FAQs about HLH with James Murphy

Some frequently asked questions about HLH with James Murphy;

What is your role at HLH?

I am in charge of the international side of the business and everything that encompasses. We also do quite a lot of work for domestic Chinese customers but the requirements in terms of quality and service are quite different and there is a dedicated team to take care of this.  We decided to split things in this way as it makes ensuring we meet everyone’s expectations a lot easier. Although I get involved in everything my focus has shifted towards project management and business development as these are where I can be of most use to HLH and our clients’.

Who owns HLH?

HLH is owned by a few people but the majority shareholder is my good friend and mentor Vader Yu. Mr. Yu is a very successful entrepreneur here in China who owns a number of businesses connected to prototyping and manufacturing. I met Vader through a friend a long time ago and as soon as we met we hit it off. He asked me if I wanted to join him on an adventure to build a leading global manufacturer of parts and prototypes, and I said, why not. That was seven years ago, we started with just three people and have grown rapidly ever since. We work well together, a bit like the ying and yang in Chinese culture, his is a business centered mind which craves form and structure and mine is a restless mind racing off at tangents and getting into all kinds of trouble, so we fit together well.

What are your companies’ core values?

Honesty and hard work, we know only through these and a dedication to doing just that little bit extra can we ensure success for both ourselves and our clients. I feel it is also it is important to own up when things go wrong and look at how you can solve it instead of becoming defensive. Everyone makes mistakes but not everyone is able to admit it and work hard at trying to improve, we try to do this every day.

How is quality managed?

We check everything, every part from every job. That said we do miss some issues, and we have lots of room for improvement, not just in terms of processes and equipment, which we are constantly tweaking and investing in but also in terms of our own quality mindset. We need to truly understand the customers’ requirements and make sure we meet and exceed them, this is where real quality is found, in doing just that little bit more than is required.

What tolerances are achievable?

It really does depend on the process, the materials and the geometry, but we work to an ISO tolerance standard unless otherwise requested. Some companies will force you to work to their standards; we try to work to yours. So we assess each and every job and requirement individually and quote based on what our clients want from us not on what we want to do for ourselves.

How rapid are the rapid tools?

We are striving to be the fastest in the business like for like. Actual lead times depend on multiple variables, but we are looking to cut lead times when compared to traditional tooling in half, if not better.

What materials can you use?

For our rapid tooling service essentially any commercially available injection molding resin. We can run most materials in-house, even some specialist high temp materials like PBT and PEEK and any we cannot handle in our own presses we have partners externally who can take the job on. For the other processes our material list is comprehensive and conformance checking comprehensive.

What about IP protection?

We take this very seriously, if we didn’t we would be out of business pretty quickly. We work with some large German auto manufacturers who have requested we look at getting the ISO 27002 for data security and we are already working towards this standard. We have already implemented many of the conditions and recommendations and should have obtained the certification before the end of this year.

What about the future?

We want to grow our rapid tooling capabilities and experience and have just moved into our new facility where we are also creating a dedicated 3D printing lab. We are optimistic about the future in spite of global ups and downs which we feel we can ride based on our commitment to our customers and delivering the best for them.

Thanks for stopping by for a quick visit, If you have any questions please feel free to drop me a line – info@HLHPrototypes.com.

At HLH, we make things for you.