Good tooling is key to making good parts. Without the right steel in the right place, with the right texture and the right injection and cooling lines, molders cannot make quality parts.
Historically, the tools are made by a wide range of small shops, each one doing maybe $25 million to $50 million in business each year, with a few dozen skilled employees.
That is changing, though. Companies like Concours Technologies and Westfall Technik have been growing through a series of acquisitions, developing platforms able to reach more customers in more places with more capabilities.
Now add Adler Industrial Solutions Inc. to that list of companies on the hunt for toolmakers.
Adler formed in late 2020 in Omaha, Neb., and just purchased Shorts Tool & Mfg. Inc. of Saegertown, Pa., as part of its plan to build a network of tooling companies.
"We will continue to focus on finding companies in the mold making space which compliment our current capabilities," CEO Philipp Gruner said. "We believe that each company that joins the Adler team will bring with it not only a new set of customers but more importantly skills and know-how, which can only improve our company as a whole."