Journeyman tool and die maker with 15 years building and maintaining progressive and transfer dies for automotive stampings. Designs repairs, runs wire EDM and surface grinders, and cut die-related press downtime 35% at a 22-press stamping plant through a structured die maintenance program.
Experience
Lead Tool and Die Maker, Great Lakes Stamping (Toledo, OH)
Feb 2018 – Present
Build, try out and maintain progressive and transfer dies for 400- to 1,200-ton presses supplying automotive Tier 1 parts
Launched a hit-count-based die PM program across 160 dies, cutting die-related press downtime 35%
Machine punches, forms and inserts on wire EDM, CNC mills and surface grinders, holding tolerances of ±0.0001 in. on critical details
Supported 8 new-model die launches through PPAP, meeting customer run-at-rate dates on all 8
Tool and Die Maker, Maumee Tool & Die (Perrysburg, OH)
Jun 2011 – Jan 2018
Built 25+ progressive dies from design to tryout for appliance and HVAC brackets
Reduced average die repair turnaround from 3 days to 1.5 days with a spare-detail inventory
Tool and Die Apprentice, Maumee Tool & Die (Perrysburg, OH)
Jun 2007 – May 2011
Completed a 4-year, 8,000-hour DOL-registered apprenticeship in die build and repair
Education
Certificate, Tool and Die Technology, Owens Community College (Aug 2007 – May 2010)
Skills
Certifications: Journeyman Tool and Die Maker (DOL), OSHA 10 General Industry, overhead crane
Machining: wire and sinker EDM, CNC milling, surface and jig grinding
Die work: progressive and transfer dies, tryout, shimming, die setting
How to write a Tool and Die Maker resume
A strong Tool and Die Maker resume shows the licences you hold, the equipment and systems you work on, and how your work improved safety, uptime, quality or output. Put your most relevant recent role first and make every bullet show a result, not a duty.
Sections, in order
Summary
Certifications
Experience
Skills
Education
Length: One page for most candidates; move to two only if every line is relevant.
Summary: Write two or three lines: your role, your strongest skills, and one result that proves them.
Skills to feature
Blueprint and schematic reading
Licences and trade certifications
Safety compliance (OSHA, NFPA 70E, LOTO)
Troubleshooting and diagnostics
Preventive maintenance
PLCs and controls
Precision measurement and GD&T
Welding and fabrication
CMMS (Maximo, Fiix, UpKeep)
Lean manufacturing and 5S
Example bullet points
Rebuilt the PM schedule for 14 injection molders in Fiix, cutting unplanned downtime from 9% to 4% in six months
Passed 3G and 4G AWS D1.1 bend tests and held a weld reject rate under 1% on structural steel
Wired 120 kVA of new service and panels to NEC 2023 with zero failed inspections across 30 commercial jobs
Tips from recruiters
Put licences and certifications near the top with the issuing body, state and number of hours or expiry date where relevant.
Name the machines, controls and processes you know (Haas, Fanuc, Allen-Bradley, GTAW) because hiring managers and ATS filters search for them.
Quantify safety and quality as well as output: incident-free hours, scrap, rework and inspection pass rates all count.
Recommended templates
Classic (ATS-friendly): Jake's-style LaTeX classic: small caps and hairline rules
Compact (ATS-friendly): Dense single column that fits long histories
Modern (ATS-friendly): Clean single column with accent headings and rules
Tool and Die Maker resume FAQ
What should a Tool and Die Maker resume include?
A Tool and Die Maker resume should show the licences you hold, the equipment and systems you work on, and how your work improved safety, uptime, quality or output. Use these sections in this order: Summary, Certifications, Experience, Skills and Education. Put your most relevant recent role first and make every bullet show a result, not a duty.
What is the best resume template for a Tool and Die Maker?
Classic, Compact and Modern work well for Tool and Die Maker roles. They are single-column with standard headings, so applicant tracking systems (ATS) parse them reliably.
How long should a Tool and Die Maker resume be?
One page for most candidates; move to two only if every line is relevant.
Which skills should a Tool and Die Maker put on a resume?
Prioritize the skills named in the job posting. Common ones for Tool and Die Maker roles are Blueprint and schematic reading, Licences and trade certifications, Safety compliance (OSHA, NFPA 70E, LOTO), Troubleshooting and diagnostics, Preventive maintenance and PLCs and controls.
How do I write strong Tool and Die Maker resume bullet points?
Start with an action verb, say what you did, and end with a measurable result such as equipment uptime, scrap rate and OEE. For example: "Rebuilt the PM schedule for 14 injection molders in Fiix, cutting unplanned downtime from 9% to 4% in six months."