Here at Lomont Molding – we’re consistently looking for new and more efficient ways to operate. This can be through newly developed materials, equipment, or processes.
It’s no secret that plastic manufacturing is a developed and driving force in the modern world. The advancement and growth of plastic technology has been incredible in the last several decades. Naturally some diminishing returns have been felt.
Material innovations used to be the driver behind plastic advancements. In recent years this has fallen off and material advancements are generally now much more specific in their purpose; less likely to advance the industry on a broader scale as in the past.
The innovations that move the industry needle the most in today’s world have been coming from R&D done by equipment and tooling companies. This is where we really can see Industry 4.0 elements taking shape. This is generally through technology such as self-correcting processes, “smart” tooling, equipment with built in QA systems, and machines that use less or cleaner energy.
Innovations such as these can truly be taken advantage of when there is appropriate infrastructure in place for them. Outdated systems and processes can be difficult, even impossible to fully make use of Industry 4.0 technologies. In a previous article we’ve talked about the “smart factory” which requires all technologies: equipment, networking, software, culture, etc – to be functioning together.
Manufacturers who are prepared to implement these innovations stand to be the most successful in the coming years. We’ve talked about the need for companies to ensure they have a forward moving culture and have well developed and adaptive processes that are friendly to change/innovation.
Lomont Molding has been investing in these areas and focusing on efficiency and culture to strategically position itself to be one such manufacturer. While advancements today look different than they have in the past few decades – the industry is not done moving in this direction by any means and manufacturers must be ready to adapt to grow themselves or risk being caught short.
An example of Lomont’s commitment to this process has been our emphasis utilizing robotics into various processes where they have enhanced efficiency and safety. This continues to help us streamline previously lengthy and error-prone processes and increases our movement towards complete automation. Lomont sees big changes ahead for the plastic industry and is dedicated to adapting so that we may meet and exceed the expectations of our customers.
