Levelling up productivity promises
EDITOR ’ S CHOICE ENHANCED PRODUCTIVITY
SUMITOMO
Levelling up productivity promises
If you were to put a figure on enhanced productivity , what would your ultimate manufacturing output goal be ? Five percent , maybe ten ? Given the current challenges , some processors may even push for 20 percent ! Research by Sumitomo ( SHI ) Demag reveals that when all the productivity production stars align – including optimising all-electric technology , engaging people , utilising automation and other digital tools , and reducing production downtime – 50 percent or higher is entirely reachable .
Productivity is the hot topic at Interplas 2023 , with a number of seminars and panel discussions already scheduled . Inevitably , these programs will showcase and share best practice on how to ‘ achieve more output with the same or less effort ’. After-all , this is the ultimate quest .
Ahead of the productivity curve is Sumitomo ( SHI ) Demag . Gathering information and data when visiting customers following new all-electric and machinery installations , the team reveals everything they ’ ve learned . Including how both small and large polymer processors can lean on their technology and team to unlock more untapped productivity opportunities .
All of this information is being captured in an insightful new Whitepaper . However , given the significance of this trailblazing evidence and yield-boosting benefits , the team shares a taster of how mass moulders can , with just a bit of expert support and guidance , double their manufacturing capacity and productivity .
TURNING EMPTY PROMISES INTO REALITY
Imagine the profit possibilities if each all-electric injection moulding machine within your fleet delivered an extra six months of processing capacity . How many extra projects could you take on ? How much machine footprint could this save ? What would this mean for your delivery schedules and customer satisfaction ?
Phased Total Factor Productivity improvements to manufacturing processes holds huge promise . For many UK moulders , this could finally be the
In-person field support and professional development courses play a huge role in delivering the right diffusion of skills to maintain productive team members .
When teams feel like you are invested in their development and future , they champion further process improvements .
golden egg to change the operational landscape and future prosperity of polymer manufacturing firms of all sizes ?
Integrating an all-electric machine into production lines , alongside intelligent utilisation of digital tools and automation , combined with investing in training and development , can decrease cycle times by up to 55 % percent . This can equate to an extra 168 days of production , illustrates the Processing Productivity whitepaper .
It doesn ’ t require doing everything all at once . Instead , the Sumitomo ( SHI ) Demag team assures customers that in a short space of time , marginal gains can unlock accumulative enhancements to boost profit margins .
ALL-ELECTRIC CLOSES THE PRODUCTIVITY CHASM
It ’ s widely considered a ‘ given ’ that energy efficiency and reduced pollution are the benefits of all-electric injection moulding machines . Especially in today ’ s ecoconscious manufacturing world . However , beneath the hood of these machines are a number of velocity and injection power features that , when used correctly and repeatably by moulding operatives , result in faster cycle times and more stable start-ups . Even before any process optimisation steps have been introduced and expert setting knowledge has been imparted .
The advanced direct drive technology deployed by the IntElect series illustrates this point . Reducing a 10 second dry cycle time by just 0.55 seconds , for instance , can equate to an additional 2,274 cycles every day . Multiplied , this productivity improvement alone can add up to 14.3 extra production days !
MGS Technical Plastics is just one customer that observed an instant dry cycle time improvement of six seconds after switching from a Demag Ergotech 50ton to an IntElect2 50ton . “ From these figures we can deduce that it equates to a 20 percent increase in cycles per year , giving MGS over 53 days of extra production capacity ,” notes area sales manager Ashlee Gough .
6 PECM Issue 64