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Wentworth Mold and Electra Form : Blowing
Away the Competition
Niche marketing,
a commitment to technology and short leadtimes equal success
for these producers of blow molds and PET Preforms-and earn
them MoldMaking Technology magazine's 2004 Leadtime Leader award.
Sherry L. Baranek
| Wentworth Mold Group (Hamilton, ON)—the world’s largest
independent blow mold manufacturer for the packaging industry
with annual sales in excess of $44 million has experienced
an average annual sales growth of 15 percent per year
over the past three years as a result of three- to seven-day
leadtimes. The company is able to maintain such tight
leadtimes using technology it has spent the past eight
years developing. Wentworth’s Fast to Market (FTM)®
program combines management, customer interaction, sales,
design and engineering, manufacturing and service to shorten
leadtimes.
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FTM® cold prototype molds delivered in three to seven
days.
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Wentworth Mold Group has experienced an average annual
sales growth of 15 percent per year over the past three years as a result of
three- to seven-day leadtimes.
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Wentworth Mold Group has seven plants in
the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Poland and a service/sales office
in Singapore further establishing themselves as a global presence.
According to company president Walter Kuskowski, the company
exports more than 85 percent of its sales to more than sixty
countries on five continents.
The Winner’s Circle
The Wentworth Group of Companies has received many awards, including:
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Canada’s Best Managed Companies Award (1998, 1999, 2000)
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Supplier of the Year Award from Global Packaging Company (for fastest
deliveries)
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Canada’s Export Award
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Global Traders Award for Leadership
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Canada’s 100 Fastest Growing Companies Award (1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002,
2003)
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Hall of Fame, Growth Award
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Premium Growth Award
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Walter T. Kuskowski—named Growth Guru
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Environmental Stewardship Award
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Patented quick change technologies for hotfill
application. |
In the Beginning
This 120-employee shop was established
in 1947. Initially, Wentworth made molds for glass packaging
before becoming one of the pioneers of blow molds also for the
packaging industry. Through acquisitions, Wentworth can trace
its products to pioneering times of extrusion blow molds, PET
blow molds and PET preform molds, Kuskowski notes. By 1995,
Wentworth had grown to $12 million in sales when it was acquired
by Kuskowski. In seven years,Wentworth became the largest blow
mold manufacturer in the world. Wentworth Mold, Inc. then became
the basis for Wentworth Technologies (a holding company that
was later established) that has grown to become the second largest
toolmaker in North America and number four in the world. Wentworth
Mold Group comprised of Wentworth Mold, Electra Form Industries
and Jersey Mold is now a subsidiary of Wentworth Technologies
and is managed by majority shareholder Walter Kuskowski.
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FTM® preform stack delivered in less than ten days.
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Leading in Leadtime
According to Kuskowski,Wentworth’s complete business model is
based on the FTM® approach embedded in all phases of the company’s
value chain. The program has resulted in the Wentworth Mold
Group consistently delivering PET preform tooling in ten days
or less and PET prototype unit molds in three to seven days.
Wentworth also boasts a twelve to seventy-two
hour leadtime on mold repairs. "FTM® is the key component
of our business strategy," Kuskowski notes. "Our mission
statement says that we will supply molds in the least amount
of time, globally." He breaks the FTM® philosophy down
into the following areas:
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Management: All decisions are based on FTM® principles. Quarterly
business reviews focus on continuous reduction of leadtimes through new
innovations and productivity improvements.
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Interaction with customers: All parties know, streamline and simplify
designs, systems and procedures. All parties prepare in advance and work in
parallel. Such an approach reduces interaction leadtime.
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Sales: Single contact point with full access 24/7, standard price list
and simple web-based ordering assures completeness of the order and information
required. Such an approach reduces ordering leadtime.
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Design and engineering: A fully automated proprietary design system
reduces designing leadtimes for preform and blow mold tooling to one to eight
hours versus five to ten days for a nonautomated approach.
