Centimfe at Aachen

Following the established contacts at Moulds Event 2002, in Portugal, last October, and our participation at the EU's Sixth Framework Programme for Research Presentation, Centimfe met at IPT facilities in Aachen, Germany, last 9th and 10th December, with Ascamm (Spain) and CRIF (Belgium).

That meeting wanted to discuss several proposals submitted at European Commission, namely goals and development of a project idea that will integrate Moulds, Plastics and Special Tooling SME’s. This European Project will also want to demonstrate the importance of international networks and partnerships.

Centimfe has another Master in Mould Design and Manufacturing

The dissertation was presented, by António Baptista, from Centimfe, last 12th December, at University of Minho, in Guimarães, and was classified with VERY GOOD mark.

It is the second dissertation presented by Centimfe employees within Mould Design and Manufacturing Post Graduation Course. The first one was developed by Billy Araújo about “Rationalization of Ejection Systems of Injection Moulds”, the second one talks about “Fraction of electrodes in EDM”.

Pense Indústria values impact of the project

Following the project activities foreseen to 2000/2002, it was realised an inquiry to evaluate the project impact in professional and scholar course of ex trainees, that frequented the Pense Indústria (Think Industry) until 1997 to 2001.

The results obtained were satisfactory, because 82% of the inquired people said that the project was very important and helpful to make choices about their professional or scholar course/way. They also said that with Pense Indústria Project they could met the industrial reality and also knew the importance of the new technologies.

It is also important to say that Pense Indústria Project is developed by four Portuguese Technological Centres: Catim, CTCV, Citeve and Centimfe to touch young people to the Industry, putting them in contact with the industrial reality, through the equipments available at the laboratories, activities that usually are developed and also visits to glass, moulds, ceramics, food, paper and plastic companies.

To realise this inquiry, the technical team selected trainees from 97-98, 98-99, 99-2000 and 2000-2001 scholar year, and contacted them by phone, putting them the same questions.

Pense Indústria Project 2000-2002

Along 2000-2002, and following the expected activities of Pense Indústria (Think Industry) Project, Centimfe covered more than 5000 Km to promote “Is like that in the Industry” activity near students and near all the school community. Is like that in the industry activity wants to show the industrial reality, simulating activities and presenting possible professional careers in the Industry.

The success of the initiative obliged to develop additional efforts to realize all requests. Only in these two years, participated more than 6400 people: students, parents, teachers and school community.

In Parallel, at Centimfe, along these two school years, 35 classes with 468 trainees participated in Pense Indústria sessions, and they came from local schools as: Escola Básica 2/3 Guilherme Stephens, Escola Básica 2/3 Professor Alberto Nery Capucho, Escola Básica 2/3 de Colmeias, Escola Secundária Pinhal do Rei, Escola Básica 2/3 de Maceira, Escola Secundária José Loureiro Botas, E.B. 2/3 Padre Franklim e E.B. 2/3 de Pataias.

A GREAT SUCCESS!!!

Centimfe supports companies in Quality Standard Transition

Four companies, Moldoeste, Portumolde, Intertelha and Dionísio Gomes das Neves, supported by Centimfe, made the transition to the new version of Quality Standard ISO 9001:2000, with many more making the transition or in the process of setting up and implementing quality management systems.

In fact, Centimfe, in co-operation with INOVA, has been supporting to assist companies in implementing quality management systems or making the transition to the new version, and since 1995, Centimfe supported, successfully, thirty companies.

Engineering of the 20th Century in exhibition at Cordoaria Nacional

Engine and Work - Engineering in Portugal in the 20th Century is the theme for an exhibition that will take place from 8th January to 2nd Mars 2003 at Cordoaria Nacional, in Lisbon. Centimfe and Cefamol are collaborating with the Organizing Committee.

This event is organized by Centre for Innovation, Technology and Policy Research from IST, in co-operation with Contemporaneous History Institute from Universidade Nova de Lisboa and supported by Ministry for Education, Ministry for Culture, Town Council of Lisbon, Portuguese Engineering Order, Engineering Academy, National Laboratory of Civil Engineering, among others…

To promote the critical analysis of technology and engineering in Portugal, transmitting the engineer art as a creator and innovator, are the main goals of the initiative.
Photos, machines and parts of some moulds companies from Marinha Grande will be present at the exhibition, for example: Anibal H. Abrantes, Molde Matos, Repsil, Somema, Edilásio Carreira da Silva, and so on...

