Industry-specific ERP

ERPDrive for Plastic Injection Moulding Units

Track mould life and ownership, multi-cavity production (shots × cavities × cycle time), virgin / regrind / masterbatch BOM, and cycle-time variance per machine per shift - all in one cloud system.

The pain points generic ERP doesn't solve

Tally and BUSY handle accounting. SAP and Microsoft Dynamics need 4-month implementations. Neither is built for these specific plastic injection moulding units pain points:

Mould management (life, location, ownership)

Moulds cost ₹2-50 lakh each. Track which mould is on which machine, expected vs actual shot count, last maintenance date, and whether the mould is yours or customer-owned. Without this, mould failures kill production and customer disputes about mould ownership go unresolved.

Multi-cavity production maths

A 4-cavity mould produces 4 pieces per cycle. Cycle time 28 seconds = 514 cycles/hour = 2,056 pieces/hour at 100% efficiency. Production planning must use this math. Manual calculation per machine per shift is error-prone.

Virgin + regrind + masterbatch BOM

Grade ABC: 70% virgin + 25% regrind + 5% colour masterbatch. Customer specs constrain regrind %. Cost per kg of finished material depends on virgin rate, regrind value, masterbatch rate. BOM must compute this for every shot.

Sprue/runner regrind tracking

Every cycle produces sprue + runner waste, which is reground in-house. Regrind kg flowing back into stock must be tracked, allocated to grade, and reused per spec. Otherwise, you either run out of regrind or stockpile useless regrind.

Mould tryout vs production cost

When a new mould is on its first tryout, the rejected parts and over-cycle-time are tryout cost, NOT production cost. Mixing the two distorts product cost. ERP must classify mould tryouts as a separate cost center.

Cycle time variance per machine per shift

Machine X running mould Y at 32-second cycle time today vs 28-second standard = 13% productivity loss. Without machine-shift level cycle-time capture, you don't know the loss exists until month-end variance.

The ERPDrive demo flow for your factory

Here is exactly what we will show you in a 30-minute demo. Every screen uses real industry workflows, not generic sample data:

  1. Mould master with life + ownership

    Each mould has: ID, owner (you / customer name), cavity count, expected shot life (typically 500K-2M shots), shots done to date, last service date, location. Mould approaching 80% life triggers maintenance schedule.

  2. Material grade master with virgin/regrind/masterbatch %

    Grade ABC for customer X: 70% virgin (HDPE, rate ₹125/kg), 25% regrind (in-house regrind, rate ₹70/kg), 5% colour masterbatch (rate ₹450/kg). Blended cost per kg auto-computed. Customer specs (max regrind %) enforced.

  3. Production order: shots × cavities × cycle time

    Order 50,000 pieces of part XYZ on 4-cavity mould. System calculates: 12,500 shots needed. At 28 sec/cycle, that's 5,833 minutes = 97 hours of machine time. Schedule on machine #5 across shifts.

  4. Real-time machine cycle capture

    Each injection machine logs cycle time, shot count, and downtime through machine sensors (or operator screen if no sensors). Dashboard shows live: machine #5 running, mould Y, shot 4,238 of 12,500, cycle 28.3s vs std 28s.

  5. Regrind reconciliation per shift

    End of shift, operator weighs sprue + runner regrind generated. System logs regrind kg by grade. Stock master shows live regrind inventory by grade. MRP for next production blends regrind first (within spec).

  6. Tryout vs production classification

    When a new mould is mounted, the production order is flagged 'tryout'. All material consumed and parts rejected during tryout post to a tryout cost centre, not the customer's product cost. Customer-billable tryout time (per contract) is tracked separately.

  7. Customer mould monthly ledger

    For each customer mould, monthly statement shows: mould #, location (your floor / their warehouse), shots done, expected life remaining, maintenance status, parts produced this month. Customer gets transparency; ownership disputes vanish.

  8. OEE per machine per shift

    Availability × Performance × Quality per moulding machine per shift. Six Big Losses breakdown: changeover time, breakdowns, minor stops, reduced cycle, startup scrap, production scrap. Variance vs target visible in real time.

