Westminster Tool Wins 2021 Leadtime Leader Award

Westminster Tool (Plainfield, Conn.) was named Moldmaking Technology magazine’s 2020 Leadtime Leader during an award ceremony at Amerimold 2021 (Sept. 21-23; Donald E. Stephens Convention Center; Rosemont, Ill.). Since 2003, this award has been granted to mold makers that have excelled not only in fast lead times but in being shops that exceed all expectations of the trade.

“For us, this prestigious award is one that we take a lot of pride in since we won the 2014 Leadtime Leader title,” Westminster Tool President Ray Coombs said in a release. Coombs noted that the first award gave the company a great deal of beneficial exposure. “That award helped put us on the map,” Coombs said.

In the years since that award, Westminster Tool underwent a major transformation, pausing all capital investments, reconfiguring its business model, and investing heavily in people, including workforce development and training in interpersonal skills, communication, emotional intelligence, and the adoption of critical lean practices.

Since then, Westminster Tool has invested in state-of-the-art equipment to give its team the best possible resources and tools to succeed. That included monies into inspection, quality, and engineering processes, with more than 10% of the company’s annual revenue being invested back into new tools and machinery. Most recently that includes investment in metal 3D printing.