PETpla.net Insider 10 / 2015

MOULD MAKING 19 PET planet insider Vol. 16 No. 10/15 www.petpla.net to create the concept of structural brand development and this division has been a vital component of the company’s business since 2006. The intention is for customers to be able to be involved with the entire process, from initial concept to final design, including market analysis, develop- ment and manufacture of prototypes. With this step the company cre- ated what was perhaps the most important module for a fundamen- tal, yet at the same time emotional, relationship with the customer and what he wants from his product, but also the latter’s technical feasibility. One example of this is the develop- ment of a PET bottle for CleanPath household and beauty products that enables the user to keep on refilling the bottle using an interchangeable small cap without having to dispose of it after using just once. “In contrast to 10 years ago, direct contact with the brand owner“, as CEO Todd Riley explains to us, “is becoming more and more vital in the design, prototyping and development sectors. Formerly the trend was to maintain the tradi- tional chain - brand name owner – blow moulder – mould supplier. In fact there was only a very small degree of interaction with the brand name owner himself during development of the mould. Now collaboration between manufacturer and customer has become a major feature of the pro- cess. The reason is that an increasing number of brand names are now pro- ducing their own containers in-house, thus eliminating the blow-moulding subcontractor.” First off the mark here was Coke who broke away from the traditional chain and started making their PET bottles themselves. Viewed from a time perspective further advantages become evident. Traditionally, it would take some 18 months from initial con- cept to final design, and this would include prototyping, testing and market analysis. By contrast, a complete package of identical scope will occupy R&D/Leverage typically 6-7 months. In the 2000s the company is con- centrating on extending its portfolio with the development of moulds for medi- cal applications, disk data carriers and aerospace. In addition, an extensive service is offered in terms of refurbish- ment. As well as moulds which require maintenance or a general overhaul (a rapid- response service facility is available on request) there is also the possibility of sending in old moulds that are no longer operational and having them replicated. Here, this is known as “reversed engineering“. The suc- cess of the all-rounder was, however, overshadowed by Ivan’s death in 2007. Despite this, every employee continues to embody the founder’s vision. “Ivan was an extremely good motivator and mentor for us all“, Todd Riley continues. “You could talk to him at any time about issues relating to the firm as well as about private matters. In the days when we had fewer people working here and were not quite as big as we are now, Ivan used to speak to every employee every day and he even went on doing this as the company grew. Although by that time it might no longer have been possible on a daily basis, he still made every effort to do this whenever and wherever possible“. The first building to be owned by the company and from which Ivan initially conducted his initial opera- tions still exists and has become part of the campus which has since been absorbed into a complex cover- ing 15,800m 2 . In his honour, a small open space has been installed in the entrance area to the factory floor where his first machine stands along- side numerous personal photographs and various editorial articles adorn- ing the blue walls, in addition to the R&D logo from the 1980s. As Todd Riley puts it, “it serves as an everyday reminder to us of our roots“. In addition to the headquarters in the USA and the UK site there is also a sales office in the Middle East and one in Mexico. R&D/Leverage has around 330 employees worldwide. Approxi- mately 250 work in the USA, including around 35 engineers and a total of 72 people who have given loyal service to the company for more than 20 years. In the UK, the company employs some 80 staff. A substantial proportion of their growth is accounted for by moulds for single-stage processes the remain- der goes into the 2-stage process. We also learn in passing that R&D/Lever- age is the first company outside Japan to construct moulds for Sony Blu-ray discs using precision moulding in the micron range. Robert Schiavone, Global Market- ing Director and Chris Lavery, Manu- facturing General Manager are at one when they say “One potential differ- ence between us and other compa- nies is the fact that enthusiasm and a family atmosphere play a crucial part here. What sets us apart? We stand out due to our employees’ characteris- tic way of thinking and their emotional ties with our company history. Our people are convinced that something great can develop out of the aspira- tion to do a good and motivated job, to develop and build high quality moulds and to offer a good service facility“ . On our subsequent factory tour we come across a framed picture embellished with the statement „Team Driven“ which effectively conveys the idea. In addition, there is a kind of “Hall of Fame” depicting all employ- ees who have completed long years of service adorning a corridor. Chris Lavery, who accompanies us on the tour of the plant, is also immortalised here. R&D/Leverage currently envis- ages the future of the PET market in the USA as lying in the beauty and health care sector. www.rdleverage.com F.l.t.r.: Robert Schiavone, Kay Barton, Chris Lavery and Todd Riley