The cost of an injection-moulded part depends on several factors, some more visible than others. The contribution of raw-material cost is readily apparent. Other costs, such as energy per part or scrap, are often less clearly recorded. Fewer companies can quantify the additional cost per part caused by unplanned maintenance downtime or a prolonged mould setup.
After almost 15 years working in injection moulding, I have often found that companies assume production is performing well as long as products are being shipped. A new project prompts a quotation for another machine. Less often do companies examine the capacity still available in their existing plant, or how machine settings could reduce the cost of each part.
Experience across different machine brands and industrial sectors shows that available capacity can be hidden in stoppages, cycles slower than the reference, prolonged start-ups, scrap or waiting. The actual potential varies considerably between plants and products, so improvements must be assessed case by case. Recording stoppage causes, cycle times, conforming output and other relevant variables supports a Pareto analysis and helps estimate, using the plant’s own data, which opportunities justify intervention.
KERN IoP helps document those losses and compare used and available capacity under defined criteria. This information can support decisions about scheduling, process improvement or additional capacity, alongside the technical and financial assessment required before an investment. Contact us to structure a measurement programme for your plant.
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