A worldwide leader in plastics converting equipment turned to FVTC to grow in the global marketplace.

Headquartered in Appleton, Wisconsin, CMD Corporation wanted to help its employees better meet the needs of worldwide clientele.

“There is complexity managing our business for a variety of international markets due to differing rules, regulations and market needs,” says CMD President Stephen Sakai. “We knew we had to elevate the cultural awareness and communications capabilities of our entire workforce. To be successful, we also needed a higher level of collaboration and teamwork.”

CMD partnered with Fox Valley Technical College’s Business & Industry Services team to identify the skills, develop the curriculum and deliver the training needed to address its workforce objective. “The curriculum included soft skill development in team communications and conflict resolution as well as related technical skills,” adds Sakai. “The results so far have been great. Our people now work better together and more efficiently because of Fox Valley Tech.”

Dean Murzello, a trainer on FVTC’s Business & Industry Services team, has facilitated classes for all levels of CMD employees. “All the training was done around the clock, even from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. to accommodate different shifts.”

Today, CMD Corporation is a global manufacturing leader in more than 40 countries. In addition, the company earned a national award each of the past two years as a “Best Place to Work” from Plastics News magazine, the industry’s largest trade publication.

“Dean Murzello successfully tailored the training to fit our strategies and time constraints,” Sakai concludes.


Best of the Best

Business and Industry Services at Fox Valley Technical College not only trains some of the best companies in the world like CMD Corporation, but it is also among the state’s best providers of customized workplace solutions. Here’s why:

- About 21,600 employees from a variety of workplace sectors trained during the 2015-16 year
- 2,000+ employers served with customized training plans during the 2015-16 year