Hoover Precision Products LLC has invested $570,000 to build a Class 100,000 clean room and buy a 220-ton Nissei injection molding machine at its Sault Ste. Marie facility.
Eric Sturdy, executive vice president and general manager, said customer feedback prompted construction of the $350,000 clean room.
Hoover, a subsidiary of Nara, Japan-based Tsubaki Nakashima Co. Ltd., expects the $220,000 all-electric machine to be delivered in mid-April. The company currently operates five other all-electric machines, all with a clamping force of 165 tons.
The machine will produce about 6 million test tubes monthly, Sturdy said. About 30 percent of Hoover's customer base is in the medical segment.
Sturdy said the firm hopes to add two or three workers to the 39 currently at the plant.
Hoover operates nine facilities worldwide that manufacture precision ball and bearing components. It generates annual sales of $70 million, with the Sault Ste. Marie operation accounting for $9 million.
