|
Oct 2010
Speck Speaks
As a company committed to strengthening its relationships, Speck Plastics invited customers to Valley Forge for a one-day educational seminar on its thermoforming process. Around 30 engineers and other representatives from 15 companies took part in the free workshop and networking opportunity on June 15. 
In hosting the seminar, Suzann Speck aimed to give her customers a firsthand look at the company’s thermoforming techniques and tool transfer services. When customers gain a basic understanding of the procedures, she says, both parties profit.
“We wanted to provide them with basic thermoforming knowledge, which helps us to be more consultative and enables them to improve manufacturability,” she said. “If engineers understand it, they can draw for it. That cuts down on our engineering time and reduces their costs.”
After presenting a brief company history and showing a video encapsulating the thermoforming process, Suzann launched a discussion about tooling (a central component of thermoforming) and the ability to transfer the wood- or metal-forms from one vendor to another. She also highlighted Speck’s complimentary tool transfer service, Speck Assist.
Seminar participants then heard from Rich Cort, Market Development Manager for Kydex, LLC, a leading supplier of thermoplastic sheet manufacturing based in Bloomsburg, Pa. Cort offered advice and strategy about ways to qualify requirements for Kydex’s advanced materials. He provided information about crucial factors to determine application needs.
“Some of these needs are regulatory,” he stressed. “For example, if you're making medical devices, like an MRI enclosure, there are UL fire ratings to take into consideration.”
Additionally, Cort encouraged the manufacturers to think about their finished product’s purpose and environment, taking into account the durability requirements, the presence of any corrosive agents in the environment, and exposure to UV rays.
“Quantity is another consideration, as it will dictate the manufacturing process,” he stated. “The kind of thermoforming that Speck does, for instance, is best matched with smaller quantities.”
Among those absorbing all of the valuable information was Don Hedrick, manufacturing engineer for Severn Trent Services, a supplier of water and wastewater treatment solutions in Fort Washington, Pa. Hedrick attended the seminar with his boss, Engineering Manager Ron Bywaters, and two other colleagues who were not familiar with the process of vacuum- and pressure forming of plastics.
Hedrick explained he has worked with Co-Presidents Walt and Suzann Speck on a number of projects, and he said the information covered in the seminar served as a worthwhile refresher. He also said his coworkers came away with an improved understanding of thermoforming and tooling, and they all benefited from the networking opportunities the seminar offered.
“I greatly appreciated the professionalism of Walt and Suzann,” Hedrick said. “They’re always very cooperative and congenial. It was also interesting to get a background on Kydex. I look forward to future opportunities like this.”
*****
A Day in the Life
Interested in seeing what it’s like to run Speck for a day? Suzann and Walt Speck III took time out from their hectic workday to film their hectic workday, and the result is a video you won’t want to miss …
*****
Thanks for reading this month’s installment of the Speck InFORMer. Please feel free to browse our site or contact us to learn more about how Speck can put more than a half century of experience to work for you.
|
