TRAVERSE CITY, Mich.—Making the switch from engineering-based application software to production floor application software has helped make RJG Inc. successful.
"Our software is designed around implementation on the production floor," said Scott Van Hoven, sales manager for RJG. "We have taken a hard look at making our software interfaces intuitive for our users to set up and provide them the correct information on their process."
The company offers software, as well as sensors, modules and installation kits.
"We sell a variety of components to our customer base," Van Hoven said.
"In regards to our software side of our business, we sell profit-monitoring and control software for injection molders," he said.
The firm works closely with injection molders to help them increase efficiency.
"(RJG customers) usually come to us with some sort of application, an injection molding application that they need help with," he said. "So we work with them to figure out what their needs are for the project, and, based on that and their future needs of implementation, we go over a plan with them."
The plan consists of what equipment is required, followed by a training plan.
Van Hoven said RJG redesigned its software a couple of years ago to production-based software. He said the change has paid off.
"It was all about taking from an engineering level tool to a production level tool," he said. "It certainly helped our customers implement process monitoring technology."
Founded in 1985, the company has been serving the automotive industry as well as the medical industry.
"Those were the two areas we strategically wanted to work in," he said. "We started in the automotive industry; being in Michigan, that was a major part of our clientele. We work closely with the medical industry as well."
The company supplies the consumer goods industry too, he said.
"The major pain in the injection molding industries is having the ability to know each and every shot, and how a part is manufactured and having that traceability to their end customers," he said. With the demand for better quality constantly increasing, Van Hoven said the company always seeks ways for its customers to deliver better products.
The firm's automatic parts segregation software is one such example. The software allows products to be automatically sorted through, saving time and improving the quality of the parts.
"That reduces their external rejects that are then going out to their customers, making them more competitive," he said.