Group service · before you commit
An engineering conversation before you commit to a route.
You have a part in mind. You're not sure whether it wants silicone or polyurethane, cast or compression, prototype or production tooling. Ring us. The first conversation is free and it costs you nothing to walk away.
When it's right
Four situations where this service earns its keep.
You're between prototype and production
Hand-cast will get you samples fast, injection is right for the volume, but the crossover isn't obvious. We'll help you plot the tipping point.
You're looking at two materials
Silicone and PU behave differently. So do platinum-cure and tin-cure silicones. So do LSR and HTV. We'll narrow it before you buy anything.
You've been quoted elsewhere
Bring the quote. We'll tell you honestly whether it's the right route, even if the answer is 'yes, buy it from them.'
You're new to moulded parts
First-time buyers are our favourite conversations. We'll spend the time to make sure the vocabulary lines up before we start pricing.
How it flows
Four stages, in the usual order.
- 01
Ring or email
Describe what you're making. A sentence is enough to start.
- 02
Route recommendation
We tell you which of the five moulding routes fits, and which division does that work.
- 03
Material shortlist
Two or three grades you should consider, with the trade-offs.
- 04
Honest 'no'
If we're not the right supplier for your job, we say so and point you elsewhere. It saves everyone time.
What we need from you
To scope it properly.
A sketch or photograph. Even a phone snap of a napkin sketch. Beats a paragraph nine times out of ten.
A volume, even a guess. One-off, tens, hundreds, thousands — the answer changes for each band.
A budget frame, if you have one. Not a fixed number. A range. It stops us specifying you something that doesn't fit the world you're operating in.
Go deeper
3 ways this service is usually put to work.
Each has its own page with the detail: what's involved, when it fits, and when it doesn't.
Picking the material before anyone picks the tool.
Most moulding problems we're asked to fix started with the wrong material, not the wrong mould. A short consultation on grade, cure system and…
Which of five moulding routes your part actually needs.
Hand-made, cast, vacuum-cast, compression, injection. Each one is right for somebody. The consultation tells you which is right for you now, and…
When your part is selling and the tooling needs to catch up.
The part works. Orders are climbing. The question is when to step up the tooling, and how to do it without changing anything your customers liked.
At a glance
The idea in a picture.
One enquiry, the right team
- 01One enquiryTell us what you need
- 02Right divisionWe bring in the specialists
- 03One quoteCovering every part of the job
- 04Named contactOne person keeps it moving
- 05DeliveredMoulds, parts or both
Swipe to see the whole diagram
FAQs
Common questions.
Is the consultation really free?
Yes. We win the work by being useful in the first conversation. If you don't buy, we don't invoice.
Do you sign NDAs?
Yes. Send yours or use ours. We prefer to have it in place before drawings arrive.
What if my job isn't for one of your divisions?
We'll tell you and, where we can, point you at the right people. There are things we don't do, and we're comfortable saying so.
Related
Where to read next.
We run four materials. We're not paid to push one over another.
Platinum-cure silicone, tin-cure silicone, polyurethane, and various rubbers pass through our workshop every week. That…
Design for manufacture, across five moulding routes.
A part designed for one process doesn't necessarily suit another. Our DFM review covers all five moulding routes we run…
One phone call, one engineer, however many divisions it touches.
TCI Group is four brands with one workshop behind them. If a job spans Mouldings and Products, or Culinary and…
The group
This service sits at the group level
TCI Group is the umbrella brand. The specialists behind this service work across all four divisions.
Get in touch
Not sure which division? Tell us what you're making.
Send us a sketch, a photograph, or a paragraph. We'll come back with the right division, the right route, and an honest sense of what it will take.
Real people, a real workshop
You deal with the people who make it.
No call centre and no middlemen. When you contact TCI Group, you speak to the team who design, build and check your mould.
- A real Warwickshire workshopUnit 15, Waterloo Park, Bidford-on-Avon, Alcester B50 4JG.
- Real people on the phoneCall the team on 01789 224228, Monday to Friday.
- The same team on every jobDesign, production and aftercare come from the people you see here.
- Five brands, one teamMoulds, culinary, construction and contract products, all run from Bidford-on-Avon. See the divisions.
Thomas LaneManaging Director
George PrestonDesign & Project Manager
Kelly BallingerHead of Partnerships
Jim AndertonProduction Manager
TheodoreEmployee Welfare