Improvement Philosophy

What is improvement?

The term ‘improvement’ is something every individual seeks, as well as businesses. Everyone wants to improve. We will always want this because improvement is never-ending. We can always be better, we can always improve. That is why here at MMP, we stand by this underlying philosophy.

Improvement cannot occur without learning, and learning cannot occur when one is perfect. This is why we strive towards perfection, while acknowledging we will never reach that point. Perfection is an impossible milestone, a myth in which we idolise, however, it is a motivating and ambitious goal.

Therefore, by aiming for perfection, we are able to measure our improvement when reflecting on the journey. We get to see how far we have come, despite the fact we did not accomplish the target of ‘perfection’, we will be far far closer. This stands for every person and every business.

Since our last post, we have continued our growth, taking on more work and expanding our expertise. Without the quintessential goal of perfection, it would have been increasingly difficult to improve. By this, knowing that we are never perfect allows us to reflect on what we could be doing better. There is always something!

So, to answer the overlying question, improvement is subjective. We must not compare ourselves to others, only to our past selves. That way, we are able to measure improvement both as a business and as people. Our journey so far this year has been nothing short of incredible, as we have taken this time to grow, improve, and overcome. We hope this philosophy helps others grow as much as it has helped us.

Thank you,

MMP

Completion

Over the last few months, the rate of construction on our new unit has been nothing short of incredible! Not only has it been completed, but it has exceeded our expectations, being finished almost a month early.

This expansion journey has flown by! But it is amazing to look back to our posts at the beginning of the project to see just how far along we have come in such a short period of time.

Nevertheless, this new unit will of course allow us to transport our current facilities and use the original unit for general moulding, allowing a greater range of services that we are able to provide with our high level of expertise and quality. Of course, this expansion does not stop here, as we are always aiming to excel at what we do and better ourselves where possible.

Thank you to everyone who has been a part of this journey and we are so excited to begin this next stage in our business.

The following images show the fully completed new unit of Medical Moulded Products LTD.

Onwards and Upwards

The title speaks for itself! It is out of this world how fast things are taking place, as can be seen through our frequent posts on our construction progress.

When comparing the current development of our new unit to when it first began a few weeks ago, the progress becomes clear.

The following images show the fast development of the brick walls for the unit. Needless to say, we are delighted to be sharing this with you and glad you can experience it with us!

We have also recently introduced a new feature to our website, where you can now subscribe to our email list for regular updates on our activities. If you would like to find out more, please visit the ‘Subscribe’ page on our website which contains all necessary information.

Exciting Times!

What is one of the best feelings in the world? Measuring and visualising progress.

The images that have been attached show the beginning of the brickwork for our new unit and the damp proof course (waterproof material used to prevent rising damp) being laid.

Of course, we are taking this opportunity to share the development of the new unit, but we are also keen to reiterate how important this is to us, as it will allow us to move our current equipment to the new unit and use the original for general moulding, all while maintaining the same, or better quality standards.

Thank you for being a part of this journey, it is an absolute pleasure and we look forward to working with new customers to provide an excellent service, whether that is still in medical plastics, or general moulding in industries such as Aerospace and other high tech industries.

We hope to hear from you soon, MMP.

'If there is no struggle, there is no progress'

It is truly inspiring to see what can be achieved in such a short period of time with hard work and determination.

The construction of our new unit is more than just a building project but is a milestone for our company, signifying progress.

It shows that despite struggle, hard times or major obstacles, anything can be accomplished.

Thus, for us as a company, this means a lot, and the fact that we are able to share this progress and measure it is just incredible!

Expansion Update!

We are delighted to share the following images, which represent the beginning of our journey in constructing the new unit. If you want to find out more, please read our previous update ‘MMP are expanding’ on our website or LinkedIn. This is a very exciting time for us at MMP, and we are so happy that you are able to be apart of it!

MMP are expanding and we want you to be apart of it!

Starting this week, we have begun the construction of a new 4,000 ft² unit. That is 2x the size of our current facility and should be fully completed by February 2024!
Our plans for the new unit are as follows;
- We plan to transfer all cleanroom manufacturing to the new unit. This will enable us to use the current unit for general types of plastic moulding in various industries such as Aerospace, which is massively exciting for us!
- By using the new unit exclusively for our cleanroom manufacturing, we will have room for further expansion in that respect too!
We want to make it clear that MMP are open to taking on any work outside of cleanroom manufacturing and are capable of undertaking trade moulding work as well. As a company, we can handle both High and Low volume moulding (from 500+ parts) and are therefore flexible when it comes to enquiries, no matter the size.
Finally, as it is always our priority when it comes to manufacturing, we can ensure that transferring the cleanrooms to the new unit will not negatively impact the quality of our product, it will improve it. We will be retaining existing equipment for general moulding while applying the same standards that would be applied to medical products. Thus, no matter what product you may enquire about, it will be handled with the same expertise and very high quality standards.
Please enquire via email or through our website, we look forward to hearing from you,
MMP.

