Manufacturing businesses of all size should consider getting a newer, faster die change system, but large-scale manufacturers have been using them for years now. Unfortunately, the small scale manufacturers are still lagging behind, while a large percentage of medium scale manufacturing companies across the States are still bent on using traditional die change systems. Therefore, if you own a business of any scale that does not yet have a quick die change system, read on to get a better handle on why it’s an investment worth making.
Boosted Production
A quick die change system can boost your factory’s production speed exponentially, allowing the unit to meet production demands in time, if not before time. To understand how and why that’s a valid statement, calculate how much time it takes for your current die change system to change molds, and then multiply that number by how many times it needs to change the mold during each production cycle for any given process.
Whatever number you have at this point is the current downtime, aka lock-up time per production cycle. These hours can be solely attributed to your existing die changer. When you change over to the latest quick die change system, it will only take a fraction of the time that traditional systems take to change molds. If you calculate the difference, it’s usually a staggering number and a clear indicator of the potential production boost.
Decreased Production Costs
To be able to decrease the cost of production without sacrificing quality is a tall order, but there are a few proven ways to achieve it. Updating your production plant with a quick die change system happens to be one of them. By decreasing you’re the lock-up time wasted during mold changeovers, each production cycle can finish faster. This naturally reduces labor costs and the cost of energy expenses. Therefore, the quick die change system boosts productivity and actively reduces production costs per cycle.
It’s Perfectly Aligned with Lean Manufacturing
One of the primary goals of lean manufacturing is to reduce waste and we have already discussed how it helps us to reduce downtime and productions cost. However, there is another aspect to it, which involves lean technique more directly. Since quick die change systems are so much faster than their traditional counterparts, you don’t need to overstock products in advance. They allow manufacturers to produce what is needed, exactly when it’s needed (JIT). This further negates any chances of loss due to overstocking as your production and stocking strategy closely follows customer demands and trends.
Finally, it should also be added that a newer, quicker die change system will also create products that are going to be more consistent in quality. The rate of consistency is significantly lower with older die change systems as flaws are almost inevitable during production cycles involving multiple mold changes. With quick die change systems, such flaws are almost absent. Therefore, it can be stated confidently that a new die change system can help your manufacturing business produce better and faster.
