ABSTRACT
The company concerned are volume manufacturers of plastic and metal fastening systems for the Automotive industry. The demands of World Class Manufacturing as defined by the company combined with the specific processes employed in production, mean that tooling plays a crucial role in both the total product quality and intrinsic manufacturing cost. In developing a new tooling operation the primary considerations lie in achieving a structure in which design for manufacture can be effectively implemented at the earliest stage, backed by empirical data from process performance. This not only offers the shortest leadtime to realisation of Customer demand, but also ensures that tooling is functionally and commercially capable throughout it’s life.
