International Association of Diecutting and Diemaking (IADD)

Karl Marbach Jr.'s knack for forging alliances has brought global acclaim for his diecutting/diemaking innovations. by Kate Tomlinson, Assistant Editor IF FRIENDSHIPS ARE an indication of success, Karl Marbach Jr. is a very accomplished man. As president of Marbach Co. of Heilbronn, Germany, Marbach may run a tight ship, but an obvious welcoming atmosphere radiates from the building. "I try to maintain a professional level of friendship within [the company]," he says. "I lead by walking." Those who have visited the Marbach facility can see firsthand where it all started, and how a man who has contributed so much to the steel rule die

IADD members from the die manufacturing and converting camps see similar opportunities and challenges ahead. By Susan Friedman, Editor Talk about an industry with a bunch of one-track minds. A new diecutting/diemaking industry survey, jointly developed by the International Association of Diecutting and Diemaking (IADD) and packagePRINTING, reveals diemakers and converters hold largely unanimous opinions on the current business climate. Diemaker and converter respondents from the label, flexible packaging, folding carton, and corrugated market segments see bright spots on the immediate business horizon, punctuated with a relentless need for increased production efficiencies and a strong loyalty to existing diemaking arrangements and operations. An edge

With a commitment to internationality and diplomacy, Jean Benoit has helped build a stronger, more unified die industry. by Jessica Millward Canada is a nation of distinct and defined identities. The French-speaking population living around Montreal possesses its own culture—one very different from that of English-speaking Canadians, generally associated with the city of Toronto. Jean Benoit, founder and owner of Dieco Steel Rule Die, had a wish—to bridge the gap between Canada's two cultures of diemaking/diecutting professionals. As a long-time member of the International Association of Diecutting and Diemaking (IADD), Benoit has been dedicated to the expansion of the Can/Am chapter, and its mission

Calling on half a century of experience and wisdom, Frank Clay helped shape the diecutting and diemaking industry. By Dawn Whalen The post-war era of the late 1940s offered endless job opportunities for millions of young men. Not many, however, even by the standards of the day, remained with their first employer, or in an industry that, at best, offered them only a job with no strings attached, but no promises either. Frank Clay was the exception—by choice. For nearly 50 years Clay spent his days, weeks and months growing relationships, building a prosperous diemaking operation and helping to ensure his chosen industry as