Manufacturing ERP For Plastics Industry
Need A Top-Quality Manufacturing ERP For The Plastics Industry?
Make Sure You Contact Us!
Running a manufacturing business efficiently depends on having the right information available when you need it. For plastic injection moulders, that means keeping track of everything from materials and tooling to production schedules, quality checks, purchasing and customer orders.
Many general-purpose ERP systems aren’t built with injection moulding in mind. They can require extensive configuration and workarounds before they properly fit the way a moulding business operates. This can make implementation more involved and leave staff dealing with processes that feel unnecessarily complicated.
At Moulders Consulting, we provide ERP software created specifically for the plastic injection moulding sector. Instead of taking a generic manufacturing system and trying to adapt it, we’ve developed our software around the terminology, processes and practical challenges that injection moulders deal with every day.
Our goal is simple: to give manufacturers a clearer view of what’s happening across their business, remove avoidable inefficiencies and provide reliable, up-to-date information for better decision-making.
Designed Specifically For Plastic Injection Moulding Companies
Our ERP and MRP software is designed exclusively for injection moulding businesses. Between our team, we have more than 40 years of experience across production, sales, operations, management and manufacturing, so we understand the realities of running a moulding operation.
That practical experience has directly influenced how our software works. Rather than asking businesses to change established processes to suit a generic platform, we’ve developed functionality around the areas that matter most to injection moulders.
The system brings key activities together, from new product introduction and quoting through to production planning, purchasing, quality management and invoicing. With everything connected within one platform, information can move more easily between departments without staff having to repeatedly enter the same data or rely on disconnected spreadsheets.
Supporting Every Stage Of Production
There’s a lot involved in producing an injection moulded component. Materials need to be sourced, tooling needs to be available, machines need to be scheduled, quality needs to be checked and customer deadlines need to be met.
Our software is designed to support these different stages as part of one connected workflow.
It includes functionality for quotations, new product introduction (NPI), production planning, purchasing, shop floor activity, quality control, traceability and delivery. Bringing these processes together gives manufacturers a better picture of what’s happening throughout the production cycle.
Because the different areas of the system are connected, information entered or updated in one part of the business can be carried through to the areas that need it. This helps teams work with the same current information rather than relying on separate records.
Production Planning And Scheduling
Good production planning can make a significant difference to machine utilisation, available capacity and the ability to meet customer delivery dates.
Our software provides visual production planning tools that make it easier to organise schedules by week, day or hour. Production managers can therefore see what’s planned and make adjustments when priorities change.
Whether you’re responding to an urgent customer requirement, a machine becoming unavailable or a change in production demand, having a clear view of the schedule makes it easier to reorganise resources.
Better scheduling visibility can help reduce avoidable downtime, improve the flow of work through the factory and make better use of available production capacity.
Materials Planning Built Around Injection Molding
Managing materials in an injection moulding environment isn’t quite the same as managing materials in other types of manufacturing. Resin, masterbatch, additives and recycled content all need to be considered when planning production and calculating costs.
Our Bills of Material have therefore been designed around the way injection moulders actually use materials. Rather than relying solely on fixed quantities, materials can be specified using percentages.
This means that when factors such as product weight, shot size or processing requirements change, the relevant material calculations can be adjusted automatically. This reduces the amount of manual calculation required and helps keep planning and costing information accurate.
By connecting material requirements with purchasing, stock and production planning, manufacturers can make more informed decisions about what needs to be ordered and when.
Improved Traceability Across Manufacturing
Quality Management And Compliance
Consistent quality is critical in injection moulding, particularly when supplying customers with strict specifications or operating within regulated markets.
Our software includes quality management functionality for handling inspection records, non-conformance reports and corrective actions alongside other production information. This gives businesses the opportunity to manage quality as part of their everyday operations rather than keeping it isolated in a separate system.
For manufacturers working with plastic packaging, the ERP platform also includes a Plastics Packaging Tax calculator. This can help users assess potential liabilities based on factors including material composition and recycled content.
