JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #36 - October 2007 - 32

FEATURE “Transportation” More information Market g…/… Solution for the transport market other, compared to the competition. This mix of processes and information is generating much confusion in the market and stifling creativity in finding simple, competitive alternatives. Customers define the processes they prefer, and there is a tendency to ordain the use of a single process in a sort of “globalization”. In the case where a customer’s supplier maintains that RTM Light and high-pressure RTM produce different products, it can take a lot of time to set them straight on the differences between the two processes: regardless of the purely technical aspects, the materials are the same. The only thing that differs is the injection technology and therefore, both products are alike. One may have better appearance and resistance than the other? Yes, but that depends on the moulder, the mould, the quality of the materials used, etc. Here again, the question is: “What process are you using?” That is a mistake. What really matters is what I, the customer, need and expect from the product. The questions that need to be asked are: What are the requirements? What level of tensile, impact or elongation resistance do I need? What type of surface? What life span is at stake? Is weight an important issue? What is the application? Where will it be used? What are the necessary investments? One question customers will surely ask is ”What can we do when our supplier has only one single process?” The answer is simple: the supplier can (and should) seek out intelligent and strategic alliances. The “single process/unique material” view has doomed any number of high-technology processes and materials. There is no more room for products and components made with non-competitive materials and processes. Process is a consequence. We need to put aside the stereotype of a unique and irreplaceable process, because it kills our capacity for thought and creation and, even worse, squanders the opportunity to reduce costs and to produce a part using more than one process or material. In the highly competitive market we’re living in, we cannot afford the luxury of using materials and processes that perform above the needs of the product. The world has changed, and so has the plastics market. Raw materials are constantly changing, and nanotechnology has new surprises for us every day. Because of the evolution of technology and materials, our “truths” are relative: yesterday’s technical knowledge may not be valid tomorrow, i.e. the same large press required previously to manufacture a certain The Marcopolo Group was set up 58 years ago. Its four core businesses are Urban and Road Buses, Comercial de Veículos Leves (Volare – Light Vehicles), the Moneo Bank, and Plastics (the MVC business). With a workforce of 11,000, Marcopolo manufactured 16,000 units in 2006, or 65 units per day. It has nine plants: three in Brazil, two in Russia, and one each in Mexico, Colombia, South Africa and Portugal. In 2007, it will build two more plants, including one in India. Marcopolo’s share of the Brazilian market in 2006 was 44.9%. product might be obsolete today. Being an expert means being always ready to go back to learn more. This is why we don’t pretend to know which processes and materials will meet the composite demand in the transportation market; rather, we intend to open a discussion about the strategies that will add value and distinction to the market. One suggestion is to stop asking “Which process?” and start asking “What is your best solution for manufacturing my product?” More information: www.mvc-marcopolo.com.br MVC plant JEC Composites Magazine / No36 October - November 2007

http://www.mvc-marcopolo.com.br http://www.songhefrp.com

JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #36 - October 2007

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #36 - October 2007