The following news briefs were gathered by Plastics News reporter Joseph Pryweller from the Michigan Minority Procurement Conference, held May 24-25 in Detroit.
Developing NU Tech may form ventures
Injection molder Nu Tech Plastics Engineering Inc. has purchased a large, new injection press for its Swartz Creek, Mich., plant.
And more may be on the way, said Nu Tech director of marketing and sales Joe Harris. The minority-owned automotive-parts suppliers is discussing a joint venture with another company to open a blow molding plant in Flint, Mich.
In addition, Nu Tech, based in Grand Blanc, Mich., is talking to Southfield, Mich.-based Lear Corp. about opening an injection molding plant in Detroit. Lear would provide the supplier with a parts contract for that plant, Harris said. Details still must be worked out, he added.
The new Milacron press increases the company's total to 19 machines at its three Michigan plants, Harris said. The company invested about $1.8 million in the press, the fourth at 1,500 tons for the company.
Nu Tech makes a variety of interior and exterior parts, including plastic front grilles and seat shields.
Ill.'s D&R Technology opens design facility
Injection molder D&R Technology LLC has opened a design and engineering studio near its current plant.
The Addison, Ill.-based company opened the 6,000-square-foot design studio this month, said Roberto Enriquez, D&R vice president of sales. The facility will perform solids modeling using a variety of computer-aided-engineering packages and house test equipment.
Office space is being moved to the new building from the company's 40,000-square-foot molding facility, Enriquez said.
D&R, which makes plastic electromechanical assemblies, recorded about $6 million in sales last year, Enriquez said.
Midwest expanding space, equipment
Automotive-parts supplier Midwest Molding Inc. is planning a major expansion that will nearly double the size of its plant.
The company, based in West Chicago, Ill., is adding 18,300 square feet to its injection molding plant, increasing its size to 43,000 square feet, said President Pat Patel. The $800,000 addition is to be completed in October.
Midwest also plans to spend about $3 million over three years to buy new presses — perhaps some as large as 800 tons — and other equipment. It now has 14 injection presses with clamping forces of 35-400 tons, Patel said.
The firm was founded in 1996. Its products include mirror housings for Tier 1 injection molder Donnelly Corp. of Holland, Mich. and other parts for such customers as Saturn Corp. and Delphi Automotive Systems. Midwest recorded about $5.5 million in sales last year, he said.