The moulds are being used to manufacture Hep2O, Wavin's range of push-fit plastic plumbing products. Wavin's objectives were to ensure high quality for its new mould tools, and to meet a demanding delivery schedule that would enable Hep2O to be launched in November 2010.
The company decided against awarding mould tool contracts to any overseas manufacturers. Warren Temperton-Ball, Wavin's toolroom manager, tells PRW: "Quality and turnround considerations made us reluctant to look to overseas manufacturing for solutions. There were also the extra costs of overseas procurement and the requirement for absolute confidentiality to take into account."
Other perceived negatives militating against overseas procurement included the requirement for absolute project confidentiality, and the potential challenges of managing the project through its various phases, effectively and efficiently, at thousands of miles distance.
Wavin's UK consortium concept was not accidental. Not wishing to"put all its eggs in one basket", the company realised the benefits of apportioning the work between a number of UK toolmakers, rather than depending on a single supplier. The toolmakers chosen would need to work collaboratively which, in a highly competitive sector, was unusual if not unique.
Consortium member Hanson & Thorpe's contribution
They would have to demonstrate their capability to deliver complex, high-precision mould tool projects on time and on budget. They also, continues Temperton-Ball, “needed to buy in completely to the consortium concepts of collaboration, openness, transparency, and sharing ideas and good practice.”
Wavin arrived at a consortium comprising four UK toolmakers plus Hasco-Internorm, the mould tool “collapsing core” technology specialist. All participants signed a rigorous non-disclosure agreement with Wavin, with a view to ensuring that the confidentiality of the project was adhered to and maintained throughout.
Stuart Hanson, director at Hanson Thorpe, comments: “The scale of the project provided security and a predictability of work over what was increasingly looking like, an economic downturn.”
Even though the companies were encouraged to bid against each other, and did so, the large number of mould tools were apportioned more or less evenly between the consortium members in terms of both number and value.
“We were not prepared to allow one company to become dominant, as that would have affected the harmony of the consortium”, remembers Temperton-Ball. The higher-cavitation mould tools went to ITI Manchester and Ryetools, and the smaller-sized tools to Hanson Thorpe and Complexa Tools.
Pre-production and production Z3600 “collapsing core” tooling was supplied by Hasco, as well as standard mould tool equipment such as bolster sets.
Neil Moseley, managing director at Hasco says “To ensure consistently high quality and to control costs it was important to standardise mould tool design and manufacture wherever possible.”
To ensure that the work elements of the project and hence its overall progress stayed on track, Wavin drew up a detailed plan which included:
•Specifications for the tools to be manufactured;
•Their allocation within the constortium;
•Sampling schedule;
•Time allocations for re-sizing;
•Final delivery deadlines;
•Staged payments.
Under the payment schedule, consortium members were reimbursed:
•At the start of work on each tool;
•On tool delivery for sampling;
•On passing for production following resizing;
•On passing the final tool in each suite for production.
Both raw materials (steels) and hot halves were single-sourced, with a view to helping product consistency between the toolmakers. Also, exploiting the combined purchasing power of the consortium helped to control overall costs.
Early indications suggest a strong uptake of Wavin’s Hep2O. The consortium approach has been vindicated by the delivery of a large number of different mould tools on time and on budget, demonstrating the power and benefits of collaboration.
The four toolmaking companies have developed good working relationships among themselves. These, as well as their geographic proximity, mean that it is likely that more large-volume, complex mould tool projects could be on the cards in the future.
