Sepro has reached an agreement with Engineered Plastics Machinery (EPM) that will allow the company to install robots in the EPM Plastics Technology Center in Batavia, IL. EPM represents Sepro in Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas and Missouri. Its 10,000 sq-ft showroom and technology center already houses operating injection molding machines and auxiliary equipment and now Sepro has installed a robot that can be used for training and demonstrations.

For many years, Sepro has conducted training classes in its facility in Pittsburgh. These classes cover basic robot operation, intermediate programming and trouble shooting, and advanced programming. The company also offers training specially tailored to the needs of individual customers. At its new headquarters in Warrendale, PA, Sepro maintains a dedicated training room that has space for more than two dozen students and, with an 18-ft ceiling, it can accommodate even large robots. However, the company says it is not always easy to get to.  

"These days it can be difficult for a company to send employees halfway across the country for several days of training," said Jim Healy, Vice President Sales & Marketing. "That's why we are trying to position ourselves closer to them. The EPM facility will be perfect for the large number of molders in the Northern Illinois/Southern Wisconsin region. It's an easy car trip for most of them and some could even commute from home during their training. EPM's technical center will also make it easy for us to do sales demonstrations and possibly even application run-offs, right in our customer's back ard."

Healy said Sepro is looking for similar accommodations in other regional centers of plastics processing.