(Plastics Today) -- Providing mold maintenance service means that mold manufacturers can extend their business further downstream and create new opportunities.
Karl Szanto, vp operations for Tech Mold Inc. once said, "The benefits of running a trouble-free mold are obvious; increased productivity and profitability are just the beginning. Good care, an aggressive preventative maintenance program, and a vigilant production crew are the keys to running a mold that will provide a long, trouble-free production life."
One new solution is the Certified Maintenance Provider (CMP) program from ToolingDocs, a solutions provider for mold maintenance and training. The company recently expanded its curriculum to include two new, hands-on courses: Tooling Component Repair and Hot Runner Repair.
Custom Mold & Design (New Hope, MN) is a mold builder but not a molder. However, it began looking to expand its customer base by providing Mold Maintenance Services and becoming a Certified Maintenance Provider (CMP) to some of its molding customers. "Every mold builder will do mold repair for their customers, but they don't necessarily go seek that business," said Randy Winton, global training and assessment manager for ToolingDocs.
According to Tom Caron, vice president of sales for Custom Mold & Design, the program definitely has benefits. Currently, the company is performing beta tests with two customers that are molders, and results have been quite good. "We're going to continue the tests for another 30-60 days then launch the CMP program on a larger scale ," said Caron in an interview with PlasticsToday. "So far these two customers are very pleased and we've taken over their entire mold maintenance responsibilities."
Custom Mold & Design has created a separate cost center for the CMP program, in addition to its mold manufacturing business and its machined components business segment, explained Caron.