Besides the exhibition, the Organizing Committee is also preparing the publication of two works: Engine and Work and The Engineering in Portugal in the 20th Century and a catalogue of the exhibition, in which authors want to show the evolution of the engineering in Portugal.
Centimfe participates in those works with two texts about moulds and product engineering.
More information is only available in Portuguese: http://www.engenharia.com.pt

Parliamentary Socialists Members visited Centimfe

The Parliamentary Socialists Members visited Centimfe last 2nd December, in order to identify new competitiveness politics, problems and opportunities.

The socialist group also visited Inteplástico, SET, Planimolde, Plasdan and Santos Barosa.

At the end, the leader said that in Marinha Grande there are good companies that won the competitiveness battle, and they must be considered as good examples".

OPEN - Business Specific Opportunities Association

The OPEN (Business Specific Opportunities Association) public deed, was signed last 22nd November by founder partners: Centimfe - Technological Centre for Mouldmaking, Special Tooling and Plastic Industries, CEFAMOL - The Portuguese Association for Mould Industry, Câmara Municipal da Marinha Grande - Town Council of Marinha Grande, ANJE - The Portuguese Young Entrepreneurs Association and INOVA.

The OPEN association will be located at industrial area of Marinha Grande, in Technological Park, with CRISFORM - Protocol Centre for Glass Industry and the future Business Centre.

The OPEN was created in order to promote the incubation of new companies and RD Projects, developing, simultaneously, partnerships between Universities and Industry and also encouraging the increase of Innovation, Employment and Business Cooperation.

This project is supported by POE Operational Programme for Economic Activities) and will integrate sixteen new companies, eight from Industry and the others from industrial services.

It will also have a videoconference room, meeting rooms and a reception room. The investment approximate value will be thirty thousand euros.

OPTIMOULD Project Ratified

The Optimould - Development of innovative design and manufacture techniques for aluminium moulds Project was ratified last 20th November. The ceremony took place at Knowledge Pavilion in Parque das Nações, Lisbon, and was participated by Ministry for Science and Higher Education, President of Foundation for Science and Technology and Innovation Agency.

Iber-oleff, SET SA, Centimfe, Universidade do Minho and Alcan – France compose the consortium.

The main goals of Optimould are the development of technologies and methodologies for aluminium moulds and its validation.

The project was submitted to EUREKA initiative and ADI_POCTI of Research Projects in consortium, in October 2001.

Optimould was approved as Eureka: E! 2691.

DefenseNet Appliances and IPORCENTRO ratified

The DefenseNet Appliances project was submitted, last July, to PRAI - Programme Innovative Actions Programme in the Middle Country, and was ratified last 14th November 2002. The Ceremony took place in Comissão de Coordenação da Região Centro, in Coimbra, and was presided by the Ministry for Towns, Territorial Planning and Environment, Phd Isaltino Morais.

The DefensetNet Appliances project aims to create specialized solutions for network interconnection, namely routers and firewalls. These solutions will be based on Open Source software, and a special care on security will be undertaken. The solutions shall be able to run in a broad spectrum of hardware (PCs, net appliances and embedded systems) using different technologies, including wireless. As a second result, secured integrated solutions will be offered in order to promote the use of this type of hardware in order to help SME to achieve a greater degree of security in their IT systems.

The duration of the project will be 18 months.

At the same ceremony, was also ratified the IPOCENTRO project – Development of PIM – Powder Injection Moulding Technology in the Middle Country.

This project was created to obtain technical components of geometry produced by PIM. Simultaneously, the consortium wants to transfer the technology to the other industrial sectors.

IPN, CTCV, Centimfe, GRAMAQ and TeandM constitute the IPOCENTRO consortium.

President of Centimfe was granted with Career Award

Promoted by ANJE - The Portuguese Young Entrepreneurs Association, delegation of Leiria, the ceremony “INOVA LEIRIA 2002” took place at the Castle of Leiria, last 9th October.

The Career Award was delivered to the Presidency of Iberomoldes Group, Mr. Henrique Neto and Eng. Joaquim Menezes, also President of Centimfe. From Distrim 2, Eng. Luis Medeiros received INOVA LEIRIA award for R&D, while Mr. Luís Febra, from Socem, was granted with Human Resources award.

Incubators as Innovation and Sustainable Development Supporters in the Industry and Regions

Last 15th of November a Round Table about Incubators as Innovation and Sustainable Development Supporters in the Industry and Regions took place at Centimfe's facilities.

The main goal with the event was to reflect upon incubators experiences, and to promote discussion about OPEN Project (Business Specific Opportunities Association) that has been developed by Centimfe.