Having this information available within the wider system can support better decisions during quoting, product development and production planning.
For many manufacturers, being able to trace materials and production information is an essential part of maintaining quality and meeting customer or regulatory requirements.
Our software provides traceability throughout the manufacturing process. Materials can be followed from the original purchase order through production and into the finished component.
Records relating to tooling, production batches, secondary operations and quality checks can also be connected within the system. If a problem needs investigating, this makes it easier to identify relevant information without having to search through separate systems or paper records.
Detailed traceability can also support ongoing quality improvements by helping manufacturers identify recurring issues, spot trends and take corrective action more quickly.
Real-Time Shop Floor Visibility
Manufacturing managers need accurate information to make decisions throughout the working day, not just when reports are produced at the end of a shift.
Our ERP solution supports shop floor data capture and provides dashboards that give users a real-time view of what’s happening across the business.
Production progress, purchasing, sales, deliveries and quality information can be accessed from a central point. This makes it easier for management teams to spot delays, identify emerging problems and take action before smaller issues become more disruptive.
Greater visibility also means departments can communicate using the same information, helping improve coordination across the factory.
Managing Tooling, Purchasing, And Inventory
Tooling represents a significant investment for many injection moulding companies, while keeping the right levels of raw materials and purchased components available is equally important.
Our ERP software includes a dedicated tooling register where businesses can keep track of important details such as tooling ownership, location and current status.
The purchasing functionality is linked to production requirements and stock allocations, helping businesses identify what materials are needed and when they are required. This can help avoid shortages while also reducing the risk of holding more stock than necessary.
Connecting purchasing and inventory with production planning gives manufacturers a more joined-up approach to managing materials and scheduling work.
Integrated Business Management
An injection moulding company has plenty to manage outside the factory itself. Customer relationships, supplier information, quotations, purchasing, invoicing and financial administration all play an important role in keeping the business running.
Our ERP software brings these areas together within one connected platform. Features include customer and supplier management, quotation tools, invoicing, purchasing and CRM functionality, alongside integration with accounting systems such as Sage, Xero and QuickBooks.
Having this information available within one system reduces the need to switch between multiple applications and helps avoid duplicate administration.
It also gives different departments access to consistent information, making it easier to keep operational and commercial activities aligned.
Implementation Backed By Industry Experience
Choosing and introducing a new ERP system is a major decision for any manufacturer. The technology needs to work, but successful implementation also depends on understanding how the business operates in the real world.
At Moulders Consulting, our implementation support is backed by decades of experience in the plastic injection moulding industry. Our team has first-hand experience working within moulding businesses across areas including production, planning, management and operational improvement.
This gives us a practical understanding of the challenges that can arise when introducing new systems and changing established processes.
We can also provide consultancy beyond the software itself, covering areas such as manufacturing efficiency, Industry 4.0, Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES), scheduling and process improvement. The aim is to help businesses get meaningful long-term value from their investment rather than simply installing a new piece of software.
Why Choose Us If You Need A Manufacturing ERP For The Plastics Industry?
Our ERP software has been created specifically around the needs of plastic injection moulding businesses. Rather than expecting manufacturers to adapt their operations around a generic system, we’ve developed functionality that reflects the processes and challenges involved in running a moulding operation.
ERP, MRP, production planning, scheduling, purchasing, quality management and traceability are brought together within one integrated platform. This gives manufacturers greater visibility across the business while helping reduce unnecessary administration and improve day-to-day efficiency.
With more than four decades of combined industry experience behind us, we understand injection moulding because we’ve worked in the industry ourselves. Whether you’re replacing an outdated system, looking for better production planning, trying to strengthen traceability or considering a complete ERP solution, we can implement software designed to support the way your business operates today while providing a foundation for future growth.
Our Software - Key Features
DASHBOARD – designed to give an overview of your facility – broken down into sections to include
Sales | Quotes | Purchasing | Production | Quality | Delivery
Navigate easily from your dashboard to access all ERP / MRP info – even through to production planning.
