MOLDing Starts with an Injection Mold

December 15, 2012 by Frank Spears

Plastic Injection Molding, regardless of where you have it done, what company you use to do it, what material you use, or what your end product is all starts with one thing…a mold. Often it can be a very expensive mold. You can decide to pay the cost of the plastic injection mold upfront or you can amortize the cost of the plastic injection mold into the cost of the molding. Either way the plastic injection mold matters.

Injection Mold Costs

Whether you are in (pick your state) and you are competing with companies across the street or across the country the cost of the plastic injection mold can make the difference between winning and losing the business or building your product competitively. Certainly labor costs play a part but so much of the molding is automated that the labor cost is less of a factor then it is in the plastic injection mold which is heavily influenced by labor costs. So while the labor cost on molding will see some difference between states with different costs of livings, the biggest impact on your competitive strategy could be where you buy that plastic injection mold.

China Injection Mold Manufacturer

This is why you should always consider China. Labor costs are where China always shines. We have been doing business with China long enough now that we understand how they work and how we need to manage the process. If you do your due diligence and find the right manufacturer you will find a manufacture that can provide a cost effective quality plastic injection mold. Give it the same consideration you give finding a manufacture here in the United States. If you do it can separate you from the competitive pack.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Doing Business in China, High Quality Injection Molds, Injection Mold Cost, Injection Mold Manufacturer, Low Cost Injection Mold

I bought a Plastic Injection Mold from China……It was terrible!!!!!

July 25, 2012 by Frank Spears

Injection Mold Manufacturer from China

injection mold manufacturer

How many times have we heard that? Monthly? Weekly? Daily? Well let’s say often….and while I understand a bad experience is never fun, I am surprised at how many professional business people say they will never try it again. I have to wonder why? So many things in this world simply do not go smoothly and we find ourselves having to troubleshoot something or repair it or find some solution to make it work.
How many times have we given something or someone a second chance and what would have happened if we hadn’t? Would you be married to the same person? If you buy a car that is a lemon, will you never buy another car again? Was your favorite food always your favorite food or did you have to try it a few times? And clothes…. The first time you saw the latest fashion how many times have you said, I will never wear that, only to have it in several different colors three months later.
So many things in this life require a second or even a third try why wouldn’t finding the right injection mold manufacturer in the United States be the same. Wait, did I say the United States? Of course, I did. Finding a good injection mold manufacturer source anywhere is difficult. People sometimes forget that once they fine someone they are comfortable with. So why would China be any different?

US Injection Mold Manufacturer

Simply, it’s not. Just like here in the United States you have to do your homework. While touring a shop might be nice you really want to check out their work and references just like you would do here. The fact is China is very cost effective if you do this right. You don’t want to cross China off your list as a plastic injection mold manufacturer just because you had one bad experience. If you buy a bad toaster you return it. Well this may not be that simple but the point is you don’t give up on toasters. You know a toaster is easier than trying to toast bread in the oven. And considering the burnt bread a lot more cost effective.
Here you know China gives you a cost effective injection mold manufacturer that will allow you to be competitive here in the United States. You want that competitive edge. So learn from your bad mold. Was it really the injection mold manufacturer or could things have been handled better as you consider the process. Were you dealing with China as you would an American injection mold manufacturer? There are so many possibilities but the bottom line is China can make quality cost effective molds. As professionals it is our job to determine the issues behind the bad mold and decide if in fact it was the injection mold manufacturer or a combination or reasons that once corrected can make this injection mold manufacturer viable. The other side is that you find a new manufacture in China just like so many people find new sources here in the United States.

US Cost Effective Injection Mold Manufacturer

The goal is to look beyond a terrible experience or a bad plastic injection mold manufacturer and determine how it can be done better the next time. China still provides for cost effective quality plastic injection mold manufacturer. Finding the right injection mold manufacturer in China for plastic injection molds allows companies to grow and prosper in the United States making this the positive experience it should be.

To learn more about Total Solution Plastic and our click here – Injection Mold Manufacturer Services or call our office at 919-900-8801. Call today!

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Doing Business in China, High Quality Injection Molds, Injection Mold Manufacturer, Low Cost Injection Mold

Injection Mold – Making Inventions a Reality

February 17, 2012 by Frank Spears

Injection Mold to Product Reality

Most everyone has heard or said “you could make a million bucks with that idea.” Or “Yeah that and fifty cents will get you a cup of coffee.” In actuality they both cost more in the “real world”. It is our mission to assist Inventors as well as seasoned designers to help bring their Plastic Injection Mold idea to a reality. This process takes money, but thanks to foresight to buy into our Injection Mold Partner in Shenzhen China, we are able to offer from 30-50% cost savings over many of our domestic (USA) suppliers. One would ask, how can you do that? Building an Injection Mold is labor intensive. We use the same quality steel as you find here in the USA, and all components that are replaceable are USA supplier standard (DME etc.). The difference is labor cost in China. Our engineers as well as manufacturing folks are highly skilled and can easily be compared to those here in the United States.

