Page 25 - EDM Today Spring 2025

the mold beat EDM Today Magazine EDM Today Magazine EDM Today Magazine
When exploring the percentage plunge, the study authors cite several indicators that point towards the
risk of recession, including - but not limited to - fear over a global trade war, rising infl ati on and worsening
economic conditi ons. Despite this uncertainty in the global marketplace, however, there are many ways in
which U.S. mold manufacturers can begin to prepare their businesses for what’s to come.

MORE BUSINESS HIGHLIGHTS NEED FOR WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
mold builder
While U.S. mold manufacturers are grateful for increased quoti ng and OPPORTUNITIES
PERSPECTIVE
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higher win rates, some are already looking towards their next, post-
At the end of 2024 and the beginning of 2025, 54 percent of manufacturers surveyed in the AMBA 2025 tariff obstacle - workforce att racti on, retenti on and development.
Business Forecast Report reported the anti cipated or realized reshoring of business (as illustrated in the For example, in Q1 2025, AMBA 2025 Business Forecast survey "our connection with
featured chart), demonstrati ng the positi ve eff ect that even limited EDM Today Magazine EDM Today Magazine the amba directly
respondents indicated that their anti cipated capacity uti lizati on would
tariff s have had on business over the last few years. U.S. Moldmakers – Reshored Work hover close to 74 percent; but for many, decreased capacity is as much impacts our bottom
Won or Anticipated (Q1 2025) due to a limited labor pool as it is to business won and in progress. line. without access
As tariff s have begun to play an even bigger role in recent days, to PEER-DRIVEN
many in the U.S. mold manufacturing community are applauding WORKFORCE-RELATED resources TARGET MEMBER PAIN POINT best practices, the
the government’s recent trade moves, as they have realized an
immediate rise in quoti ng and already anti cipate a rise in business. 22% For its members, access to the AMBA community, the associati on’s ASSOCIATION’S strategic
32% resources and its industry connecti ons could be the diff erence between partnerships and its
As stated by Hillary Thomas, Westminster Tool Vice President, staying in business or closing their doors. advocacy efforts, we’d
“The manufacturing tariff s imposed by President Trump and his be flying blind.”
administrati on have benefi ted our business, similar to the wide- 47% EDM Today Magazine EDM Today Magazine EDM Today Magazine
To help its members address workforce challenges, the AMBA has
scale tariff eff ort in 2018. Following the recent announcement, our conti nued to develop resources focused specifi cally on this industry -HILLARY THOMAS,
quote requests rose 25% in one month. These tariff s, parti cularly Yes pain point; these are outlined below. Westminster Tool
against China and other internati onal competi tors, help level the
global manufacturing playing fi eld for the moldmaking industry. We No • The AMBA Emerging Leaders Network, which off ers peer
strongly support and encourage to maintain internati onal tariff s that Not yet, but anticipate winning connecti on to emerging professionals within the AMBA community
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promote manufacturing here in the country.” reshored business in the future. • Workforce development-specifi c benchmarking, like the recent Did You Know?

Beyond direct testi monials from AMBA members, the celebrati on of such trade moves has been AMBA Playbook on Employee Engagement, Sati sfacti on and
confi rmed with the most recent publishing of the Gardner Business Index (GBI), which shared a patt ern Retenti on
• A monthly Grants and Workforce Incenti ves Tracking Matrix, which
of conti nued growth in business conditi ons over the last sixth months. Not only is this the most positi ve EDM Today Magazine EDM Today Magazine AMBA offers
performance of the Moldmaking Index since Q1-Q2 of 2022; the Future Business Index - which predicts provides informati on on state, regional and nati onal grants
anti cipated business conditi ons - reports even stonger conditi ons to come, expressing the rising opti mism • Recruitment Tools and Playbooks, video and printed materials that MEMBERS key
felt by many industry executi ves*. support member recruitment and retenti on programs resources and

volatile conditions STOKE INSTABILITY, UNCERTAINTY IN GLOBAL ECONOMY • A robust Skills Certi fi cati on program, which assesses and certi fi es connections that
the skills of domesti c, front-line mold manufacturing workers
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Although the recent tariff s applied to Chinese goods are welcomed by many domesti c moldmakers, • No-cost professional development opportuniti es focused on a DRIVE MEMBER
there’s no questi on that conditi ons remain volati le for the American manufacturing supply chain. The myriad of topics, including confl ict resoluti on, lean manufacturing GROWTH AND
possibility of tariff s on global trading partners has spiked uncertainty for American consumers and some implementati on, industry mentor connecti ons and many more

confusion within the business community. For example, as of publicati on, the University of Michigan - EDM Today Magazine EDM Today Magazine PROFITABILITY.
in its preliminary results for April 2025 - reported that consumer senti ment (across all ages, incomes, Much of the data cited in this arti cle originated in the 2025 AMBA
politi cal affi liati ons and other factors) fell 11 percent from March 2025**. Business Forecast Report. To learn more about this report, the
resources outlined above and AMBA’s advocacy eff orts, visit AMBA.org.
*Ref.: Shirk, Mike. “Moldmaking Index Conti nues Strong 2025 with 52.4 in March.” MoldMaking Technology, January 13, 2025.
htt ps://www.moldmakingtechnology.com/arti cles/moldmaking-index-conti nues-strong-2025-with-524-in-march. This arti cle was compiled by the American Mold Builders Associati on (AMBA) and is AMBA.ORG
**Ref.: University of Michigan. Surveys of Consumers. Insti tute for Social Research. Accessed April 15, 2025. htt ps://www.sca. based on the Associati on’s benchmarking eff orts, industry perspecti ves provided by
EDM Today Magazine EDM Today Magazine EDM Today Magazine
isr.umich.edu/. AMBA executi ves and industry-related learning opportuniti es.

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