Cooperation allows to increase the competitiveness and accept more projects

Dynamic, sensitive to the competitiveness and market requirements, the Portuguese moldista sector is a very well prepared industrial segment. Constant investments to improve its fleet of machines, software and training of employees, position the sector among the best recognized at the international level. And it is that Portuguese is a privileged sector: cooperation between companies allows them to deal with threats such as relocation and maintain high export rates that exceed 85 per cent of the total production. The two production lines are concentrated in Marinha Grande and Oliveira de Azeméis, where there are over 250 companies moldistas employing over 7,000 people.

The Portuguese moldista sector is characterized by a young industrial fabric, with more than half of companies formed in the 1980s. However, the stage of economic bonanza for the moldistas began from the 1970s. While there are numerous companies with few years of activity, they have reached their maturity at a strong pace. Precisely, some of the more prominent by its technology and size firms are those that belong to the younger.

This generation of start-ups maintains a high level of cooperation between them, an outstanding feature of the Portuguese sector since, both the cooperation to increase competitiveness, both for business groups and companies cooperating each otherthe level of collaboration is much greater than in any other country, which has even given rise to a certain "culture of relations" between the moldistas of the sector.

This collaborative environment is which has led to the emergence of a subsector contractor, formed by companies engaged in every phase of construction of the mold, such as: roughing machining, machining of finish and electroerosionadores, as well as those who tend to exist in other countries as polisherstratamentistas and others.

These collaborative relationships even reach the joint acquisition of equipment such as machines for testing of moulds or CAD/CAM systems either to share the capacity of the machine or to make a selection and implementing joint and improved purchase conditions.

The fate of most of the exports of Portuguese moulds has traditionally been United States, even to exceed 50% of the total value of exports. In recent years the volume have fallen considerably - and most currently by factors as the price of the dollar--and the export has been distributed in several destinations, many of them European and in some cases, Asian or African.

However, the current recovery to previous levels is marked by increasing the competitiveness of the North American market and the pressure of competition from Asian countries.

The change of direction of a part of ancient exports which were intended to United States precisely targeting the European market, where they have enhanced relations between countries. In this context, Portugal is part of the European project ET21 in which several companies from different European countries cooperate to energize the sector. With regard to their dynamism to innovate and bring together initiatives, the moldista industry has been able to interpret the strategy of uniting promotion capacities, especially at the international level. In this regard, the international "Image Campaign", led by Cefamol and supported by Icep is being a success. Also in this direction, Centimfe and Cefamol promote, every two years, dedicated to the moulds week Moulds Event, where organized international activities which allow approaching the reality of the sector.

As a result of the development of activities, were presented various projects of r & d by creating a larger network of international cooperation that was consolidated in Brussels in the presentation of the 6th Framework Programme, in October 2003. At that time, four European organisations - Centimfe (Portugal), Ascamm (Spain), IPT Fraunho fer Institut (Germany) and CRIF (Belgium) - decided to promote and encourage ET21.

ET21 is aimed to boost European industries of manufacturers of molds and special moulds. It is intended to increase the added value offered by these companies in the global chain of suppliers, as well as for the worker per hour worked.

"Increase production and reduce the cycles of production and delivery, by simplifying the manufacturing processes are some of the goals facing the Portuguese moldistas.""Our strength lies in the integration of processes" said the director of a major company Portuguese moldista. The know-how of several decades of activity allows the lusas companies offer comprehensive services covering:

• The concept and design of new products.
• Engineering and development of products. Since most effective moulds and injection cycles shorter to lower costs of materials and reducing maintenance requirements.
• Prototyping. Using the latest developments in technology of rapid prototyping-- from estereolitrografía to the mechanization of high speed means that manufacturers can test and determine real products. Thereby reducing the cycles.
• Selection of material. Plastics engineers working with Portuguese mould companies are surprised of the benefits to be gained by choosing the exact materials for each product.
• Manufacture of moulds. The Portuguese industry invests more in technology and training to many of its competitors. The companies are equipped to produce precise moulds up to the highest standard - particularly molds that integrate multiple cavities, inserts, and interchangeable parts-.

Portuguese companies are also pioneers in the use of technologies that allow, for example, the injection of products with moving parts, from a single mold, the use of labelling and decoration in the mold and injection of products that combine different materialsas hard as the plastic scouring from a simple tool.

• Testing and manufacturing services. Portuguese firms offer their clients a complete service. They have invested in capacity for testing and mold perfectly before being assembled for the manufacturer, always with the latest technology of injection. They also offer complete Assembly, maintenance and services for the life of the product.

"Do not think that our service concludes when the mold is over" said commercial director of a company, "our responsibility continues as our molds continue to produce".

The Portuguese Engineering and the companies moldistas have achieved international recognition for their customer demands, creating a reputation as versatile, technologically advanced and offering a good value for money. In a collaboration, a Portuguese moldistas proposed a simple way of establishing a panel of the door to a vehicle. The result was reduce 150,000 euros for a cost of 1.4 million euros of the total. In addition, was achieved a reduction of the cycle of injection of 50 to 60 seconds for one of the moulds, a significant savings for a company that produces 200,000 units a year.

The "know-how" of Portuguese companies provide savings in the manufacturing process that sometimes covers the full cost of the mold.

• Competitive advantages. Portuguese moldista are among the first level companies who rely on the industry: Electrolux, Samsonite, General Electric, Delphi, Visteon, Johnson Controls, Thermos, IBM, Rubbermaid, General Motors/Opel, Volkswagen, Renault, Nokia, BMW, Mercedes, Tupperware, PSA Peugeot, Citroen, Hewlett-Packard and many others.