Product category:
Injection moulding
News Release from: Sandretto UK | Subject: Injection moulding machines
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 31 March 2006
Moulder moves plant without production
loss
Support from leading injection moulding machinery supplier has helped ensure that production at a trade moulder continued through the moulder's move into a new purpose-built factory.
Leading UK trade moulder, Fourfold Mouldings has successfully completed a GBP 2 million move into its new Airedale Park purpose built factory in Keighley, Yorkshire The transfer of plant and equipment was completed some four weeks ago from the previous site four miles away with no loss of jobs or business and with considerable savings now being achieved in factory efficiency, plant layout, materials throughput and energy savings through plant insulation
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 17 Jun 2003 at 8.00am (UK)
Related stories
Robots purpose-built to serve injection moulders
Purpose-built for plastics injection moulding machines with locking forces of 8200 -18000kN, a robot offers a high level of positional repeatability with minimal vibration.
Plastics system colours materials at the moulder
Plastics materials handling system uses a central silo feed to serve injection moulding machines machines via masterbatch dosers that colour the material at the moulders.
Support from leading injection moulding machinery supplier Sandretto UK has helped ensure that Fourfold production has not 'missed a beat' through this period of transition: Sandretto UK has been a supplier to the Yorkshire moulding business for over 20 years.
There are currently a total of eleven Sandretto moulding machines at Fourfold Mouldings, the most recent being a 3200kN (320 tonf) locking force Nove machine currently deployed on general moulding duties.
Managing director, Fourfold Mouldings, Martin Wilson said that: "Our Sandretto machines are superb in their performance and reliability - and the service and support we get from the company is second to none.
Further reading
Ongoing investment in niche moulding brings growth
Choosing to work in niche market sectors where its 'can-do' mould design and innovation talents are best appreciated, container moulder continues to invest in modern injection moulding machines.
Injection moulding supplied as turnkey system
The effective production of white goods demands leading-edge design, high output, and reduction of processing costs, and the choice of injection moulding machine is critical.
Moulders enable quality and quick response
Explaining why a make of injection moulder is favoured, a subcontractor included the size of platens, reliability, easy adjustment, the T-slot mould arrangements and the fit with Euromap protocols.
If ever we need support, Sandretto UK is there with what we need." Some of Fourfold's leading product lines - innovative 30ml PET capsules for the drinks industry - are being produced on Sandretto machines in cleanroom conditions.
Said Wilson, "I am happy to report that our cleanroom facility - exclusively stocked with five Sandretto moulding machines - is working to maximum capacity since moving from our previous factory." Five years ago Fourfold Mouldings was the first to risk its investment in the 'Sidekick Schnapps' chaser container made for cider producer HP Bulmer.
Five years on and continued product innovation and marketing have kept this specialist market buoyant for the Yorkshire moulder.
Fourfold has invested heavily in the infrastructure and layout of the new 35,000ft2 site.
A system of materials silos - one site for cleanroom and other for general trade moulding - keeps all the moulding machines at Fourfold optimally stocked with a variety of engineering and commodity polymers.
The company currently uses about over 1600 tonnes of polymer per year and is looking forward to increasing its materials throughput by winning new markets through 2006.
At the time of the move Fourfold also made a significant new purchase of an overhead crane.
This piece of equipment has now helped speed up tool and line change processes and has reduced downtime considerably.
The logistics and total time is considerable: Fourfold tools weigh up to one tonne in weight and in a typical month some 75 different tools might be deployed across some 130 products.
Lean manufacturing systems are in place at Fourfold, including 5s operations and other production methods.
Wilson believes that the future is bright - at least for this part of Yorkshire.
"We would not have made our move and committed our investment had we not been optimistic about the future.
We are delighted with many aspects of our new site, including the radically increased thermal efficiency of the building.
We have already created extra capacities within our product and are now looking forward to expanding the business forward." Some 50 people work at Fourfold which, in addition to general trade moulding work in many sectors holds a significant market share of the beverage packaging market.
Fourfold is qualified to the design quality standard - ISO 9001 - and has taken a leading role in many innovations in drinks packaging.
Wilson is also preparing to review the new Sandretto UK- supplied FCS injection moulding machines.
Said Wilson, "We shall certainly look at the first shipment of Sandretto UK's FCS machines as soon as they arrive.
The prices are without doubt extremely competitive and if the quality of FCS build matches European standards then the cause for investment has to be extremely sound.".
• Sandretto UK: contact details and other news
• Email this article to a colleague
• Register for the free Manufacturingtalk email newsletter
• Manufacturingtalk Home Page
Search the Pro-Talk network of sites
