Bringing Wire, Ram and Vertical
Capabilities to the Tar Heel State

Just between Greensboro and Winston-Salem, in the heart of Tar Heel country, lies Emerald Tool and Mold, Incorporated. This Kernersville injection mold construction business may seem small, but is mighty efficient and productive.

Co-owners Michael Young and Joe Russell began this business 10-1/2 years ago, after working together for a few years at another company. What began as just the two of them has grown to a team of 13 people at Emerald. And their business is strong, despite a slow economy.

Up until four years ago, most of their work was for the electronics industry until opportunities waned. Now, Emerald's primary focus is building plastic injection molds for tier one and two automotive suppliers and making commodity parts for custom mold shops. And, that market expansion has come about due to their investment in modern moldmaking technology, like the ensemble of Makino equipment they have acquired.

A Winning Investment [back to top]
Emerald is a serious player in the plastic injection mold construction business due to their experience and their equipment. They recently added a Makino U32K wire EDM machine to their ensemble of technologically advanced Makino equipment. They already had an EDGE2S Sinker EDM machine and a MAX65S die/mold vertical machining center.

Young and Russell started out their business with just one milling machine, two manual grinders and a manual sinker. They found out very early that this machine technology was able to successfully expand their opportunities and reduced their costs. They have further invested in such technology as Makino to take better advantage of unattended machining time and to better position them to pursue a combination of work.

Before acquiring the advanced equipment from Makino, Emerald—like others in their industry—was facing outdated capacity and economic competition. But this investment in the technology, along with the diverse combination of Makino machines being used, has made Emerald more competitive.

"If we had not invested in this technology, we would have been left behind, doing repair work only. We spent more money on equipment last year than any year we have been in business. But 80 percent of the work that we received last year was because of those machines," said Young.

Achieving Combined Success [back to top]
After finding success with the EDGE2S and the MAX65S, Emerald purchased the additional Makino wire EDM machine. And, they may be looking to add to that collection in the future to further assist with capacity and lead-times.

"These machines have opened the door to markets that previously we could not compete in, and they have provided a good niche for us," said Young. "There is a definite advantage to this combination of work capabilities. We have saved 30 percent on electrode production time and 33 percent of the overall project cost combining the Makino high-speed machining and EDM capabilities."

Emerald also roughs many parts on the Makino vertical machines before putting them in the Makino wire machine for finish work. "Lead-times are the biggest thing we have reduced using the Makino machines," said Russell. "This 'milling and wire' combination has saved us up to 50 percent on part finishing time."

Emerald is using the Makino EDGE2S on 98 percent of their jobs. Because it can run unattended, Emerald is seeing a reduction in operational costs and lead times, with an overall increase in production. They can now yield 18 pieces in 24 hours with a fine finish that eliminates polishing and bench work. The older process used to yield only 6 pieces in that same time frame.

Accuracy and Speed [back to top]
The Makino wire machine is much more accurate than previous technology. And, Russell says the Makino machine does not breakdown or miss on threads. "Previous technology could have left an unattended machine set inoperative for up to a full day. The automatic threading feature saves us a lot of time and money, and a lot of headaches."

"We get a lot of wirework—with a lot of inserting and complicated shutoffs. That has been our niche—especially when dealing with some of the custom molders," says Young. "Because of our accuracy with the Makino, we are one of the first shops that customers turn to for these types of jobs."

This accuracy recently paid off, as the Makino wire helped them earn a job molding a complex part for an automotive fuel system.

Emerald has had similar success with the Makino vertical machine. They can now do high speed milling of 3-D contours, jobs they had no capability for previously. They are also now making their own mold bases and are cutting hardened steel cores and cavities as well as graphite electrodes. Some of the electrodes that used to take weeks to manufacture now take only days on the new machines. Jobs run unattended, benchwork has been eliminated and setup times are reduced.

This led to acquiring jobs like the plastic-molded doorframe piece they are now producing for a tractor-trailer manufacturer that used to be outsourced. It is produced on the Makino vertical equipment instead of being outsourced.

Customer Focused [back to top]
Emerald's small-town roots add a personal touch to customer relationships. Employees spend time with their partners providing research and development, offering design capability and part prototypes. These are extras that competing shops do not offer.

In addition, Young says his employees have years of mold building experience. This tooling knowledge influences the way they work.

"You don't find many toolmakers who have been in business this long anymore—many have been forced out, laid off or are now retired. We have the personal experience and machine technology that allows us to provide quality products," said Young.

"We try to approach a job the quickest, easiest and best way for the customer. We're not out to make a lot of money. We want our customers to make the money so they keep coming back to us. We have a lot of repeat business, and in this slow economy that has helped us," said Young.

He emphasized that Makino machines have assisted them in reinforcing Emerald's goals of providing quality products faster and for less money. "Sure, we could have done the work on the older style equipment, but it would not be cost effective and it would take much longer," said Young.

Going For Maximum [back to top]
Emerald's philosophy is to utilize every hour of the day in the most efficient way possible. They have found that the best way to do that is with automated equipment and knowledgeable employees.

"We're not one of those shops just asking for the basics from our equipment. We ask the maximum, period. We put a lot of pressure on ourselves and the machine by wanting it to do every bit it can, right away," said Russell.

Emerald likes the Makino equipment so well, and their local support from Beckman Precision, that they are considering additional purchases. Their ensemble of machines deliver results, while the philosophy of manufacturing combination through technological investment keeps Emerald competitive.

For more information about how Emerald Tool and Mold Inc. has increased production and driven out costs with Makino machines, contact Michael Young or Joe Russell at 106 Furlong Drive, Kernersville, NC 27284. Phone: 336-996-6445 FAX: 336-996-3264 e-Mail: myoung@emeraldtoolandmold.com, or visit their website at www.emeraldtoolandmold.com.

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