Now let’s talk about the security of your Intellectual Property. Each person here at Total Solution Plastic that touches your Injection Mold project has signed a legal nondisclosure form. Each of our associates in China that will be in contact with your Injection Mold project have signed a legal nondisclosure form. In other words, we have taken as much precaution to protect your injection mold idea as possible. I do want to add, in most cases our shop does not even know the application of your product… which once again adds to your protection. We build many “sensitive” products in our shop each year from medical to automotive…. I do not want to “ever” guarantee, nor would anyone else, that your Intellectual Product is totally secure, but certainly, we are more than diligent to protect you, and do not foresee any issue with this. We have been audited by many very large OEMs and haven’t had any issue at all with security measures due to the processes we have in place.

After your part is produced to your satisfied to your satisfaction we bring your Injection Mold back to the United States and assist you in finding a supplier nearest you to run the Injection Mold and supply you parts. This allows you to maximize your profit dollars by reducing your Injection Mold cost. Resale – cost = Profit is what we help you accomplish.

Injection Mold – Inventor’s Path Forward?

I have worked with Inventors for the past thirty five years at many levels and have seen many potentially great products not brought to market due to the lack of proper capitol. It is a shame, because great ideas is what makes this country grow! Please do not misunderstand me, our Injection Mold is not free; just much less expensive! Sales projections are the most important information in any new product development. Sales projections drive the production cost as well as start-up and tooling cost that must be rolled into the price which will determine your sales price.

By holding down your tooling (Injection Mold) price; that gives you more dollars to spend on your marketing! We want to see you successful! We want to see you selling many of your ideas, so you will return to us with your next Injection Mold project. Many of our customers have been with Total Solution Plastic since we opened our doors! Khey understand our honesty and integrity in the market place and feel we are the best cost, quality and delivery solution for their new products. To learn more about the injection mold process please visit our website and give us a call at 919-800-9001 so that we may help you bring your ideas to reality!

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Doing Business in China, High Quality Injection Molds, Injection Mold Cost, Understanding Injection Mold

Managing your Injection Mold Projects and keeping on Track?

November 27, 2011 by Frank Spears

Managing Injection Mold Projects

If you have ever managed a project you know the challenges involved. There are budgets and schedules and people and hidden costs and problems and that is when it goes smoothly.
Now add a different country, a different language, a different time zone, a different culture, and try to figure out how, with the increased overhead you’re going to save money going offshore. Now as if all of this wasn’t enough you add a factory offshore, purchasing in one area, engineering in another and possibly an end customer located somewhere else. The good news is there is email…right?

I mean email allows communication between all parties to coordinate the production of the injection mold as well as the schedule and the budget. Except one of the emails wasn’t received, there are 5 different threads going around, some people are using their Blackberry or some other smart phone so their responses are there and not on their PC and, of course, the thread with your responses stopped being passed around so when you sit at your PC your responses are nowhere to be found and it’s 2 AM and you have a conference call with another country and your lead engineer is on vacation.. Confused? About this time so is your project and it’s late and it’s over budget.

Injection Mold Business

While all of this may not be something you have had to deal with, if you have been involved in injection molds for any time at all there is a good chance some of this seems familiar. Domestic or offshore, project management is crucial. It is one thing to get a quote for an injection mold but it is another to consider all of the costs involved in managing the mold.

At Total Solution Plastic we not only supply you with a quality injection mold but we consider your cost of acquisition. We understand how much the various operational costs can add to your bottom line. This is why we have developed a state of the art project management system. We make all of the information visible to everyone involved. Action items are given out and monitored to keep everything on schedule or if it’s not everyone knows why. If any of what we discussed earlier is closer to your real life then you want to admit give us a call (919-900-8801) and we can tell you how we can save you this frustration as well as the costs associated with that frustration. We really do provide the total solution when it comes to quality injection molds.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Doing Business in China, High Quality Injection Molds, Injection Mold Cost, Injection Mold Design, Injection Mold Steel, Understanding Injection Mold

Injection Mold – Can You Trust that “Spam email ” you received from China?

November 26, 2011 by Frank Spears

Injection Mold – China

Let’s suppose you are a molder and one of the top 100 OEMs places an order for injection mold and molding with you. For discussion purposes, we will assume the mold is $200,000.00 and the molding package it worth $2,000,000.00 in annual sales. It is your responsibility to have a robust, reliable injection mold built, but you went out to get your prices from someone in China that wrote you an email something like: We are a professional plastic mold maker. Welcome to send us RFQ for your new project. We will quote our best price for you. Are you now willing to place your injection mold order due to an advertisement like this? Are you willing to place your job on the line? Are you willing to place your company in jeopardy that the company on the other end will not just take your money and run? As you know, it is customary to pay 50% up front… are you willing to chance losing $100,000.00?

