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Injection Molding
S. China plastics firms struggling, but eye modernization

Au
GUANGZHOU (September 30, 2008) -- By some estimates, thousands of factories in the Pearl River Delta manufacturing area between Guangzhou and Hong Kong have closed down, as China kicked in tough new tax and labor laws designed to push local industry to modernize. Plastics News interviewed a number of attendees about the subject at the recent AsiaMold exhibition in Guangzhou, including Alfred Au, vice chairman of the Hong Kong Mold and Die Council. Au said, “I think the challenging time will be the coming year.”

Re-evaluating China, from across the Taiwan strait
TAIPEI, TAIWAN (September 30, 2008) -- With costs quickly climbing across the Taiwan strait, many of the island’s companies are reassessing their relationship with mainland China, a region that is both its biggest market and its fiercest competitor. Plastics News spoke with several Taiwanese firms on the subject at the Taipei Plas show, which was held earlier this month.

Taiwan press makers unveil all-electrics at Taipei Plas
TAIPEI, TAIWAN (September 30, 2008) -- With much fanfare, several of Taiwan’s largest machinery firms unveiled new all-electrics at the recent Taipei Plas trade show. The presses use servomotors developed by a joint Taiwanese industry and government funded research project. As previously reported by Plastics News, industry officials said the technology will aid local press makers in becoming more competitive against high-end Japanese and European all-electrics.



Helix invests in medical molding in U.S., China
SHANGHAI (September 23, 2008) -- Helix Medical LLC is expanding its clean rooms at its three U.S. plants and has received new ISO certifications for its Carpinteria, Calif., plant and APEC Asia Ltd., its manufacturing operation in the Guangdong province of Shenzhen, China.

Mazda process makes plastics parts lighter
HIROSHIMA, JAPAN (September 16, 2008) -- As part of a drive to reduce weight and lessen the environmental impact from cars, Japanese auto maker Mazda Motor Corp. has developed an injection molding technology that it says mixes supercritical fluids with plastic to reduce resin consumption and lightweight car parts by as much as 30 percent.

Mann+Hummel building fourth facility in China
SHANGHAI (September 16, 2008) — German automotive molder Mann+Hummel GmbH is building a new plant in Shanghai to manufacture filters and filter systems, and plans to make the new plant its research and development center in Asia.

U.S. molder Fawn Industries closing plant
TIMONIUM, MARYLAND (September 9, 2008) -- Fawn Industries Inc. has closed its Middlesex, North Carolina, plastics molding plant, reflecting a global change that has forced it to move work to lower-cost regions. Fawn’s end markets include automotive, telecommunications and consumer products.



Press maker Haitian’s profits dip
NINGBO, ZHEJIANG (September 2, 2008) -- Haitian International Holdings Ltd., China’s largest maker of injection molding machines, saw its profit fall more than 8 percent in the first half of 2008, as demand plummeted from economic woes in the United States, rising oil prices and higher costs in China. The tougher business environment led to a “rapid and steep decline” in demand for molding machines, particularly for smaller machines of less than 500 metric tons of clamping force, the company told the Hong Kong Stock Exchange late last month. Profit for the first six months of 2008 fell even as sales rose about 9 percent.

Mann + Hummel bolsters its global automotive reach


Seipler
TRAVERSE CITY, MICHIGAN (August 26, 2008) -- Here’s a hint you’re dealing with an international auto parts maker: when a German-based supplier moves its French-born head of its North American operations to run its newly acquired subsidiary in South Korea. In July, Mann + Hummel Automotive Inc. completed the acquisition of Dongwoo Co. Ltd. of Munmak, South Korea, and named Claude Mathieu to head up operations. Mann’s top executive Dieter Seipler said the company hopes the close contacts with Korean automakers will give the maker of injection molded air-intake manifolds and other functional auto parts an inside track for those companies’ global cars.

Toshiba expanding all-electric press output in Shanghai
SHANGHAI (August 26, 2008) -- With mainland China’s demand for all-electric injection presses on the rise, Japanese press maker Toshiba Machine Co. Ltd. is doubling the capacity of its Shanghai factory. The company is also seeing increased exports from Shanghai to other Asian markets. Toshiba makes all-electrics from 40 to 350 metric tons of clamping force in Shanghai, along with die-casting machines.

Taiwanese alliance develops all-electric press tech
TAIPEI, TAIWAN (August 19, 2008) -- A Taiwanese research alliance has developed technology that it claims puts it on par with high-end all-electric presses at a 30 percent cost savings, compared to similar Japanese machines. Now the Taiwan Association of the Machinery Industry says it just needs time for its image to grow to become competitive in the Taiwanese and mainland Chinese market, and then it will expand to Southeast Asia and South America. The technology will debut next month at Taipei Plas. Members of the partnership are press makers Fu Chun Shin Machinery Co. Ltd., Multiplas Enginery Co. Ltd. and Victor Taichung Machinery Co. Works Ltd.; servomotor supplier Teco Electro Devices Co. Ltd.; and stretch blow molding machine maker Chum Power Machinery Corp.

Husky to emphasize packaging over automotive
BOLTON, ONTARIO (August 12, 2008) -- Husky Injection Molding Systems Ltd. will reduce its presence in the large-molding-machine market for the automotive sector in favor of building up its core business of presses for PET preforms and the packaging sector. The decision to de-emphasize large-machine manufacturing reflects differing growth rates in the respective markets.

DC-Mould makes thrifty move from city center

Zhang
SHENZHEN, GUANGDONG (July 29, 2008) -- Those who fear rising costs across the board in China, here’s a message from on the ground: You can still keep cost relatively low, but it takes effort. Injection mold maker DC-Mould, for one, is moving its factory location around boomtown Shenzhen to keep the rent low. “The rent at our current location has jumped 40 percent in the past five years,” said company owner Tony Zhang. After some research, he decided to move the factory a little further away from the city center.

Hard times force U.S. molder Modern to shut doors
BENTON HARBOR, MICHIGAN (July 29, 2008) -- Modern Plastics Corp., founded in 1937, is closing down -- a victim, company officials said, of the many hardships facing the U.S. plastics industry. Executives said Modern Plastics got walloped by high costs for resin, utilities, transportation and health care, the inability to pass along price increases, financial turmoil at customers and loss of work to China and Mexico.

Design Guide: Lord of the Rings and plastics innovation

Lefteri
Designer and materials specialist Chris Lefteri takes a different tack in his regular Design Guide series of stories. This week, Lefteri explores the manufacturing process of a product whose beginnings came about on the set of the popular movies based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Kaynemaile is a product that challenges conventional injection molding to offer a type of product that is actually hundreds of years old, but until now it has been made very laboriously by hand.

Sipa aims for flexibility in the China market
HANGZHOU, ZHEJIANG (July 22, 2008) -- After a whirlwind debut on the Chinese market more than a decade ago, Italian bottle machinery company Sipa SpA has gained a reputation in the region. And with the help of a new China-made injection press and increasing marketing efforts, it’s a reputation the company is looking to expand.

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