Plastiqual

1.1 PLASTIQUAL | PETIT-RECHAIN (B)

Founded in 1980

Serving its customers in the plastic material injection field.

25 employees

2 The challenge

Plastiqual faces to excessive amounts of raw materials, semi-finished, and finished parts immobilized to expedite the processing of purchase orders and not always the right one. This excessive work in progress is resulting in extended lead times and difficulties in achieving satisfactory delivery performance. The average delivery time is currently 8 weeks if there is no injection mould to be made. However, this can rise to 16 weeks if a mould is to be made.

3 The solution

Because there was no visibility on the stocks actually available, work in progress and orders, Plastiqual heavily relied on the instincts of a few key individuals without sufficient objectivity to decide what should be produce. This results in excessive work and the lead times are getting longer and longer.

The company makes the choice to transition to an alternative digital planning system that allows real-time management of the shop floor, TOOWHE. This new system would enhance the ability to monitor the availability of materials, identify any missing components, and efficiently track the stocks of semi-finished and finished goods. Additionally, it would streamline the production process by initiating manufacturing only when it is absolutely necessary.

4 The results

QUOTE (Benoit Medeghini) “The implementation of the Toowhe tool and more globally of a new QRM thinking, would allow Plastiqual to manage its stocks in a more drastic and less expensive way. It will help to get out of the thinking of production for stocking and move towards a production guided by the customer orders.

This would also allow Plastiqual to reduce its lead time, between the order and the delivery. Today this element of flexibility and speed becomes an essential element of the customer relationship.

In addition, the optimisation of production schedules following the implementation of the tool will enable Plastiqual to open up new availability on its machines for new customers.

Finally, the control of production through the time monitoring will help Plastiqual to optimise the whole process.