Niigata Machine Techno USA Inc. will not be selling new Niigata injection molding machines, nor will it continue with service and parts sales after March 1, 2025.
The contract the Elk Grove, Ill.-based company has with the Japan-based Niigata Machinery Co. Ltd. (NMC) expires on Feb. 28, 2025, and it wasn’t renewed.
Officials of NMC, a subsidiary of Haitian International since 2023, announced it will transition sales and service of Niigata injection molding machines in the U.S. and Canada to Absolute Haitian Corp. based in Moncks Corner, S.C., with offices in Worcester, Mass., and Parma, Ohio.
The change, effective March 1, 2025, is part of a strategic move to improve product diversity and customer support as well as align with construction of new facilities in Japan to unify operations and innovation, according to a Dec. 23 news release from Haitian International.
Founded in 2022, NMC acquired the injection molding business of Niigata Machine Techno Co., Ltd. in 2023. Now with capital support from parent company Haitian International, Niigata aims to deliver Japanese-crafted machines to the global market.
Listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, Haitian International is the world’s largest supplier of injection molding machinery with manufacturing plants throughout the world and a production capacity of 50,000 machines per year.
For the U.S. and Canada, Absolute Haitian Corp. has been Haitian’s sales and service agent since 2006, selling about 4,500 Haitian presses into the market it serves during that time.
As part of the transition, Absolute Haitian will incorporate the Niigata product offerings into its product line of Haitian and Zhafir machines.
Processors will benefit from a unified supplier, access to a broader range of horizontal machines and vertical machines, and an enhanced customer support infrastructure, the release says.
The future of employees of Niigata Machine Techno USA Inc. isn’t known. Earlier in December, company officials were under the impression Niigata USA would remain open to service existing machines and sell parts.
"Niigata will still sell machines here, but I don't know what that organization looks like. There are many unknowns right now,” General Manager Steve Cunningham had said in a phone interview on Dec. 20.
Meanwhile, in Japan, new Niigata facilities are being built to centralize research, product development, applications, engineering and manufacturing in Momoyama as well as build both horizontal and vertical presses in Niigata City.
“We are delighted to be working with the Niigata product line and its customers. Our team is committed to ensure a smooth transition through direct communication in the coming weeks,” Absolute Haitian Corp. President Glenn Frohring said in the release.