Here at Anchor Plastics we have a Product Development Process Team, or P.D.P. Team, to facilitate proper communication with all parties involved. This is a structured method of defining and establishing the steps necessary to ensure that a product satisfies the customer and is completed on time. It is our own version of the QS9000's Advanced Planning Quality Plan.

Click here to view a flow chart that illustrates the paths that can be taken on any given quote. Below is the breakdown of a P.D.P Process.

Sales: Receives request for quotation from customer.

Sales: Quotes tooling parts, material and any other secondary operations.

Sales: Receives purchase order or letter of commitment for customer to proceed with tooling.

P.D.P. Team: Initiates new job. Team meets for a pre-design meeting and reviews print, specifications, and purchase order requirements. The team will then accept or decline project.

Sales: If applicable, send a letter declining order to customer. If project was approved, the team carries on.

P.D.P. Team: PFMEA and Control Plan are started. Part change requests are sent to the customer to revise.

Tool Coordinator: Designs preliminary mold print. A toolmaker will then review the preliminary design and recommend any changes, after which the final mold design and details are created.

Sales: Sends the tool design to customer for approval and notes any other changes that are necessary to be able to mold parts.

Moldmaker: Builds the tool according to print after the customer has approved the tool design.

P.D.P. Team: Fixtures, gages and sample material is ordered during the time the tool is being built. These items will be delivered before tooling is complete. Once tooling is sampled, the P.D.P. Team will evaluate the sample and process.

Quality: Inspects the parts to ensure the highest quality.

P.D.P. Team: Determines if there are any adjustments needed on the tooling before submitting parts to the customer.

Sales: Sends the samples to the customer for evaluation. If samples are rejected, the process starts again. If the samples are accepted, the team carries on.

P.D.P. Team: Finalizes PFMEA and Control Plan, creates process monitoring and inspection form for production. The team then transfers the approved tooling and process documentation to Customer Service and Production.