Miniature Tool & Die Inc. was founded in 1972 in Richard Tully's Charlton, Mass., basement, where the main product at the time was connector molds for the electronics industry. An existing machine shop, Layson Machine, in Worcester, Mass., was purchased in 1975. The determining factor for the acquisition was an electrical discharge machine, which was one of very few in the area at the time.
In 1998, the company moved to a 16,500-square-foot facility in Charlton and began working on its new niche: micro mold building. By 2006, micro injection molding accounted for 25 percent of MTD's revenue; it stopped producing micro tools for other companies.
Richard Tully retired in 2008 and passed the company on to his son, Dennis Tully. MTD Micro Molding became the new company name in 2010.
MTD was named Plastics News Processor of the Year 2018 and one of the 2019 Best Places to Work. Dennis Tully died in February 2019, one week before the awards ceremony. He was inducted to the Plastics Hall of Fame in spring 2020, and MTD's 12,000-square-foot addition was completed in September, which doubled the company's medical manufacturing space and includes a fitness center for employees.
"He instilled a culture of passion, hard work and innovation at MTD, growing the company from a $1.9 million business in 2008 to $8.8 million in 2019, an increase of 442 percent over a 10.5-year period," the company said.
MTD is the No. 2 processor on PN's Best Places to Work list for 2021.
The company, with 38 employees, is guided by five core values: Be the first, be the best, ever forward, be responsible and be a team.
Employee appreciation days happen twice a year, such as a cookout with lawn games or a lobster bake. Company outings, field trips and group activities include baseball games, escape rooms, golf tournaments, St. Patrick's Day green pancake breakfast, barbecues and yoga. During the summer, the facility shuts down for one week of paid shutdown time.
"Currency" is in the form of MTD Bucks. New employees receive 100 MTD Bucks to purchase merchandise via online store. Each year, employees receive 50 MTD Bucks to redeem for items such as T-shirts, backpacks, jackets, polos, hats and more.
Because of the coronavirus pandemic, social distancing is a requirement. Those who enter the facility must complete a COVID-19 questionnaire, receive a temperature check and wear a face mask through the duration of their visit. Surfaces are cleaned multiple times per day.
Those who worked on-site at the MTD facility were paid an extra $20 per day during the lockdown phase, about four months total, and those who were able to work from home did so.
Gary Hulecki, executive vice president, said MTD had its best fourth quarter in company history.
He added that the "people and projects we work on" make MTD a great place to work.
"Thanks to Dennis' leadership, drive, perseverance, planning and passion for problem-solving, the culture will remain unchanged as the employees follow the core values that are posted proudly on the wall at MTD and referred to on a daily basis to guide decision making and goals for the future," the company said in its Best Places to Work questionnaire.
MTD ranks No. 369 among North American injection molders, according to PN data, at estimated sales of $8.5 million. MTD has placed on the Best Places to Work list since 2018.