PlastikCity on Tour – Sumitomo Demag Roadshow, Glasgow

For a special edition of PlastikCity on Tour, we were invited to the Glasgow leg of Sumitomo Demag’s epic European roadshow. On the final leg of a 27-stop tour across Europe, Sumitomo Demag was joined by a variety of partners including Hi-Tech Automation, Hardie Polymers, Mouldshop, Piovan and the SPRA, to present the latest technology for the event’s theme of #NextStopProductivity.

Setting off from Germany in April, the Sumitomo Demag Productivity Roadshow is a travelling exhibition in a truck. With a fully working IntElect moulding machine on board, as well as demonstrations of Sumitomo Demag’s activeMeltControl, myAssist and myConnect digital features, the mission behind the productivity roadshow was to bring the company’s latest productivity solutions closer to its customers, helping customers turn productivity pains into productivity gains.

The truck (pictured above) stopped at 26 locations across Europe, starting in Venice, Italy in April, before visiting Spain, France, Austria, Germany, Hungary, Slovakia, Czechia, Poland, Netherlands, Belgium, Ireland and finally the UK, with events at Silverstone and Glasgow drawing the 4-month and 10,000-mile journey to a close.

An Innovative Setting at the NMIS

The Glasgow leg of the event, the final in the 26-stop tour, was hosted at the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS), an impressive mixed-use facility which is only one year old. In fitting with the event’s themes, the NMIS building is an innovative environment, used to accelerate manufacturing projects with its world-class R&D and manufacturing facilities in the heart of Glasgow. A non-profit organisation, the NMIS acts as a bridge between Government, Academia and Industry, turning funding and research into new technologies and processes that are actionable and beneficial to the manufacturing sector.

The NMIS also plays an important role in the upskilling of the workforce, with a significant workshop area used for training, demonstrations and the development of new equipment and new practices. The organisation has strong links to local industry, also working with large OEMs including Boeing and Rolls Royce. Net Zero is another key pillar of the organisation, as it helps to develop the skills, digital tools and processes to transition to fully resource-efficient manufacturing.

A perfect backdrop for an industry event focused on maximising productivity and leveraging the latest developments in machinery and software for the benefit of customers in the plastics industry.

Adopting a Productivity Mindset – The Aggregation of Marginal Gains

The productivity roadshow event started with an introduction from Sumitomo Demag UK’s Managing Director, David Raine. The key message was clear, how can we, as an industry, better make use of the tools, technology and skills available to work smarter and more efficiently, to increase productivity and profitability at all levels? Not simply a sales pitch for Sumitomo Demag’s own product range, David was keen to get across how, by working together, we can make wider improvements, but importantly, we must adopt a productivity mindset.

The ‘aggregation of marginal gains’ concept is credited to Sir Dave Brailsford of Team Sky and the Olympic GB cycling programme, which had a transformative effect on both sports teams in recent years. The theory states that if you can improve every area relating to cycling by just 1%, then the cumulative effect of these gains in multiple areas adds up to a remarkable overall increase.

David relates this concept to the plastics manufacturing process, and how we can decrease inputs and increase outputs in our factories. If we can save a few % with an efficient moulding machine, with efficient ancillary equipment, with overall process optimisation, the upskilling of staff, reducing downtime, pre-planning maintenance and with the adoption of the latest digital tools, then suddenly huge gains can be realised. Based on the company’s own recent customer data, David predicts that UK companies could be wasting up to 65% of production capacity, showing the huge potential that is possible when taking a holistic view of productivity in our factories.

Onto the Touring Truck Exhibits

The centrepiece for the day’s exhibits was the exhibition on wheels, the Sumitomo Demag Touring Truck. The company’s IntElect all-electric moulding machine was installed on board and running, with Ashlee Gough leading the demonstrations into the potential energy consumption savings of up to 75% compared to alternatives.

