Tooling is a prime consideration in the decision-making process involved in the planning of the manufacture of any product. It is obvious that because the tooling costs are part of the manufacturer's investment, these costs must be recovered as part of the price of the product. Therefore, before the decision is made to produce a product, the manufacturer must make very detailed plans with regard to the identification of the required tooling and the estimating of the tooling cost. When the tooling costs have been determined, they will be combined by estimates of manufacturing costs, marketing costs, desired profit margins, and various other considerations. It cannot be over-emphasised at this point how important it is that the forecasted costs are accurate. This is particularly true for the estimated tooling costs. In most industries, the tooling costs represent a substantial part of the investment. Consequently, an error or an underestimate of the total tooling costs could mislead the management into undertaking an unprofitable venture.

The use of plastics as tooling materials has provided many new opportunities for tool engineers to advance the state of the art and improve tooling costs. The very dynamic nature of the plastics industry promotes constant change and improvement. Through the continued development of new materials, new applications, and new tool fabrication techniques, the plastic tooling industry has steadily grown.