AUTUMN 2000
Volume 6 • Number 1
DYLYN®:
COATING OF TOMORROW?
In
an effort to keep PTDC plastic cluster members informed and up-to-date
on the most current technologies affecting the plastics industry,
the PTDC was pleased to present an overview of Dylyn®,
an advanced coating with great potential within the plastics industry,
at the PTDC Plastics Cluster Group meeting on Tuesday, September
12, 2000.
Dylyn®
is a diamond-like nanocomposite coating, which is a vacuum-deposited,
amorphous thin film consisting of a diamond-like carbon network,
as well as a glass-like network. Dylyn® is coated to
only two to three microns in thickness, and its molecular composition
can be tailored to suit the application.
Applied
as a surface treatment, Dylyn® has a high hardness
level, low wearability, very low friction even in high humidity
(for excellent release properties), low stress, and adheres well
to a wide range of materials. Dylyn® coatings resist
alkalis, salt solutions, and other corrosive agents such as hydrochloric
or sulfuric acids. It is not affected by open air or sunlight,
and is also incredibly durable at high temperatures: up to 400°
C in air and up to 700° C in argon.
Dylyn's®
applications for the plastics industry include mold release coatings
and protective coatings for sliding mechanical parts. The low
wearability, surface energy and friction of Dylyn®
make it a perfect choice in coatings for these applications and
hopefully many more as time goes by.
Dylyn®
has been available commercially to the plastics industry in Europe
for several years. The technology is being brought to the U.S.
plastics industry through a unique pilot program. Sponsors of
this program include the National Institute of Standards and Technology
(NIST), Western New York Technology Development Center, and PTDC.
The PTDC is tasked with locating companies to participate and
assist in the evaluation of each application in this pilot program.
Companies that participate in this program will not be charged
for the coating of their components, but are expected to actively
take part in the evaluation process.
Dylyn®
is a relatively new coating on the market and with that comes
a myriad of questions. At the PTDC, we understand the need to
have those questions answered before Dylyn® can be
accepted and utilized within the plastics industry. To that end,
the PTDC is coordinating the pilot program through which potential
applications are defined, an evaluation system is implemented,
trials are actually run, and results are shared. There are twelve
slots available in the pilot program, six of which are already
filled.
If
your company is interested in participating in this unique program
or has questions, contact the PTDC
at (814) 452-0094.
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LEAN:
ELIMINATING THE WASTE IN MANUFACTURING
Eliminate
waste and you increase productivity. It's the simplest of ideas
in any process, and the key to Lean Manufacturing. The Lean process
has been successfully applied to numerous businesses already,
resulting in leaps in quality, production, and profitability.
Now, the PTDC and the Northwest Pennsylvania Industrial Resource
Center (NWIRC) offer the acclaimed Lean series of programs to
the northwestern Pennsylvania region.
"The
goal of Lean is to find and eliminate waste in manufacturing,"
confirmed NWIRC applications engineer Howard T. Wilson. "Several
Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) programs developed Lean
after working with Toyota, and centers in South Carolina, Michigan,
and Philadelphia got together to develop the program. As a result,
the program we are bringing to the region is standard and universal-the
course you take here is the same course you'd get anywhere."
Wilson
described Lean as a program that allows the worker in the shop
to make changes to the job itself. "Lean is employee-driven rather
than management-driven," he said. "It uses the teamwork and self-initiative
of the worker to do the job better."
Stepping
into a Lean 101 course helps workers compare the Lean process
with common less productive processes. PTDC project engineer Tom
Moyak plays the role of "Buzz," of Buzz Electronics Enterprises
(BEE).
"Yesterday's
crew was fired because they couldn't produce results," growls
Buzz to the instructees. "You'll need to listen and learn quickly
if you want to do better."
