China's mold industry has entered a phase of change

Summary of contents: With China's accession to the WTO, the development of global economic integration will inevitably have a huge impact on China's traditional industrial system. We must reform the traditional mode of operation to adapt to the market. To participate in international competition, it must be in line with international standards in the form and means of information exchange. As we all know, e-commerce represents the direction of future trade development and an inevitable trend of economic development and progress. In the period of gradual deepening of market competition, the ability of enterprise innovation has increasingly become an important part of the competitiveness of enterprises, and information resources have increasingly become strategic resources of enterprises.

Notice on the Role of Industry Websites and Promotion of Industry Information Work With China’s accession to the WTO, the development of global economic integration will inevitably have a huge impact on China’s traditional industrial system. We must reform the traditional mode of operation to adapt to the market. To participate in international competition, it must be in line with international standards in the form and means of information exchange. As we all know, e-commerce represents the direction of future trade development and an inevitable trend of economic development and progress. In the period of gradual deepening of market competition, the ability of enterprise innovation has increasingly become an important part of the competitiveness of enterprises, and information resources have increasingly become strategic resources of enterprises.

Mould enterprises in China are mostly small and medium-sized enterprises, and they have grown up from workshop-type enterprises. There are still many mold companies that are still managing workshops. Problems arise in terms of delivery time, cost, and quality control of molds. In the face of fierce market competition and backward management methods and levels, the management and technical personnel in the mold companies have only been exhausted. Luo Baihui, CEO of Die Network and Deputy Secretary General of Shenzhen Mould Technology Society pointed out that China's mold manufacturing enterprises must improve their management level, have the ability to react quickly and adjust in time, and it is difficult to achieve information management without a set of advanced management systems. of. Through information construction, mold manufacturing is achieved. Luo Baihui said that the so-called informatization mold enterprises are applying information technologies such as INTERNET and ERP to the mold enterprises, fixing the upstream and downstream business processes of the mold companies, the technical communication process, and the internal business management process of the mold companies, and then fixing them in the form of IT. Improve the management level of mold enterprises, and increase the efficiency of mold enterprise operations.

In the 1980s, the means of manufacturing molds relied mainly on ordinary mechanical processing equipment. For molds with complex shapes, they depended on the skills of fitters. The excellent mold fitters played a decisive role in mold companies. The focus of competition was who Has the ability to produce molds. In the 1990s, CAD/CAM technology, numerical control processing technology and EDM processing technology were gradually widely used. It was no longer a problem to manufacture molds. The application level of CAD/CAM technology and numerical control technology was the main content of measuring molds and was the development of molds. The first change.

The management mode of mold enterprises has also changed, and management has become increasingly important. In the 21st century, the rapid development of IT technologies such as network technologies and computer applications, as well as the drastic reduction in the application costs of computer technology, the increase in network speed, and the rapid spread of network applications all indicate that the information age is soon to come. Take the initiative, seize the initiative, and apply IT technology to the mold enterprises as soon as possible, who will be able to take advantage of developing the market and improving their core competitiveness.

At present, the promotion of CAD/CAM technology has entered the deepening application phase from the “flip chart” stage. The application of CAPP technology can greatly improve the efficiency and accuracy of enterprise process establishment. The application of PDM system can effectively manage the product development data; the application of MIS/ERP system can fundamentally reduce the cost of the enterprise and improve Production and management efficiency. The integration of information and functional cooperation between these systems, and the gradual realization of the enterprise's comprehensive informatization, has become the subject of CAD/CAM technology in-depth application, and is the second revolution in mold development.

The establishment of a network enterprise is generally based on INTERNET technology and computer management technology, and integrates technologies such as EPR, CRM, SCM, and PM, as well as some industry standardization specifications. Through INTERNET technology, mold companies can establish contact with domestic and foreign customers, open up a broader market; conduct business and domestic and international customer business, technology communication; establish the interface between the enterprise and the customer.

ERP technology helps companies to regulate and manage internal business processes, enhance the management level of mold companies, and greatly optimize and shorten internal processes and improve competitiveness. The combination of INTERNET technology and ERP technology can also realize remote remote office, improve the company's rapid response capability, and more effectively manage the enterprise. CRM technology can help mold companies to strengthen the management of customer relationships and respond quickly to customer needs. SCM technology helps mold companies to strengthen supplier management, further reduce procurement costs and open up more supply channels.

Moulds are typically produced by single orders. Each order requires detailed business and technical communication with the customer, otherwise serious consequences will occur. The following is an example of inadequate information communication between mold companies and customers: A large-scale mold factory has taken on a mold order from a new Japanese customer. After the Japanese customer gets used to the order, it communicates with the mold plant's designers in detail about the technology. A very detailed design requirement is put forward. The mold factory can design according to this requirement, and it is not necessary to confirm the design drawings. After the mold factory designers complete the design, they still follow the custom of ordering customers in the United States. They wait for the customer to confirm the design before ordering mold frames and materials. They waited for 10 days before they knew that the customer did not need to confirm the drawings. As a result, the mold was delayed for 10 days. The customer was very dissatisfied. Since then, the order was no longer placed, thus losing a very potential customer.

