APEC adds China plant for medical molding

Medical-device contract manufacturer APEC (Baldwin Park, CA) announced during the Plastec West exhibition (Feb. 13-15, Anaheim Convention Center) that it would open an operation in Shenzhen, China on March 1. Called APEC Asia, the 35,000-sq-ft plant will feature a Class 100,000 cleanroom and have Asia Optical Co. Inc. as a minority partner. At startup, the facility will run four injection molding machines, all from Toyo, but has the capacity for 20 presses.

APEC says it has been shipping medical parts to Asia for the last four years to service its existing customer base of Fortune 100 medical OEMs as well as the growing Asian market, but it views a local facility as the best chance to tap the “enormous opportunity for growth” it sees in China, according to APEC President Anura Welikala. The company plans to have 100 employees in place in China by year’s end, and in the long term, the facility is expected to double the U.S. operation’s revenue. Initially, APEC Asia will only process thermoplastics, and in addition to serving local markets it will export some components.

APEC operates a 72,000-sq-ft plant in California, with tooling provided by its sister company Magor Mold (San Dimas, CA). APEC has 125 employees, and in addition to liquid silicone rubber (LSR), it processes high-performance thermoplastics, including GE’s Ultem polyetherimide, polysulfones, and polycarbonate. It has six Arburg machines running LSR, ranging from 28 to 110 tons; four vertical machines (two Arburg, two Toyo) processing thermoplastics, and 26 horizontal presses (ranging from 28 to 200 tons) including 17 Toyo’s, seven Engel’s, and two Arburg’s.—[email protected]