Plastic injection molding is a versatile manufacturing solution with complex applications. This popular process allows you to produce high-quality parts at a relatively lower cost. With today's disruptions in the global supply chain, you may be in the market for a new injection mold supplier.
However, the transition process can be daunting, unpredictable, and interrupt your operations without proper guidance. Moving to a new plastic injection molding partner is a significant undertaking that involves a few key considerations. Here is further insight on what may prompt you to move injection molds to a new supplier, the selection process, and a few tips for a seamless transition.
Why Transfer to a New Plastic Injection Mold Partner?
Several potential scenarios may cause you to make the switch. When your current supplier closes up, you'll need to switch vendors while quickly managing your expectations and risks. Frustration with the quality of your current vendor's products and services can also prompt you to change suppliers. In addition, a new plastic injection mold partner can stabilize your supply chain and help you cut transportation costs.
How Do You Choose a New Injection Molder?
Picking the ideal injection mold partner allows you to easily navigate the complexities of aligning your supply chain, shipping injection molds, and assessing parts. While the scenarios prompting the switch may differ, the evaluation process for a reputable and reliable supplier remains the same. Below are several crucial factors to consider when choosing a prospective injection mold vendor.
1. An Experienced Design Team
Product design is a core aspect of the plastic injection molding process. This stage in product development will determine your project's time and cost efficiency; your new supplier has to meet your product design needs.
A partner like Crescent Industries has an excellent design team with clearly defined design concepts to ensure you get the desired final product.
2. Full Range of Services Offered
Switch to a plastic injection molding company that is a one-stop shop for production solutions.
Crescent Industries offers extensive services, including part design, prototyping, and mold flow analysis. By meeting all the different technical requirements in part production, you can cut costs and focus on other essential aspects of your business.
3. Part's End Use
Product application is another critical factor when moving to a new plastic injection molding partner. The intended use of your injection molded part helps to determine the type of design, development, and production stages it goes through.
At Crescent Industries, we can help you choose the correct plastic resin for different parts. Plastic resins differ in moldability, strength, durability, heat resistance, and flexibility. Plus, plastics have evolved as a compelling, cost-effective, lightweight, and robust alternative to metals.
4. Availability of Technology and Specification Needs
Plastic injection molded parts have unique specifications requiring a specific type of technology to meet their production needs. Choosing a trusted partner like Crescent industries ensures you don't compromise your product's details to meet production deadlines. Our experts can also guide you in making decisions based on the specifications you provide.
Picking a partner with extensive in-house molding technologies and experience is also recommended. Your plastic products may need to undergo resin changes and design tweaks requiring different production tools and expertise. You need a properly equipped company that can save you time and money by making informed changes based on your product's details.
5. Quality Assurance
Quality assurance is a commonly overlooked factor crucial to ensuring you get the best products. The plastics industry is highly competitive, which increases the risk of saturation with substandard products to compete favorably.
Crescent Industries' quality registrations include FDA, ITAR, and ISO 13485:2016 certifications. Our process managers and quality assurance team guarantee quality parts' production. Every completed project comes with a validation summary report showcasing extensive process development and evaluation protocols.
What Are Key Phases of a Seamless Transfer Process?
Once you've narrowed your search for the ideal plastic injection molding partner, you can follow these steps for a smooth switch.
Partnership
Setting up and maintaining an adequately defined communication line is key to the success of your partnership. Both parties may need to establish an empowered and dedicated team with open communication channels for efficient transmission of product information.
On-Site Evaluation
Despite advances in teleconferencing, remote access, and social media, on-site visits are crucial to building long-term relations with your new partner. You'll need to visit the molder's facility to check out the molding machines and meet the staff you're entrusting to your project's success.
Schedule the Move
After performing your on-site evaluation, you can proceed to schedule the move to a new plastic injection molding partner. This phase requires cooperation to successfully transfer products, molds, and processing information like 3D CAD files.
Safety Stock
You should ensure enough product is available as safety stock to cover the transition period. The safety stock compensates for the time you're out of production and allows for the unrestricted transfer of molds and data.
Validation
The validation stage ensures your clients approve the products from the new injection mold supplier. You can use product samples and existing production processes to compare old and new parts.
Commence Production Molding
Once satisfied with the validation results, you can approve the production of plastic injection molded parts. Your new supplier will manage and produce the volume of the projected components per the contractual agreement.
Choose Crescent Industries
Moving to a new plastic injection molding partner allows you to leverage better rates and improved injection molding services. Crescent Industries' team has extensive experience in helping you switch injection mold vendors. The documented systematic approach we've used to acquire 24% of our current client base has enabled successful transitions. Contact us today to enjoy top-notch molded parts and undisrupted supply chains.
