January
2009

ToolingDocs Conference

Q&A: Maintenance Budget

Monthly Case Study

IMM Article / Link

Register Today for ToolingDocs Conference in March

ToolingDocs will kick off its 2009 conference schedule with its first event scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday, March 24 & 25, at The Northland Inn in Minneapolis, MN.

Whether you are looking to establish an effective mold maintenance program or just update the one you have, ToolingDocs brings you the most current strategies and techniques – right from the experts.

Recognized mold maintenance expert Steve Johnson will lead a team of industry veterans with first-hand knowledge of mold repair systems, hot runner maintenance and melt-management technologies to present a one-of-a-kind, in-depth conference that every tooling engineer, maintenance manager and repair technician can put to use immediately in their facilities. Plus, Day 2 of the conference takes attendees on a tour of a local plastics manufacturing plant that will demonstrate how they have systemized their maintenance and repair efforts and the benefits of doing so.

For convenient online registration, please click here. You may also contact a ToolingDocs customer service representative who would be happy to assist you through the registration process by calling 1-800-257-8369.

Can’t make it to Minneapolis? Watch for details on upcoming ToolingDocs conferences in future issues of the TD News.

Review this month's Tool Room CASE STUDY with a "Before and After" summary of how ToolingDocs assisted.

Case Study #050113

TD has established standard products for developing mold maintenance facilities. Review these products:

MCA - Maintenance Capability Assessment

OST - Operating
Standards Training

TSI - Total Systems Implemenation
   
 

View Past Case Studies by clicking HERE.
    
 

Too many molds, too little time? Calculate your plant's PACE and compare it to others with ToolingDocs' exclusive PACE calculator. Click HERE for direct access.
    
 


What is the 'rule of thumb' for a mold maintenance budget?

Question:
I work at a proprietary molding company in Massachusetts. My question concerns our tooling budget. Is there any ‘rule of thumb’ for a mold maintenance budget, such as percent of tooling dollars spent or percent of annual sales?

 

Get an immediate response to your tooling related questions at www.toolingdocs.com

Answer:

Much has been written about this topic and all conclusions are the same.

No rule of thumb exists because there are just too many variables involved to establish common ground. It would be impossible to accurately state that your maintenance budget should not exceed a certain percent of annual your annual sales. So how do you know if your shop is doing a "good job"?

Have a Maintenance Capability Assessment (MCA) performed. It is possible to determine how your company’s maintenance capability stacks up to others in the industry using "Best Practice" methods and techniques. Read about our MCA's in this issue of the TD News.

Finally, your maintenance documentation system must be able to track defect frequencies and corrective action costs (tooling and labor) to establish a baseline of data and have a real chance at quantifiable and measurable improvement. Without a maintenance plan in place, you won’t be able to maximize the talent and skills of your repair technicians.

 

Maintenance Manuals
That Work

Organized maintenance manuals can offer an advantage that electronic data does not.
 


Link to this Moldmaking Technology Magazine
article HERE.

 

 
   

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