Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • Sustainable Plastics
  • Rubber News
Subscribe
  • Sign Up Free
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • News
    • Processor News
    • Suppliers
    • More News
    • Digital Edition
    • End Markets
    • Special Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Videos
    • Injection Molding
    • Blow Molding
    • Film & Sheet
    • Pipe/Profile/Tubing
    • Rotomolding
    • Thermoforming
    • Recycling
    • Machinery
    • Materials
    • Molds/Tooling
    • Product news
    • Design
    • K Show
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Sustainability
    • Public Policy
    • Material Insights Videos
    • Numbers that Matter
    • Automotive
    • Packaging
    • Medical
    • Consumer Products
    • Construction
    • Processor of the Year
    • Best Places to Work
      • 2023 winners
    • Women Breaking the Mold
    • Rising Stars
    • Diversity
    • Most Interesting Social Media Accounts in Plastics
  • Opinion
    • The Plastics Blog
    • Kickstart
    • One Good Resin
    • Pellets and Politics
    • All Things Data
    • Viewpoint
    • From Pillar to Post
    • Perspective
    • Mailbag
    • Fake Plastic Trees
  • Shop Floor
    • Blending
    • Compounding
    • Drying
    • Injection Molding
    • Purging
    • Robotics
    • Size Reduction
    • Structural Foam
    • Tooling
    • Training
  • Events
    • K Show Livestream
    • Plastics News Events
    • Industry Events
    • Injection Molding & Design Expo
    • Livestreams/Webinars
    • Editorial Livestreams
    • Ask the Expert
    • Plastics News Events Library
    • Processor of the Year submissions
    • Plastics News Executive Forum
    • Injection Molding & Design Expo
    • Plastics News Caps & Closures
    • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum
    • Plastics in Automotive
    • Bioplastics Live
    • PN Live: Mergers and Acquisitions
    • Polymer Points Live
    • Numbers that Matter Live
    • Plastics in Politics Live
    • Sustainable Plastics Live
    • Plastics Caps & Closures Library
    • Plastics in Healthcare Library
    • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum Library
  • Rankings & Data
    • Injection Molders
    • Blow Molders
    • Film Sheet
    • Thermoformers
    • Pipe Profile Tubing
    • Rotomolders
    • Mold/Toolmakers
    • LSR Processors
    • Recyclers
    • Compounders - List
    • Association - List
    • Plastic Lumber - List
    • All
  • Directory
  • Resin Prices
    • Resin Prices Overview
    • Commodity Thermoplastics
    • High Temperature Thermoplastics
    • Engineering Thermoplastics
    • Recycled Plastics
    • Thermosets
  • Custom
    • Sponsored Content
    • LS Mtron Sponsored Content
    • Conair Sponsored Content
    • KraussMaffei Sponsored Content
    • ENGEL Sponsored Content
    • White Papers
    • Classifieds
    • Place an Ad
    • Sign up for Early Classified
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. News
June 27, 2006 02:00 AM

Lean production quest reaches mold parts

Rhoda Miel
Managing Editor
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Reprints Print

    CHICAGO (June 27, 10:45 a.m.EDT) — Molders in search of profit have looked to lean manufacturing, to off-shore production, to less-expensive resins and to an assortment of other cost-cutting techniques.

    They have bought molds produced in China to decrease up-front costs and have automated production.

    And now they are turning increasingly to some of the smallest parts of their supply base and taking note of everything from mold coatings to ejector pins to electrical connectors in hopes of squeezing out another penny per part or speeding new product development by a day or two.

    In recent years, original equipment manufacturers, molders and mold makers have worked to optimize their processes, said Glenn Starkey, president of tooling components supplier Progressive Components International Corp. of Wauconda, Ill.

    “That's where things have advanced to. But now, for an overall competitive advantage, there has to be collaboration across the entire playing field,” Starkey said.

    What that means is that companies like Dell and Microsoft are specifying which mold parts will be used in molds making their products globally.

    It means that people like Bob Lutz, vice chairman of General Motors Corp., bring up problems with mold-release agents during a speech.

    And it means increased emphasis on companies that used to operate in relative obscurity.

    “Everybody is looking for that little edge,” said Steve Bales, president of Bales Mold Service Inc. which is seeing increased interest in coating systems, microtip welding, diamond polishing and other specialty services. The Downers Grove, Ill.-based company does mold polishing and finishing.

    The push to get more from the parts within the tool is leading to new products. Hot-runner maker Mold-Masters Ltd. of Georgetown, Ontario, is introducing its modular Fusion series, which it said has easily interchangeable parts offering faster toolmaking and less downtime for molders.

    Competitor Husky Injection Molding Systems Ltd. of Bolton, Ontario, has fine-tuned its UltraFlow hot-runner nozzle tip to offer molders faster changeovers between materials.

    The changes also come as companies take note of the sheer value of their molds and what goes into them.

    Major corporations operating globally — like automakers, computer firms and cell phone makers — may make the same part in China, Brazil, Germany and the United States.

    They want their products to look the same, regardless of where they are made. That means buying the same parts across a worldwide manufacturing platform.

    “The more [production] moves around, the more important it is to use standards,” said Jeff Mengel, a partner with consulting group Plante & Moran PLLC, based in Southfield, Mich.

    Firms making consumer products with a short shelf life want to get their products to market faster. No one wants to be the last one to offer a cell phone with some new gadget. That means the companies are turning to mold makers and mold-component companies that can offer a full pantry of parts ready for use on a moment's notice.

    “These guys don't have time to order everything and get it in,” Starkey said. “They need it now. They need to have this flipped and out the door yesterday. That's why we're hearing from high-end OEMs. They're calling on people like us, saying that they need their tool shops to have our stuff on their shelves so they can move on a moment's notice.”

