Productivity is the key for all businesses. When a company manages to be productive, successfully addresses labor shortages, and also reduces its environmental footprint, that’s a genuine win. That’s exactly what SpaceKap achieved. It’s no wonder this SME from Beloeil, Quebec, is now regarded as the largest maker of fiberglass truck caps in North America.
Key Takeaways
- A $2M+ 2020 investment in resin transfer molding cut door production time from a full day to under two hours for the same 18 units.
- The new process quadrupled production while eliminating the need for door repairs entirely.
- Resin transfer molding also captures VOC emissions under vacuum, resulting in zero emissions compared to the old open-mold method.
What did SpaceKap actually invest in back in 2020?
In 2020, SpaceKap transformed its door manufacturing department by acquiring a resin injection pump for the resin transfer molding process, around thirty sets of molds and counter-molds, and an industrial vacuum system, a total investment exceeding $2 million.
Resin transfer molding is a semi-automated process that occurs between a mold and a counter-mold, allowing for the perfect filling of a cavity. Thanks to this technology, all doors produced for SpaceKap’s service units are uniform and more rigid.
How much faster is door production since the switch?
This investment revolutionized how fiberglass doors are manufactured. SpaceKap could initially produce 18 doors per day. Now, the same 18 doors take less than two hours. “Thanks to this technology, we have quadrupled our production. And not only have we increased our production capacity, but our doors are now flawless, eliminating the need for any repairs,” reports Christian Lauzier, vice president of operations at SpaceKap.
In the context of a labor shortage, this kind of technology is very welcome. It reduces training time, since the process is easily operable and requires only minimal dexterity, compared to the old method, which demanded a lot of patience and experience for manually laminating fiberglass doors.
Does this process actually reduce emissions, or just speed up production?
The resin injection process using this pump also eliminates emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). This factor mattered to SpaceKap in justifying the investment. “With the old open-mold laminating method, we had a large volume of styrene molecules evaporating, creating an odor. Today, with the resin transfer molding process, the free styrene is almost entirely used in the polymerization reaction, and what little evaporates is directly captured under vacuum, resulting in zero emissions,” adds Christian Lauzier.
Productivity. Growth. Consistency. Better cost management. And eco-responsibility. Everyone wins.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much did SpaceKap invest in its resin transfer molding upgrade?
SpaceKap invested more than $2 million in 2020 on a resin injection pump, around thirty sets of molds and counter-molds, and an industrial vacuum system.
How much faster is door production with the new process?
SpaceKap now produces the same 18 doors in under two hours that previously took a full day, roughly quadrupling production.
Does resin transfer molding reduce emissions compared to the old method?
Yes. The process captures free styrene emissions under vacuum, resulting in zero VOC emissions compared to the odor and evaporation of the old open-mold method.
