This meeting's topic will be sales and marketing.

Email bob@toolanddiefutures.org or myself (jbrown@lintrio.com) to RSVP

Please notify any friends and colleagues you had planned on attending with.

Thank you,

Joe Brown

July 16^th 1:15-4:15pm Elliott Hall Auditorium, Oakland University

Re-Shoring and Discussion of Small Business Lending Practices

The day long June meeting heard from Mr. Jeff Lucas of Toyota was a resounding success. We hope to bring him again in the fall of 2010 at the request of many.  The focus of this July meeting will be on small business lending practices, an insightful discussion on Re-shoring and a quick update on the lean training workshops that are taking place each week this summer. 

In today's tight financial situations, what can tool/die and other small manufactures do to increase their chances of securing bank financing to support their innovations/improvement in their operations, introduction of new technology, diversification initiatives, etc? Four panel members will share their views and answer questions.

In addition, the group will hear from Mr. Harry Moser, who is going to provide insight into how OEM's and manufacturers can develop value propositions that will make re-shoring (bringing work back to US) possible.

These discussions are taking place each month in an effort to help improve communications among multiple stakeholders of the automotive value chain and help many tool/die and small manufacturers become better suppliers.

            Agenda items for the July meeting:  Bios of the speakers:

Re-Shoring: a Key to a Lean Supply Chain and Robust Manufacturing

Mr. Harry C. Moser, GF AgiieCharmilles

Lending Practices – Panel discussion participants:

     Mr. D. Craig Wiggins, President, Tooling & Equipment Capital  Solutions Inc.

     Ms. Elain McMahon, Consultant (retired in 2010 as SVP of Small Business Development), Comerica 

     Mr. Scott Wolffis, Senior Vice President, Business Banking Market Manager, Huntington Bank

     Mr. Timothy K. Strasz, Business Lending Manager, Michigan State University Federal Credit Union

Agenda

1:15-1:30 Introduction

1:30-2:30 Re-Shoring – Harry C. Moser

2:30-2:45 Break

2:45-4:00 Lending Practices – Panel Discussion

4:00-4:15 Summary and an update on lean training workshops

Help shape the tool and die industry group and chart a course that will positively change the industry. 

Please email or call and let me know if you can attend by July 14^th. The next meeting will be August 20^th, 1:15-4:15 in the Elliott Hall Auditorium at Oakland University. 

Bob Quinn

E-mail: bob@toolanddiefutures.org

586-336-1237; Cell 586-557-4655

“It gives us an opportunity to save these jobs and this plant,’’ said Maurice “Mo” Davison, director of UAW Region 3 in Indianapolis.

UAW Local 23 in Indianapolis had refused to itself open wage concessions with potential bidder JD Norman Industries of Addison, Ill.

Today, Local 23 officials urged the union’s head office in Detroit to conduct the negotiations and present a proposed offer for a vote by stamping plant employees.

Davison, who represents the union’s Detroit office in Indiana and Kentucky, said union staff in Detroit, Norman Industries and GM will conduct negotiations in Detroit “as soon as possible.”

Davison said the proposal would be presented to stamping plant employees for a vote this year, but he wasn’t sure when.

Norman Industries of Addison, Ill., has discussed buying the 850-employee plant from GM, but wanted a commitment from Local 23 to renegotiate the master labor contract.

UAW Local 23 officials had been reluctant to open talks but today agreed to start those negotiations during a meeting with Justin Norman, an Illinois entrepreneur, and UAW Region 3 director in Indianapolis. The meeting was organized by U.S. Rep. Andre Carson, D-7th District, and took place in his Indianapolis office, an aide said

GM has scheduled the closure of the Near Westside plant by October 2011.

Norman, owner of metal stamping businesses in the Chicago and Cleveland areas and Mexico, had expressed a willingness to buy the facility and produce auto parts for GM and other carmakers.

Read the rest of thie article        here.