Hong Kong-based Cosmos Machinery Ltd., one of China's largest press makers, is counting on energy-efficient injection molding machines to take the company to the next level.
The company touted a series of green products at the recent Chinaplas trade fair, especially what it called “the first servo-drive energy-regeneration technology application on injection molding machines in China.”
The technology is designed to recover kinetic energy resulting from the frequent braking of the servo-driven hydraulic unit of an injection press. China's Patent Office accepted Cosmos' application for the technology early this year, said Simon Ho, director of marketing and international trade.
In addition to the energy-regeneration technology, the Greenline Se-series presses use servo-pumps that Cosmos co-developed with local suppliers, rather than relying on imported key components. That localization will enable the company to expand production as needed, as well as provide a better price-value ratio.
In March, the 1800Se — featuring 1,800 tons of clamping force — received energy-efficiency certification from China's National Quality Supervision and Inspection Center for Plastics Machinery, becoming the first large (more than 1,000 ton) injection molding machine to receive a Grade-1 ranking (no more than 0.4 kilowatt-hours per kilogram of processed product).
Cosmos expects the Se-series servo-driven injection presses to grow rapidly and make up 60 percent of the company's plastics machinery sales in 2010.
Meanwhile, it is phasing out some traditional general-purpose models that showed a consolidated gross profit margin drop of 7 percent in 2009.
As the Chinese government makes a long-term national policy of saving energy and reducing emissions, the Se-series is meeting market trends and offering higher profit margin, the public company said in its annual report released last month.
Due to the global recession, Cosmos' machinery segment reported a 13 percent drop in sales to HK$585.5 million (US$75.5 million) in 2009 as well as a loss of HK$23.7 million (US$3.06 million), although the division managed to return to profit in the fourth quarter.
Cosmos said it is committed to making substantial investment to update its product mix and promote the servo-driven technology.
The equipment maker's new factory in Dongguan will start up in the mid-2010, Cosmos said in the annual report, and the expansion of capacity will solve the current order backlog.
Copyright 2010 Crain Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved.