An auto suppliers’ group is considering creating a tooling group to serve as a forum for mold makers, stamping die fabricators and fixtures and gauges makers to share best practices and discuss issues facing the industry.
The Original Equipment Suppliers Association, a Troy-based group, will have an exploratory meeting on July 11 to “examine the merits” of creating a tooling forum, OESA officials noted.
The meeting is open only to OESA members now, but it may open to non-members if the group agrees to move forward with the proposal.
Specifics on what the forum would do are awaiting the organizational meeting, but it could potentially discuss engineering and product development, collaboration, managing changing contracts with customers, global tooling issues and company strategy and succession planning. Consulting group Harbour Results Inc. has been spearheading discussion of the possible forum.
In addition to OESA, other partners in the effort may include Canadian-based Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association and the Center for Automotive Research.