Rutland Plastics has always been recognised for its technical expertise in injection moulding.
Their consistent drive for improvement has helped the family-run company, and major local employer, grow steadily over the past 70 years whilst facing various economic crises.
Rutland Plastics has a long history of working with customers, both domestic and international, helping them with design for manufacture, manufacture of mould tools and production of injection moulded plastic parts. Rutland Plastics manufactures a wide variety of plastic parts from everyday household items for small and major brands through to medical parts and even large-scale infrastructure components weighing up to 45 kilograms.
Rutland Plastics approached Made Smarter as part of their growth and innovation strategy. Despite their high digital maturity, scoring 7 on the PAS 1040 scale, Rutland Plastics sought to enhance their processes further. Made Smarter provided an impartial review of their current digital adoption efforts, highlighting areas for improvement, particularly in tool wear measurement practices.
The review identified inefficiencies with Rutland Plastics' existing fixed-bed CMM machine, which required removing tools from the moulding machine, causing performance inefficiencies and increased downtime. Thanks to match-funding from Made Smarter East Midlands, Rutland Plastics acquired a new handheld CMM. This advanced tool allows for accurate in-situ measurements, reducing machine downtime and improving overall quality.
The new handheld CMM has significantly streamlined Rutland Plastics' operations. By enabling measurements directly in the production environment, the company has minimised machine downtime and improved the accuracy of their tool wear assessments. This enhancement not only boosts operational efficiency but also contributes to better product quality and reduced environmental impact through optimised resource use.
Rutland Plastics remains committed to continuous digital improvement and innovation. Their successful integration of new technologies and culture of innovation positions them as a benchmark in the industry for sustainable growth and competitiveness. Looking ahead, the company will continue to explore and adopt cutting-edge smart manufacturing and Industry 4.0 technologies to further enhance their operations and environmental sustainability.
