Here’s a quick article that outlines the benefits of the manufacturing mindset that is changing the way manufacturing is being done. The implementation of lean manufacturing through trying to make value flow at the pull of the customer prevents and eliminates the 7 categories of waste in your processes: Transport, Inventory, Motion, Waiting, Over-processing, Overproduction, and Defects.
Learn more about lean manufacturing by reading the full article HERE.
In the injection molding industry, waste is a problem. During the molding process, the generated waste can be expensive and…well, wasteful. Having a waste management system in place can help reduce waste and make the molding process more efficient and cost effective.
One of the best ways to reduce waste during the injection molding process is to adopt a lean manufacturing approach. When an injection molder uses lean manufacturing techniques for molding parts and components, it ensures resources are not wasted. While most molders associate lean manufacturing with cost reduction, it also can be used as an effective waste management system. The two go hand in hand.
Improving Mold Design
One of the reasons for waste accumulation is molding defective and flawed parts. This usually occurs due to poor or ill-conceived mold design. So, an injection molding company should have designers and engineers that work together as a team. This will ensure the mold design is made right the first time around and it will prevent you from having quality issues and handling customer complaints. In addition, when the mold design is perfect, it helps to improve cycle time.
When you make an effort to design the mold correctly in the beginning, it also will help to reduce your energy consumption. As a result, you will be able to pass on the cost saving to your customers by offering them competitive pricing.
Using Proper Molding Techniques
Another aspect of waste management is ensuring your operators are competent and know the right molding techniques. This means they need to be trained on using a variety of molding techniques based on design and resins used. When you train your molders, you reduce waste, as the manufacturing process occurs without a hitch and you do not have to deal with machine or press damage.
Nano Mold Coating
Using our scientifically advanced plastic mold coatings, greases, lubricants, cleaners and corrosion control products will also help manufacturers significantly reduce costs while eliminating the waste of conventional methods.
Nanoplas is a leader in bringing innovative Nano Technology products to the industrial market. Our coatings are easy to apply and last up to 300,000 parts; and they are a great way to combat high scrap rates, streaks and drags, as well as extended cycle times.
Long Cycle Times
Often a lot of waste occurs because of unnecessary cycle times. This happens due to incompetence of the molder, poor design of the mold and/or poor design of the part. To prevent waste, your waste management system should try and reduce cycle times to deliver best results without wasting material.
Once you manage to change the waste mindset in the workroom, your business will benefit tremendously. Lean manufacturing is the best way to achieve this goal. You will also be able to boost your employees’ morale as the result of a cleaner space, which will lead to better productivity, and you will be able to build a reputation for your company as a reliable and quality injection molding company. When your reputation improves, you will see your customer base increasing.
In the recent past, many injection molding companies are no longer off-shoring their manufacturing process due to quality issues and unforeseen expenses. With tough competition in this industry, injection molding companies have realized the importance of quality products and being close to their customers.
So, if companies want to survive in this competitive market, it is imperative they try and eliminate waste across all the manufacturing processes. By having an effective and efficient waste management system in place, injection molding companies can meet and even exceed their customers’ expectations.
Have questions about how best to cut down on waste in workroom? Contact us HERE!
Whether it’s a fully-fledged lean manufacturing shift or just a stronger sense of community in the break room, companies are becoming more concerned about creating a sense of culture in the work place, especially when change is already imminent. Leaders need to lead from the front, says this article from Industry Week. So the question becomes, What are the most important things organization leaders can do to effectively create and manage culture change?
“Ultimately, these kinds of changes will unleash the brainpower of the masses and the culture change that is necessary will begin to gain momentum [with lean].”
A compelling article from Industry Week that might change the way you think about lean manufacturing. Their claim: Lean needs to be about people first, tools later. “If we are serious about global competitiveness and a sustained ability to retain American jobs in American factories, it is imperative we recognize one irrefutable fact: the technical issues associated with factory performance improvement are inseparable from people issues.”
The issue appears to be that our mindset concerning lean is a little off. When we’re told to “think lean” we start wondering how we can improve the tools, but that’s missing the point. What we need to be doing is considering the culture of a business, and that begins and ends with people.
“In a manufacturing firm, revenue is generated and costs incurred through the performance of activities.” This article from Industry Week argues that it’s important to analyze the cost of each activity – to trace the cost of specific activities in the value stream. Companies who do this have the benefit of fully understanding what financial benefit will result when a specific activity is improved or eliminated.
This is the lean journey, and there are 5 key steps outlined in the full article HERE.
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