This event was participated by representants from ITEK - Incubator for Technological Entrepreneurship Kiryat Weizmann, Mr. Shmuel Yerushalmi, TAGUSPARK, ANJE, PME Capital, BIC ASSOCIATION and IAPMEI, to present their experience with incubators.

Centimfe also presented the OPEN project – Specific Opportunities of Business. It will be an association to develop technologies, companies and know how, supported and oriented by Centimfe. OPEN Association will be created to promote industrial integration, through the promotion of spin-off’s, technological transfer and specialized training.

Energy Management

Following the INTERVIR (to intervene) Project, The Portuguese Business Association - AEP promoted last 14th November at Centimfe a Conference about Energy Management.

It was the third event realized, but there are also several conferences to promote, in Portugal, until the end of 2003, about Safety and Health, Environment, Quality, Industrial Design, Marketing and Logistics.

Ch@tmould at Wuppertal – Germany

From 26th to 30th October, the Ch@tmould Partnership Project met at Wuppertal in Germany with spanish, finn and german partners.

It was the first transnational meeting promoted to discuss the next two years activities and also to present the development of each project. The next meeting will take place at Marinha Grande, Portugal, at the beginning of 2003.

Ch@tmould at Denmark

Invited by the National EQUAL Office, Ch@tmould Project will participate in the “Enlarging EQUAL” Conference, next 21st and 22nd of November, at Denmark. This event is promoted by European Comission.

“Preparing for EQUAL”, “Running EQUAL” and “Financing EQUAL” are some of the areas that will be discussed in this conference, in order to clarify candidate countries to EU about Equal thematics and proceedings.

Each of these areas will be presented in three workshops, that will be repeated along two days to assure the participation of all presents.

Ch@tmould representatives wil present, in Workshop II “Running EQUAL”, their experience, in order to help participants to know more about partnership preparation and development.

"Enlarging EQUAL” Conference will be participated by Denmark Labour Ministry and European Comission representatives.

Incubators as Innovation and Sustainable Development Supporters in the Industry and Regions

It will take place, at Centimfe facilities, next 15th November a Round Table about Incubators as Innovation and Sustainable Development Supporters in the Industry and Regions.

The main goal with the event is to to reflect upon incubators experiences, and to promote discussion about OPEN Project (Business Specific Opportunities Association) that has been developed by Centimfe.

Centimfe at European Research 2002

Following the established contacts at Mouls Event 2002, in Portugal, last October, Centimfe will participate in European Research 2002 Event, in the Palais du Heysel in Brussels, from 11 to 13 November 2002.

The European Commission will hold a major conference to mark the launch of the EU's Sixth Framework Programme for research, which will cover the period from 2002 to 2006.

Based on the experience of a similar event in February 1999, the conference will be a major forum to present the objectives and priorities of the Framework Programme and to explain rules for participation.

Simoultaneously, the event is meant to create opportunities for scientific debate and exchange of best practice beyond those subjects addressed in the Framework Programme.

For further information please visit the site of the event http://europa.eu.int/comm/research/conferences/2002/index_en.html

XX Plastics Seminar

XX Plastics Seminar will take place on the 7th, 8th and 9th November in Grande Hotel of Luso.

This event is organized by APIP - Portuguese Association for Plastic Industry, and it is considered the most important meeting of plastic profissionals.

For more information please contact the organization by phone 213150633 or by apip.lisboa@apip.pt

Master Courses in Polymer Engineering and Moulds Project

Master Courses in Polymer Engineering and Moulds Project started last 18th October. The Polymer Engineering started at University of Minho facilities, in Guimarães. The second one, at Centimfe facilities, in Marinha Grande.

Both are developed by Centimfe and University of Minho.

Centimfe in Portugal Industrial – Brazil

To promote the Mouldmaking Industry and to develop partnerships between portuguese and brazilian companies and institutions, took place in São Paulo, at Brazil, from 17th to 20th September, the first portuguese exhibition in Brazil “Portugal Industrial”.

Portugal Industrial was organized by AEP and ICEP and was participated by Centimfe, Cefamol, Moliporex, Gramaq, among others… These portuguese participants, presented some communications in a seminar entitled: “Portugal: Innovation and Technology in Moulds Conception”.

To profit the Portuguese presence on the exhibition in IBIRAPUERA – S. PAULO – BRAZIL Centimfe also participated on the XII SEMINAR OF TECHNOLOGICAL PARKS AND ORGANIZATIONS INCUBATORS in order to promote contacts with the world-wide leaders of Incubators and Science and Technology Parks.

