Setup Time Reduction of Injection Moulding Machines at the Automotive Supplier Plasman

Abstract

Plasman AB is a global company that produces various plastic components for customers. The production system within the injection molding department needs to be more efficient to increase productivity and minimised stop time in the process. This project has analysed the setup process time to identify possible improvements to decrease the setup time to achieve higher productivity, lower cost, or increased capacity. The other purpose of this project is to set new work standards for operators to follow and minimised the variation in the setup process. The setup process has been videotaped and analysed in the Avix software. All performed activities were analysed and reviewed to find improvements and identify activities that could be performed before or after the setup process. Implementing a combination of the Organizational methods and technical improvement proposals on the injection molding machine 8 in Gothenburg gave a reduction of 45% in the setup Process time. For machine 3202, the theoretical improvement could result in a reduction of 21% in the setup process.