An 85-machine order pushed Milacron China to its best first quarter ever, and in a bid to maintain that momentum, the company used Chinaplas 2012 to expand its range of Chinese-made all-electric injection molding machines. New to the stable is a 450-tonne model that is made in China and was injection molding an inmold-labeled 4.5-liter bucket at the company's stand. The company's Chinaplas booth also featured a 110-tonne all-electric machine running an optical lens.
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| Gerold Schley stands before the 450-tonne all-electric Elektron injection molding machine launched by Milacron at Chinaplas 2012. |
Saying the firm is "permanently hiring people," Schley said consistent year-over-year increases in business have it considering a capacity expansion. The company's local subsidiary, Milacron Plastics Machinery (Jiangyin) Co., Ltd., is based about 160 km northwest of Shanghai in Jiangyin, near the city of Wuxi in Jiangsu province.
Currently that facility has the capacity to build around 500 machines/year, ranging up to 4000 tonnes of clamp force. Production started in China for Milacron in 2004, with Schley estimating that about 90% of the machines made locally are sold locally. Schley added that although the machines are built in China, they're fully CE approved and utilize the same controls and drives as applied by Ferromatik machines constructed in Malterdingen, Germany. Milacron China's machine portfolio consists of the Elektron all-electric and Maxima large machine series.
Schley was named Managing Director of Ferromatik Milacron Maschinenbau GmbH (FME) in January 2010; assuming global responsibility for all of Ferromatik's injection business, while continuing to serve as VP China Operations and Global Sourcing for Milacron.
