As the endless number of applications for plastics increases, so does the need for plastics to grow exponentially. It can be difficult to keep up with the unique demands facing timeline, quality, regulatory compliance, and cost. You might think that reducing the cost of manufacturing plastic products comes at the cost of quality, but that’s not entirely true. The following are some effective ways you can keep quality high while cutting costs and delivering on demand.
Automate wherever possible
Working with a plastic injection molding manufacturer will speed up your manufacturing process. A majority of injection molding processes are performed by robotics and machines that are controlled and managed by a single operator. Automating this process can reduce manufacturing costs since you’ll be significantly reducing overheads. You’ll also be able to reduce the labor force which can lower the overall cost of manufacturing parts. These savings can be funneled into producing the best quality product possible.
Make use of attribute-based finite scheduling
Scheduling is one of the most complex things to coordinate when it comes to plastic manufacturing. When you do your finite scheduling on an attribute-based model, this will help you minimize changeovers and cleaning times.
Determine the most common quality issues
By identifying the most common issues that your product line faces, you’ll be able to isolate the scope of tainted products and focus directly on the most urgent concerns that need to be addressed. This will allow you to minimize the incidence of recalls and reduce your non-compliance exposure.
Involve your operators
Your operators are in charge of most of the systems that keep your production line going. It’s important to empower them by giving them a control panel so they can access the manufacturing execution system (MES) functions. These functions can guide them through the most critical tasks.
Keep your inventory levels in check
Use technology to optimize your inventory and to keep it from reaching bloated levels. You’ll be able to save a ton of money as well as avoid any delays and disruptions which would be caused by stockouts.
Get your entire supply chain in the cloud
Cloud-based supply chain management can deliver real-time self-service capabilities that foster efficient collaboration opportunities. Most SCM solutions tend to exclude stakeholders from seeing the complete picture when it comes to your supply chain data, so it’s better to opt for a management system that allows for complete transparency.
Allow for full tracking around mold/die management and maintenance
By establishing full tracking around mold/die management and maintenance, you’ll be able to get full visibility into all these processes. This allows you to make more resourceful use of your tools for a bigger return on your investment in equipment.
Record inventory movement in real-time
To make sure that you’re consistently delivering the correct material to your customers, it would be useful to report on inventory in real-time. You can do so by using features that can help you track your inventory efficiently like barcoded labeling and packaging.
There’s no need for you to put quantity over quality when you can have both. These helpful tips will allow you to deliver quality products and materials, all while reducing costs and delivering on demand.
