Lee’s Summit Mo.-based R&D/Leverage USA is the new North American design and tool builder for Aoki Laboratory America, a supplier to the injection stretch blow molding (ISBM) market based in Nagano, Japan.
The alliance will help Aoki customers looking for ISBM machines and tooling sourced from the U.S., according R&D/Leverage CEO Mike Stiles.
R&D/Leverage makes molds and tooling for the food and beverage, home and personal care and health care industries.
“The alliance will bring improved service for tooling, complete molds, components and/or repairs all from one domestic source along with the fastest injection stretch blow molding machine platform while providing tooling that is 100 percent made in the USA,” Stiles said in a news release.
The alliance announcement coincides with the launch of Aoki’s new AL series of ISBM machines for container molding, which Aoki says uses R&D/Leverage tooling and offers an improved molding cycle to cut production costs and address mass production needs.
“With the introduction of the new Aoki AL series machines combined with the quality, creativity and craftsmanship of R&D/Leverage tooling, we can jointly bring the ultimate solutions to your molding needs that will far exceed your expectations,” Aoki President Eiji Nishizawa said in the release.
Under the alliance, customers can contact an R&D/Leverage or Aoki sales offices to discuss products, timelines and production requirements.
“…then let our alliance work together to determine the best possible options to bring your project from the initial conception to your production facility in a timely manner along with the quality, reliability and value that will give you that competitive edge over the competition.” Nishizawa said.
Founded in 1976, Aoki manufactures ISBM machines and tooling with an international network of six subsidiaries.
In addition to molds and tooling, R&D/Leverage USA offers tool development, testing, validation, and training while R&D/Leverage Europe, which is located in the United Kingdom, offers single stage blow mold tooling, product evaluation, tooling design, manufacturing and technical service assistance.