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SECRETS IN ADVANCED MANUFACTURING
How client-focused mold makers are redefining partnerships with molders
Jan 22, 2020 • 3 minute read
Wayne Daniel • Director of Business Development; Canon Virginia, Inc.
This end-user mentality demands a nuanced understanding of injection molding, acute focus on the molder’s specific goals and holistic consideration of the assembly, maintenance and long-term performance of the plastic injection mold. That’s why mold making should be anything but a one-step, one-size-fits-all process. And any mold maker who treats it as such is selling their products – and their clients – short.
The good news for injection molders? There are mold makers who care about your needs as much as you do. Finding one starts by remembering this guiding principle: The best injection mold makers are also injection molders.
That’s why it’s imperative to work with a mold maker who thinks like you do – one who understands that these products should live on long after they leave the factory. After all, you’ll be working with the mold for years to come.
DESIGN FOR MANUFACTURING
Relentlessly committed to solving your problems, the best mold makers don’t just fulfill purchase orders; they carefully consider how their molds can help you overcome the specific challenges you face. This practice, called “design for manufacturing,” is an essential first step for mold makers. Those who bypass it relinquish their control over the end result of the mold-making process. That’s because once such molds are made, they’re largely unchangeable without incurring significant costs and downtime.
Therefore, molds that don’t meet the specific needs of their end users are essentially useless. The result for molders and their companies? Real financial consequences – from sunken costs to revenue loss caused by production delays – as well as the intangible costs of unfulfilled promises.
DESIGN FOR MAINTENANCE
While molds cannot be altered easily after production, they do require consistent maintenance. That’s why forward-thinking mold makers take the time to create molds the end user can easily service.
This practice, called “design for maintenance,” can improve a client’s productivity and profitability. Creating front-loaded molds – which can be easily taken apart, serviced and reassembled from the face – enables mold makers to minimize costly maintenance delays for their clients.
Gardner – a leading publisher in the manufacturing sector – in partnership with Canon Virginia, Inc. and gyro – a global B2B agency – conducted a proprietary online research study in 2019 of more than 500 manufacturing executives and managers to better understand the challenges facing this audience and the attributes they find most valuable in their manufacturing partners. According to the research, the highest percentage of respondents (55 percent) cited process improvement as the most appealing service a partner could offer. For this reason, mold makers who expedite the end-user maintenance process are attuned to the most in-demand needs of today’s clients.
REDEFINING SUPPORT THROUGHOUT THE MOLD-MAKING PROCESS
A true client-centric approach to mold making requires more than just designing for manufacturing and maintenance. It extends to offering support and expertise to the molder throughout every stage of the process – a service that most mold makers do not extend.
Consider a recent example involving precision mold maker Canon Virginia, Inc. and a medical device manufacturer. The manufacturer tasked Canon with building a sophisticated 16-cavity medical tool with a complex hot runner system, which Canon delivered on time, meeting parts-to-print requirements. Still, the tool’s highly complex nature necessitated expert setup assistance.
End users are typically left to fend for themselves when it comes to product setup, but Canon sent a small, highly trained team of experts and technicians to assist in the process. As a result, the bulk of the startup process was completed within three days instead of one month. Furthermore, by remaining hands-on throughout startup, Canon ensured the setup was completed accurately, efficiently and free of any costly mistakes.
CHOOSE A PARTNER DEDICATED TO YOUR EVERY NEED
Working with an industry leader like Canon means more than just ensuring you’ll receive high-quality molds. It means also gaining a collaborative partner dedicated to every aspect of your process – one with the deep expertise, proven approach and support-driven mindset to assist you every step of the way.
Learn more at cvi.canon.com/mfg