    Even cost cutting further down the supply chain is affecting tool component decisions.

    A move to use fillers that can cut the use of expensive engineering resins results in damaged molds — and a call to companies like Bales for help with plating systems to protect the mold.

    “They may call and tell me that they can't run the part with robotics because the part didn't eject properly,” Bales said. “They need us to troubleshoot. They're looking for the flawless run.”

    It is not just troubled companies that are looking for that edge out of their tools.

    Since toolmaker M2M International Ltd. of Wallaceburg, Ontario, opened its mold-design operations in India as part of its Synergetic global manufacturing group — offering faster and less-expensive engineering and program management — it has heard not only from firms working with North American automakers, but also those working with firms from Japan that turn a steady profit, said President Richard Myers.

    “They all want to keep their costs down,” he said.

    The difference adds up to more than nickels and dimes, Mengel said.

    One company he worked with found that just by standardizing its purchase of maintenance parts and equipment across its manufacturing platform, it could save $1 million.

    Starkey can point to the traffic at Progressive's NPE booth as an example of how the tooling component industry has changed.

    “At NPE '97, an OEM for a Fortune 100 company might say: 'I don't specify components. I leave that to the molders and mold makers,'” he said. “At NPE 2006, those same people are coming to us to cement their tooling standards.”

    RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
    Pretium to pay $252,700 in sex discrimination settlement
    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Do you have an opinion about this story? Do you have some thoughts you'd like to share with our readers? Plastics News would love to hear from you. Email your letter to Editor at [email protected]

    Most Popular
    1
    Clean Vision to spend $50M on West Virginia pyrolysis plant
    2
    Plastics treaty talks get down to specifics
    3
    PP resin prices saw a big drop in May
    4
    At plastics treaty, designing bottle bills for the 'Global South'
    5
    MGS adds product design to offerings with acquisition
    SIGN UP FOR OUR FREE NEWSLETTERS
    EMAIL ADDRESS

    Please enter a valid email address.

    Please enter your email address.

    Please verify captcha.

    Please select at least one newsletter to subscribe.

    Get our newsletters

    Staying current is easy with Plastics News delivered straight to your inbox, free of charge.

    Subscribe today

    Subscribe to Plastics News

    Subscribe now
    Connect with Us
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram

    Plastics News covers the business of the global plastics industry. We report news, gather data and deliver timely information that provides our readers with a competitive advantage.

    Contact Us

    1155 Gratiot Avenue
    Detroit MI 48207-2997

    Customer Service:
    877-320-1723

    Resources
    • About
    • Staff
    • Editorial Calendar
    • Media Kit
    • Data Store
    • Digital Edition
    • Custom Content
    • People
    • Contact
    • Careers
    • Sitemap
    Related Crain Publications
    • Sustainable Plastics
    • Rubber News
    • Tire Business
    • Urethanes Technology
    Legal
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    Copyright © 1996-2023. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
      • Processor News
        • Injection Molding
        • Blow Molding
        • Film & Sheet
        • Pipe/Profile/Tubing
        • Rotomolding
        • Thermoforming
        • Recycling
      • Suppliers
        • Machinery
        • Materials
        • Molds/Tooling
        • Product news
        • Design
      • More News
        • K Show
        • Mergers & Acquisitions
        • Sustainability
        • Public Policy
        • Material Insights Videos
        • Numbers that Matter
      • Digital Edition
      • End Markets
        • Automotive
        • Packaging
        • Medical
        • Consumer Products
        • Construction
      • Special Reports
        • Processor of the Year
        • Best Places to Work
          • 2023 winners
        • Women Breaking the Mold
        • Rising Stars
        • Diversity
        • Most Interesting Social Media Accounts in Plastics
      • Newsletters
      • Videos
    • Opinion
      • The Plastics Blog
      • Kickstart
      • One Good Resin
      • Pellets and Politics
      • All Things Data
      • Viewpoint
      • From Pillar to Post
      • Perspective
      • Mailbag
      • Fake Plastic Trees
    • Shop Floor
      • Blending
      • Compounding
      • Drying
      • Injection Molding
      • Purging
      • Robotics
      • Size Reduction
      • Structural Foam
      • Tooling
      • Training
    • Events
      • K Show Livestream
      • Plastics News Events
        • Plastics News Executive Forum
        • Injection Molding & Design Expo
        • Plastics News Caps & Closures
        • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum
        • Plastics in Automotive
      • Industry Events
      • Injection Molding & Design Expo
      • Livestreams/Webinars
        • Bioplastics Live
        • PN Live: Mergers and Acquisitions
      • Editorial Livestreams
        • Polymer Points Live
        • Numbers that Matter Live
        • Plastics in Politics Live
        • Sustainable Plastics Live
      • Ask the Expert
      • Plastics News Events Library
        • Plastics Caps & Closures Library
        • Plastics in Healthcare Library
        • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum Library
      • Processor of the Year submissions
    • Rankings & Data
      • Injection Molders
      • Blow Molders
      • Film Sheet
      • Thermoformers
      • Pipe Profile Tubing
      • Rotomolders
      • Mold/Toolmakers
      • LSR Processors
      • Recyclers
      • Compounders - List
      • Association - List
      • Plastic Lumber - List
      • All
    • Directory
    • Resin Prices
      • Resin Prices Overview
      • Commodity Thermoplastics
      • High Temperature Thermoplastics
      • Engineering Thermoplastics
      • Recycled Plastics
      • Thermosets
    • Custom
      • Sponsored Content
      • LS Mtron Sponsored Content
      • Conair Sponsored Content
      • KraussMaffei Sponsored Content
      • ENGEL Sponsored Content
      • White Papers
      • Classifieds
        • Place an Ad
        • Sign up for Early Classified