Moulds Event "Moldes Portugal 2002" shows the World an accurate picture of Portugal's excellence

This international event, held in Portugal last week, has reached conclusion, playing an important mission: - To present and confirm Portugal's competitive capacity and technological standards, to the largest key players in the international scene.

And there to prove it, is the open interest publicly presented by the "lords" of the World industry - Boeing and Autoeuropa - in becoming straight partners with Portuguese mould making companies.

The largest international event of the Mould Industry, has concluded last Friday, after five days of intense opportunities for exchange of experiences and opinions on what this sector's future will be.

Some of World's prestigious brand's representatives have gathered in Marinha Grande and Oliveira de Azeméis, the likes of Fiat, Ford and Volkswagen, or the aeronautical icon Boeing, only to name but some.

In fact, speakers like Mr. Leonard Bodzioni for Boeing and Mr. Gerd Heuss for Autoeuropa, have actually stamped the event with their papers and by publicly presenting their companies intentions in building partnerships within the Portuguese industry, not only for making moulds but equally for developing and engineering their products, based on the Portuguese advanced know-how and capacity in terms of rapid prototyping.

The Week's Final Balance may now be defined as one of tremendous success, having reached its two main goals – to induce a better perception of the Portuguese Mould Sector's competitive capacity and its strategic place and importance in the international industrial scene and, secondly, to bring forward to public the challenges presently faced by one of the most successful examples of internationalisation and competitiveness within the Portuguese economy.

That being exactly the Government's opinion, as it was pointed by Mrs. Dulce Franco Vilhena - Deputy Secretary of State to the Minister of Economy, who, enhancing the importance of this event, emphasized its unique concept in terms of privileged forum for scientific, technical, technological and entrepreneurial discussion as well as becoming a landmark on the map of international partnerships.

Foreseeing the future, she further referred: "positively and optimistically believing that the Portuguese Mould Sector will confidently continue to self-differentiate itself, for its forwarded attitude in technological development, consistent investment in advanced equipment, adequate quality control and fundamental investment in training and research."

"For the dynamics permeating the sector can only keep pushing it up the international ranking", she concluded.

And to confirm all of it, Stats (numbers) always play their part, this time summarizing results as follows:

For the RPD 2002 - 54 scientific papers were submitted by either technical experts or scientific researchers, some of which presented to an audience of more than 150 business people and international organizations.

For the Brokerage Event - Moulds and Dies 2002 - About 80 participants were involved, 27% of which were foreigners and about 50% from I&D Research Centers and Universities. Among them 13 projects were brought to discussion and around 70 Business to Business meetings took place.

As for The International Conference - The official closing event on the week's calendar, participants amounted to more than 150, of which to enlighten the communications both by Mr. Salvatore Cacciatore (Fiat's Concept Lab and Product Engineering) and Mr. Gerd Heuss (General Manager for Portugal with Autoeuropa).

Centimfe was granted with Automotive Innovation award was granted with "Automotive Innovation" award

Integrated in ACM - Auto Cluster Meeting initiative, promoted by AFIA (Portuguese Society of Car Components Manufacturers), ICEP , AINP (Northern Portugal Agency) and Inteli, Centimfe was granted with Automotive Innovation award, in the Scientific and Technological Category, by the relevant contribution to the excellency, innovation and quality on the automotive sector in Portugal.

On Education Category, won The School of Engineering of the University of Minho. In Process and Production Category, the winner was Amorim Industrial Solutions.

The awards session took place on 3rd June, in Lisbon, at the end of a Seminar about Automotive Industry.

The Auto Cluster Meeting Initiative integrated a series of events, in order to increase the reflection about the national automotive industry, and to promote the Portuguese Organizations image.

Centimfe @ Antec 2002

Centimfe participated in one of the most important event about plastics promoted in the United States of America: ANTEC 2002 - Annual Technical Conference.

The event was promoted by SPE - Society for Plastics Engineers, to 5th to 9th May, in San Francisco, California.

RNPR - Portuguese Prototyping Network: A successful case of competitive collaborative network" was the theme presented by Centimfe in the interactive session about Conception and Product Development.

Integrated in the interactive session about Project, the President of Centimfe spoke about: "Mold Design and Manufacture: An Approach to Innovation and Sustained Development".

During ANTEC event, Centimfe participants also visited the Stanford University and the Southern California University, where is being developed a new system of Rapid Prototyping