Problem explained
If a cooling timer runs longer than the part needs, the press waits every cycle.
How it works today
The plant makes plastic parts on 26 injection presses.
A press shoots melted plastic into a steel mold and holds it shut until a cooling timer runs out.
Cooling is most of a cycle, and a timer with a safety margin holds the mold shut after the part is solid.
What we saw
- On the visit we read the cooling timer on seven press screens, and all seven showed a round number.
- Plant staff told us on the visit that the timer is "set safe" when a job starts.
- We did not see a timer shortened, so we do not know how much spare time each holds.
What it costs
- On the five longest-running jobs, one second off each cycle frees about 600 press hours per year, worth about $23,100.
- That counts only the freed hours an order fills, 70 percent of them, at $55 per hour.