Modern Injection Molding: From Improvisation to Digital Control with CIE Industry s.r.o.

A Forgotten Process with High Potential – Plastics Injection Moulding Needs a New Approach

Automation, digital transformation and improving efficiency are very frequently discussed in industry today. Yet there are still areas that – despite their key role in the production process – are managed in a more ad hoc manner and rely on individuals' experience rather than a systematic approach. One of these “forgotten” processes is plastics injection moulding itself. In other words, the core of production in plastics companies.

At CIE Industry, we specialise in supporting manufacturing companies. When optimising production processes, we often find that companies have an excellent grasp of production planning as a whole, but the processes within the injection moulding shop – the heart of plastics manufacturing – remain neglected, unmanaged or dependent on “experienced colleagues” who somehow take care of everything. But “somehow” is often not enough in today's competitive environment.

Why Is Injection Moulding So Critical – Yet Underestimated?

Plastics injection moulding is a highly energy- and material-intensive process. It requires precise coordination of many variables – the availability of granules, the right tools on the right machines, operator coordination, changeover planning, provision of packaging materials, warehouse availability… Each of these factors can cause delays, waste or increased costs. And each of them has proven to be an opportunity for significant improvement in our projects.

Warehouse Capacity Is Finite – and So Is Silo Capacity

A typical example is planning granule consumption and storage capacity. In most companies, this is based on estimates: “Hopefully it will be enough”, or “It will arrive tomorrow, so we will somehow manage until then”. Using our tool for monitoring silo fill levels and consumption, we can model various scenarios – taking into account scrap, recycling, average consumption, delivery frequency and other parameters. As a result, the company has an accurate overview of how much material it has and how much it will need. No more “too much has arrived” or “we have run out of granules – production has stopped”. The result is data-driven decision-making, which helps manage and predict when and how much material to deliver, eliminate the need for “management by intuition” and prevent downtime as well as excessive logistical burdens.

Injection Moulding Machine Scheduling – Visualisation Instead of a Spreadsheet

We also help companies with scheduling the injection moulding machines themselves. In many cases, scheduling is done in Excel, with every change being manual, complicated and lacking broader integration. Visualising injection moulding machine utilisation and linking it to manual operations makes it much easier to monitor OEE, changeovers and operator utilisation. The result is fewer unexpected stoppages and better utilisation of expensive machines.

Production planning in injection moulding traditionally involves demanding changes – mould changeovers, parameter adjustments and operator changes. Every changeover means downtime and disruption to production continuity. Our aim is to use tools for visualising and managing injection moulding machine utilisation to enable production to be scheduled in production sequences that minimise the number of changeovers while optimising the utilisation of both machines and personnel.

What About the Warehouse? And the Operators? Everything Has Its Place

Once we are planning production and have secured the input material, we encounter another fundamental question – where will we store the products? With the help of warehouse capacity calculations based on the chosen inventory management methodology and simulations of future volumes, we can determine as early as the design stage of a new project whether everything will fit in the warehouse at all – and how much it will cost. The calculations include packaging materials, their cost, the required storage locations and material flow. All of this provides an excellent basis for investment decisions.

At a similar level, we also help with planning the required number of operators – for example, for JIS projects. Everything is based on a parametric specification, so you can quickly assess how many people you need for a given production mix.

Data Digitalisation – Reality Without Illusions

The consolidation of data from the injection moulding shop also plays a crucial role. Many companies have data in various systems, partly on paper and partly in operators' heads. By digitalising data collection, maintenance records and production release, we arrive at what matters most – an objective picture of reality. Only this makes informed decision-making possible.

We also add a skills matrix and an operator training plan. Thanks to digitalisation and automation, you have an overview of who can do what, who needs training and who can already move to a higher position – and everything is supported by data rather than impressions.

Where Is All This Heading?

After reading this article, you may be thinking that some of the problems mentioned apply to you. And perhaps a few instances have come to mind when you were firefighting “on the fly”. If so, know that you are not alone – and that there are ways out.

Our projects for plastics companies are not about coming in and “changing everything”. On the contrary – we build on what already works and gradually add tools that help manage the plastics injection moulding process as a system, not as improvisation.

Ultimately, we also address questions of production layout, machine placement and material flows. Once you have the management of the injection moulding shop under control, you can also address things such as safety zone simulation, infrastructure, flow visualisation and even virtual reality training. But that is a story for another article.

If you would like to consider whether a similar approach could help your company too, do not hesitate to contact us. We would be happy to talk with you – and perhaps together we can find a way to take your injection moulding shop to the next level.