Modules tailored for plastic injection moulding units

Out-of-the-box features (no custom development needed):

Mould master with life + ownership + maintenance

Customer-owned moulds segregated from your moulds. Maintenance schedule by shot count.

Material grade BOM (virgin + regrind + masterbatch)

Blend ratios with rate-effective tracking; customer-spec regrind % limits enforced.

Multi-cavity production planning

Cavities × cycle time × shifts = realistic production plan.

Machine sensor integration / manual capture

Real-time cycle and shot capture from machine PLC or operator entry.

Regrind reconciliation

Sprue + runner regrind tracked by grade; reused per spec.

OEE per machine per shift

Availability x Performance x Quality with Six Big Losses breakdown.

GST and compliance

Indian regulatory requirements handled natively:

HSN 39xx (plastics) with 18% GSTPre-loaded HSN map for raw material grades and finished items.
ITC-04 if you do outsourced electroplating / chrome on plasticsNative ITC-04 if you send finished parts for chrome/plating to a job-worker.
E-invoice mandatory above ₹5 cr turnoverDirect NIC IRP integration; auto-IRN on every invoice.
Plastic Waste Management Rules (EPR)Track plastic waste generated per month for EPR (Extended Producer Responsibility) reporting under CPCB rules.

Customer story

Customer profile

An injection moulder in Pune

95 employees, ₹38 cr turnover, 24 injection machines, auto components + appliance parts

"Mould life tracking surfaced ₹6 lakh of unplanned mould failures in the first 4 months - failures we'd have caught earlier if we'd been counting shots. Now maintenance is scheduled by shot count, not by 'we'll get to it.' Downtime due to mould failure is down to almost nothing."
Measured outcomes

Pricing for your size

Injection moulders run 10-25 user licenses (production planners, machine operators if shop-floor digitized, dispatch, accounts). ₹2,499/user/month = ₹25,000-₹62,500 per month. Implementation: 1-2 weeks for a 50-150 employee single-location unit.

Frequently asked questions

Does ERPDrive track mould life by shot count?

Yes. Each mould has expected life (shots), shots done to date (auto-incremented per production), and a percentage remaining. Alerts at 80% trigger maintenance planning. Customer-owned moulds are segregated from your own moulds.

How does multi-cavity production planning work?

When you create a production order, the system uses cavity count from the mould master × cycle time from the mould-machine combination. 4-cavity mould at 28s cycle = 514 cycles per hour = 2,056 pieces per hour. Planning is realistic, not theoretical.

Can ERPDrive handle virgin + regrind + masterbatch BOM?

Yes. Each material grade has a blend ratio: virgin %, regrind %, masterbatch %. Customer-spec limits (e.g. max 20% regrind for automotive) are enforced. Blended cost per kg auto-computes from current rates.

How is sprue and runner regrind tracked?

End-of-shift, operator weighs the regrind generated and posts to the system. Regrind is added to grade-specific regrind stock. MRP for next production uses regrind first (within customer-spec limits), reducing virgin material consumption.

Can ERPDrive integrate with our injection machine PLC?

Yes. Modern moulding machines with OPC-UA or MODBUS interfaces can push shot count and cycle time directly into ERPDrive. For older machines, operator entry via tablet captures the same data with one screen per shift.

How does ERPDrive handle customer-owned moulds vs our own moulds?

Each mould master has an 'owner' field. Customer-owned moulds are segregated; you can run monthly mould-ledger statements per customer showing location, shots done, maintenance history, and life remaining. Ownership disputes are eliminated by transparency.

What is OEE tracking for an injection moulding plant?

OEE = Availability × Performance × Quality, calculated per machine per shift. Six Big Losses breakdown: changeover, breakdowns, minor stops, reduced cycle speed, startup scrap, production scrap. World-class is 85%; Indian SME injection moulders typically run 45-60%.

See ERPDrive for your plastic injection moulding units

Free 30-minute personalized demo using your actual products, BOMs, and pain points. Scheduled within 24 hours.

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