Sandretto supplies Injection Moulding machines, robots and ancillary equipment for the manufacture of point of display goods.
Click on any of the stories below to read more about how our clients make use of Sandretto products:
G H Maughan Plastics Limited
NEW SANDRETTO AND NEW TOOL DOUBLE OUTPUT FOR G H MAUGHAN PLASTICS
Both customer and custom moulder are reaping substantial benefits from their complementary investments in a new hot-runner tool and a Sandretto ‘Serie Nove’ 125 tonne injection machine.
For one of its customers, Bolton moulder G H Maughan (Plastics) Limited produces spools in very large numbers. Informed that the customer was prepared to invest in a new multi-impression mould tool, the company immediately agreed that a comparable investment on their part in new moulding machinery would be justified. Serie Nove 125 in use at G H Maughan Plastics
They were right; within three weeks after commissioning tool and machine, cycle times of 7½ seconds were being achieved. This has to BE compared with, “at best, but inconsistently”, 13 seconds with the old tool on the moulding machine which the new Sandretto has replaced.
TIGHT DIMENSIONAL AND AESTHETIC STANDARDS
“Furthermore” states Technical & Sales Director Steve Riding, “we are finding it far easier to maintain the tight tolerances – it’s a dimensionally critical part which has to meet certain aesthetic requirements, and output has to be maintained at around ½-million a month. Like other jobs, we deliver on a Just-in-Time basis; the higher throughput and much improved consistency enables us more readily to satisfy these conditions.”
With capital approval from the Board, it became Works Engineer Gary Meekin’s responsibility to identify the most suitable machine for the project. “We investigated on the basis of specification, availability and reliability. The proven reputation for a comprehensive and extremely reliable after-sales service offered by Sandretto became key factors.” The ‘Serie Nove’ 125 tonne machine adds to the existing 12 injection moulding machines installed at G H Maughan.
“UNIQUE” WITH FOUR PROCESSES UNDER ONE ROOF
Established over 40 years ago, this family-owned business believes it could well be unique amongst custom moulders as it operates four different polymer processes on the same site. As well as its 13 injection moulding machines, the company runs rubber injection moulding machines, five extrusion lines producing pipe and profile and a fabrication shop manufacturing tanks, drums and point-of-sale work.
The four manufacturing units, housed in separate areas of the factory, are ISO 9002 accredited and hold the specific European certification for the various markets in which they operate.
“ FLEXIBILITY IS ESSENTIAL”
The injection moulding plant, for example, supplies components and assemblies for the automotive, white goods, brown goods, building and pharmaceutical industries. Steve Riding explains that production at G H Maughan is backed up by an in-house CAD-based design unit, the facility for 24-hour rapid prototyping and both soft tool and production tool design and manufacture.
“Up against some 250 other custom moulders in the North of England alone, this degree of production support is essential. Flexibility and service are proving to be the core of most customers’ requirements.”
Our photograph shows Steve Riding (Technical & Sales Director, right) and Gary Meekin (Works Engineer) with the spools now being moulded in half the time on the new ‘Serie Nove’ 125 tonne Sandretto.
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PPH Moulders
OPERATOR TRAINING AND MACHINE RELIABILITY ARE IDENTIFIED AS REASONS BEHIND SUCCESS AT PPH
The ability of PPH Moulders to produce a wide variety of plastics mouldings consistently to close tolerances and high cosmetic standards - verified on their own computer-based CMM and profile projector equipment - is put down to what Production Director Peter Clarke describes as employees who are “genuinely interested in the work they are doing. And in turn, this is largely the result of an active training programme.”
Sandretto have been suppying machines to PPH for over 11 years - from early Series SEVEN through to the latest Series NOVE, of which two have been delivered this year. “The comprehensive training which Sandretto provides has been a major factor in our purchasing policy. From the start, their training has been integrated into our own programme and it has ensures that all of our production staff - supervision, setters and operators - receive tuition in their own disciplines.” This is given by specialists in hydraulics, electronics and plastics moulding on machines and in the dedicated training centre which Sandretto has constructed within its Rugby premises.
SUCCESSFUL COMBINATION OF IN-HOUSE AND CUSTOM MOULDING
From being set up as an in-house injection moulding facility by PPE Limited, the Harlow point-of-sale products manufacturer, PPH Moulders now functions primarily as a contract moulder.
In addition to producing the display trays, leaflet dispensers and a variety of point-of-sale components needed by the parent company, PPH (with machines from 40 to 800 tonnes lock) has developed its moulding techniques to process materials from silo-fed polypropylene to polysulphone.
The company is now a major, second-tier supplier to the automotive industry and also supplies mouldings to the white goods and computer industries. Typical examples of contract work currently in the moulding shop are commercial vehicle rear light lenses in acrylic with clear and amber sections moulded on, and a suite of mouldings for a computer disc drive where “just about everything is critical.”
TRAINING IS THE KEY
Training is predominantly in-house, supported substantially by the British Plastics Training Association at Telford. Close links have been developed with the BPTA to which all production management, setters and operators and sent for training on specially tailored courses.
For its size, PPH is probably uniquely set up to carry out much of its own training and assessment on site at Harlow. Instruction is provided up to NVQ stage 2 and assessed by qualified PPH staff. This capability has been extended by Production Manager Adam Beswick’s recent qualification as a Verifier.
An interesting development with the BPTA, founded on PPH’s training expertise, is a direct video link which has been set up between PPH Moulders and Telford. With support from the European Commission, this is a pilot scheme to investigate and develop the use of video links in industrial training. The purpose of the video link is to assist with training and to complement the in-house verification; this means there is no need for an independent verifier to visit the plant.
CONTINUED EXPANSION
PPE, which designs and builds a wide variety of point-of-sale products, was formed 25 years ago. As the company progressed and expanded, manufacturing processes such as printing, sheet metal working and vacuum forming were brought in-house. Building work is currently in hand to install its own powder coating facility.
The decision, taken ten years ago, to make the substantial investment in injection moulding machinery was prompted by the closure of their contract moulder. Peter Clarke explains that, from the start, it was intended that the moulding unit would seek outside contracts. “Once we were set up, we set our stall out to attract contract moulding.
FLEXIBILITY OFFERED TO CONTRACT CUSTOMERS
“We knew that we could justify having machines different in size to those needed for the POS work if we kept them busy with sub-contract work. Furthermore, with the advance order planning we have for the PPE work, we could and do offer our trade customers a high degree of flexibility. If a tool has to go in tomorrow to meet an urgent order, we can invariably accommodate it”.
SERVICE BACK-UP “WHICH NO ONE CAN TOUCH”
“We will continue to use Sandretto machines in this expansion” states Adam Beswick. “Their specification is right, they are reliable and the company has a service back-up which no one else can touch. We talk problems through over the ‘phone and it’s either settled there and then or the replacement part is with us three hours later. With this level of support, an in-house maintenance department has become an unnecessary luxury.”
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