The Making Of A Customer For Life
Over the years, GreenLeaf Industries has created and continued to improve automatic transmission parts for Toyota. The goal has always been to make this product the best of the best. These injection molded parts are designed with a molding strategy that keeps costs low and working properly.
“We are very pleased with their design and production capabilities, as well as the integrity of the personnel we have had the pleasure of coming in contact with at Greenleaf Industries.”
— Chet Moore, President, Network Systems Group, Inc
Challenges To Overcome
In 2001, a major automotive OEM launches a brand new automatic transmission and we were asked to quote on seven new plastic parts. The design of the parts was not complicated, but the molding strategy had a huge impact on up front capital costs. Other molders proposed a mold package with seven separate molds costing about $225,000.
GreenLeaf proposed two family molds, keeping up front capital costs at only $50,000 – a $175,000 difference.
With a slice of ingenuity, the mold tech team adapted a $6k robot to sort parts instead of a $20k robot, helping to keep ongoing part costs low.
In 2006, a transmission redesign added two new plastic parts. Improving upon the 2001 mold design and concept, a more robust, yet less expensive mold is created for only $20,000.
How The Product Helped
In 2010, a new transmission design required parts that were almost identical, but with slightly larger dimensions.
Rather than creating new tooling, GreenLeaf proposed the use of a different material with lower post-mold shrinkage.
Using the new material and modifying the molding process, the customer was able to avoid the expense of purchasing three new molds…saving about $60,000.
Building on that success, GreenLeaf was able to run two different styles of parts off of the same tooling while the OEM transitioned to the new transmission design.
“We were one of the first major customers of Greenleaf Industries some 15 years ago. Greenleaf Industries assisted in the cost saving design, development and production of mission critical parts for our major auto manufacturing company and to date has produced and shipped over 35 million of these parts.”
— Chet Moore, President, Network Systems Group, Inc
Results And Return On Investment
In 2014, a new transmission design eliminated several parts. Using the existing tooling would mean fewer parts per hour and significantly increased unit part costs. To avoid increasing part costs, new molds would be required.
The GreenLeaf team was able to modify two existing molds and build only one new mold that met the needs of the new transmission. Up front mold costs were only $21,000, while all three part prices were reduced by 14%, 19% and 33%.
Fifteen years later, these molds are still running as strongly and efficiently as ever!
