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Profle 14 MoldMaking Technology August 2015 apprentices still receive a well-rounded education, but the pro- gram is now tiered and far more structured, with each spend- ing a certain amount of time in one area before moving to the next. After a few years, their aptitude and interest determines where they'll work to develop more specialized knowledge. "As we separated out all our processes, it became important to assign people with the right skill levels to each area," Rotman explains. "This helped develop our 'apprenticeship walk- through'—what a first-year can handle versus what a second- year can handle. By the third year, you can really start to under- stand where they might fit into a process where everyone grabs the piece they're responsible for and cuts it to the model." Engineering New Business Engineering-driven manufacturing requires, as Rotman puts it, "thinking in 3D," and that's an ability the shop has recently used to expand into an entirely new segment of business. Ameritech Die and Mold South, a satellite operation in Florida, had been manufacturing tool- ing for nearly a decade by the time a nearby custom molder approached the company seeking help with an automa- tion system. That first foray into this sort of work culminated in the opening of Ameritech Automation Systems in early 2014. Specializing mostly in assem- bly and testing systems for custom molders, the new division benefits from the same skill sets that provide a competitive edge in mold manufac- turing. Having automation and mold manufacturing under the same umbrel- la also enables a turnkey approach in some cases. For instance, many automation sys- tems use "nests" that are essentially reverse images of plastic parts. In these cases, the company's expertise in mill- ing in 3D provides an edge, even if the material is plastic or Delrin rather than metal. In one recent instance, Ameritech Automation staffers recognized an oppor- tunity to save money for a customer by drilling holes as part of the assembly process rather than incorporating slides into a mold. "The confidence that people have in our engineering and our ability to see and simulate things in 3D lends itself to confidence in our automated assembly solutions," Rotman says. LEARN MORE Steve Rotman, Ameritech president, recently penned an article on the shop's "specialist" approach. Read it at short.moldmakingtechnology.com/adm.