【Reported by Renyi Chen, Business Times】
Faced with cross-strait and international market competition and demands for a range of different products, in order for cross-strait industries to meet the production needs of different products, cooperate with a local downstream chain, and develop markets, the cooperation between core factory’s and satellite manufacturers is different. In Taiwan, there is a focus on specialization, as core manufacturers have a lot of sub-suppliers. The satellite manufacturers do their best to supply specialized products to the core factory. However, in China, manufacturers focus on designing whole plant solutions and manufacturing all parts themselves, as industries tend to organize around large plants and professional industrial parks. This solves problems associated with transporting related parts across large distances.
Forwell Precision Machinery is a leading manufacturer of quick die change systems, and Forwell’s Xiao Wen Long says that many industries in Taiwan have a complete Center-satellite System. With a professional division of labor it is easy to ensure quality control and as Taiwan is a small country, there is always very efficient and flexible third-party supply. However, due to the size of mainland China, there are always transportation and delivery problems, plus it is difficult to tap into local downstream industries and have supportive plans. This has prompted manufacturers to develop and improve the ability of producing components with the aim of moving towards self-sufficient whole plant planning. This has also created a quality control gap within the professional field, as the product quality does not match the manufacturer’s expectations and the component quality does not match the requirements of the quality control.
Xiao Wen Long has said that “production sharing” is the goal of Taiwanese manufacturers and there is a strong desire to establish a competitive advantage when engaging the international market. However in mainland China due to the lack of satellite manufacturers in the industry, industry production strategies and plant production equipment planning must be adapted to local conditions. He also pointed out that due to the large size of China, many countries establish manufacturing facilities here. However it is difficult to cluster suppliers in order to establish a satellite system. Also as manufacturers aim to produce a larger proportion of the parts themselves they are investing in more production equipment. Furthermore the pursuit of product quality and consistency, high production efficiency, and reduced production costs by implementing automated production equipment is a clear trend.
Xiao Wen Long stresses a current production trend of “low volume, large variety”, as there is substantially increased mold usage, and an increased rate of mold changing equipment. Forwell has been researching and developing whole plant quick die change systems, automatic mold change systems, conveyor systems, haulage systems, storage management, storage, maintenance, and automated cart systems. These systems have made mold and die related jobs faster, safer, and more efficient, and has helped the industry increase productivity, offer a consistent quality, reduce production costs, and ensure mold changing safety.
He further said, “quick die change systems” are an important form of automated production equipment, and in addition to stamping and injection molding equipment, it is one of their company’s more mature products. The second phase of the “die delivery system”, and “die cart system” has already been successfully developed and launched. This includes conducting research and development for customized mold management systems which utilize both mold storage systems and mold repair systems. Furthermore in October their new 13,000 ping factory in Huai’an will be completed and this plant will focus on the development of a “mold management system”.
Forwell Precision Machinery is currently located across mainland China in Shanghai, Shenzhen, Chongqing, Guangzhou, Xiamen, Kunshan, Ningbo, and Huai’an. In the future they aim to extend their reach to Tianjin, Shenyang, Qingdao, and Wuhan, as well as other locations in Northeastern China.
