2000 Top 25 Diemakers

"It has to come down to diemakers willing to work at cost just to pay their bills and stay in business," laments Crabtree, who himself sees many diemakers being unwittingly caught in a downward spiral.

"They buy the technology to be more efficient and produce more," he explains, "then they begin to see an increase in unused capacity." For instance, he points to lasers capable of burning 90 inches or more of board a minute--"that's a hungry beast in more ways than one," contends Crabtree. To fill capacity diemakers then cut their price. Because they cut their price, they experience a decrease in profits, and are convinced the only way to increase profits is to buy more technology to be more productive.