The allure of injection molding for manufacturing parts is due in large part to the versatility, speed, and quality of the finished molded parts. From the outside, these qualities appear to be inherent parts of the injection molding process, and because injection molding seems fairly straight-forward, many manufacturers consider scaling to bring the process in-house for their needs. But to maximize the benefits of the injection molding process, it requires a sizeable team of knowledgeable technicians and engineers operating high-end, large-scale equipment — a structure and process more easily found in a dedicated plastic injection molding manufacturer. Which is why, for manufacturers looking to get the best quality parts for their money, outsourcing injection molding needs makes the most financial sense.
Guaranteed Infrastructure and Economics of Scale
As mentioned, the equipment necessary for injection plastic molding is both technically complex and physically imposing. Put simply, it’s costly. But investing in equipment alone only scratches the surface of what it financially requires to produce injection molded parts.
For instance, while the equipment is usually partially automated, only a dedicated team trained and experienced with the technology will be able to get it up-and-running on the near-constant cycles necessary to produce injection molded parts at scale. Those same cycles require a massive amount of power, as well as material and time, to run — all costs that will come out of a business’s bottom line. Additionally, considering the strain the molding machinery is under, a guaranteed amount of maintenance and down-time is be expected, meaning more dedicated service hours from specialized individuals to get the machinery up and running again.
All of these factors are built in to the business model of a dedicated plastic injection molding manufacturer, and the costs for any of them are negligible for their customers, because the injection molding manufacturer is able to spread them out over a larger swath of time, and a greater breadth of customer work.
Additionally, because the molding manufacturers’ operation is specifically injection molding, they are better equipped to reinvest and hone in on their core competency in the injection molding process, allowing for higher-quality products to be produced faster and more accurately, allowing for customer orders to be fulfilled with quicker delivery times and shorter times-to-market.
Higher Quality
Staying competitive in the plastic injection molding world requires dedication to quality production, produced at speed and scale. A respected outsourced injection molding manufacturer will have a team that is trained and certified, with years of expertise in the craft, as well as robust production support functionality to operate as an additional layer of insurance for the work they are producing.
Plastic injection molding providers are able to build out these additional functionalities because their resources stay focused on their core competencies. Supporting design, engineering, concepting, production, QA, and fulfillment allows the plastic injection molding manufacturers to work more closely with customers to fully realize the parts they are producing, without pulling focus from other areas of their business. This allows manufacturers to be involved at every step in the process, answering questions, providing guidance, and streamlining the process to save money, time, and re-work costs during the actual production runs.
For Hansen Plastics specifically, this means retaining an ISO 9001:2015 certification, a thorough commitment to lean manufacturing and the principals of continuous process improvement, robust quality control systems, and inclusion of RJG scientific molding technology and techniques while molding. Utilizing thorough checks and balances for quality before, during, and after the injection molding process helps HPC guarantee a higher level of quality production for their customers, while staying cost-effective and efficient.
Outsourcing injection molding capabilities is about more than saving money — it’s about maximizing the investment into making the best possible version of a product with efficiency, control, and quality results.
If you are looking for a trusted, experienced plastic injection molder for your next project or production run, reach out to HPC today, or visit HansenPlastics.com for a full view of Hansen Plastic’s capabilities.