Husky Injection Molding Systems (Bolton, ON) has formed a strategic supply agreement with Japan's Toyo Machinery and Metal Co. Ltd. (Tokyo) to source unspecified "components and assemblies" for its new all-electric molding machines, which will launch at K. The components and assemblies will be integrated into Husky's new all-electric preform molding system, the H-PET AE, as well as its medical-focused H-MED AE systems. The H-PET AE and H-MED AE systems will be running at K2010 in Husky's booth, Hall 13, Stand A59.

Toyo supplies fully electric and hydraulic molding machines, in vertical and horizontal formats, as well as electric and hydraulic die-casting machinery, optical disc molding machines, and expandable polystyrene (EPS) molding machines. Injection molding machinery sales accounted for 73% of its net sales in 2009. The company made its first injection molding machines in 1959, with its first servomotor-driven press build in 1985.  In 2008, it began offering the larger-sized Si-850IV all-electric line, with manufacture of all-electric machines in its Changshu, China plant, established in 2007, starting the same year. 

In February 2008, Germany plastics-processing machinery giant, KraussMaffei (Münich) announced a cooperation agreement with Japan's Toshiba Machine Co., Ltd. to develop "leading edge machinery for plastics processing." That collaboration led to the AX series of all-electric machines that debuted at last October's Fakuma show in Germany, with the KraussMaffei machine utilizing a servomotor motion control from Toshiba. Japanese injection molding suppliers were early adopters of all-electric technology for presses, and western firms have sought their expertise in the field.

On the sales side, Austria's Engel announced in 2010 that it would work with Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Plastic Technology Co. Ltd. (MHI-PT), with the latter acting as Engel's sales and service agent in Japan for its multi-component machines, specifically its duo combi-brand machines with clamping forces of 1000 tonnes and below. These will be sold jointly in Japan under the brand name Mitsubishi-Engel.—[email protected]