Haverhill Mould and Tooling prides itself on being a trouble-shooter when it comes to difficult plastics injection moulding work. 'We get all the hard jobs,' workshop manager and director Neil Farenden explained. 'If a customer has a complicated piece or something that must be produced to high tolerances, then they come to us because of our experience.' Neil and his brother Nigel have run the company in its namesake town of Haverhill, Suffolk, for almost twenty years.

Working with a client base that has 'anything to do with plastics', Haverhill has built up particular experience in making moulds for the production of high quality optical plastics for vehicle lighting systems and commercial lighting applications.

Accuracy is of the utmost importance to ensure that the final components meet the tight tolerances required.

Many of the applications for which Haverhill produces moulds require the development of complex tools that incorporate sliding cores or are manufactured in modular formats to enable a variety of components to be made from one basic toolkit.

The DMS-Diemould Hot Runner System has proven to be extremely effective, particular in meeting its exacting demands of accuracy.

Neil explained: 'We had been using hot tips, but it was actually one of our customers that suggested that we use the DMS-Diemould Hot Runner System - it has been absolutely fantastic'.

'The design is very good and the system works well for us.

Just as importantly the service is excellent, so you get back up when you need it.' In particular Nigel Farenden, managing director of Haverhill, says he appreciates the control that the Hot Runner System gives him, fine-tuning the production process to maintain accuracy and minimising waste.

He continued: 'We get a lot of information and feedback from the system, such as temperature history by zone.

By tracking performance, we can ensure that the tool works at full efficiency ensuring long life.' The company currently employs a workforce of ten, half of which are skilled toolmakers.

As well as being the company that can tackle jobs too difficult for other suppliers, Haverhill also puts the emphasis on quick turn-around times for its customers, usually delivering a mould from start to finish in four to six weeks.

To achieve this Farenden said the firm needs to be able to rely on its own suppliers, such as DMS-Diemould.

He said: 'DMS understand our business and they understand our needs.' The company has no fear of low cost competition from overseas.

Farenden continued: 'We've competed against Chinese firms and we have even had re-work moulds made in China that just weren't up the standard required.

At the end of the day that is why we remain successful and people continue to use us; excellent quality and good service.'