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Manufacturing: FTM® molds are cut on the automated machines within
hours from receipt of the order. FTM® team has a dedicated lead sales manager;
designer programmer, three CNC machinists, one bencher, two toolmakers and two
CNC lathe operators. Their equipment is state-of-the art fiveaxis with fastest
speed (27,000 rpm) and feedrates (1,200 inch/minute).
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Service: Includes remote support system to consult with service
engineers and travel to customer plant on short notice.
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The Keys to Wentworth’s Growth Philosophy
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To provide best value PET blow molds and PET preform molds in the fastest time
and at the lowest cost.
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Focus on value-added activities.
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Fully operational 24/7.
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Use of high-tech machinery and equipment.
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Manufacturing blow molds for the plastics industry in Europe, Near and Middle
East Africa, Asia and Pacific Rim, South America and North America.
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Automated mold design using SolidWorks software.
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Unigraphics/PowerShape used for 3-D modeling.
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PowerMill and EdgeCam for 3-D and 2-D Programming.
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A Profit Center
Kuskowski points out that Wentworth has grown at much faster
rates than industry standards because of its blow mold niche.
It also continuously gains market share with a sales volume
that is almost three times larger than its closest competitor.
“We are the only manufacturer that can supply blow molds of
all types, all sizes, using all technologies, for all types
of equipment,” he states. “The range of molds we supply is unprecedented
in the packaging industry and includes PET blow molds, extrusion
blow molds, PET preform molds, PET multilayer preform molds,
injection blow molds, PET injection stretch blow molds and others.
We are capable of supplying and servicing customers on five
continents and delivering programs as large as 2,500 molds globally.
“Our mission is to be
number one or number two in selected niches of toolmaking and
related processes by delivering the best value in the least
amount of time, globally,” Kuskowski continues. “We continuously
execute our plan by being the best value supplier of high-quality,
competitively priced molds with the fastest deliveries through
our FTM® program. We believe that the key competitive factor
that generates our growth is the service we provide to our customers.
We service our customers to earn their business for life. All
of our actions are focused on delivering the best service in
the industry to help our customers contribute to their profit
growth. We have implemented a true customer-centered culture
and empower our staff to take the necessary decisions to do
whatever it takes to meet and exceed industry service standards.
We emphasize the importance of quality, which we chart, measure
and share with all employees on a monthly basis. The quality
control employees are empowered with the authority to stop production
based on quality issues and provide means to facilitate an expedient
resolution to the quality problem.” Wentworth’s service teams
partner with their customers—learning all aspects of their business
so they can help optimize their molding systems.
Wentworth fully believes in reinvesting
in the company. All profits are reinvested in equipment and
R&D. In 2002, the company spent $3 million (8.4 percent of revenue)
on R&D. During the last five years, R&D spending was more than
10 percent of revenue. Wentworth and EFI currently hold thirty-seven
patents and three additional are pending. “Since we are a heavy
user of technology for design and engineering, manufacturing,
communications and information systems, our R&D continuously
focuses on innovation of the product, FTM® approach and manufacturing
through innovation and intellectual capital,” Kuskowski explains.
“Continuous improvement, best value product and change are basic
values in Wentworth’s genetic makeup. We are passionate about
them and drive them through our organization. We believe that
change is continuous and see change as our opportunity.”
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Key Highlights of Electra Form Industries (EFI)
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Provides fastest refurbishment and conversion programs for existing preform
injection molds.
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Fastest delivery of fully hardened prototype preform stacks in ten days or
less.
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Supply PET preform injection molds from one to 144 cavities.
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Leading innovator in preform injection mold technology such as ExStream hot
runners, multilayer sequential coinjection, Micropitch molds, etc.
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Offers sampling capabilities in-house.
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Experienced field technicians to support new mold installations and start-ups
as well as in-plant mold conversions at the customer.
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Only preform injection mold supplier with ISO 9001 (2000) registration.
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Automation
Wentworth’s decision to automate was
based on the reduction of leadtime, costs and return on investment.
