Really despite of international tensions & economic problems the technology continues to advance as always.. but do you think tooling design is lagging a bit being the essential part of this growth. and so where and which parts the trend in tooling design lags?

The upcoming technology in better tooling evolves with advancements in materials engineering. However the feasibility in manufacturing comes down to reduction in manufacturing cost.  

There has always been a missing link between product designers and tool designer .

product designers look at aesthetics of the part and not every product designer understands the ways tools are manufactured. and the difficulties faced by a tool maker and the production team.

Not all designs are manufacturable , a tool designer should effectively be able to communicate design changes on the part to reduce defects on the part. he should be able to forecast defects on the part.