New Changing Areas

Our new changing areas are now fully operational and can be seen in the image below. The new changing areas mean that our staff can move in and out of the cleanrooms while further reducing any risk of contamination. Thus, we are very proud of this addition to our business.

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New Pad Printer - Functioning in the clean-room

As previously discussed, our new pad printer at MMP will enable us to safely and effectively print within the clean-room environment at a faster rate and greater quality.

The following content displays the use of our new pad printer by one of our staff who is printing on syringes, further preparing them for despatch.

Contact and Settle plates

Contact plates are devices for environmental monitoring of surfaces and personnel for microbial contamination. In the first image, we are using a contact plate by making direct contact with the surface. After that, the contact plate is sealed and sent away for environmental testing to investigate for any human contamination within our cleanrooms. By using these contact plates, we are ensuring a safe and clean environment within our facilities.

Settle plates on the other hand are Petri dishes containing a source of nutrients to support the growth of micro-organisms and is left exposed to the air for a certain amount of time and is then incubated to allow visible colonies to develop and be counted. The second image shows us using the settle plate where we left it on the bench for 1 hour. After that, it is sent for testing airborne contamination.

The third image shows both plates ready for despatch. Here at MMP, we repeat this testing process monthly in four of our critical locations in our active cleanrooms, to validate our cleaning procedures. Therefore, these devices are vital to MMP as they give us insight into the cleanliness of our work environment, allowing us to make positive changes where necessary.

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Cleaning our Facilities

Another week ends and a full clean of the factory and machines is carried out. MMP take pride in the high standards of cleanliness within the factory and focus on maintaining these standards consistently.

Thorough cleaning every Friday afternoon ensures that any human or other contamination is removed before starting work again on the Monday morning.

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Image displaying the cleaning of our machines.

New Pad Printer

We have recently introduced a new pad printer into our operations at MMP. This pad printer will greatly increase our capacity to print, meanwhile allowing safe printing within the cleanrooms, mitigating any potential risks of contamination.

The pad printer will automatically clean the pad between prints, ensuring sharper prints every time it is used.

Therefore, this new printer is a great addition to our businesses and can be seen in the following image.

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Robot - Meet Adam

MMP are proud to announce that our new 6-axis robot is now working in production. The following video shows Adam in production during the working process.

Adam will extract the plastic product from the ARBURG machine, restart the moulding process while removing the feed system from the parts. It will then deposit each product into a separate box and dispose of the feed system. Finally, Adam will repeat the process.

Robot - Installation

Despite the delayed arrival of our new 6-axis robot, it is currently being installed which is presented in the underlying images. To understand more about the upcoming addition to our company, please review the updates in the remainder of our news posts.

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Shadowgraph Measuring

A shadowgraph is an optical method that reveals non-uniformities in transparent media. A shadowgraph is a type of flow visualisation.

Generally, a difference in temperature, gas, or a shock wave in the transparent air cannot be seen by the human eye or cameras. However, all these disturbances refract light rays, allowing them to cast shadows. Thus, the shadowgraph technology is able measure our products using the shadow casts on at least a 10x greater scale, significantly reducing the degree of inaccuracy.

The image below shows the shadowgraph in use, measuring complex and small shapes.

Robot - Updates

We are excited to announce the delivery of our new robot this Thursday, 11th May. The images below show the final assembly prior to the delivery. As previously discussed, the six-axis robot will undoubtedly improve the efficiency of our business and free up capacity for new customers.

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Meet our new Robot

In conjunction with the new cleanrooms, we are proud to announce the addition of our first 6-axis robot being prepared by ‘Geiger Handling’ which will allow the automation of the moulding process. This automation will remove the worker from the clean room area, significantly reducing the risk of contamination which is furthered by our new replacement cleanrooms.

This robot will allow us to manufacture products up to triple the normal speed while maintaining the high quality that we proudly provide. The increased speed in production allows us to take on more customers with the same facilities and workforce, consequently improving our efficiency in MMP.

This is the robot being prepared for automation (See the video below)

According to ‘productionmachining.com’ it is realistic to see up to a 30% increase in production by using automation in the manufacturing process. For us, it would increase production levels by around 300%, emphasising the benefits of this robot for MMP. Furthermore, workers at MMP will not be replaced by the robot but will be working in cooperation to provide a high-quality and time-efficient service to our customers. Almost 56% of global companies do some type of automation, making them stronger, faster and more competitive. Therefore, we are happy to announce our move towards automation, making the future possibilities limitless.

