MGS Technical Plastics Turns Live Production Data into Better Decisions with Intouch

UK injection moulding specialist MGS Technical Plastics is using Intouch across all 19 of its injection moulding machines to improve utilisation, plan capacity and reduce downtime. The system also supports commercial decisions and allows the company to provide customers with live updates on production progress through the Intouch app.

Watch the video below to hear how the MGS Technical Plastics team uses Intouch to monitor production, plan capacity and keep customers informed.

MGS wanted a clearer understanding of how its manufacturing resources were being used and where improvements could be made. Machine utilisation was a particular focus, with the team looking to identify where production time was being lost, how efficiently jobs were running and where capacity was available.

The business already had an ERP system to manage manufacturing orders and information such as bills of materials. However, it needed a more detailed view of what was happening on the factory floor.

Kail Sturgess, Manufacturing Project Engineer at MGS Technical Plastics, explained: “We didn’t know how long toolsets were taking. We didn’t know how long material was drying and how long we were using not actually producing parts.”

MGS had previously used a wireless MES system, but recurring reliability issues meant the team could not consistently rely on the production data it provided. The company needed a dependable solution that could work alongside its ERP system and provide accurate, live insight into production performance.

Intouch was integrated alongside the existing ERP environment, with manufacturing orders transferred into the system through a process Sturgess described as “quite seamless”.

The team also checked the accuracy of the information being collected. Scrap figures recorded through Intouch were tested against MGS’s existing production sheets. Once the figures were shown to match, the company removed the duplicated manual process and began using Intouch as its production data source.

Managing Director Judson Smythe said: “The implementation for MGS went really easily.”

The team was able to manage the implementation without significant involvement from senior management, allowing Smyth to remain focused on running the wider business.

Intouch now gives teams across MGS a live view of production performance on all 19 injection moulding machines. Machine utilisation data shows where capacity is being used effectively and where production time is being lost.

Cycle monitoring provides greater insight into manual jobs, helping the team assess machine and operator performance against target cycle times. Operators also use Intouch directly at the machine to record scrap as it occurs, removing unnecessary paperwork and making the information immediately available to the wider business. This visibility supports greater operator accountability and continuous improvement.

Visual displays around the factory make production status immediately visible. When a machine stops, technicians can respond faster, helping to reduce downtime and improve OEE utilisation.

Production Planner Craig Parkinson uses Intouch to see when jobs are expected to finish, with completion times informed by live production data rather than calculations or estimates alone.

This information supports labour, material and logistics planning. If a machine is heavily loaded, MGS can identify alternative machines with suitable capacity and move production to maintain product flow. Better utilisation data also helps the team allocate jobs, identify spare capacity and plan future production more effectively.

At management level, confidence in the data allows MGS to use it for capacity modelling and capital expenditure planning. Smythe said: “The integrity of the data is critical, and since implementing Intouch, we’ve had full faith in it.”

The benefits also extend to customer communication. With live production information available through the Intouch app, the team can provide faster, more accurate updates on job progress without having to check back with the factory. Smythe uses the app during customer visits to show how production is performing and when orders will be ready.

He explained: “It allows me to take my phone out when I’m visiting a customer, show them exactly where their production is up to, how well we’re manufacturing it, and when it’ll be ready.”

Whether responding to a customer call or meeting face to face, immediate access to production information is helping MGS provide a more responsive and informed service.

Across manufacturing, planning, logistics and management, the company is using the same production data to allocate work, optimise processes, respond to downtime and support decisions about future capacity, investment and business growth. As Smythe explained, Intouch gives MGS the confidence to use its data to find ways to manufacture “better, simpler and faster”, benefitting both the business and its customers.

As MGS continues to expand its manufacturing capabilities, it plans to extend Intouch into its new engineering division, bringing the same approach to production data into more areas of the business.

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