Extrusion International 5-2025-USA

70 Extrusion International 5/2025 EXTRUSION TOOLING – INTERVIEW market? And are there any differ- ences in this regard compared to the North American market? Tom Baldock: Wire & Cable, one of our main markets in other parts of the world, was challeng- ing on the price point. Guill sup- ports a substantial talent base at our company, comprising R&D, engineering, advanced machining technology and other aspects most competitors do not. These advan- tages are particularly helpful in the medical tubing area, but also have bene ts in other market segments for us. In Europe that the industry is suf- fering from a weakening economy – plastics and rubber machinery man- ufacturing is currently in crisis. Is this also re ected in Guill's order books? Tom Baldock: Not at all. The pre- cision markets where we excel, es- pecially medical, actually improved during the Covid crisis and have remained very strong for us. Mean- while, the presence of Guill Tool Europe "on the ground" in key mar- ket segments has already produced substantial business opportunities for our company. Guill offers training and further education for the extrusion indus- try. Is this also available in Europe? Tom Baldock: Yes, we are as com- mitted in Europe as we are else- where in the world, working both with customers to increase the skill set of the current workforce as well as educational initiatives to intro- duce as many of the engineering, manufacturing and extrusion ap- plication technologies as possible to the next generation of workers. Europe has the same challenge we face in America, actually, namely, the loss of "tribal knowledge" from an aging workforce. Guill sees edu- cation as a key component in our value proposition to the industry overall. This is another differentia- tor for us. In America, Guill works closely with tech schools, universi- ties and other educational institu- tions to increase the talent in the market and encourage young peo- ple to enter it. This year is another K year, which means that the leading internation- al plastics trade fair will once again take place in Düsseldorf – eagerly awaited by the plastics industry. Will Guill Tool be present there? Tom Baldock: Absolutely, Guill will be present at K, presenting our current and newest products to the market. Factory personnel and our partners at Guill Tool Europe will be at the booth and we invite all ex- truders, materials suppliers and oth- ers related to extrusion to visit us. Hall 1, Booth C90. Thank you for this interview. Guill Tool & Engineering Tom Baldock, Sales Manager, Extrusion 10 Pike Street , West Warwick, RI 02893, USA tbaldock@guill.com, www.guill.com