How important is the relationship between your moulder and toolmaker?
It was Steve Jobs who said, “Great things in business are never done by one person. They’re done by a team of people.”
Never is this more so than in the world of tooling and moulding. The ability to work together, discuss potential issues ahead of the tool being made is critical to parts being moulded successfully first time.
When each person is responsible for a single piece of the jigsaw puzzle, doesn’t it seem obvious that they should come together to make the pieces fit?! Constant communication is key with collaborative problem solving essential. A relationship based on mutual trust to work together for the common goal proves invaluable when looking to achieve consistently great parts.
In addition, we have to admit, despite the fabulous visualisation software we have these days, at the end of the day nothing beats walking into a toolroom and physically seeing the tool. Any potential issues are so much easier to spot ‘in the flesh’ so to speak.
So, yes, if the toolmaker and moulder are in close proximity it is undeniably helpful. In our case we are in the great position that Adept's mouldshop and toolroom are next door to each other – and the added bonus is that the design team is upstairs! There is constant interaction between all personnel, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.
When the size of the tool exceeds our current capability and we use one of our trusted suppliers the advantages of high levels of communication remain despite being more challenging to achieve. This is a prime example of where long-term relationships can pay dividends.
We also run a policy that the toolmaker attends the tool trial with the moulder. We do this for several reasons:
- To support inhouse learning
- To provide opportunity for further discussion and feedback
- When a long period of time has been invested in the making of the tool, the toolmaker is often naturally protective of his baby!
We have an incredible team here across both Plunkett Associates and sister company Adept Precision, and there is no doubt that forming close working relationships helps us to consistently achieve the high-quality tooling and moulding that our clients have learnt to expect from us. If we can help support your project, please contact us and we will be happy to talk through some options.
