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

CLEVELAND — 2009 was an awful year for most manufacturers but, so far, 2010 looks like a turnaround year. 

Wire-Net is a manufacturers' group with more than 200 members in Greater Cleveland.

Its president, John Colm, says, "We've turned the corner. We're clawing our way out of a deep hole. It's very broad-based, including metal stamping and forged products, consumer products and construction products. Folks are hiring 12 workers, maybe adding a whole second shift."

E.F. Kitzel and Sons is a West Side Cleveland precision manufacturer that serves automotive, aerospace and medical industry customers.

"We've seen a real dramatic pick-up in our business. In the last month, we hired two additional employees. We're up about 40 percent for the year. It looks like it's going to continue," said Kitzel General Manager Tom Schuman.    

Across town at Collinwood's Talan Products stamping plant, it's the same story.

Company CEO Steve Peplin says, "We're having a really good year."

And it's picking up.

"A month and a half ago, we were running four, ten-hour shifts. Now we're running five, 20-hour shifts and 12 hours on Saturday," Peplin.

Northeast Ohio looks to medicine and bioresearch as the future but manufacturing still plays a big role in the regional economy.

"It's definitely good new for Cleveland. Twenty percent of our economy's based in manufacturing," says Colm.

Manufacturing is often one of the last economic sectors to emerge from a recession following housing and financial services.

It's playing a leading role now.