Two Temecula, Calif., businesses that make automobile electronics and safety systems have merged and now operate under a new identity, Sunstone Components Group Inc.
Solid State Stamping Inc. finished its acquisition of Molding International and Engineering Inc. April 15, and both are now Sunstone divisions. Terms were not disclosed.
In safety-critical automotive components, their target market is pretty much the same, but the customer bases for Solid State and MIE have little overlap, said Brad Adams, Sunstone owner and chief executive officer. ``We will continue to emphasize the MIE name in their marketplace and Solid State in its marketplace.''
MIE co-owners President Gregg Hughes and Chief Financial Officer Craig Heiserman sold their business.
Through the merger, Solid State expanded its reach vertically up the food chain, said Hughes, who continues as Sunstone vice president of process technologies and innovation. Heiserman will remain with Sunstone through 2008 for transition purposes.
Previously, Solid State lacked plastics processing capability and, in some cases, was supplying components such as connector pins, contacts or other stamped parts for MIE insert molding. ``We have opportunities with some customers to supply products with plastics content,'' Adams said in a telephone interview.
In terms of platforms, Solid State has tended to supply domestic car brands, and MEI provided parts mostly for Japanese transplants, Adams said.
Shipment of products such as air bags, accelerometers and tire-pressure monitors may go to automotive operations in North America, China and England.
MIE operates 32 injection molding presses including 18 Engel vertical rotaries of 55-155 tons and 14 Engel and JSW horizontals of 30-250 tons.
In 2007, MIE acquired two 150-ton Engel vertical rotaries as part of two fully integrated automation cells, Hughes said.
MIE uses six-axis Denso robots. ``We developed a lot of [programmable-logic-controller software] for robots,'' Hughes said.
While the molding equipment stays put, MEI ancillary manufacturing, warehousing and engineering work is being integrated and relocated with existing Solid State operations. Solid State is absorbing MIE's metal-stamping operations.
Now, Solid State and MIE operate in close proximity in Temecula facilities of 48,000, 17,450 and 11,000 square feet.
Before the merger, Solid State employed 60 and MEI 120.