When injection molder United Plastics Group Inc. opened the doors on its first Suzhou manufacturing plant in 2002, the firm set itself a goal to open seven sites in Asia. With three plants now in Suzhou, UPG is contemplating expansion.
``Business has been good for [the Suzhou operation] in Europe and the U.S.,'' said Thomas Opielowski, president of UPG China.
``We're already expanding our clean room,'' he said. ``We're bringing that all inside so we can control it better.''
Oak Brook, Ill.-based UPG also is adding a microbiology lab at one of its Suzhou plants, Opielowski said at Medtec China 2008 in Shanghai.
The products manufactured at that Suzhou facility are intended primarily for export, he said.
The company is in the process of investigating locations for a new facility, according to Opielowski. With three operations already in Suzhou, Opielowski said, UPG is expanding its search to include locations outside of China.
He said that plans for a new site probably will not be finalized until next year.