Solutionssolution

Realize factor 4 in molding factories

In particular, in order to eliminate the three types of waste that molding factory face: energy waste, resin waste, and water waste, we are developing equipment to increase resource productivity, factory diagnostics, and resource resource management. We would like to thoroughly make suggestions for improving productivity.

In other words, our main job is not to manufacture and sell machines such as dryers and Mold Temperature Controller, but to dramatically improve the resource productivity of molding factory. I would like to come.

Through our work, we aim to achieve both the global environment and the affluence of our customers. We would like to build relationships with our customers, which is our Management Philosophy of ``Trusted, Responding, and Delighting Together,'' and we would also like to build relationships with the global environment.

What is factor4?

"Factor 4" was proposed by Amory B. Robbins and others in 1995.
The idea is that by quadrupling resource productivity, which is the amount of goods and services that can be produced from a certain amount of resources, we can double our current wealth and halve resource consumption.

MATSUI sympathizes with this idea and, as a partner of plastic molding factory, has set a mission of `` Achieve factor 4 in molding factories.'' We not only develop equipment, but also diagnose factory and make proposals tailored to our customers, thereby providing support to thoroughly eliminate waste of resources, increase added value and production volume, and improve resource productivity. I'm going.

Our Management Philosophy is "to be trusted, to respond, and to be happy together." We aim to build such relationships with our customers and become better partners for both them and the planet.

Wasting 99% as if it's nothing.

The fact that there are so many things that can quadruple resource productivity means that our current resource productivity is hopelessly low. This means that at least 75% of resources are wasted.

Are we really wasting resources that much? Some of you may think that I don't really waste that much money.

Now, I would like to give you an example.

Let's take a look at the automobile, humanity's most advanced vehicle, which has revolutionized the way we live today.

For the sake of clarity, let's say you drive a car alone using 100 liters of gasoline. 80% (80 liters) of the energy in that gasoline ends up in the heat produced by the engine and the heat from the exhaust gas. In other words, the energy used to rotate the wheels is at most 20% (20 liters). Human weight accounts for approximately 5% of the total weight of a car. Therefore, 95% (19 liters) of the energy used to rotate the wheels is used to move the vehicle itself. This means that only 5% of the 20 liters, or 1 liter, is actually consumed for the driver's own transportation.

In other words, roughly speaking, even cars, which are supposed to be the most advanced technology in the world, waste 99 liters out of every 100 liters of fuel they use. If we could reduce waste from 99 liters to 96 liters (which is still a huge waste), we could quadruple resource productivity.

In any case, it seems that we are wasting a tremendous amount of resources not only in this example but also without realizing it.

The heat in the molding factory is a symbol of the waste of resources!

In most molding factory, improvement activities are carried out on a daily basis to increase efficiency and waste is thoroughly eliminated. Is there still so much waste in such molding factory?

For example, let's consider the ultimate energy requirement for the plastic injection molding process. In fact, isn't the only thing that is really required at the bare minimum necessary to have the energy to heat the room-temperature resin to the melting temperature and the energy to inject the molten resin into the mold? Everything else is essentially extra energy in some sense. However, if the heat generated when the molten resin hardens is transferred to the outdoors through a medium such as water, additional energy is required to circulate the water and cool it again.

However, in reality, in most cases, much more energy is wasted than the minimum amount of energy needed.

This is symbolized by the fact that molding factory are often considered to be hot and hot. If it's hot in a molding factory, that means a lot of energy is wasted.

Even if the spool runners that come out during molding are later recycled, it takes extra energy to melt them again. If it is not used for recycling, even more waste will occur.

Also, even in relatively cold weather such as winter, you can sometimes see water vapor evaporating from cooling towers, which also symbolizes tremendous waste. In winter, you don't need to do that and the water can be cooled down. In some places, chillers are used to make water that is colder than necessary and then heated to suit the usage conditions.

Even in a field such as a molding factory, where efforts are made every day to thoroughly eliminate waste, isn't it still a mass of waste from the perspective of resource productivity?

To put it another way, until now, when it came to improving factory efficiency, the main goal was to improve labor productivity (how to increase production with fewer people). However, from now on, I think we are entering an era in which we must not only aim for that, but perhaps even more, to improve resource productivity (how to increase production with fewer resources).