ELK GROVE VILLAGE, ILL.-Arizona's Tech Group plans to hold an open house May 15 near Chicago for the latest addition to its family of custom injection molding and mold-making companies, Tech Group Chicago. The company completely renovated the Elk Grove Village facility, including the installation of three Roboshot injection molding presses from Cincinnati Milacron in a Class 100,000 clean room. The presses have clamping forces of 33, 55 and 110 tons.
Six other presses operate in a standard clean-environment production area. The firm also added all new auxiliary equipment from Conair. The 22,000-square-foot facility has a fully equipped and staffed mold-making area, according to officials of the Scottsdale, Ariz., firm.
Other services the facility provides include ultrasonic welding, heat staking and assembly. Tech Group plans to add stereolithography for rapid prototyping of parts during the next fiscal year, which begins July 1.
Tech Group Chicago, which purchased Heinz Plastic Mold Co. last year to serve its customers in the greater Chicago area, will operate as a product development center for Tech Group, specializing in product and mold design using a computer-aided design system, mold sampling and production molding.
Loomis boosts space for injection molding
SEATTLE-Loomis Co. of Seattle is expanding its injection molding, thermoforming and screen printing space to 36,000 square feet.
The company had 29,000 square feet of space, and was subleasing an additional 7,000 square feet. In September, Loomis acquired 5,000 square feet of that space and by the end of April will be in all 7,000 square feet.
With the expansion, the firm added two Vista Star injection presses and five employees. The presses have clamping forces of 200 and 300 tons. Loomis now has eight injection molding machines and a staff of 24.
``We saw a strong need for manufacturers in injection molding who offered secondary services such as packaging and shipping,'' said President Charles Loomis.
The company needed the 7,000 square feet to provide those value-added operations to such companies as MicroSoft, Sears & Roebuck, fishing rod and baseball manufacturers and others.
The firm uses many types of plastics, including ABS, PVC, nylon, high and low density polyethylene, and acetal.
``We saw our sales rise 25-30 percent from 1994 to 1995 and expect them to rise another 15-20 percent this year,'' Loomis added.
Loomis Co. had 1994 sales of $2.1 million; 1995 sales were $2.83 million.
Lear, Bing create venture for seating
DETROIT-Lear Corp. announced a joint venture with Bing Manufacturing Inc., Michigan's largest minority supplier, to assemble seating for an undisclosed 1997 Ford vehicle.
Lear and Bing will build a 40,000-square-foot plant in Detroit's ``empowerment zone'' that will employ about 70 after it opens in late summer. Although no plastics fabrication will occur at the plant initially, Lear said it is hopeful of expanding the operation to supply interior systems to Ford and other automakers.
Bing Manufacturing, a maker of assembled interior systems, is owned by Dave Bing, a former Detroit Pistons basketball star. Lear said the investment in the new plant was in the ``multimillion-dollar'' range. Businesses that invest in Detroit's empowerment zone receive tax breaks and other incentives.
Royal to repay debt with note offering
TORONTO-Royal Plastics Group Ltd. plans to raise US$100 million through a private placement of 10-year senior unsecured notes to U.S. institutional investors.
The Toronto-based vinyl products extrusion firm said May 3 that it will use the proceeds to repay U.S. dollar debt under its revolving credit facilities. Institu-tional investors have committed to buying the notes, subject to due diligence. Royal will close the offering in June. It will mature in August 2006. Nesbitt Burns Securities Inc. of Toronto will represent Royal in the transaction.
Sunbeam expanding with three presses
STANLEY, N.C.-Sunbeam Out-door Products purchased three injection molding machines made by Hemscheidt Machine Corp. of Schwerin, Germany.
The machines, expected to be delivered to Sunbeam's plant in Stanley in late July, will be used to manufacture lawn and garden furniture. Sunbeam selected the machines because they have Hemscheidt's Retractable Tiebar System, which requires 40 percent less floor space than comparable machines.
Finished parts can be removed laterally without being rotated, but the molds can be changed laterally while the tiebars remain in place. Sunbeam Outdoor Products is a division of Sunbeam-Oster Co. Inc., headquartered in Chicago.
Samsonite unit adds press, plans more
STRATFORD, ONTARIO - Samsonite Canada Inc. added a 660-ton injection press in February.
The Stratford company has budgeted about C$1 million (US$737,000) for new injection machines. No new employees have been added yet. As business comes in, Samsonite will add the machinery required for that project, said John Rice, vice president of administration.
``The number added will depend on the growth of business,'' he said.
Samsonite, a part of Samsonite Corp., the luggage company, makes parts for the auto industry as well as for luggage. The parts are made from ABS, high density polyethylene, polypropylene, nylon and acetal. Samsonite has 19 injection presses.
The company has 32 employees involved in injection molding and had injection molding sales of US$4 million last year. Samsonite Canada as a whole employs 143 and had total sales of C$21 million (US$15.5 million) last year.
Delta Pacific moves to Sants Clara plant
SANTA CLARA, CALIF. - Injection molder Delta Pacific Products Inc. moved from Fremont, Calif., to Santa Clara last year and plans to add equipment this year.
The move was from an 8,000-square-foot facility to a 17,000-square-foot plant. Delta Pacific is renting the Santa Clara building.
Delta Pacific employs 22 and has seven injection molding machines with more to be added by the end of 1996. The firm's fiscal 1995 sales were $1.61 million.
Delta Pacific serves the medical, pharmaceutical and computer industries.