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8 MoldMaking Technology —— APRIL 2017 EAB Ryan Katen is general manager of Micro Mold Co., MoldMaking Technology's 2013 Leadtime Leader Award Honorable Mention win- ner, which continues to grow by viewing its customers, sister molding company Plastikos and industry associations as true partners. This team mentality has helped the 20 employees of this second-generation, family- owned company consistently design and build primarily one- to 16-cavity, tight-tolerance, high-precision injection molds for the medical, aerospace and electronic connector industries in eight to 14 weeks. Ryan is commit- ted to driving this team. He holds both bachelor's and master's degrees in industrial engineer- ing from Purdue University. After graduation, he worked as an industrial engineer at Boston Scientific Corp. for two years. He then joined the Plastikos/Micro Mold team as an engineering manager and has remained there for the past 10 years. However, for more than six of those years, he has been the general manager of Micro Mold. As GM, Ryan is focused on ensuring the right decisions are made regard- ing significant capital investments in new equipment and proper talent, as well as internal and external training. He believes his experience with advanced automated manufacturing cells, lights-out machining, value-add- ed sampling services, new-product risk assessment strategies, upfront col- laboration, committed sales and marketing efforts, and a "train-your-own" employee approach can help other shops learn to compete. Ryan's career has allowed him to hone his skills for developing, execut- ing and completing plans, as well as leading the company and molding its culture. He believes working within a family-owned business affords him a unique perspective on managing a business while maintaining the suc- cessful culture started by his father. He is passionate about the benefits of pursuing an organic growth strategy with a conservative fiscal manage- ment approach and believes that has enabled the company to steadily grow during positive economic periods and also effectively weather eco- nomic slowdowns. He attributes much of the success of Micro Mold to its partnership with Plastikos. He says that when your sister company is a molder, you can look at the big picture on a project: the total potential revenue stream rather than just the tool build. Ryan brings this perspective and his pas- sion for finding and training qualified individuals to be toolmakers to his new MMT EAB position. He is eager to offer insight on culture, shop floor/process/workflow, and education and workforce development, which are key areas for our moldmaking community. 2017 Editorial Advisory Board Ryan Katen General Manager Micro Mold Co. Erie, Pennsylvania EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD (EAB) The EAB enhances the standing of the publication and strengthens its professional integrity through the active involvement of its members. The Board represents all aspects of the mold manufacturing industry with a balance of moldmakers, molders, OEMs and academia, and various moldmaking segments and job functions. A member is selected based on his or her experience and knowledge of the mold- making industry to serve a three-year term. Kylee Carbone Director of Human Development & Marketing Westminster Tool Plainfield, Connecticut 860-564-6966, ext. 244 kcarbone@westminstertool.com westminstertool.com Will J. Cipkar Technical Sales Crest Mold Crest Thermal Technology (CTT) Division Ontario, Canada 519-737-1546, ext. 117 jcipkar@crestmold.com crestmold.com Andrew Garstkiewicz Senior Advanced Manufacturing Engineer GE Appliances, a Haier company Louisville, Kentucky 502-387-1259 andrew.garstkiewicz@ge.com ge.com Ryan Katen President and General Manager Micro Mold Company Inc. Erie, Pennsylvania 814-838-3404, ext. 238 rkaten@plastikoserie.com plastikoserie.com Tim Krieger President Krieger Craftsmen Inc. Grand Rapids, Michigan 616-735-9200 tim@kriegercraftsmen.com kriegercraftsmen.com Gabe Meldrum Plant Manager International Mold Corp. Clinton Township, Michigan 586-783-6890 gabe.meldrum@internationalmold.net internationalmold.net Gerardo Miranda (Jerry) Global Tooling Manager Oakley Foothill Rand, California 949-900-7785 gmiranda@oakley.com oakley.com Francine Petrucci President BA Die Mold Aurora, Illinois 630-978-4747 francine@badiemold.com badiemold.com Ryan Pohl Founder Praeco Skills LLC Grand Rapids, Michigan 616-951-2133 ryan@praecoskills.com praecoskills.com Rich Stueber Engineering Manager NyproMold Instructor, Lake County Community College Clinton, Massachusetts 847-855-2252 rich.stueber@nypromold.com nypromold.com