Citing a trend for original equipment manufacturers and molders to do more in-mold decorating, Hy-Tech Forming Systems (USA) Inc. recently opened a project development center in Phoenix.
Hy-Tech, which specializes in close-tolerance forming of printed film, opened a 6,500-square-foot facility at its headquarters campus. The project is costing $1.2 million, according to Fred Himmelein, president and chief executive officer. Soon Hy-Tech will add injection molding, a wire and sinker electrical discharge machine, optical inspection and more trimming equipment.
``Our business traditionally has been forming services for screen printers, but the last few years we've added [original equipment manufacturers], molders and contract manufacturers to our mix,'' Himmelein said.
The company also hired two specialty engineers.
``We have a lot of customers who do high-volume work in Asia and Latin America, but at times they can find the work hard to manage,'' he said.
The idea of the center is to build, test and experiment with an in-mold-decorating system in the United States, then use Hy-Tech's engineering staff to assemble the completed, tested system wherever it is needed.
The center also will offer companies the opportunity to train staff, verify tooling and certify the processes prior to shipment.
The arrangement gives companies easy access to the system but provides the ability to move the production cell to take advantage of offshore labor costs.
Hy-Tech formed 26 years ago.