A world without plastics is unthinkable, as is a world without a sustainable future. This is why a large part of the Kunststoffenbeurs – Plastics Fair, on September 20 and 21 in the Brabanthallen in Den Bosch – is dedicated to renewable and recyclable products. One of the regular guests at this fair is Timmerije, which has been part of the High Tech Platform for 20 years. Sales & Marketing Manager Frank Bruins tells us about this injection molding company’s ambitions and plans for the fair.
- Plastics are necessary to keep our world running.
- There is still much to be gained in making plastic products more sustainable.
- Timmerije will show at the Kunststoffenbeurs what is possible in this area.
Timmerije is a plastic injection molding company from Neede, in the Netherlands. Established in 1932 by Hendrik Timmerije, the company has grown into a specialist in developing and producing customer-specific technical plastic products. Timmerije currently produces over 1500 items, which end up as parts in a wide range of end products, from bicycles and coffee machines to truck interiors and ventilation systems.
Innovation
Innovation is an ever-present theme at Timmerije, says Frank Bruins. “We are specialists in injection molding, but it takes much more than that to be a successful company today. We ensure this by working with the customer right at the beginning of the production process. By being completely upfront about what is needed for an end product that is not only the best quality, but also recyclable as a new raw material or reusable as a refurbished product, we achieve the best result.”
This is not a new process for Timmerije, Bruins knows. “I have been working here for almost eighteen years now, and when I came in, this was already an important theme. We know exactly where we can take our role in our customer’s supply chains, just as the other stakeholders know. Because if anything is important in a sustainable production process, it is to leave parts of the process to each other in confidence. Cooperation, including in logistics, is central to this. This creates a closed loop of raw materials and product parts. The OEM plays an important role there, of course, but also the party that can process the used products, a party that turns them into new granulate, and us as its processor. The coordination between those players is crucial.”
Design for Circularity
But what is also essential is that the products are designed in such a way that this closed loop is indeed faesible. Bruins: “We always want a future-proof product with a beautiful and functional design. We achieve that thanks to a combination of Design for Manufacturing, Design for Assembly, and Design for Circularity, all of them ways to improve the manufacturability of a product during the design phase and to be able to guarantee a long life and reuse of the valuable raw material.”
At the Plastics Fair, as always, Timmerije wants to show some of its best practices so that the rest of the sector can also learn from them. “Earlier, we used the example of the office chair for this purpose. We were able to show how all the parts could be neatly taken apart, separated from each other, and each processed into new raw materials in its own way. Only to be given a new purpose again. That was a pioneering process, and we are still very proud of it. And we are already preparing to show a very nice case again for this year.”
Award
The real highlight for Timmerije was in 2018 when the company was able to show the Inspiration and Innovation Award of the Hightech Platform at the fair – for the way a biological polymer could be used as an alternative plastic. “That, too, is typical Timmerije: we think of something, go and create it, and show the market the pros and cons of such a production method. It does not always benefit us completely, but if not, it can still benefit the industry. For that, too, the fair works as an ideal platform. For us, it’s a way to proof that we want to stay ahead.”
Collaboration
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