Choosing the right plastics manufacturing software to drive growth

Every manufacturer strives to increase efficiency throughout their operation, improve profit margins - and ultimately drive growth.

But in a climate where manufacturing lead times are becoming shorter, compliance and quality requirements are stricter and more complex, and manufacturers are pursuing greater levels of automation, it is perhaps unsurprising that some businesses struggle to bring all these strands together and manage them effectively.

Moving beyond the slightly ubiquitous ERP software platform, manufacturing software provides ‘real-time visibility into the details of a manufacturing operation. With greater visibility, manufacturers attain greater control of daily production, machine yield rates, supplier performance, quality, and ultimately, profit margins’.

Regardless of where you are in the evaluation of manufacturing software options IQMS / DELMIAWORKS’ Ultimate Guide to Manufacturing Software provides insights, tools, tips and an evaluation checklist to help you select the ideal plastics manufacturing solution for your business.

Download the guide to learn:

• What manufacturing software is (and what it isn’t)
• How the right software can help you control and manage manufacturing costs and processes
• How manufacturing can play a key part in improving product quality
• What key features you need to keep in mind while evaluating the many software options
• How to assess your business needs and gather requirements
• The best questions to ask during manufacturing software demos.

Finally, the guide provides a useful evaluation checklist to help your selection process.

How SEA-LECT Plastics uses IQMS / DELMIAWORKS to increase efficiency & improve profit margins

A full-service custom plastic injection moulding company, SEA-LECT is based in Everett, Washington which is located just outside Seattle.

Specialising in thermoplastics, fibre-reinforced thermoplastics, compostable plastics, elastomers and over moulding, the company manufactures products ranging from household to aerospace and is exploring new manufacturing methods and materials such as bio-plastics and wood resins.

Deeply integrated into their operation, IQMS / DELMIAWORKS and SOLIDWORKS 3D Design from Dassault Systemes helps SEA-LECT to achieve greater quality metrics, up-to-date build specifications and better project tracking for enhanced quality control through a complete, closed loop design to manufacturing process

Matt Poischbeg, VP & General Manager at SEA-LECT Plastics explained: ‘When I get a job, I get information from my customers, which couple be a sketch on a napkin so to speak. It is very difficult to put a dollar figure to a sketch on a napkin. So what needs to happen first is to take that sketch and convert that into a CAD file - and SOLIDWORKS has been helping us with that for decades. I need a lot of information from this CAD file, like part volume for instance, or critical dimensions. That data helps me with my information from IQMS / DELMIAWORKS, where I get all the information from the quoting module to then combine the numbers and get to my customer with a precise quote very quickly’.

IQMS / DELMIAWORKS and SOLIDWORKS enables SEA-LECT Plastics to:

• Create single project portfolios that provide complete project history which include costs, material, labour requirements and product documentation
• Generate precise project quotes quickly based on current design and actual costs
• Move projects easily from a design within SOLIDWORKS to tooling to production
• Adhere to strict data security protocols, which are required as a Tier-1 military vendor
• Maintain complete lot control on what material has been used for each project.