MCA Case Study # 060109 

ToolingDocs was recently called in to provide a Maintenance Capability Assessment (MCA) for a custom molder and mold builder. Below is an overview of the company along with:

  • Specific objectives expressed to ToolingDocs prior to the MCA

  • Final observations, recommendations and conclusion

  • Scoring the department in 50 categories and 7 Key Performance Indicators

  • Mold Pull Pace (MPP) Cost Savings Chart

Company Overview 

  • Company:  Arizona-based Custom Molder and Mold Builder 

  • Product Type:  Packaging, Electronic and Medical   

  • Production Environment:   10-year-old plant, shows very nice, around 450 total employees 

  • Press Metrics:  25 total presses ranging from 50 to 750 ton; avg. age 2-10 yrs. 

  • Mold Metrics:  120 active molds, all class 102; ranging from 1 to 128 cavities; 75% hot runner; avg. age 1-10years 

  • Average Daily Cavity Count:  400 

  • Average Daily Cavity Efficiency:  95% to 98% 

  • Resins Run:  LSR, PC, PS, ABS, PE 

  • MPP (Mold Pull Pace):  5-7 per day (includes change-over’s & unscheduled mold pulls) 

  • Shop Metrics:  4 full-time repair technicians (Day Shift) 
    Shop Layout: 25’ X 35’ (875 sq ft)     

  • Documentation System:  Using IQMS as the main ERP.  Using typical manual sheets to track mold repair.  Files full of hand scribbled notes---to old and inaccurate to be of value.


Administrative Objectives

Company Objectives:
They feel pretty good about maintenance and related documentation.  They want to see how they compare with other molders in the industry in terms of maintenance processes and what type of maintenance information is supplied to customers.

Shop Supervisor Objectives: 
He wants to see how his repair shop stacks up with other maintenance shops at custom molding facilities.

MCA Observation Summary

Shop Metrics: 
 The overall shop area is adequately sized.  They are fortunate as the repair machinery (lathes, mills and grinders) are located next to the repair shop, so sharing space with these machines is not necessary. However, the repair shop 4- bench layout is too crowded (3’ between benches) and the cut-off saw is located too close to the benches.

They have a very well organized tool crib for storing spare tooling and other supplies. Housekeeping practices in the shop are just average.  There is adequate staff (4 repair techs) on board for their MPP (Mold Pull Pace).

There is no formal training program in place for Mold Repair Technicians who are typically young toolmakers in training.

Unscheduled downtime is being tracked but the terminology used is too ambiguous to be useful in setting goals or measuring improvement.

Scheduled mold PM’s are currently cycle based and usually performed only at the end of a production run.

Documentation Metrics Overview:

  • Data Collection Methods and System:
    Maintenance tracking is completely manual.  Last shot is being checked by QA for flash and a report goes to the tool room.
     

  • Data Utilization Practices:
    QA only documents production defects---not the Last Shot Inspection.  Mold cycles are documented during PM’s.  Typical shop fire-fighting culture – no news is good news.   
     

MCA Conclusions and Recommendations Summary

This new facility has enough staff on board to get the job done but lacks the structure of a formatted electronic documentation system.  This is hindering good works performed in the tool room and does not allow them to take advantage of their full-blown mold building capabilities.

The daily, unscheduled mold pulls are being repaired as needed, with little thought to preventing them.  They desperately need a better tracking system that their older repair techs will be comfortable with.

The mold benches need to be aligned with the overhead bridge-crane and spaced farther apart (4 feet, minimum) for safer work.  The cut-off saw area is a mess and needs to be moved out of the shop. Steel chips and grit were evident on the mold bench directly beside the saw.

They also need to invest in an ultrasonic tank because there is too much time wasted on hand cleaning.

At best guess by the shop manager, 60% of all mold stops are what they call  “unplanned events” due to a variety of reasons that he could not pin-point.  Reducing this amount to even a paltry 40% (should be 20%)would save the company $88,000 per year as seen on the MPP metrics chart shown below. 


 

 Final Scores and Shop Designation Level

 

 

 

MPP Cost Savings Spreadsheet