PARTS – see all of the information you need to about any manufactured or bought in part on one simple to use screen. Here you will have an overview of the following:
Part Details | Activity | Files | Suppliers | Allocations | Options
BOMS – easy to navigate and populate – able to select multiple items easily on the Bill of Material in a variety of units, including percentages to jobs which may include Masterbatch, UV Stabaliser, Powders, Anti-Microbial agents etc.
Add files, quality documents, C of C’s, and tooling data to ensure all relevant detail can be accessed in one clear and concise location.
BOMS – You then delve deeper into the detail of the specified machine best suited for the manufacture of this component and add on any ancillaries required including robots, conveyors, dryers, and even the human resources required for production.
Add notes that are relevant to the job, and the additional bonus of the costing calculator gives you the ability to track profitability, and calculate price breaks by relating the part cost, to various quantities, and your required margin.
JOB CARD – All of the right information, all in the right place. The MCL Job Card clearly shows the following:
Work Order No. | Part Number | Description | Job Quantity | Drawing
Customer | P/O Ref No | Order Line | Date | Notes
BOM details, to include quantities, weights, units of measure, locations, and type of product
Tool information, including location, change inserts, and cavities are provided
Allocation of machines and any ancillaries required to complete production
And finally, the image of the part itself to help the production personnel to keep on track.
Our Software - Key Features
Tooling Register
Incorporating a full tooling register, maintaining your clients tooling status and location
BOM's
Multi-level Bill Of Materials, to include sub-assemblies, and final assemblies
Production Planning
Visual Capacity planning and scheduling, by the Week, Day and even Hour
Job Cards / Works Orders
A clear visual document for shop floor use - including BOMs for Injection Moulding
Contacts
Full customer and Supplier data capture with CRM Traceability and email capabilities throughout
Traceability
Ability to trace material from Purchase Order through WIP to final moulded component
Second Operations
Ability to track manufacturing flow to clearly identify secondary operations and manual operations
Purchasing
Full purchase planning auto updated customer sales order demand, and stock allocations
NCR / Quality
Track all non-conformance reports and corrective actions, integrated with part record
Shop Floor Data Capture
Real time data collection from production - tracking all processes and works orders / job cards
Dashboard
Snapshot insight into daily business expectations, monitoring progress in real time
Invoicing
Raise invoices using our invoicing module, integrated directly with Sage, Xero & Quickbooks
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About Mark Amphlett
With over 20 years of experience in the plastics industry, Mark Amphlett played a pivotal role in the growth of Amtek Plastics, Newton Abbot, as General Manager.
Under his leadership, the company’s annual turnover surged from £650k to over £3M in less than 6 years. Mark’s effective branding strategies positioned Amtek Plastics as a leading provider of Plastic Injection Moulding services in the UK, resulting in a significant increase in inbound inquiries, from an average of 3 or 4 per month up to a typical monthly total of well over 60.
These outcomes showcase Mark’s exceptional marketing skills, unwavering dedication to fostering growth, and remarkable talent for strategically positioning businesses to achieve success.
About Andy Jewell
Andy Jewell entered the plastics industry in 1989, with an Honours Degree in Chemistry with Business Administration.
During his early career, Andy gained invaluable experience in sales, developing his technical knowledge of material handling, drying, and dosing systems, as well as real-time Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) for the Plastics sector.
As his expertise in the Plastic Injection Moulding industry developed, Andy transitioned into the promotion and sale of real-time Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) for the Plastics sector.
Working closely with a renowned US-based supplier of MES/SFDC/i4.0 solutions, Andy played a crucial role in establishing them as a leading provider across the globe. His dedication and contributions helped to drive the company’s success and solidify its reputation within the industry.
As an Independent Sales Consultant since 2017, Andy’s deep understanding of the plastics industry and expertise in MES solutions make him a trusted advisor and consultant.
His commitment to excellence and delivering tangible results has helped numerous customers achieve enhanced productivity and profitability.
