One Voice | Government Advocacy for the Metalworking Industry

Dave Tilstone, National Tooling & Machining Association president, shares why it is important for owners, executives and engineers at machining facilities to attend events such as this that can help them benchmark their business with an eye toward growing their business.

When you are working inside your company and not on your company, you do not necessarily look at some of the metrics that are perhaps more important than you are led to believe, says Dave Tilstone, president of the National Tooling & Machining Association. He says it is critically important for NTMA members to know exactly what metrics are driving their business, how they compare to others and where they need improvement.

One way to do this is by attending next week’s Top Shops Conference in Indianapolis, Indiana, September 5-7. According to Mr. Tilstone, the seminars are worthwhile because they will teach attendees how to become a Top Shop—a designation that carries a lot of weight in the supply chain. He says being a more competitive Top Shop helps bring in business because it enables OEMs and Tier One and Tier Two manufacturers get a better understanding of shops’ qualifications and capabilities. Conference attendees will learn what the critical elements are of a Top Shop, how they are measured and more. “They will come away knowing what aspects the industry views as critical to become a Top Shop,” he says. In that respect, they can better identify areas of their machining business where improvements are needed. Register for the conference here.

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