Thermoforming equipment supplier Ridat Co. has switched production to a new, 12,000-square-foot plant at Resolven, Wales, where it plans to expand manufacturing.
The London-based company made the move from its former production site near London. The Welsh facility opened in July. The new location offers good transportation logistics and a pool of skilled engineering workers, according to the company.
``Once the decision was taken to move, [the benefits of] lower costs and improved deliveries came into the picture,'' a spokeswoman said.
Ridat expects the £300,000 ($567,000) project to deliver growth of more than 35 percent in both annual sales and in machines manufactured, the spokeswoman said.
The company makes manual and automatic thermoforming machinery, including vacuum and pressure forming units, and skin and blister packaging lines.
During the past year, Ridat won a number of new equipment orders including one for high-speed automated packaging lines for a plant in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, owned by Beverly Hills, Calif.-based razor manufacturer SuperMax Corp.
Ridat also sold two industrial thermoforming machines for making heavy-duty bath products to Micron Maschinen & Agrotech in Kolkata, India.