"The
initial course is made up of four stages," said Moyak. "The first
simulation sets up BEE as a traditional manufacturing company
and allows workers to see firsthand the waste that occurs in this
system." An observer sees some workers sitting idle while others
deal with enormous workloads and an excess of late products. "As
they move through the simulations, the participants progressively
optimize the setup," said Moyak, "learning Lean principles, implementing
them, and seeing productivity increase."
An
objective of Lean Manufacturing is to eliminate traditional push-based
systems, where companies try to schedule based on a production
forecast of their customer's demand rate. The implementation of
a Lean pull-based system relies on the customer orders
to pull the product through the line. Using forecasting to schedule
production can be eliminated, leaving the actual customer demand
to drive the production as it is needed. "When you complete an
operation on a part, it pulls another from the person next to
you," said Moyak. "The processor is more free to use employees'
strengths."
Plastics
processors may think that the Lean system applies less effectively
to them, but Lean concepts work in all types of manufacturing.
"The majority of companies in northwestern Pennsylvania are plastics
processors or job shops, such as tool and die," said Wilson. "PTDC's
role is to present this to plastics companies and show how it
will help them. In plastics, creating the actual part is only
a small part of the time. Lean shows manufacturers how to concentrate
on all their processes."
"Some of the bigger plastics companies in the area have already
done this," Wilson said, citing Molded Fiberglass in Union City
and Andover Plastics in Meadville as examples of companies using
Lean principles. "We want to bring their success to the entire
industry."
Moyak described the productivity benefits to the plastics processor.
"With injection molding, if you can increase efficiency rather
than stockpile inventory, you're getting well ahead of schedule.
Lean applies in areas like plant layout and work-cells, which
helps supervisors make sure everything after part production is
done in an efficient format."
As
of now, the NWIRC program offers 100- and 200-level courses, which
teach Lean principles and intermediate concepts. Wilson says that
MEP is developing 300-level courses to add to Lean's effectiveness.
"The 300-level courses will train people to implement the material
learned," he said, "and those people can then work as implementers
in their own shops." For more information on the Lean Manufacturing
series of programs, contact Howard
Wilson of the NWIRC at (814) 456-6299.
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SECOND
CLUSTER GROUP MEETING A SUCCESS!
On
Tuesday, September 12, 2000, the NWIRC and the PTDC held the second
Cluster Focus Group meeting.
Representatives
of the NWIRC, the PTDC, and the Plastics Cluster Group were in
attendance. The meeting was very productive, and a number of topics
were covered. Hugh Wolcott of the NWIRC opened the meeting by
explaining the relationship between the NWIRC and the PTDC and
how the plastics industry can benefit from the agencies' programs.
Wolcott then turned the floor over to Lance Hummer, also of the
NWIRC, to cover perhaps the most important part of the Cluster
Group meeting: a "round table" discussion addressing specific
concerns of the Cluster Group members. Members were provided with
specific topics related to their businesses. A list was then compiled
which highlighted the significant concerns within each topic.
-
ECONOMICS
- The
customer's long-term agreements (LTA's)
- The
cost of technology vs. the cost of labor
- The
large size and low cost of the Asian labor force
- The
customer's desire to have design, production, supply, and warranty
at the lowest possible cost
- Rapid
technological advances mean high training costs
- Making
price concessions vs. holding costs steady
- Maintenance
costs
- The
financing of customers' projects
- Shipping
costs
- High
employee turnover
- The
affects of the Internet on purchasing
- The
cost of raw materials
- Equipment
financing
- HUMAN
RESOURCES
-
The need for qualified technical people at all levels
- High
employee turnover
- Training
and development
- The
promotion of the plastics industry at the elementary and secondary
school levels
- The
poor work ethic and low morale of some employees as related
to workplace environment
- The
cost involved with hiring a new employee
- The
rising rates of worker's compensation
- TRAINING
-
The training programs available in this area are phenomenal!
