Maruka finds a match for FCS machines in North American market

FCS (Fu Chun Shin), a Taiwanese machine manufacturer founded in 1974, reentered the North American market this year, starting with the PLASTEC West event in February in Anaheim. Bartholemew said Maruka left that event with several orders for FCS machines, as it did at PLASTEC East and would do so from PLASTEC Midwest. In Chicago, the company displayed an FCS Servo Assist hydraulic press molding business card holders from a two-cavity mold in an automated cell.

"The reception for FCS has been very positive," Bartholemew said. "Some people don't want to pay the premium you see for all-electrics; for them, FCS is a good fit. It's also a good fit for people changing from older molding machines."

Bartholemew noted that FCS had tried to enter the North American market before without success before this latest bid.

Bartholemew was joined in Chicago by representatives of FCS and Maruka Machinery Co. Ltd. of Japan. Toshio Ariyoshi, manager of Maruka's global sales department was on hand, as well as David Chen, executive director of FCS Machinery Manufacture Co. Ltd. (Tainan City, Taiwan). Maruka had brought in individuals to train North American employees, some of whom were also sent to RJG for additional work.

New staff, enhanced technical center
Bartholemew hired a new direct manager for Chicago/Midwest area and said the company is upgrading its technical center in Lombard, IL, adding equipment, including a new chiller, with plans to display three machines. Bartholemew said the center has room for five total. Maruka will also display machines at its tech center in Lee's Summit, MO, near Kansas City, with plans for joint seminars there in November with RJG.

"There's a lot going on," Bartholemew said. "There's a focus on training, helping our people feel more comfortable and our customers feel more comfortable. Maruka is making a big commitment to its injection molding machine division."

Maruka Machinery Co. Ltd. in Japan was established in 1946, with a U.S. subsidiary launched in 1968. Today it has eight technical centers and four showrooms in New Jersey, Chicago, Kansas City and Los Angeles.

FCS offers the HA Series hydraulic injection molding machines, as well as the HA-SV Series of servo hydraulic presses. Toyo moved away from hydraulic machines as part of a bid to develop, what it calls "energy-efficient green products that cause a minimum impact on the environment." Toyo President Santaro Katayama said in a statement that most of its fully electric injection molding and die-casting machines are certified as Eco-friendly Products having passed parent company Hitachi's environmental assessment protocol.

In July, Toyo added three larger models to its Si-6 series all-electric injection molding machines: the Si-680-6, Si-850-6 and Si-950-6, with clamping force of 680, 850, and 950 tons, respectively. Toyo said in a release it intends to sell a total of 200 units of the Si-680-6, Si-850-6 and Si-950-6 in 2013. By the end of this year, it expected to release 230-ton or smaller models to complete the new Si-6 series line-up.