Contract manufacturer Tekmart Integrated Manufacturing Services (TIMS) is adding an electric press to its lineup of 36 hydraulic machines at its 650,000-square-foot facility in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, which is directly across the border from El Paso, Texas.
The used machine, which has a clamping force of 400 tons, was made by Niigata Machine Techno Co. Ltd. Tekmart bought it from a molder in Puerto Rico.
“It should hit port today,” Junaid Omer, general manager of acquisition development for Tekmart International Inc, TIMS's parent, told Plastics News May 21.
He described the machine as being in “immaculate condition” and said: “We have a program for 2015 where we will sweep out some of the older equipment.”
He added: “Our primary focus for 2014 is to increase our (production) volume by bringing in additional business and so far, so good. Business is booming. We have some good (automotive industry) Tier 1s, three of them, and more are in the pipeline. We started off with only one.”
Tekmart International of Toronto bought the Juárez facility, where Chinese company TLC used to make TV sets, in March 2013.
The acquisition included 22 injection molding machines with clamping forces ranging from 1,000-3,000 tons, and 10 others with clamping forces of 170-500 tons. Most are Milacrons, interspersed with some Toshibas.
The company has since added two Milacrons and two Toshibas, each with a clamping force of 750 tons.
According to Omer, 30 percent of the Juárez plant's activity is for the automotive industry, with the rest split between consumer electronics, white goods and healthcare, primarily parts for hospital beds.
He said Tekmart is using 250,000 square feet of space for its injection molding operations.
“We normally work [24 hours a day, five days a week] and going up,” he said. “But we're currently working 24/7 and we'll be this way for the next two months.”
Tekmart employs 700 and also offers services such as sub-assembly, automated assembly, decorative finishing processes with both pad printing and hot stamping and robot-assisted paint lines at the plant.
