...Custom Molds, Inc. in 1997. The company, headquartered in Tucson, Arizona, consists of two manufacturing processes: the fabrication of molds and the production of plastic products for the electronics industry (Krajewski & Ritzman). In early 2015, the Millers realized that the industry they were supplying, alongside their own business was changing. Electronics manufacturers moved from developing their parts in-house to relying on strategic partners to provide the parts. As a strategic partner to the electronic companies, it is imperative that Custom Molds, Inc. delivers high-quality parts on time. Since the beginning of 2015, Custom Molds, Inc. has experienced delivery problems, with parts orders taking four to five weeks for delivery rather than the stated three. Additionally, two orders were recently returned due to a number of defective parts. The following business brief provides an analysis of the current problems faced by Custom Molds, Inc. and the competitive priorities that the organization must address. Analysis of Workflow Process Based of the operations flow chart (see Appendix A) and raw data provided by an analysis of Custom Molds, Inc. suggests that there are a number of steps for the organization to take that can address the issues that are currently slowing operations and curb the uptick in defective products. The provided data sets suggest that the number of high volume orders for parts is beginning to become the primary product line for Custom Molds, Inc...
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...My hypothesis for this experiment was “If the mold is placed in open air, then more mold will grow compared to placing it in a sealed plastic bag, because mold won’t be able to grow because there won’t be oxygen.” I proved my hypothesis. In the lab, we contrasted the amount of mold growing on a slice of bread that was left in open air, compared to a slice of bread that was inside a bag. Our control was the bread placed inside the bag, and the other was left in open air. We observed them, and a few weeks later, we observed them again. The bread in the bag had about 50% of the surface covered in mold, while the bread in open air had 75% of the surface covered in mold. That’s a 25% difference. The bread left in open air also had what looked look...
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...Custom Molds, Inc., manufactures custom-designed molds for plastic parts and produces custom-made plastic connectors for the electronics industry. Located in Tucson, Arizona, Custom Molds was founded by the father and son team of Tom and Mason Miller in 1975. Tom Miller, a mechanical engineer, had more than 20 years of experience in the connector industry with AMP, Inc., a large multinational producer of electronic connectors. Mason Miller had graduated from the University of Arizona in 1974 with joint degrees in chemistry and chemical engineering. The company was originally formed to provide manufacturers of electronic connectors with a source of high-quality, custom-designed molds for producing plastic parts. The market consisted mainly of the product design and development divisions of those manufacturers. Custom Molds worked closely with each customer to design and develop molds to be used in the customer's product development processes. Thus, virtually every mold had to meet exacting standards and was somewhat unique. Orders for multiple molds would arrive when customers moved from the design and pilot-run stage of development to large-scale production of newly designed parts. As the years went by, Custom Molds' reputation grew as a designer and fabricator of precision molds. Building on this reputation, the Millers decided to expand into the limited manufacture of plastic parts. Ingredient-mixing facilities and injection-molding equipment were added, and by the mid-1980s...
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...you might find. Mold could lurk behind the drywall, under sinks, inside shower walls, under carpeting, or above ceilings. Since mold can affect up to 60 percent of homes, plan how to handle this contaminant safely if you find it. Dangers of Mold Mold causes a variety of health conditions, including asthma, allergies and other chronic respiratory illnesses. Because mold often grows undetected, the homeowners may not realize they have a mold problem until you start your construction project. The mold spores can then spread throughout the house, creating hazardous conditions for you and the homeowners. Once mold spores become airborne, they remain airborne for hours. Everyone in the house...
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... 2. Changes in order needs in an unexpected way, as order for multiple molds are declining but order size for plastics is increasing. The impact on Custom Molds could be seen in sales figures over the past three years. The sales mix was changing. Although the number of orders per year for mold fabrication remained virtually constant, orders for multiple molds were declining. The reverse was true for plastic parts, for which the number of orders per year had declined but for which the order sizes were becoming larger. (Refer to the data provided) 3. Late delivery This is occurred to most of the plastics parts. Customers were complaining that parts orders were taking four to five weeks instead of the stated three weeks and that the delays were disrupting production schedules. Total time from order placement to receipt by customer is much longer than promised. This problem arises as the master scheduler was not able to determine the priority of a particular order and unexpected bottlenecking occurred during the production process. 4. Defective parts delivered to customer. Parts were returned to Custom Molds Inc after delivered to customer as a result from inefficient testing and inspection process. This will increase transportation and labor cost due to repair needed to fix the product and return back to the customer. Figure 1: Fabrication for mold Figure 2: manufacturing process for plastic parts ...
