Case Study: Australian Automotive Manufacturer, Fit My Car

In a fading landscape of once-saturated Australian automotive manufacturers, Fit My Car stands out. Producing plastic fittings for the automotive industry, they saw growth as the years went by. Orders soon began to outpace production capacity, and they needed to upgrade their equipment, fast. That’s when our paths crossed.

James Tinsley, CEO, began talking with our team. He discussed everything from automated robotic trimmers to thermoforming machines, plus tooling and factory layouts with our experts. At the time, Fit My Car was looking for a facility where they could continue to grow. It was important that they had the perfect setup for lasting, high-yield production, covering their current needs and leaving plenty of room for futher growth.

After discussing their options in detail, James and his team settled on the CMS Eidos 2015, a sought-after thermoforming machine in the CMS Plastics range. During the consultation process, we provided detailed data on everything from recommended tooling to inline output configurations for the machine, consulting with CMS along the way. 

After months of thorough exploration, we gave CMS the green light on production. The engine powering Fit My Car’s growth was about to spark into life.

Speed bumps ahead

The decision to invest in a high-end thermoformer did not come lightly to James and his team. As an engineer, he was interested in producion numbers, and knew the value of prototyping. So, while the machine was being built in Italy, he shipped over a tough TPE plastic, the material they would be using in the manufacturing process. CMS tested the material on Fit My Car’s Eidos and reported back with findings. Things were going according to plan.

By February of 2023, CMS had finished manufacturing the machine and loaded it up, ready for pickup. The large size of the thermoformer called for custom crates to be constructed, ensuring it stayed secure in transit. Once packed, it began it’s long journey from the port of Genova, destined for Melbourne, Australia.

While the machine was at sea, James and his crew were negotiating a lease on their new factory. The estimated arrival time for he Eidos was on the 9th May, 2023 – which didn’t leave much time to find and prepare a fitting facility.

With the shipment arriving on the 9th May as expected, FMC had a big problem on their hands. Where were they going to store three huge wooden crates, two of which were oversized?

The cost for holding the crates at a freight facility from the 15th May (the first day when storage would start) until the 31st July, when a potential factory would be free, would have totaled $50,000 – a huge sum by any means. Seeing these numbers, Fit My Car doubled their efforts to find a facility, with Pierre on hand to advise them.

By the 25th May, we got the OK to organise the Eidos’ delivery to a termporary storage facility in Carrum Downs, VIC. A few days later, the machine was transported there. The next challenge lay in freeing it from it’s wooden frame.

Spilling beyond the crate’s walls by 25mm on either side, the movers had a decision to make. Would they drag it out of the box, or lift the roof up and sping the sides to get it out?

By the 31st of May, all the contents of the crates were removed, with the machine transported using a Frama crane. The final facility was secured a month later. Timing proved tricky, as the European summer was about to start in July. Installation was scheduled for September, when technicians came back from holidays, ready to work.

True to their word, CMS sent out a technician in mid September. Fit My Car was about to start their production engine and shift into the fast lane.

Revving up for success

As a data-driven company, Fit My Car is committed to improving it’s cycle times. With the help of our team, they were able to access the Eidos’ built-in data collection settings, then measure their productivity in real-time. By May of  2024, James and his team kindly hosted a demo of the Eidos for an interest customer, showcasing the capabilities of this high-yield thermoforming machine. In the months ahead, their capacity grew greater than ever before – and thoughts of investing in another Eidos began to emerge. Stay tuned to see what happens next!

If the Eidos has been on your radar, let this case study be your prompt to explore it in more detail.

Feel free to request information from Dominik, Pierre, or the team at Innovync on info@innovync.com.au or speak to one of our reps today.