- How
to motivate employees to seek further training/education
-
The establishment of mentoring and apprenticeship programs
- Pre-hire
training
- Communication/conflict
resolution training
- The
necessity of providing a five or ten year plan that demonstrates
income increase as apprenticeship progresses (pay scale as it
relates to training)
- Seniority-based
vs. competency-based compensation
- BUSINESS
PROCESS (FUTURE PLANNING)
-
The Internet
- Smarter,
more focused marketing
- Strategic
planning at the plant level
- Succession
planning in family-owned businesses
- Mergers/acquisitions
- The
development of partnerships with other companies
- Taxation
issues related to death and inheritance
- Tracking
performance to understand financial situations
- PURCHASING
TECHNICAL AND PROFESSIONAL SERVICES
- The
development of relationships with those companies whose service
is needed
-
Justification of cost
- Evaluation
of software packages
- Technical
support necessary to maintain additional fixtures
Christine
Budny of the NWIRC then presented information on the E-Commerce
Consortium, which is an attempt to introduce companies to E-business
and its benefits. The services provided to an E-Commerce Consortium
member include: an E-business readiness assessment, marketing
analysis, an understanding of the Internet and how it relates
to business, the knowledge to understand and maintain a company
web site, training sessions, and interaction with consortia experts
and developers.
Two final presentations were made. Howard Wilson of the NWIRC
talked briefly about Lean Manufacturing, and an overview was given
about Dylyn® coating and its potential within the plastics
industry.
The Cluster Group meeting concluded with Larry Patch of the PTDC
and Hugh Wolcott giving credence to issues discussed and a promise
to examine them more completely. The third Cluster Group meeting
is scheduled for Tuesday, November 14, 2000, 7:30 a.m. - 1:00
p.m. Follow-ups on marketing, Dylyn®, and the international
labor dilemma are among the topics to be addressed. The November
meeting is open to all plastics companies in northwestern Pennsylvania.
For
more information or to participate, please contact the PTDC.
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CANADIAN/U.S.
PLASTICS ALLIANCE
Upstate
New York (8th), Western Pennsylvania (6th), Northeast Ohio (1st)
and Southern Ontario (3rd) have one of the largest concentrations
of plastics processors, machinery manufacturers, mold makers,
and materials suppliers in North America, as indicated by the
rankings.
The
regional strength of the industry, however, has been transparent
to many. To recognize and promote the industry cluster in the
Eastern Great Lakes area, several Canadian and U.S. organizations
formed a cross-border plastics alliance to facilitate trade, partnering,
technology exchange, investment, educational alliances for training
and research, and identification of product and service suppliers.
To bring organizations in the region together, the alliance held
its first event "Plastics Summit - Borders without Barriers,"
in April 1999 at Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada. Over 100
people from Canada and the U.S. attended the summit, which included
presentations from industry experts, networking opportunities,
and tabletop displays. The alliance also published its first cross-border
plastics resource directory.
To
continue the collaboration, a second summit will be held March
28-29, 2001, in Erie, PA. Valuable presentations and workshops
will focus on topics that will enhance the growth of your business.
Mark your calendar to attend the second "Plastics Summit - Borders
without Barriers".
The
event will begin Wednesday afternoon, with an extended tour of
the plastics processing laboratory and computer laboratories at
Penn State Erie, The Behrend College. Faculty and students of
the Plastics Engineering Technology Program of Penn State Erie
will host this tour, which will be followed by a reception and
dinner with a guest speaker.
Tentative
program topics for Thursday include:
-
Manufacturing Agility-Driving Your Bottom Line
- Technology
Innovation
-
E-Commerce
-
Financing
- Education
Resources and Opportunities for Training and Research
- Cross-Border
Commerce
For
additional information, please contact the Canadian Plastics Industry
Association at (905) 678-7405, ext. 243.
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TAKE
A FREE TEST DRIVE!
Join
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Both
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Road, Erie, Pennsylvania. The dates are November 10, 2000 and
December 8, 2000.
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