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...about black mold or is all the media attention just hype? Is black mold removal really needed? If your home has a musty or earthy odor you have been ignoring perhaps you should pay attention it. What is Black Mold? Black mold is a fungus from the genus Stachybotrys. Black mold is widely distributed and there are around 50 different species of it. Toxic black mold, as the media calls it, is Stachybotrys chartarum Not all mold is bad and it is everywhere. In the outdoor environment it breaks organic matter down. Without it organic materials like leaves wouldn't decompose and would build up. Mold produces mycotoxins as it grows and feeds. It does this to keep other organisms out of its food supply. These mycotoxins seldom cause...
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...Which Fruit Molds the Fastest? Problem Which fruit molds the fastest? Materials * Pears, Apples, Bananas * Plastic baggies * Fruit knife * Location: Kitchen * Pen and paper Question Which fruit, banana, pear or apple, will mold faster? Does fruit type effect mold growth? Hypothesis I think that bananas will mold faster than the apple or pear. Variables Independent Variable: Type of fruit Dependent Variable: Time to mold Variables That Need To Be Controlled: place left exposed to air, room temperature Vocabulary List That Needs Explanation Mold can be explained in the following ways: 1. Any of various fungi that often cause disintegration of organic matter. 2. The growth of such fungi. Procedures In my project I will be molding fruit that is exposed to air. To make this happen, I need a container box, one apple, one banana and one pear. I will cut each fruit with a knife and place them in a bag in a room temperature area such as my kitchen. I will need to wait for two weeks and see if any mold has grew. Every other day, I will take notes about the change that had occurred. Safety or Environmental Concerns Mold might cause sickness due to fumes. I need to throw away the fruit once it molds. Experimental Design Controlled, manipulated experiment What is your experimental unit? Molding Fruit Number of Trials: One Number of Subjects in each trial: Three Number of Observations: Fourteen ...
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...Mold is an unfortunate and unwelcome reality that most homeowners will eventually have to deal with. The fungus exists everywhere, even in the air you breathe. The spores of mold travel quickly, landing on any hospitable surface it can find. Sometimes these hospitable surfaces are in our homes, where they land and grow and eventually form infestations. It's important to take mold seriously and the best treatment for mold is prevention. In the Home Mold's best friend is a pesky thing called humidity. When there's plentiful moisture in the home, mold thrives. To keep mold from growing in abundance, make sure the humidity level of the house never exceeds 60%. If you're not sure the humidity level of your home, you can install a hygrometer....
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...When it comes to your home, there is no place for mold. Mold is a definite hazard to you and your family’s health; therefore, eliminating mold is one way to ensure that your home is safe. Whether you have children with breathing conditions, pets, or other adults with compromised health issues, the following four reasons underscore the need for mold testing in your home. Mold Testing Helps You Identify Problematic Areas in Your Home Not all forms of mold are visible to the naked eye, making a mold testing necessary to eliminate invisible threats in your home. With the presence of mold, none of your belongings are safe, and your home can deteriorate rapidly. Mold breaks down your walls and other aspects of your home’s structure, which could slowly lead to the loss of value in your home. Beyond concerns about your home’s...
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...Focus keyword: encouraging mold growth in your home Molds are fungi that are found both indoors and outdoors. Although scientists estimate that there may be as many as 300,000 different types of mold. Regardless of type, molds reproduce through spores that can become airborne, allowing them to invade indoor spaces or be inhaled by the home's occupants. Depending on underlying health issues and the person's sensitivity, inhaling mold spores can cause a variety of health issues. For some people, the health issues may be limited to sneezing, coughing, watery eyes, rashes or other typical allergic reactions. However, people with chronic respiratory problems, those taking immunosuppressant medications, infants and recipients of an organ transplant...
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...Black mold is a problem people have been dealing with for years. However, it hasn't been until recently that we are beginning to understand the negative impact it can have in our lives. Toxic types of mold do not discriminate and they are quite common. Black mold, in particular, has caused numerous health problems ranging from headaches and dizziness to full on breathing difficulties requiring hospitalization. It is for this reason, entire schools and workplaces have been shut down for mold treatment. How to Identify Black Mold This type of mold has a greenish-black appearance and a slimy texture. It can be difficult to judge by appearance alone if mold growth is black mold, but can be a good indication that it requires removal. No matter...
