Industrial Size Investing
Our 2012 Leadtime Leader Winner has made some big investments in new machinery and facility renovations to match its current business level and continued growth, as well as to attack its production bottlenecks.
It was no surprise to me after working with Industrial Molds on several editorial projects, including the 2012 Leadtime Leader Awards, amerimold and several case studies and features, that this mold manufacturer continues to grow. So much so that its current level of business prompted them to slow down and analyze how they can improve work flow to meet lead times.
According to Industrial Molds' Production Supervisor Andrew Peterson, a lot of planning went into their machinery purchases and building renovations. An investment of $1.7 million was made in new machinery as well as another $300,000 in a complete renovation of its 43,000-square-foot facility with the goal of making a more efficient shop layout, work flow and floor space for the new, larger machinery.
Some of the equipment includes a Mikron HSM 400 U LP five-axis electrode cutting machine that will double electrode production; an OKK HM1000S (a four-axis horizontal mill with a 40”x 40” dual table) installed in the mold base department to replace an older machine; three new Haas CNC milling machines (a V4 and two V2) in the prepping departmen, which are forecasted to increase capacity in that department by 33 percent.
Industrial notes that the decision to create a specific department for preparing cavities and cores, which then get moved to the high-speed machining department, helps them keep a more efficient work flow.
Industrial Molds also purchased two grinders for finishing after heat treat.
Industrial Molds Group will be exhibiting at NPE 2015, March 23-27, Orlando, FL, Booth #S-22144.
