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32 MoldMaking Technology —— JANUARY 2018 International Perspective By Barbara Schulz Small but Smart Germany's Toolmaker of the Year 2017 does things small but in a smart way when it comes to the design and manufacturing of multi-component molds, in-mold-labeling and tools with integrated assembly functions. F or more than 25 years, W. Fassnacht Werkzeug- und Formenbau has been provid- ing high-quality molds to a diverse range of industries. Recently, the Swabian company was named Germany's Toolmaker of the Year 2017 because it believes in doing things in a small but smart way. The company has sustained healthy growth since its inception in 1990. A continuously grow- ing customer base left company founder Wolfgang Fassnacht and his team of 20 workers at a cross- roads about eight years ago: Should they grow the company, or keep it a medium-sized family business? "When I asked my team if they wanted to remain a small-but- smart mold shop or grow into a big business with up to 300 employees, everyone agreed to continue doing things in a small way," Fassnacht says. Today, the branding "made by Fassnacht" is synonymous with high-quality molds and attracts international custom- ers from the automotive, medical, packaging, electronics and white goods industries. "I never wanted to create a niche for my company. I always thought that it is too risky in times of economic crises, as we saw in 2009," Fassnacht says. "Today, there is no industry that we are not servicing." But like most mold shops these days, Fassnacht faces fierce competition abroad, especially from Asia, he says. So, the company constantly reinvents itself to remain globally competitive. Among Fassnacht's measures to ensure a solid, future-oriented business is his aforementioned decision to keep the company small and healthy. The company also has Images courtesy of W. Fassnacht Werkzeug- und Formenbau. W. Fassnacht Werkzeug- und Formenbau has continuously invested in automation, including a five-axis machining center, CNC measuring machine, two EDM machines and a handling system. heavily invested in automation systems and in a laser cus- ing machine to additively manufacture mold inserts. He also makes a priority of trusting his employees. Focus on Core Competencies These are the reasons why Fassnacht won the "Toolmaker of the Year" award in November 2017. The Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology and the WZL tooling laboratory at RWTH Aachen University, Germany, organize the com- petition. The award's jury also praised the shop's decision to outsource less demanding work and its choice to concentrate on its core competencies—the design and manufacturing of multi-component molds, in-mold-labeling and tools with integrated assembly functions. "We don't sell machine hours, we sell design and manufac- turing know-how and keep our core capabilities like five-axis