Japanese injection press builder Kawaguchi Ltd. has closed down Kawaguchi USA Inc., its U.S. subsidiary in Wheeling, Ill.
Kawaguchi USA President Masanori Kawaguchi sent customers a letter dated April 13 announcing the move. “We regret to inform you that Kawaguchi USA Inc. will be dissolved by a unanimous consent of shareholders of Kawaguchi Ltd. Japan,” he wrote in the letter, which was obtained by Plastics News.
Jeff Iwai, Kawaguchi's national service manager for the past 11 years, has set up a new company in Gurnee, Ill., that will provide service and parts to customers in the U.S. and Mexico. The company is called Well-Rock Machinery Services LLC.
Iwai confirmed the closing of Kawaguchi USA when contacted May 12. He said Well-Rock is in a transition period right now, but should be fully operational in a couple of weeks. He said he formed and owns Well-Rock.
Kawaguchi's long history of selling injection molding machines to the U.S., which began in the 1970s, is coming to an end. In 1999, Kawaguchi ended a relationship with distributor Tomen America Inc. and created its own subsidiary in Illinois for U.S. sales and service.
Customers were informed of the new parts and service agent, Well-Rock Machinery Services, in an April 29 letter from Hideyasu Kawaguchi, president of Kawaguchi Ltd. in Shizuoka, Japan.
Officials from Kawaguchi USA — Masanori Kawaguchi and Patrick Miura, the vice president and general manager — did not return calls for this story.