Cleanrooms - Encouraging cleanliness in our facilities

We are delighted to announce the addition of our new replacement entrance and exit cleanrooms, being more effective than the ones they are replacing. The cleanrooms will not only improve the overall cleanliness of the facility but will also significantly reduce the risk of contamination in our products. Cleanrooms can reduce particular matter such as dust particles to one-thousandth of what is found in normal room air, thus reducing the risk of contamination during manufacturing significantly. Images of these cleanrooms being built can be seen below.

A common concern among customers in this sector is the quality of the manufacturer’s facilities in relation to cleanliness. Through this new addition, we can clearly outline our commitment to cleanliness and ensure our customers that they are in safe hands with MMP. Cleanrooms play a crucial role in maintaining high levels of cleanliness in a wide range of industries and are irrefutably important in keeping a high quality in our products.

Cleanrooms - past, present and future

Medical Moulded Products, in seven years, has designed many products for the medical sector. Peter Lucas, co-director, explains the history of cleanrooms and shares his predictions for the future of the cleanroom market.
November of this year will see the tenth anniversary of the death of inventor Willis Whitfield, a name not widely-known amongst the general public. But he was a man whose vision helped revolutionise many industries – and who pioneered a global technology market now valued at more than £4 billion.

Whitfield, the Oklahoma-born son of a cotton farmer, is credited with conceiving the idea of the modern day cleanroom – a ceiling-to-floor forced-air system that was patented in 1964. Before that, cleanrooms often had problems with particles and unpredictable airflows, but Whitfield came up with a solution by designing his cleanrooms with a constant, highly filtered air flow to flush out impurities in the air.

Today, the cleanroom – used in a variety of sectors including the production of medical devices, semiconductors, food products and electronics – is crucial to any industry requiring a controlled environment, ensuring the elimination of any contamination.

At the forefront of cleanroom technology in the UK, is Staffordshire-based Medical Moulded Products which, in just seven years, has developed a market in the manufacture of plastic products, including the injection moulding of spatulas, mixing bowls, syringes and dispensers, designed for the medical sector.

The company, which continues to invest in new technology and machinery, including intelligent robots, currently has five separate cleanrooms for the manufacture of medical-grade products for the dental and medical sectors.

“From our earliest days our goal has always been to ensure that we manufacture, test and meet the relevant regulatory and safety requirements for every product we produce, said MMP co-director, Peter Lucas.

Medical device cleanrooms are very effective at preventing medical product contamination, providing significant time, energy and cost savings – and no-one understands the need for a controlled manufacturing environment better than a medical device manufacturer.

“Our cleanrooms are fully compliant with ISO standards, are tested regularly and operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year in order to maintain the cleanest possible environment,” said Lucas. “And because we have a very special relationship with all our customers we are able to work together to ensure we create the products that meet the exact specification that is needed – at the right price.

“We are very conscious of the fact that when it comes to developing a strong and profitable business in a highly specialised marketplace, then nurturing long-term partnerships with customers and suppliers is an approach that cannot be overlooked,” he added.

So what of the future for Willis Whitfield’s global cleanroom technology market – a sector which currently is worth more than £4 billion? Manufacturers can be assured there will be fresh challenges along the way, especially as new developments and more complex products, including the miniaturisation of devices, come along. One of the biggest will be to meet cost targets while still achieving the required standards in medical device cleanrooms.

“Our world is constantly changing, adapting and evolving – and there is no doubt that with ongoing innovation and advanced technologies there is huge potential,” said Lucas. “Cloud-based services, artificial intelligence and 3D printing are paving the way for digital innovation in medical device industries and helping to solve future challenges.

“Such advancements will enhance operation efficiency and productivity as we continually look to improve our service to customers,” he added.

MMP spearheads new plastic recycling initiative

MMP is pledging its commitment to the environment and helping other UK organisations become more sustainable with their plastic waste. 

Medical Moulded Products (MMP), based on Lancaster Business Court, has launched a free platform and initiative which allows manufacturers to see what plastic products are available to drive forward the re-use of excess plastics in the injection moulding and manufacturing sectors.

The newly launched Facebook page enables moulding companies and manufacturers to see and post what free plastic products are available free of charge for re-processing. 

Currently, when MMP manufactures vital medical equipment there is a certain amount of plastic which can’t be re-used. Instead of it going to waste, this new platform will enable it to have a new life and be re-used in another shape or form.

MMP co-director Pete Lucas said: “We believe there is this opportunity to provide a platform for smaller companies to connect and promote the re-using of left over plastic materials that are still useful for injection moulding and manufacturing.