It can be seen that even a small flaw in the communication of information with customers and companies can cause huge losses to the company. The information management system will help mold companies better communicate information with customers. In the aspect of communicating with customers' information, the use of computer network platform and web conferencing system implements real-time collaboration with customers without borders, and realizes remote collaborative work through the powerful functions of the conference center, which greatly improves work efficiency. Through the detailed mold technology communication template provided in the information system (the template is completely in line with the international mold industry), it is convenient to conduct detailed technical communication with the customer and reduce the modification work of the mold.

The customer is very concerned about the mold test and delivery date, and often arranges the production plan according to the mold test time, especially for overseas customers. Therefore, controlling the production time of molds is an important indicator for enterprises to win in the market competition. The following case may be a problem for many mold factories.

Case: A large-scale mold factory undertook the mold orders of customers in the United States. Due to the lack of effective mold production monitoring and management methods, the mold could not be tested on schedule. The production department also feeds this information back to overseas marketers. However, due to the fact that market personnel cannot understand the actual situation of production, they are worried that the customers will not be unhappy when they try out the model. Therefore, they hold the luck and think that the production department can work overtime and steal back. Time, still promised the customer's established trial date. When the customer looked at the mold from thousands of miles away, he found that the mold could not be tried at all for a week. The customer was very disappointed.

The information management system will provide enterprises with a shared, consistent, and faithful process monitoring platform. In the information system, through the project planning and process control, the entire life cycle of the mold (order determination - design - purchase - production - first try - mold modification - delivery) can be managed. Production line managers directly feedback the actual progress of the mold in the system. The system faithfully monitors every task of the project process. When a certain control point is delayed, the system will automatically send an alarm e-mail to the relevant personnel for early detection and early resolution. Moreover, for some key tasks, it is also possible for the system to give early warning so that relevant personnel can be prepared and arranged early.

Cost control is a difficult point in the management of mold companies. The cost control capabilities of mold companies have increasingly demonstrated the core competitiveness of companies. At present, the mold industry is facing the heavy pressure of lower and lower mold prices. The mold has been modified several times, and the profit of the mold has been consumed cleanly, even at a loss. If companies cannot fundamentally solve this problem, they will be in danger of being eliminated.

The informatization system will use the cost estimate of the quotation as a basis to formulate the planned cost for the mold when placing the order within the company. The system will set the cost early warning and monitor the cost elements in the mold production so as to effectively control various expenses and ensure profits. The successful conclusion of the goal. When the mold material is released, the difference between the total cost of the design material and the planned material cost is compared and a decision is made as to whether or not to release.

When receiving the goods, the difference between the delivery price and the planned price is compared to decide whether to receive the goods and thus effectively control the purchase cost. The system will record and count the processing time that each part produces in each processing operation, automatically compare the difference between the actual processing cost and the planned expense, and monitor the manufacturing cost. When the actual cost exceeds the planned cost, the system will automatically alarm to inform the relevant management personnel.

An information-based real-time shop monitoring system can help production supervisors monitor the production of each equipment and mold processing, increase equipment utilization, and control the production schedule of the workpiece. For example, when the company managers need to check the situation of the production workshop, they can view the real-time production status of each processing equipment and working group through the production management system. The system adopts different color markings to clearly reflect the workpieces and processes being processed by each equipment and processing group. The status of the machined workpiece includes the current status of each machine tool, the current load condition of the machine tool, whether the workpiece being processed is postponed, whether the workpiece to be processed has been transferred to the process, whether the previous process is postponed, whether the material is in place, etc., which greatly eases the management personnel. The intensity of work.

When managers need to check the production status of a certain set of molds, they can view the progress of the molds displayed in the form of Gantt charts, and compare the planned time of each process with the actual process to help managers track the progress of mold production. In the past, when the production management personnel inspected the progress of the mold, they had to go to a station in the workshop to see a single station, and only see the main components. The completion of small parts may not be understood at all, and even the team leader of the workshop did not know. Where are the small parts. Or hold a production meeting, call all the team leader together and spend a long time reporting the progress of the mold one by one. As the class leader is not the first-line processing staff, he can only use his own feelings and experience to judge the progress of the mold, which has a large error. For experienced workers, the accuracy may be judged, but a factory cannot guarantee that every worker is experienced and responsible at all times. As long as there is a set of molds in an order that cannot be completed on schedule, the delivery of the entire order will be problematic. This is also a major reason why many mold factories often have to work overtime before trying molds, and even go through overtime to make molds.