Free template
Injection molding skills matrix template.
On the night shift of most molding plants, the mold gets changed on time. What waits until morning is the part after it: bringing the process back to a released part, or fixing a hot runner zone that will not come up. That is where the scrap and the idle presses come from.
This template is built around the night shift, where coverage is thinnest. It opens on a filled-in example with two gaps, the kind a shift report never names.
Injection molding skills matrix, Excel
The matrix below, a qualification log with expiry dates and a cross-training plan. Free, no email needed. Opens in Excel, or in Google Sheets through File, Import.
The example it opens on
Molding, 6 people. Levels 0 to 4, where only 3 and 4 count as coverage. Training status is the number at level 3 or higher minus the number the station needs.
| Skill | Tech A | Tech B | Tech C | Tech D | Tech E | Tech F | Needed | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mold change | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | - | - | 2 | ✓ |
| Process startup after mold change | 3 | - | 1 | 2 | - | 1 | 2 | −1 |
| Hot runner troubleshooting | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | −1 |
| Robot and automation reset | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | +1 |
| Material drying and handling not critical | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | +1 |
| Color change not critical | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | - | 2 | ✓ |
| Part inspection at the press | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | +2 |
Two rows read −1. Process startup: Tech A is the only person who can bring a press from a new mold to a released part alone, so every second mold change of the night waits for A or for the morning. Hot runner troubleshooting: nobody on nights is at level 3, which today means a call-out or a press standing until the process engineer arrives.
What is different in injection molding
Split the mold change from the startup
Hanging the mold and releasing the first good part are different skills. Plants that track only mold change see full coverage while presses wait for the one person who can dial in the process.
Build the matrix per shift
Day shift usually has the process engineers and the experienced setters. Make one matrix per shift, and set the coverage rule for the thinnest one.
Requirement of one is fine for rare skills
Hot runner troubleshooting does not need two experts per shift, but it needs one. A requirement of one still turns red when nobody is there.
Qualifications and expiry
Molding has few legal qualifications, but most plants keep internal releases: process startup authority per press size or material, robot safety training, and customer-specific approvals. Log them with an expiry so they get renewed.
The template's Qualification log calculates each expiry date and flags anything due within 30 days or overdue.
The cross-training plan
Every gap becomes a dated entry with a trainee and a trainer. In the example:
| Skill | Trainee | Level | Trainer | Practice | Assessed by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Process startup after mold change | Tech D | 2 → 3 | Tech A | Every mold change on press 4 and 7 started by D, A alongside | 2026-12-11 |
| Hot runner troubleshooting | Tech A | 2 → 3 | Process engineer | Two night visits a month by the process engineer | 2027-02-26 |
The method behind it
The levels, the evidence for each one and the coverage rules are explained in the skills matrix guide, with a worked example from an assembly cell. When the matrix has to cover several teams, shifts or sites, see how skills matrix software in TeamGuru counts the gaps the same way for all of them and shows, per skill, who is expired or expiring soon. Comparing tools? Start with the buyer's guide.
Templates for other areas:
Frequently asked questions
What skills belong on an injection molding skills matrix?
Mold change, process startup to a released part, robot and automation reset, material drying, color change, inspection at the press and hot runner troubleshooting cover most plants. Add press-size or material-specific rows only where the startup is genuinely different.
Should the matrix be per shift?
Yes. Coverage is a shift question: the plant can look covered across all shifts while nights depend on one person. Keep one matrix per shift and compare them.
How do I assess process startup?
Observe a full startup after a mold change, from cold to a released part, against the process sheet. Level 3 means the person reached a released part within the standard time and scrap target without help.