According to Kuskowski, FTM® automation includes order writing,
communications, electronic data transfer, fully automated design
and the latest five-axis machining centers.
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Process-order writing: A web-based, online ordering system where
customers are provided username and password protected access. They log on and
place their orders online. All electronic files are attached to the order
before submission. Upon completion, customer chooses submit, and e-mail
notification is immediately sent to the dedicated FTM Manager, which initiates
order processing internally. Order confirmations are sent to appropriate
customer contacts.
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Communications: Personnel are available 24/7. All FTM® orders are
handled by the dedicated department, bypassing the traditional channels for
order placement.
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Electronic data transfer: Customer electronic files are uploaded with
order submission via the online ordering system. Upon job completion, the
electronic part drawings created by Wentworth engineers are uploaded to a
secure .ftp site from which customers may download their files.
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Fully automated design: Using Wentworth’s proprietary Engineering
Design Software for all order submissions, customer information provided at the
time of order is used to develop part drawings via this software.
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Latest five-axis machining centers: Dedicated departments are equipped
with the latest in machine technology.
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Industry Immersion
As an industry leader, Wentworth recognizes its responsibility to the
industry, its employees, its shareholders and the community. “We pride
ourselves on being a fair, open enterprise involved in the promotion of the
industry in various international and domestic endeavors,” Kuskowski says. “We
have successfully acquired and restructured a number of underperforming
companies and transformed them into profitable exporters. We also support and
develop other moldmaking companies through substantial subcontracting
programs.”
In addition, Wentworth has presented papers on FTM® and global mold
manufacturing to industry forums and organized presentations and training
sessions. To give back to the community, the company participates in local
highschool co-op programs and—in conjunction with local technical
colleges—offers apprenticeships each year. Kuskowski adds that all employees
are eligible for internal and external training programs to develop business
and personal goals. Every employee participates in profit sharing and key
people have significant ownership in the business unit in which they are
included. For their customers, Wentworth offers training programs in PET
processing and mold assembly and disassembly.
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Forward Thinking
In addition to its leading position in the blow mold market, Wentworth has
formed partnership/strategic relations with a number of the largest global blow
molders and is a key supplier to many of the largest packaging companies.
Future plans are sure to cement its global status in this niche market.
“North American companies are migrating their manufacturing plants
to low-cost locations,” Kuskowski says. “This natural process started a long
time ago, but is accelerating and the magnitude of manufacturing in offshore,
low-cost countries by American global companies is growing rapidly. Wentworth’s
response is simple. We follow our customers to the locations where they want us
to be. About eight years ago we started to globalize and now we are a truly
global company. Our globalization mantra is ‘think globally, but act locally.’
Such an approach will continue our global expansion. In the immediate future we
are planning to extend our presence in Central Europe and Asia.”
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While Kuskowski chooses not to reveal the
details of Wentworth’s expansion plans, he does admit that the
company’s “China” is Poland. “We have expanded the blow mold
operations in our Poland facility, which we call our SUPERcell,”
he says. “It features automated equipment and milling machines
that run as fast as 30,000 rpms. We have created a world class
blow mold manufacturing base at the Poniatowa plant, which is
our next step in executing Wentworth’s key strategy to continue
as the global best value supplier and low cost leader in mold
manufacturing. The manufacturing plants in Poland are lowcost
satellite operations that use Wentworth’s North American technology.
Polish personnel are trained in our plants in the U.S. and Canada.
Our Polish operations are able to serve our customers globally.”
In addition to this global expansion, the company looks to continually
improve its FTM® program and implement lean manufacturing and
Six Sigma Quality Programs. “We are formalizing our lean manufacturing
program and upgrading our quality program from ISO 9001 to Six
Sigma Quality Program,” Kuskowski notes.
Clearly, Wentworth Mold shows no signs of slowing down. While
it has proven itself a leader in innovation and technology,
Kuskowski says the true secret to its success lies in its employees.
“A very dedicated workforce, experienced management and a commitment
to teamwork have made all of our accomplishments possible.”
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