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Business Planning 30 MoldMaking Technology November 2014 Co-owners Justin McPhee (left) and Tim Bartz say getting off the shop foor and working on the company's overall vision is critical to ensuring a sustainable future. By Matthew Danford T im Bartz and Justin McPhee decided they'd had enough. The year was 2010, and the co-owners of Mold Craft were regularly putting in 65-hour workweeks. That's not to say these seasoned industry veterans minded the long hours. Rather, they couldn't help but feel as though all their hard work was for naught. Granted, staying busy in the wake of a severe economic downturn wasn't a bad thing, at least not on the surface. Moreover, the Minneapolis-area manufacturer of precision plastic and MIM injection molds had managed to keep up with delivery targets while also maintaining the stringent quality standards on which it had built its reputation. Nonetheless, this supposed success wasn't reflected in profit margins, which hovered barely in the black regardless of the amount, quality or timeliness of the shop's work. Shift after shift, the Mold Craft team kept the shop humming and even found new efficiencies, but rewards remained fleeting and the future uncertain. "We needed to take a step back," McPhee recalls. "We were spending too much time working in the business and not on the business." The changes of the past few years prove that forcing focus on the big- ger picture was well worth it. Now celebrating its 50th year in operation, Mold Craft has reaffirmed just what type of company it is. It has redirected This moldmaker influences its own destiny by staying true to itself, knowing exactly where it wants to go, and ensuring everyone in the organization understands how to get there. All According to Plan resources accordingly to avoid wasted effort, particularly on the front end of the build, and it has articulated a detailed vision for where it wants to be in the future. Identifying and track- ing relevant metrics has illuminated how far the company has come along that path and what's required to speed the journey. All of this information has been condensed into a single-page business plan that provides a roadmap for the entire company. Equally simple sub-plans governing individual departments filter broader goals throughout the organization so that all 41 employees know how best to contribute. As a result, morale has improved because employees under- stand the importance of their contribution and their role in the broader organization. Improved communication, both in and among different departments, limits misunderstandings and