Stories

News
|
29-08-2018
Reading time: 4 min.

4 factors that influence the planning of injection moulding projects

When you make a request at Rompa Group, you want to know when you will receive your plastic products with or without electronics and when you can release them. That is why we always ensure a reliable project planning, which we will communicate to you clearly. The duration of the process? That depends on various factors. We will discuss the four most important ones below.

1. The status of the product design

Do you want to reduce the time to market? In that case, it is a good idea to call upon Rompa as early as possible, and preferably while you are still at the drawing board. We will use our injection moulding expertise simultaneously to help you draft a product design. During the DFM process, we communicate on a regular basis and we will have a critical look at the producibility and the durability of the mould. If necessary, we also consider aesthetic and functional characteristics. Depending on the complexity of the product and the stage at which we are involved, this could save you weeks! Of course, it is also possible to supply us with a finished product design.

2. The complexity of the product

The more complex your product, the more complex the mould. The mould is a unique piece of steel, which is fully adjusted to your product. The design, production and testing of the mould is time-consuming. This process will take longer if sliding constructions are required, for example.

3. The type of product

Injection moulding projects for consumer products generally take shorter than projects for the automotive or medical sector. This is due to the fact that traceability plays a far greater role in the latter sectors. The origins of each product have to be fully traceable. For automotive products, a PPAP is always mandatory. This is a detailed dossier that proves that we understood all client-specific demands and also met them.

4. The availability of mould suppliers

Rompa cooperates with a number of selected mould makers in e.g. Belgium, Portugal and China. The speed at which your mould is made does not only depend on the complexity of the product, but also on the available capacity at the selected mould maker. For example, it is possible that our Chinese supplier can realise the mould in seven or eight weeks, while you would have to wait about thirty weeks before the realisation of the mould even starts at our Belgian supplier. Rompa always submits requests to multiple parties to ensure the project planning and project costs are not endangered. In consultation with you and based on our years of experience, we will make a deliberate choice for the best mould maker for this project.

Clear communication about project planning at all times

If you partner up with Rompa, you can always count on a reliable project planning. We do everything we can to get your product released on the market as quickly as possible — or on the requested date — without losing sight of the quality of the product and mould. We agree with you on the method of communicating the planning in advance. For example, you could choose for weekly or biweekly progress reports or face to face meetings. We could also only contact you if things are progressing differently than planned. Whatever is most convenient for you. We may have to deviate from the planning, e.g. due to unforeseen circumstances — it is still craftsmanship, after all — or because product changes need extra mould adjustments. We will, of course, inform you about this instantly and if necessary a change of transportation becomes an option. That way, you know what to expect.