Have you ever wondered how plastic pieces turn out identical?
Mass production of identical looking objects is made possible through injection molding.
Goods that resulted from this process are mostly used for packaging.
With an extremely high demand for the byproducts, joining the plastic injection molding industry is a smart move.
Are you interested in putting up your own company in this field? To help you start out, here are several tips for setting up your own molding company.
- Find your Focus
The plastic molding industry is incorporated with various industries such as packaging, construction, automotive, and even electronics. With a lot of possible goods to produce, planning and production can be overwhelming. Goods can vary from extremely big, like those for construction and transportation, or extremely tiny like gadget pieces.
Finding your niche in terms of goods will make handling the expenses and even the production process more manageable.
- Strategize Your Plant Layout
Just like any other business, location is one key to success. Although, in this case, it is more so focused on the available space rather than the area.
Division of areas must be accounted for. Offices must be separated from the main production floor. A room for quality control and especially for raw materials must be allotted. In case of technical malfunctions, a maintenance and repair room should be available.
If you plan on producing medical supplies or electronic parts, a cleanroom molding area is required. This particular room ensures that contaminants such as dust, chemical vapors, aerosol particles, and airborne microbes will not pollute the products.
For a production that mostly consists of manual handling, the more space there is for the forklifts, the smoother the operations.
In most cases, an area for secondary operations is allotted. But, a more efficient way of operating is by conducting the secondary operations alongside the presses. With this, the operation time is maximized and lesser scraps are used.
When leasing or purchasing a building for operations, always provide space for future expansions.
- Choose Your Machines Wisely
An injection molding machine is an investment, thus return on investment is eventually expected.
Do keep in mind that what you pay up front for the machine is the “price”, while the “cost” is the long-term value of a product.
When choosing models from brands, don’t just look at the price, and also consider the energy consumption of a model. This will eventually be taken into consideration with the monthly expenses. Latest models have higher prices compared to older models, but with the promise of a lower energy consumption rate.
- Produce Samples of Your Products
Producing the goods early on will train the staff regarding the handling of the machinery.
These finished products can also serve as prototypes when marketing the samples to prospective clients.
Key Takeaway
The plastic molding industry caters to different fields. And joining in on the competition is a risk that is definitely worth taking.
If you plan on starting your own molding company, make sure that you define your specific niche because this will make operations more manageable. Plan ahead with your location to ensure that you will have ample space for each stage of the operation. When you choose your machines, always assess which one can give you a better return on your investment. Lastly, provide prototypes of your goods for marketing purposes.
That’s it for the tips in starting up your own plastic injection molding company.