Yesterday, Crompton Mouldings welcomed engineering students from the University of Huddersfield, together with our local MP, Josh Fenton-Glynn, as part of our Manufacturing Day activities.
The aim of the visit was simple: to give the students a proper look at modern UK manufacturing and show them how an idea develops from an initial concept into a finished product.
Following introductions and a short presentation about Crompton Mouldings, the students were taken around our facility to see rotational moulding in action and learn more about the different stages involved in manufacturing.
As part of the technical session, we demonstrated how a simple customer sketch or concept can be developed into a 3D CAD model, then into an engineering drawing and ultimately into a manufacturable mould design. We also demonstrated some of the technologies we use within our Technical Department, including 3D printing for prototypes, jigs and development work.
For many of the students, rotational moulding was a process they had seen very little of before. Being able to stand next to the machines, see the moulds, understand how the material behaves and then see the finished components gave them a very different perspective from what can be learned in a classroom.
The visit also gave us the opportunity to explain that modern manufacturing is much more than simply operating machinery. Engineering, CAD, tooling, process control, materials, quality, project management and problem-solving all play a part in taking a product from an idea to repeatable production.
One of the most rewarding parts of the day was seeing the students become increasingly engaged as the visit progressed. There were plenty of questions throughout the factory tour and Q&A session, and we hope we opened their eyes to some of the career opportunities available within manufacturing and engineering.
Days like this are important for our industry. If we want the next generation of engineers to choose careers in manufacturing, they need opportunities to see what actually happens inside companies like ours.
A big thank you to the students and representatives from the University of Huddersfield for visiting, to Josh Fenton-Glynn for joining us, and to everyone at Crompton Mouldings who helped make the day a success.
We thoroughly enjoyed having everyone on site and hope the students left knowing a little more about rotational moulding — and with a few new ideas about where a career in engineering could take them.