Injection Mold – Total Solution Plastic

There is absolutely no reason for you to ever take these chances. Total Solution Plastic is a hybrid company. We are located in Raleigh, NC and have ownership in our shop in Shenzhen China. We are the factory that builds your injection mold! We are there to support you during your injection mold build. We are there with our proprietary injection mold web portal, assuring your program runs smoothly. We are there to support you throughout the process and even after the injection mold ships, if there are issues that need to be looked at once the injection mold arrives in your shop. We are proven, tried and trustworthy to deliver what we promise!! Are you really willing to take a chance without the support of Total Solution Plastic? Is it worth the chance??

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Doing Business in China, High Quality Injection Molds, Injection Mold Cost, Injection Mold Design, Understanding Injection Mold

Paulson Training’s Channel – Injection Molding

November 24, 2011 by Frank Spears

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: High Quality Injection Molds, Injection Mold Cost, Injection Mold Design, Injection Mold Steel, Low Cost Injection Mold

Do you know if your company has legal ownership of its injection molds?

November 23, 2011 by Frank Spears

Injection Molds – Ownership

This may never happen, but if it does, it could be a nightmare. What’s that? Proving that your company owns molds that are not in its possession.

Business environments change, natural disasters happen, and businesses close their doors. What do you do if your present plastic molder can no longer produce your parts? Simple, you go get your molds and place them with another molder. Maybe three days downtime, max. It will only be this simple if you plan ahead and have good documentation for your molds.
Here’s a checklist to use for establishing proof of ownership of all your molds. The goal is to keep your molds in production and out of courtrooms.
1. The injection molds purchase order should contain wording to the effect: “design, build, and test mold number XX to produce part YY as described on part print ZZ. All molds to remain the property of XYZ Co.
1. All designs, tools, jigs, fixtures, and assembly/production aids should be identified by mold number with words “Property of XYZ Co.” either by stamping it on the item in a visible area or with an identification tag.
2. Depreciate all molds as a capital expenditure rather than expense it as an engineering expense in your corporate financial statements.
3. Request a list of your tools from your molders on their letterhead. This list should include the following information:
o part names
o part numbers
o molder’s tool number
o molder’s tool location
o statement saying that the molds are the property of XYZ Co.
4. Your company should keep a similar list with the following additional information:
o Your company’s mold number, if assigned
o original purchase order number
o date the tool was completed
5. These lists should be audited annually. When you and the molder agree the new list is both complete and accurate, exchange letters confirming that the list is authentic and all molds listed are the property of your company.
6. If you receive mold design blueprints from the molder, make sure that your company’s name is listed in the title block as owner.
7. Be sure all outstanding invoices are paid before you ask to take possession of the mold. It is commonly understood that when outstanding invoices are paid, the owner is free to move a mold anywhere for any reason.

Injection Molds – Chain of Ownership

If your company works with its molders and follow the guidelines above, there’s a high probability that mold transfers can take place quickly. Keep in mind that possession of property is nine-tenths of the law. Without documentation between the molder and mold owner, it would be difficult to prove to a third party that anyone other than the person who currently possesses the mold is the legal owner.
Total Solution Plastic makes sure each mold we build has YOUR information on it. However, this may not be common practice within the mold building industry, so it wouldn’t hurt to request mold identification.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Doing Business in China, High Quality Injection Molds, Injection Mold Design, Injection Mold Steel, Low Cost Injection Mold

Afraid of Purchasing Injection Molds From China?

November 23, 2011 by Frank Spears

Injection Molds from China

Total Solution Plastic has taken the guess work and the pain out of searching for a great injection mold builder in China. We have been importing into the USA for +11 years for many of the tier 1 and 2 customers.

Why take a chance answering one of those “spam” emails we all receive from some unknown China supplier? We are a USA company located in Raleigh North Carolina and stand behind each and every one of our injection molds. Currently we are importing 125 to 175 molds per year, from small medical devices to large automotive and agricultural products. Don’t gamble with your projects! Call us at 919-900-8801 for your Injection mold requirements. Visit us at www.totalsolutionplastic.com.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Doing Business in China, High Quality Injection Molds, Injection Mold Cost, Injection Mold Steel, Low Cost Injection Mold, Understanding Injection Mold

Injection Mold Basics

November 22, 2011 by Frank Spears

Paulson Training – Basic Injection Molding Machine Operations (excerpt)

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: High Quality Injection Molds, Injection Mold Cost, Injection Mold Design, Injection Mold Steel, Low Cost Injection Mold, Understanding Injection Mold

Injection Mold Basics – You Tube Video