Mould tooling and moulding reshored for UK-designed novel domestic washing system

Ecoegg managing director Dawn White explained: "Our tools were designed in UK, but manufactured in China, which is the biggest mistake I have ever made. The supplier cut every corner with the tools during the manufacturing process, and when it came to the production run, changes were made to the material specification. The initial samples were fine, but the 40,000 production run was carried out using a much cheaper, locally sourced material, which caused a number of problems." With the help of the GTMA, Ms White brought the tooling and production back to the UK. GTMA recommended mould tool maker and moulder B.E.C Group and then acted as a conduit between the two companies to ensure that the project would work successfully. B.E.C Group director Mark Elvy said: "The GTMA knew that we could do this, because of the skills, experience and capability we have under the one roof. This customer was up against it and we fully empathised with the issues they faced, as we see it with on-shoring of tooling all the time. The GTMA asked us to do our best to help and we pulled out all the stops." While the product had been designed in the UK, the tools were produced in China and sent back to the UK. However, some damage had occurred to the tooling during product trials, so the product was not conforming to the design intent. There were also issues around the timing of the manufacturing, and lead times needed to be shortened to meet the promised delivery. Mr Elvy: "At this point, we had not seen the suite of three tools, so we gave an estimate based on photographs we had of the tools and the design of the finished product." The first step was to correct the damage that had occurred to the tools with laser welding and spark erosion – with four sliding cores on two of the tools, this could not be rushed. "In just three days, we repaired the tools to a production standard, so we could set up and start producing approved samples in the moulding machines. Within just five days, including working the weekend to meet the timeline, we had samples back to Ecoegg for approval. From there, we started a small batch production run to ensure they had product for sale on time," Mr Elvy revealed. The next step was to go back to basics and, having seen the tools running, B.E.C staff made several recommendations for modifications that should really have been done from the start, to ensure the tools would last their full production life cycle. "A full review of the tooling highlighted its' poor quality. We were surprised to learn the tools were new, as we thought they had been in production for at least five years," reported Mr Elvy. "The tool drawing did not match the actual tooling and the sliding cores were not to tolerance and were badly fitted, which was causing damage to the tool core. "None of this was a surprise, as it is typical of tooling we have seen coming back to the UK from overseas. The tools were designed to be fully automatic, but the faults did not allow automatic operation without the modifications suggested, including correctly fitted ejection blades to push the moulding out of the tool – the blades fitted to the tool as it was supplied were too short." GTMA chief executive, Julia Moore, said: "Globalisation is still a popular pursuit for many businesses looking at the bottom line and locating where the labour pool is cheap. However, these locations still often lack the technical expertise and experience to provide engineering solutions. And, the allure of cheap tooling is being constantly eroded by currency fluctuations and steep increases in labour costs in the developing countries and full understanding of the tooling requirement. "We have a great product design and innovation movement in the UK, but the tool makers are not aligned with them, which is why many mould tools end up being sourced overseas. They simply do not realise that there are many companies, such as B.E.C, which still exist in the UK. We are here to let them know what our members can do." Added Mr Elvy: "Offshoring has been used to reduce large capital expenditure, but now the benefits are disappearing. Rising labour, shipping and currency costs put UK engineering firmly back in the driving seat where companies value quality, service and loyalty. Don't take a risk on headline savings with a supplier you don't know, as you will pay for it for the lifetime of the product. Contact the GTMA and get a qualified referral from a trusted source." The Ecoegg laundry egg is a revolutionary new way to wash clothes. It completely replaces washing powder or liquid and is said to be just as effective, thereby saving money. Ecoegg lasts for up to 720 washes. For the average family doing four to five washes a week, it will last for three years' worth of washing. Ecoegg is packed with claimed unique hypoallergenic cleaning pellets. These pellets naturally activate in the water to gently lift away dirt and grime, without using any harsh chemicals.