Injection Molding & Engineering Solutions » Uncategorized

U.S. Senator Kohl to tour Kaysun

Ben Harrison — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 15:10:39 +0000

On Wednesday, August 25th, Kaysun will host Wisconsin Senator Herb Kohl for a tour of our facility and Q&A session with Kaysun employees.

As a participant in the Wisconsin Manufacturing Extension Partnership Program (WMEP), which provides technical assistance and business consultation to small- and medium-sized manufacturers, Kaysun appreciates Senator Kohl’s support of the WMEP and Wisconsin manufacturers.

We’re all looking forward to Senator Kohl’s visit on the 25th and will post pictures here soon after.

- Ben

Kaysun launches new web site

Ben Harrison — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 16:46:25 +0000

Check out the new Kaysun web site — www.kaysun.com — which features a fresh look, enhanced navigation and lots of new content. The new “solutions” section includes detail on metal-to-plastic conversions, precision injection molding, material selection, cost control, the challenges of handhelds, scaling rapidly to meet demand and lean design/manufacturing. Each of these sections also includes relevant customer case studies, awards and articles in publications such as Modern Plastics Worldwide, Design News, Medical Design and Pumps and Systems.

It’s now clearer than ever that Kaysun is your go-to partner for highly engineered, tight tolerance plastic products and assemblies.

- Ben

Kaysun history on eBay – bid now!

admin — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 17:25:13 +0000

Following up on my previous post that referenced Kaysun’s early history as a hobby started at the founder’s kitchen table – check out these photos and follow this link to an eBay auction of a toy car model made by Kaysun in 1954! What an interesting and rewarding journey it has been for the company since then. Less than 60 years later, we are now a leading supplier of complex plastic products and components for world-class transportation companies such as Gates and Bendix.

- Ben

Plastics and design on NYT.com

admin — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 17:24:36 +0000

Check out the recent “Opinionator” blog by Allison Arieff on the New York Times site that looks at the impact plastics are having on design. It’s a very interesting piece, focused on consumer goods primarily — the work of Phillipe Starck, an exhibit at the Cooper Hewitt museum — but it also questions the ethos of design for design’s sake (creating a need and filling it) vs. starting with the need and finding the optimal design solution — which is what we do every day. As I pointed out in my response, “For industrial designers working with plastics, elegance comes in the form of fewer, more complex parts that save manufacturing steps and reduce material use. Or the creation of a durable, glossy finish that will stand up to harsh chemical cleaners or the high temperatures of an autoclave during repeated sterilizations. “Click here to read the full story and all the responses.

- Ben

The Impact of Globalization on the Mid-sized Manufacturer

admin — Mon, 10 May 2010 17:23:22 +0000

What is the impact of globalization on small or mid-sized manufacturing firm without a global footprint? It will be deadly for firms that compete on price and outdated business models. The only way companies like Kaysun will survive and thrive are by providing a customer solution that cannot be easily replicated by cheap labor and equipment. Peter Drucker liked to use the term “knowledge workers” and I believe that description applies very well to the workforce of firms that will prosper in the 21^st century. Our world is getting smaller by the day and Fortune 500 companies are focusing their time and energy on understanding emerging markets and setting up supply bases local to those regions. The global markets will continue to exploit weak players that cannot differentiate their products from those offeredby lower cost competitors. This is an exciting time for small and mid-sized firms that are up to the challenge of reinventing themselves as knowledge-based organizations with unique customer solutions. The firms that rely solely on customer loyalty to grow or even maintain their businesses will be left in the dust.

- Ben

“Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare”

admin — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 17:22:59 +0000

With the 1^st quarter well behind us, most business leaders have gone through the “numbers” with careful attention. While the earnings reports from Wall Street have been favorable for the most part, and many economic indicators are suggesting that expansion is finally upon us, now is the time to gauge the all-important strategic plan and make certain your organization is doing what it said it would do. “Plan, do, check act,” as Dr. W. Edwards Deming utilized so successfully, helps make goals and objectives that will yield profitable growth for the organization and keep it on track. It’s the senior leadership team that’s responsible for making sure the plan is executed and not sent to the Board Members and Bank once a year and then put away on a shelf to collect dust until next budget season. Do what you said you would do!

- Ben

Sabic touts plastics growth

admin — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 17:21:37 +0000

Interesting note earlier this week in Sabic’s Q1 earnings announcement. The company reported a healthy profit – and also noted that its plastics business has made a “huge improvement,” based on increasing market demand. Sabic is a strategic supplier to Kaysun – so we see this is as a positive sign for our industry and for the overall economy. There’s still a long way to go, but it looks like we’re headed in the right direction.

- Ben

Design News blog on long-fiber thermoplastics

admin — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 15:44:48 +0000

Check out the “engineering materials” blog by Doug Smock on the Design News site. Lots of interesting plastics news and industry analysis.

FYI, I just added a comment to a recent post by Doug on long-fiber thermoplastics (LFTs) gaining momentum in metal replacement applications. The short story is that we agree – and I wanted to share some of the key lessons we’ve learned over the years designing and manufacturing LFT components and assemblies. You can read my reply here.

- Ben

Welcome to the Kaysun blog!

admin — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 15:43:46 +0000

Kaysun Corporation is starting the New Year by adding blogging to keep in touch and expand our horizons. Over our 60-year history, we have evolved from first designing and manufacturing plastic toys and house wares to now delivering highly engineered plastic products for the automotive, defense, medical and consumer/industrial markets. We will use this forum to share the insights and ideas of the Kaysun knowledge workers who made this transformation possible – and encourage you to join the discussion with comments, questions or suggestions for topics. I’m sure we’ll both learn a lot – and make 2010 the start of something great.

- Ben Harrison, President & CEO

US military allows use of social media

Ben Harrison — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 15:52:31 +0000

More evidence that social media is here to stay, and connecting every part of our lives. An article in a recent issue of the Institute for Defense and Government Advancement (IDGA) newsletter noted that the US Department of Defense (DoD) has relaxed prior restrictions on the use of social media by military personnel and that Admiral Mike Mullen, who is chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the top U.S. military officer, has aTwitter feed with more than 16,000 followers.