or run:
Injection, Compression and Thermoset molds, Multi-shot and
Multi-color molds in all sizes and complexity ranges.
Industries
served: Automotive,
Building Supply, Home Appliance, Agricultural and Housewares
Contact Information:
Chicago Mold Engineering
615 Stetson Avenue
St. Charles, IL 60174-3458
Phone: 630-584-1311
Fax: 630-584-8695
Or email :
Don
Mazurek, Sales Manager
dmazurek@chicagomold.com |
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