Learning and development process for Automotive Plastics Makers: setter skills beyond one or two people
Setters judge mould changes, and mould maintenance staff are few. A learning process spreads those skills beyond one or two people before a mould change goes wrong.
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Share your requirementsWhy learning and development process matters in automotive plastics makers
A good setter reads a short shot, a flash line or a sink mark and knows which setting to change. That knowledge is built over years and kept in his head. The plant has two or three such people, plus one or two mould fitters, and when one is on leave the mould change takes twice as long and the first parts are poor.
A learning process for moulding sets out skills in steps. An operator learns to run, check and clear faults, then to assist on mould changes, then to set small machines, then medium ones. Each step has a short practical test. Mould fitters pass on common repairs and checks to a second person, so the plant is not dependent on one pair of hands.
How to set it up
1. List the skills from operator to setter
Write the tasks at each level: cycle checks, fault clearing, mould change assist, small machine set-up, larger machine set-up, settings check on a new mould. Keep each task short and testable.
2. Pair juniors with setters on real changes
Each junior assists on a set number of mould changes and notes what the setter did. Take the notes into a short discussion afterwards.
3. Test each level at the machine
A senior setter and the quality lead watch a task and sign it off. Without sign-off, the person stays at the lower level for that task.
4. Spread mould maintenance skills
Train a second person in common mould repairs, cleaning and checks. Keep a short log of what was done on each mould so the next fitter knows its history.
5. Review the skill grid regularly
Check each quarter who can do what and where only one person holds a skill. See learning and development process for how we would run this.
Check these first
Before changing anything, find out what is true today. These take an afternoon and use your own records.
- Count the setters who can bring a large machine to a good part without help.
- List the moulds with a repair log and the ones without.
- Note how long mould changes take when your best setter is absent compared with when present.
- Ask three operators what task they would like to learn next and what is stopping them.
GullyHR can do this with you. Read how we approach learning and development process in general, or share your requirements and we will tell you where to start.
Questions owners ask
Link the skill steps to pay and give a clear path. If a trained setter sees no step or recognition for his skill, a nearby moulder will offer both. Training must go with reward.
Videos help with the basics, but setting is learned by doing under a senior. Use short videos for sequences and safety, and spend the senior's time on real machines and live faults.
Keep a simple card or sheet per mould with repairs, polishing, known faults and the last shot count. A fitter should be able to read it in a minute before starting work.