Ash also covered the advantages of activeMeltControl (aMC) – an adaptive, fully automatic control progress integrated into the IntElect’s control system. aMC allows greater process continuity, compensating for shot weight variations due to batch fluctuations, the use of additives or from the incorporation of recyclate/regrind. The aMC system has a host of advantages leading to lower reject rates, less scrap, reduced material consumption and higher output, showing the power that new software and digital tools can have as we move towards more sustainable manufacturing.

Technical Manager Nick Stockton then walked delegates through the advantages of the myConnect and myAssist digital products offered by Sumitomo Demag.

Again, linking to the day’s themes of increasing productivity, these tools allow greater efficiency in servicing and repair. myConnect allows users a digital link to service teams around the world to diagnose and repair issues with remote access. Another digital tool, myAssist is an OCP UA-based MES system, which enables greater visibility of factory operations via energy, production and cycle monitoring.

It’s clear to see that with a combination of the digital tools available, manufacturers can gain a competitive advantage, making many small savings in different areas, feeding into the day’s theme of increasing productivity with an aggregation of small gains.

Partner Presentations

Another theme for the productivity roadshow was that these gains cannot be achieved alone. Therefore, the event was supported by a variety of other industry partners, presenting what efficiency and productivity means to them, and how they work closely with their own clients to move towards a more productive manufacturing environment.

Firstly, Paul Hart from Piovan UK discussed how Piovan’s ancillary equipment and automation solutions increase productivity for its moulding customers. Modern automation technologies allow manufacturers to streamline processes, reduce downtime, and increase overall productivity by maintaining consistent operational performance without human intervention. Paul also touched on other benefits, such as improved quality control and data collection, as well as the benefits of utilising interconnected digital systems to manage a shop floor. Going beyond just the moulding machine, Paul touched on material handling, drying, dosing, blending and storage, all areas where plastics processors can gain a competitive advantage by saving energy, increasing efficiency and producing higher-quality products.

Jack and Isy Ferguson presented for Hardie Polymers, a Glasgow-based polymer sourcing company celebrating its 100^th anniversary in 2024. As experts in engineering polymers, Hardies discussed the benefits of a robust raw material policy, with productivity savings possible from many areas, including price, specification, stock levels, lot sizes, lead times and reliability of supply. As well as the obvious benefits, Isy mentioned the benefits of proper raw material management and the optimisation of forecasting, allowing further productivity improvements.

Hi-Tech Robotics & Automation presented the benefits of automated manufacturing processes, and how more manufacturers are moving to ‘smart manufacturing’ with interconnected digital systems allowing greater data collection and process improvements. Gary Probert led the discussions, with an automation cell on display, using a vision camera to pick and place small components with difficult geometries. This application shows what is possible for components of any size or shape, further displaying the benefits of integration between the camera, robot, mould and moulding machine.

Finally, Will Clarke from PlastikCity gave a short demonstration of the PlastikCity procurement website, a digital portal used for finding reputable suppliers and manufacturers based in the UK and Ireland. In fitting with the day’s theme, the website aims to improve efficiencies by cutting down time spent in meetings or travelling to meet multiple suppliers, allowing website users to send RFQs to multiple leading companies at once, with no cost.

Closing Thoughts

After an inspirational day, learning about the latest developments in many sectors, it was clear that leading industry suppliers have a host of solutions available today, for increasing productivity and efficiency in manufacturing.

The key themes were partnerships, marginal gains, and how by working together, these small gains can add up to significant improvements in processes, and ultimately, in the productivity and bottom lines for manufacturers in the UK & Ireland. (As shown in the infographic below.)

Thank you to Sumitomo Demag and all supporting partners for the invitation and a great day of discussions. You can learn more about the roadshow on the Sumitomo Demag website.

Look out for the next edition of ‘PlastikCity on Tour’ to learn more about our excellent UK-based partners.

There are now well over 260 active partners represented on the PlastikCity site, many of which offer highly specialised products or services to our sector.

During our everyday course of business, we’ll be making a point of visiting as many of these partners as we can and using the time to better understand what they offer the market. We’ll then showcase them through this ongoing series of articles.

Maybe you can benefit from their services!