WALLINGFORD, CONN. — Plastics One Inc., a used machinery dealer and asset adviser, is now selling Apex robots from Taiwan.
The Taichung, Taiwan-based Apex Robot Systems Inc., makes the robots.
Formerly, auxiliary equipment company ACS Group was distributing Apex robots. Plastics One, in Wallingford, has named robot veterans Ken Heyse, Jim Schmitz and John Doll to head its new robotics division.
Heyse said Apex is a good fit for Plastics One because demand for late-model used robots for plastics manufacturing is very strong, but supply is very limited. Apex robots are brand new, with a one-year warranty, for prices approaching used-robot prices in the current market, he said.
"These are not unknown Chinese robots coming into the market with an unknown track record. These are robots with an installed base of hundreds if not thousands of robots in the U.S. for over 15 years," Heyse said.
Schmitz, with more than 25 years of experience as a vice president and engineering manager at several robot companies, is handling the engineering and sales for the Apex line. He has a background of working with Apex.
Doll, who had handled service and support as a subcontractor for ACS for the last several years, will continue to handle service support, according to Plastics One. He has more than 20 years of experience servicing robots. Doll also oversees two full-time technicians.