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...A. Describe conidiospores and sporangiospores. 1. Identify a mold that produces each of these spores. Molds reproduce primarily by means of asexual reproductive. Conidiospores (conidia) a unicellular or multicellular spore that is not enclosed in a sac. Penicillium and Aspergillus are examples of molds that produce conidiospores. Penicillium is a common household molds and a food contaminant. Sporangiospores are formed within a sporangium (sac). Sporangia are formed at the end of aerial hyphae called sporangiophores e.g. Rhizopus can cause wounds and respiratory infections in the host with a compromised immune system (Gladwin, & Trattler, 2011). B. Describe a zygospore. 1. Identify a mold that produces zygospores. A thick-walled spore of fungi that is formed by union of two similar sexual cells, usually serves as a resting spore, and produces the sporophytic phase an example is rhizopus. It’s a black mold and grows on old bread and fruits. C. Describe what type of growth you observed in each of your substrates (e.g., number of colonies, shape, color, and defining characteristics). I saw about three different types of fungi on the bread. There was a dark green and white while the cheese only had some green fungi and all the colonies were all attached to each other looking like a sponge. On the strawberry I noticed a whitish-greenish-grey growth also with the hyphae growing outwards. It was all around the strawberry and the colonies...
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...of Hand Sanitizer on the prevention of bread mold George Kotsiomitis and Paul Lee Mr. Menhinick SNC 2D1 May 22, 2015 Purpose/Question: * Do Hand Sanitizers Prevent the Growth of Bread Mold? Background Information: Through doing research on two main ideas revolving around our science fair topic we could have a knowledgeable hypothesis as well as other things to base our project on. The two main ideas are: what bread mold needs to grow and what ingredient is in hand sanitizer that prevents the growth of bread mold. Firstly, what are the ideal conditions for bread mold to grow in? Bread with no pesticides is the ideal and most common place for mold to grow in because it provides main nutrients such as flour and water that help the growth or mold. Once the mold gets on the bread these nutrients allow the bread to reproduce and spread. Furthermore, the temperature at which the bread is placed in is a major factor as well. Places where mold grows well is similar to those maintained in most homes. However in the summer seasons the growth of bread mold will be greater because of the rise in temperature. Moisture is the most ideal circumstance that bread mold needs to grow in. Mold requires water to survive and grow, bread mold has the advantage of usually being kept in a bag where the moisture does not evaporate. Therefore since bread naturally contains moistures it provides a suitable growing condition for mold. Secondly, what ingredient is in hand sanitizer...
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...Samir Chaudhry MGS 4010 04 09-30-2015 Custom Molds, Inc. Q1. What are the major issues facing Tom and Mason Miller? The electronics industry to which they supply is changing. This is due to the fact that the electronics manufacturers have shifted their strategies; they are now developing strategic partnerships with their suppliers. Custom Molds has to adapt to these changes. The demand for multiple molds is declining, contrary to the earlier days. Earlier they used to produce custom designed molds for producing plastic parts majorly and limited manufacture of plastic parts. Through the data provided in the case study we can conclude that during the last three years Custom Molds has been consistently getting more work in the mass production of plastic parts and the custom made molds have been decreasing. The order sizes for plastic parts were increasing. The reason for this being an issue for Custom Molds is that traditionally they have concentrated on the custom molds. But since they are getting a lot more work to produce plastic parts, they probably need to change the job shop layout to something more suitable for mass production. Experiencing delivery problems with plastic parts. The customers have been complaining about the late delivery of parts. Bottlenecks are springing during un-predictable production processes. If this goes on for too long, Custom Molds will lose credibility in front of their customers and some customers may decide to part ways. And the fact that...
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...that time to sell a story. Media belonged to newspapers and information traveled much slower and not very reliable. People were more superstitious then, and the media took full advantage of that to sell publications and often made up facts to sensationalize stories. One of the explanations was the tomb’s toxins; studies have shown some ancient mummies carried mold, including Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus flavus, which can cause congestion or bleeding in the lungs. Lung-assaulting bacteria such as Pseudomonas and Staphylococcus may also grow on tomb walls. It is believed that when tombs were first opened, fresh air could have disturbed these spores, blowing them into the air, and perhaps, creating health problems. Gotthard Kramer, a German microbiologist from the University of Leipzip believes that the cause of the curse is some type of mold spores. Kramer studied 40 different mummies; he identified several potentially dangerous mold spores. Dr. Hans Merk, a dermatologist at the University of Aachen, Germany, performed similar research and analyzed dust and rock samples from tombs and found primarily three types of mold: Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus terreus and Cephalosporium (Acremonium) species; all of these species are toxic. They also provided meats, fruits, vegetables, clothing, ornaments, furniture, statues of their Gods and anything else thought to aid the pharaoh’s travel to the afterlife. These items after 3000...
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