Portuguese expertise
Portugal is well-known in the European industrial landscape for its expertise in mould and tool making for numerous applications and sectors. Located in the country’s northern city of Vale de Cambra, SteelPLUS CEO Luis Lima speaks to Rob Coker about this expertise.
The mould and tool industry is responsible for helping to produce numerous plastic parts and components that perhaps go unseen and unappreciated by the everyday consumer. What is therefore unique about SteelPLUS’ expertise that makes it the name to trust in moulding and tooling?
We operate as more than just a supplier. We aim to be a trusted partner for our clients.
We are a certified company with a team of highly qualified technicians making sure of that. Every Friday, our project managers send detailed, up-to-date planning and photos of our clients' moulds to keep them informed and ensure trust and transparency for the duration of the project. We are also able to give technical and virtual support during every try-out.
Because we take our clients’ success as our own, we are 100 per cent dedicated to every single project to ensure they are completely satisfied.
Which manufacturing sectors continue to work with SteelPLUS in order to produce their parts and components?
We currently have clients that started with us 20 years ago and are still with us to this day. In the last few years, we have also had clients from various industries ranging from the medical and health sector, to the automotive, packaging, piping, and electronics industries, among others.
These clients continue to choose to make their moulds with SteelPLUS because they know they can trust us with their projects. They know we are an excellent European alternative, cost-wise, and always maintaining a high-level of quality.
It has been said that without the mould and tool industry, there can be no manufacturing. In what ways does SteelPLUS contribute to this statement, and what does it bring to Portugal’s manufacturing sector specifically?
SteelPLUS is inside a Portuguese mould cluster of international reference, making moulds for industries that help make the world a better place. Up until recently, there was no alternative to the moulding industry, and even now it is nearly impossible to avoid it if manufacturing is your goal.
This is a non-evasive industry that is key to the production of tools and necessary goods for the development of society and the ecosystems we live in.
Portugal is a world reference for mould manufacturing since this industry has decades of tradition based on experience and deep knowledge of the subject.
How complex is moulding for intricate parts such as multi-outlet valves and pumps?
Moulding multi-outlet valves and pumps is truly complex and can only be achieved by highly qualified technicians with several years of experience in the industry. Not everyone is going to be able to make such a mould.
We have dozens of moulds made using different technologies and engineering techniques for automatic unthreading in delicate areas such as multi-outlet valves, pumps, and other threaded parts.
This accumulated know-how makes SteelPLUS a distinguished supplier in the area.
Which other complex parts and components can SteelPLUS help create through its expertise?
We are equally experts in bi-injection, stack moulds, tight tolerance moulds, and other delicate tools. These types of tools are recognised by their particular technology and processes perfected over the years through our know-how and experience.
Which unique solutions does SteelPLUS bring to the market that help manufacturers increase productivity?
As we said before, our clients' success is also our success, so our goal is to help them overcome any production problems that may arise.
With this, and to ease our clients’ minds, every mould SteelPLUS makes offers maximum shots guarantees, a minimum injection cycle, and personalised and fast after-sales service. Furthermore, we will have a team of our technicians in our clients' facilities for mould start-up and, should they need it, our team will be there for mould assistance within 48 hours.
And how does SteelPLUS help its clients in terms of sustainability and circular economy?
As a company that produces moulds for the injection of thermoplastics, SteelPLUS' role in sustainably influencing our customers' choices begins in the commercial phase in which we propose the use of recyclable materials and of adequate longevity to minimise the costs of the construction and maintenance of a mould during its life.
In the design phase, customers are offered solutions to maximise production and reduce the waste of raw materials by fully reintegrating them into the value chain. In addition, we purchase structural steels with the quotas as close as possible to the final ones to minimise their processing and, consequently, promote a significant reduction in internal production times, guaranteeing a reduction in resource consumption and sustainable growth of the company.
In the milling and erosion operations, SteelPLUS continually invests in the modernisation of technology and machinery, which reflects the constant pursuit of getting things right first time, thereby minimising the waste of raw material as well as the waste generated. This significantly reduces the environmental impact of our activity.
Our Environmental Management team ensures that our employees and suppliers are aware of the conscious and controlled use of materials that generate non-recoverable waste that will generally go to landfill and cannot be recycled, and for the correct recycling of waste from their activity.
The moulds produced at SteelPLUS are almost entirely recyclable, thus contributing to their reintegration into the production cycle.
Which events and/or trade fairs can potential new customers expect to see you at this year?
Well, we have already lined up our virtual presence at the Automotive Expo & B2B Meetings in Sibiu, Romania, and we are also placing a confirmed speaker at the Plastiques & Caoutchoucs’ ‘Le Forum Digital de la Plasturgie’ web conferences. We are going to talk about the innovative platform we created and believe will revolutionise customer experience in the mould industry.