Stand B4

Investing in new machinery is not a silver bullet solution to increased efficiency, faster cycle times and output. Yet, combined with automation, digital tools, remote diagnostics, expert field tests, processing adjustments and workforce training, plastic manufacturers can increase productivity by 50% or more and virtually eliminate production downtime. 

The Sumitomo (SHI) Demag UK team will reveal how at Plastics Live 2024, stand B4. 

Productivity is the challenge of our time. The World Economic Forum forecasts that half of all work tasks will be handled by machines by 2025. Prompting plastic manufacturers to rapidly extend their continuous improvement programs. As well as investing in high performance and energy efficient machines, productivity, waste reduction and cost and labour savings are critical focus areas. 

Digitalised technologies and automation, all from a single source, can facilitate smarter ways of working, emphasises UK Managing Director Nigel Flowers. Proof though is in the data. If you know where to look, there are significant gains to be made, states Nigel. 

For example, Lancashire moulding firm MGS Technical Plastics recently uncovered the real worth of investing in two new IntElect 50 ton injection moulding machines when a process optimisation visit revealed a staggering 61 percent reduction in energy consumption and 50 percent improvement in productivity. 

Extrapolating these productivity enhancements into real production scenarios, Technical Director at MGS Judson Smythe references a moulding job with an allocated five week run. Instead, the IntElect run took just three weeks to generate the same volume of components. Effectively, giving MGS two full weeks of extra manufacturing capacity. 

Unveiling the company’s first in-house robotics solution at Plastics Live, the new SAM (Sumitomo. Automation. Machine) robot succeeds in delivering the smallest injection moulding footprint comprising robot and material handling technology. Customers benefit from process and system technology, fully customised to Sumitomo (SHI) Demag machines. All from a single source. With a very attractive price to performance ratio.

Nigel comments: “Robotics can help make customer applications run faster and more cost-effectively. If the take-out time is 0.5 seconds or less, it can sometimes be quicker and more productive to use a robot to remove parts than to let them fall under gravity.”

With no time-consuming customisations, plastic manufacturers can now deploy UKCA conforming automation solutions into production lines faster, addressing labour shortages and eliminating inefficient tasks on the spot.  

The team will also share guidance on remote machine diagnostics and how to spot the signs that a machine is nearing the end of its production lifespan. Including the tipping point when repairs become a false economy.

Closing the productivity loop, visitors to Plastics Live can also discover how remote diagnostics is a golden ticket to maintaining operational efficiency, increasing machine availability and saving money. 

Using activeRemote, the Sumitomo (SHI) Demag service team can expediate troubleshooting, monitoring machine assets and viewing the machine control panel in live production. Taking less than 30 seconds to connect to a machine, the company’s technical experts can observe, fault find, reset the machine remotely or order parts. Resulting in a first time fix rate of over 90%.

Got a productivity improvement challenge you need addressed? Swing by stand B4 and discover the instant yields your business can make.