CHICAGO CHAPTER
At the September 11, 2019, board meeting, officers and directors were elected as follows:
  • President--Chuck Klingler, Janler Corporation
  • Vice President--Geoff Luther, A-1 Tool Corp.
  • Secretary--Larry Hauck, PM Mold
  • Treasurer--Dave Plocinski, Tri-Par Die and Mold Corp.

The directors are:
  • Mike Armbrust, Mako Mold Corp.
  • Alan Petrucci, B A Die Mold
  • Francine Petrucci, B A Die Mold
  • Wayne Sikorcin, Craftsman Tool & Mold
  • Timothy Stoll, Armin Tool & Manufacturing--NEW!!!!
  • Mike Walter, Met2Plastics
  • Lorena Fisher, Progressive Components
  • Greg Osborn, Milacron
The Chicago Chapter is proud to announce that once again it will be recognizing top apprentices from its member companies. Do you have an apprentice that excels at his/her job and has a passion for mold manufacturing? Consider nominating him/her using the online registration form by Friday, November 15th. Nominees must:

  • Work for members in good standing of the AMBA Chicago Chapter.
  • Be an employee at member company for at least one year.
  • Exhibit enthusiasm, hard work, ability and desire to learn the skills of a mold builder, mold designer, CNC machinist or die maker. 
  • Should be a current apprentice.

All nominees will be recognized at the December 3, 2019, chapter meeting with the winner receiving a $1,000 to use towards tools and equipment.
NEXT CHICAGO CHAPTER MEETING IS DECEMBER 3RD
Join your fellow members as we recognize outstanding apprentices with the annual MOLD YOUR CAREER Award Dinner on December 3rd at Medinah Banquets from 6-9 p.m. Additionally, Jim Nelson from the Illinois Manufacturing Association will give a brief presentation on the $3,500 income tax credit for 2019 to help offset training costs and the reinstated Employer Training Investment Program (ETIP). Meeting will begin with a networking hour, followed by buffet dinner at 7 p.m. and meeting at 8 p.m. Cost is $60 per member/$80 non-member with a group rate of $50 for member/partner companies with four or more in attendance. If you are a supplier and would like to sponsor the December 3rd chapter meeting, contact [email protected].
UPDATE ON TMA MOLD MANUFACTURING CURRICULUM
Joe Genc, (mold estimator at PM Mold), is currently working on breaking in a new instructor for the NEW MOLD MAKING course that he has taught for the past 20 years. The new instructor, Mike Elgeness, is also from PM Mold (EDM programmer/operator/mold maker) and will be teaching the Tuesday evening portion of this course. Joe was been “team teaching” with Mike (in order give him some training) and has turned over the course to Mike this month. Jack Krikorian and Joe will continue to meet once or twice a week to work on the new curriculum which will expand the course from one to two years. The new course structure will now include “hands-on” training instruction as well. The existing curriculum (which Joe developed and up dated from year to year) will be expanded to include more detailed information. The previous two-semester course had to cram a great deal of learning into 32 weeks. This new course will permit the instructor to spend more time on various subjects. The hands-on course is being developed to teach the apprentices the different aspects of set-ups, machining principles, mold repair, mold handling, and shop safety, to mention just a few. Joe plans to continue to work on a weekly basis with Jack and Mike for the next several years to develop and refine the new course curriculum. “I plan to continue to work with TMA as an advisor on curriculum development and as an instructor trainer for as long I am mentally able to do this work” said Joe Genc.

If you or one of your mold makers is interested in helping the mold industry train its new work force, you can contact Joe at [email protected] . With enough instructors, Joe and Jack hope to divide the course into sections so that each instructor teachers for a four-to-six week period, rather than 32 weeks, which is a very large time commitment. Without the talented and dedicated individuals to teach the curriculum, it is difficult to train quality apprentices.
SAFE DRIVING POLICY FOR YOUR COMPANY
At the September chapter meeting, Doug Gibson and Nick Nasti from Federated Insurance, gave an extremely informative presentation on company liability issues. With the increasing cost of auto insurance, the exposure to liability by employees using company vehicles is a very hot topic. Establishing a safe driving policy for employees to follow was especially welcomed by the members in attendance at the meeting, so Doug and Nick wanted to share the safe driving policy that Federated Insurance has developed for its clients. To view the policy, click here.
SPECIAL PROGRAMS FOR AMBA CHICAGO CHAPTER MEMBERS
Is your company doing something special to promote mold manufacturing careers, such as hosting a tour or doing a presentation at your local school? Did someone in your firm earn a special recognition? The Chicago Chapter has partnered with Creative Technology to offer photographic services to its members for events that promote mold manufacturing. Get some great professional photographs of your event at no cost to your company. The Chicago Chapter does ask that these be shared with us for use in its newsletters, email, etc. We always want to hear about the many great things are members are doing! Contact [email protected] to schedule photography services for your event.

It is easy to raise funds for the Chicago Chapter's education efforts by using the MOLD YOUR CAREER REWARD Program that Quality Tools offers the Chicago Chapter members. When purchasing your supplies through QTA, mention the program and the Chicago Chapter will receive 10% of the profits to use towards its efforts in promoting mold manufacturing. Many thanks to QTA for the ongoing support.