Nypro Inc. and Tsuda Industrial Co. Ltd. have formed a 50-50 joint venture to provide plastic decorative services to multinational customers, initially in China.
The companies view the venture as the start of a worldwide effort to link molding and decorating services, Nypro President Brian Jones and Tsuda President Kenzo Tsuda said May 15.
The venture, Nypro Tsuda Decoration Co., will lease space in Suzhou, China, beginning with 40,000 square feet now under construction. By mid-2002, the venture expects to start using two painting lines in a Class 100,000 clean room. Separately, Nypro began operations at a Suzhou injection molding facility in January.
Investment during three years will total $8 million to $10 million to establish capabilities in electromagnetic-interference shielding, decorative spray painting, ultraviolet hard coating, spray painting, vacuum metalizing, laser etching and other processes.
Clinton, Mass.-based Nypro employs 9,200 at 28 plants in 12 countries and projects sales of more than $800 million for the current fiscal year ending June 30.
Tsuda of Hiki-gun, Japan, employs 500 at four factories in Japan and one in Henderson, Nev., and has annual sales of about $120 million. Tsuda began decorating plastic surfaces in 1966 and is regarded as a standard-setter for UV hard-coated finishes.
Tsuda began operations in Henderson in early 2001, under an alliance with SPM Inc., which now is part of United Plastics Group Inc. of Westmont, Ill. The Tsuda UPG alliance remains in effect.
Now operating as Tsuda Surface Technologies Inc., the unit in Henderson shortened Tsuda's supply lines to the North American market and focused on decorating cellular telephone housings and automotive interior components.
