The new Generation 5 range of Haitian moulding machines will be hitting UK shores in the coming weeks. Veronica Edmunds, head of the UK sales team, shares what we can expect from one of the world’s largest manufacturer of moulding machines.
Key Highlights:
- According to the PMMDA, the UK has the oldest fleet of machinery in Europe, outside of Romania, and at the current rate will take more than 20 years to upgrade.
- Haitian Generation 5 Servo hydraulic machines will offer Electric Screw Motors as standard, enabling a more precise and reliable process with reduced energy consumption, not to mention that they are a lot quieter too.
- Haitian UK has recently opened a new Technical Centre in Buckinghamshire to support the launch of the new Generation 5 machines.
Haitian
Premier Moulding Machinery has been the Haitian distributor in the UK for almost 20 years, so obviously we have seen huge changes in technology over that time. I guess it shouldn’t come as a surprise to any of us that this fifth generation from the market-leading manufacturer is so impactful. Haitian have always positioned themselves as a high-quality brand, for whom the customer’s experience is paramount. Unlike some suppliers, we are not in a race to deliver the cheapest functioning machine or, conversely, to use customers as revenue streams post-purchase.
The “Generation 5” range continues Haitian’s philosophy of sharing the advantages that their economies of scale produce, with our customers. This time the step change is higher than previously seen, and that is because technological improvements are happening so quickly. We have over 700 people working in R&D, in a constant quest to innovate and improve. There has been a massive increase in investment by Haitian to improve their manufacturing excellence and infrastructure, including a new site in Serbia to manufacture up to 3000 machines a year for the European market.
What are the main differences that moulding companies will see?
Well, as you know, we have been very vocal about the need for the UK Plastics Sector to invest in modern technology so that it can improve competitiveness and produce a rapid return on investment. According to the PMMDA, the UK has the oldest fleet of machinery in Europe, outside of Romania, and at the current rate will take more than 20 years to upgrade. In the meantime, European moulding companies are racing ahead, with governments offering financial assistance to their manufacturers to help reduce their carbon footprint and improve efficiencies. Generation 5 offers energy savings of between 20% and 40% on our previously already impressive figures. This is showing circa 80% energy savings vs. fixed or variable pump machines, which still make up the bulk of the UK market.
So, how has Haitian achieved this?
Features which were previously available as additional options are now included as standard specifications, including new energy-saving technology, both hardware and software. It’s fair to say that these options would have cost thousands of Euros previously, but our economies of scale make it more cost-effective to upgrade the whole range. So, for example, Haitian Generation 5 Servo hydraulic machines will now offer Electric Screw Motors as standard, at no extra cost. Thus, enabling a more precise and reliable process with reduced energy consumption, not to mention that they are a lot quieter too.
Savings of these magnitudes offer moulders the opportunity to pay off their brand-new Haitian Generation 5 machine, with the savings they make on energy, in months rather than years.
While energy savings and a quick return on investment are often enough of an incentive to add to our rapidly expanding customer base, we believe the new HT-X tend software will further set us apart from our European and Asian competitors.
The HT X-tend software is available on all Generation 5 and is included as a standard option in the purchase price. Charging customers extra for features that are included on their machines is a policy that has backfired on those suppliers who have tried it. Customers remember when car companies tried to charge to use heated seats that were already fitted in their vehicles, and the same reaction is commonplace in our sector when manufacturers will “switch on features for a price”. Our system is free of charge and can be turned on and off, by our customers, whenever they require it. This software has been tested on over 1000 machines pre-launch and the improvements achieved when processing recycled material are of particular benefit.
The intelligent control system will optimise the entire moulding process to ensure repeatability, efficiency and lowest energy consumption, this reduces wear and tear on the machine and tooling. It’s as though your most considerate technician has set each machine.
To support the launch of the new Generation 5 machines, Haitian UK has recently opened a new Technical Centre in Buckinghamshire. Onsite, we have a selection of machines from our Haitian and Zhafir ranges plus our Hilectro automation, ranging from 90 to 550 tonnes. All are available for sale and quick delivery if required.
Whilst the centre is certainly an impressive facility from which to showcase our technology, it is also available to support customers in their machinery selection processes. We have already run multiple tool trials, energy comparisons and training sessions. This investment in our UK infrastructure extends to the provision of a full-quality office to enable our customers' teams to fully investigate their own tools' performance in our machines. Our engineering team work alongside our customers to ensure that the best possible outcomes can be achieved. We have also been able to assist customers with some small production runs when needed.
We aim to provide the highest level of customer support alongside the best machinery available at a price which is affordable for all. In particular, I would also like to give credit to our own engineering team whom our customers continually praise for the excellent levels of service they provide. Whilst it may be the sales team who sells the first machine to a new customer, it is the engineers who sell the rest. Time and time again, we hear how important it is to be supported by a team who have the customers' best interests at the forefront of what we do. Haitian UK have a policy of not using our engineering support as a revenue stream which enables a strong working relationship with our customer base.
The aim for us, in a commercial sense, is to provide the best machine price-performance ratio, coupled with such a high level of customer service that our customers do not consider using another supplier. It’s proved to be a successful formula so far and we are sure that the introduction of Generation 5 will X-Tend this advantage.