Jens Lüdtke (Head of Tebis Consulting), Benedikt Ruf (Managing Director Gindumac) and Dr. Claus Hornig (Claho) developed the final concept from this and actively drove the project forward. With Messe Stuttgart as a partner, the initiative was brought to market maturity at the end of September as part of a pilot project with selected VDWF members.

New key figure for tool, pattern and mold making

"Marktspiegel Werkzeugbau" is an initiative to create a new industry-specific indicator for the future viability of tool, pattern and mold making. The initiative is designed to provide tool, die and mold makers with new insights into the development status of their company in comparison to the industry in order to derive and implement concrete measures for future orientation.

A new industry standard is to be created from the "Toolmaking market review". In future, companies will be able to refer to this specifically in order to better understand which adjustments they need to make.

"We are convinced that the "Marktspiegel Werkzeugbau" is exactly the right tool for tool, pattern and mold makers to lead their companies into the future in a market- and implementation-oriented manner. We want to make a valuable contribution to this," emphasized Jens Lüdtke, Benedikt Ruf and Claus Hornig.

Towards the future with the Zindex

The "Future Index" (Zindex) is the new company-specific indicator for determining future viability. The "Market Survey Toolmaking" forms the basis for the so-called "Industry Index" (Bindex) in the sum and overall view of all recorded participant data. This shows a new industry standard and industry trends.

For an independent market review, the participants are analyzed, measured and compared with each other in terms of their entrepreneurial competitiveness and value creation. The market review is divided into four overarching fields of analysis: 1. company key figures, 2. production, organization, processes, 3. marketing, communication, sales and 4. digitalization, automation.

The toolmakers can compare themselves according to company size, target markets and product areas. Company size is determined by total assets, sales revenue and number of employees. In the product areas, a distinction is made between toolmaking, mold making, model making and mechanical engineering. The target markets are divided into automotive, consumer / packaging, electronics, aerospace, health / pharmaceuticals, mechanical engineering and other. Both internal and external toolmakers can take part in the initiative.

The "Marktspiegel Werkzeugbau" provides answers to fundamental questions from company managers in toolmaking.

The Zindex allows each company to determine its own position and compare it with the rest of the industry. The Bindex shows the status quo and developments in the industry as a whole.

The "Markspiegel Werkzeugbau" initiative thus opens up market transparency and comparability, provides concrete recommendations for action, allows industry trends to be identified, provides a valid basis for future decisions and strengthens companies in the industry.

From the successful pilot project to the MEX 2019 edition

A total of 16 tool, pattern and mold makers from the VDWF have joined the pilot project in order to create new impetus for their companies. "The idea that toolmakers can now classify themselves on an annual basis and thus also identify developments in the industry is a real added value," says Ralf Dürrwächter, Managing Director of the VDWF.

In the next step, the market review has now been opened up to all companies with the aim of presenting the first "MEX Edition" at Moulding Expo 2019. The plan is to publish a new version with an industry index every two years at Moulding Expo.

Foundation project of Marktspiegel Werkzeugbau e.G. initiated

The "Marktspiegel Werkzeugbau" provides added value through the commitment of its participants and the quality of the data collected. To further develop and establish the initiative, the participants are to be actively involved in the form of a cooperative. The organization as a cooperative is a guarantee that the data is in good hands, because it belongs only to the participants themselves.

The company data will only be made available to the cooperative for the creation of the market review and will be distributed anonymously for processing by a neutral trustee. The project managers are currently in the process of finalizing the founding project and the pricing model. The aim is to achieve a fair price model of between 1,000 and 1,500 euros per annual report.

All tool, pattern and mold makers can already secure their participation in the upcoming "Marktspiegel Werkzeugbau". You can register to take part on the website marktspiegel-werkzeugbau.com.