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Submitted by:
Rod Groleau, Chairman & CEO
Patricia Hirst, Marketing Coordinator
RJG Inc,
Traverse
City, MI
As the injection
molding industry continues to evolve in the face of issues such as
globalization, downsizing and short run quotas, customer demands are
increasing for both the mold builder and molder. More and more
companies are going off shore for the production of molded components
and assemblies. Mold builders and molders alike are looking for ways
to streamline their processes and decrease turn around time in order
to meet the demands of their customers.
Molders are facing
increased demands for shorter lead times and more stringent quality
requirements from their customers. For the sake of survival, they need
to find progressive mold builders that have invested in technologies
and strategies to help them meet today’s challenges. They are looking
for ways to reduce or eliminate costly start-up runs that are time
consuming and eat into the profits of the job. Optimally they are
looking for mold builders that can supply Ready-To-Go-Molds that have
already been put through rigorous paces and arrive at the molders door
complete with a template that the molder can easily match on the
production floor. What is a Ready-To-Go mold? It starts with a good
mold design, which is cut properly, assembled properly, with balanced
cavities, and checks must be made to ensure that all items function as
designed, clearances are proper and water lines are correct based on
flow. Last but not least the mold must be challenged with a rigorous
mold tryout, leaving no stone unturned. The mold builder must validate
mold performance requirements prior to delivery of the mold. Today,
molds need to arrive at the molders door with a guarantee that the
first part produced will be good, not 2, 3 or 10 shots down the line.
Molders can no longer
afford to spend the better part of a day setting up a job and
developing a process. They are looking for ways to streamline the
initial process set-up, as well as the time it takes to repeat the
set-up process when a mold is moved to another machine. In addition,
many molders are required to provide data or proof that the parts they
are supplying are of the highest quality. If a molding job is
transferred to a new machine they are being asked to provide
documentation proving that the process has not been compromised by the
move. Anyone that runs a molding facility knows that moving molds from
one machine to another or one facility to another as scheduling
allows, is inevitable. The ability to quickly move molds from one
machine to another or from one facility to another, without an
abundance of downtime, is an invaluable advantage.
All of this is
happening at a time when mold builders are looking for new ways to add
value to the customer in order to remain competitive. Gone are the
days when tooling shops could rely on return business from their
customers based on the fact that they could provide a mold that was
cut to the customer’s specifications and had adequate surface
finishes. Times have changed and so have the expectations of the
customer. There are new technologies available to help mold builders
meet these increasing demands. Just as many of today’s molders use
cavity pressure control systems to manage their processes, mold
builders are finding there are advantages to these systems for them as
well. Many mold builders are adding mold tryout areas to their
facilities so that they can test their molds for flaws or
inconsistencies before they leave their shop. With the proper
technology and tools in place, once the mold builder is confident that
a process is producing parts that meet the required specifications,
they can create a template of the process that can be shipped to the
customer with the mold. The molder can then set-up the job to match
the template and they are off and running in a minimal amount of time.
Many of the more
progressive mold builders are realizing the value in having an in
depth understanding of the molding process. Companies are sending
their staff through training courses to better understand how plastic
reacts to mold conditions, and what variables affect the final output
of the product. Progressive mold designers and builders are taking
the initiative to get to know the injection process and they are
working with their customers to formulate strategies to help
streamline the time from part design to production.
Mold builders are good
at what they do, they know how to cut steel to meet specifications of
the mold build, but most are not aware of the demands being placed on
their customers. By doing their homework up front and by challenging
molds early in the development stages of the design and build, tool
makers are able to create molds that provide more value to the
customer. Progressive tooling shops are becoming more and more in
demand as molders learn of the value added services they offer. In
order to compete, mold builders should ask themselves this question:
"How can I make a more valuable tool, with less cost and less risk for
the customer?"
To remain a key
player, companies must realistically assess the strengths and
weaknesses of their business and adapt in a way that capitalizes on
their current core competencies. Those who do this will survive and
prosper, but those who only hope for the past will not. As Albert
Einstein said “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again
and expecting a different result”.
Companies must realize
the U.S. government is not going to protect the manufacturing industry
from the obstacles that are surfacing in the manufacturing
marketplace. Mold makers and molders must reevaluate their businesses
to provide increased value to their customers if they expect to
survive in this new economy.
In summary, to remain
a key competitor, companies must adapt to the new demands of the
market and restructure their way of doing business to become more
efficient at what they do. The best way to accomplish this may be for
them to walk a mile in their customer’s shoes. Remember that
technology never comes looking for you, but it sure can pass you by.
RJG, Inc. is a
supplier of in-mold cavity pressure sensors, cavity pressure control
equipment and systematic processing training. In addition they offer a
certification program for mold builders and tooling engineers. For
more information visit their web site at
www.rjginc.com.
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