D&M Plastics Corp. and a Chinese injection molder have formed a joint venture to make plastic parts for cellular phones in China. The partnership will be D&M's first in Asia, said Mike Teofilo-vich, the company's chief executive and president. He would not disclose terms.
Initially Fu Yu's plant in Tianjin will insert mold components for D&M customer Motorola Inc., based in Schaumburg, Ill. D&M will trade its insert molding capabilities with very intricate, close-tolerance parts for Fu Yu's position near Motorola's plant in Tianjin, Teofilovich said in an April 12 telephone interview.
So far the firms have been communicating via faxes and mailings, he said. But a D&M engineering team will visit the Tianjin plant within the next six to 10 weeks, he said. The company eventually plans to locate engineering staff at the plant.
Teofilovich said Fu Yu's plant already has begun custom molding parts for the ``lucrative contract'' with Motorola. Fu Yu is well-established in China, he said. He would not comment on the size of its operation.
Most of D&M's customers, many of them Fortune 500 firms, are in the electrical connector and telecommunications business. Teofilovich said the move into China shows his firm's willingness to progress with its customers that have their own plans for the region. D&M also hopes to use the partnership to accrue new customers, exploiting a market with great potential, he said.
D&M, based in Burlington, Ill., operates a 35,000-square-foot molding plant there with 150 workers, and 33 presses with clamping forces of 55-125 tons. About 25 employees work at nearby sister company Trident Manufacturing Inc., which has a highly automated assembly plant, Teofilovich said.
The Burlington plant has had ISO 9002 certification for two years, he said.
