'Remanufactured' injection moulders are flexible

Mexican company reckoned that two remanufactured injection moulders would give more production flexibility and capacity than one new machine, and would still save nearly US$300,000.

The aftermarket center in Milacron's NPE booth proved its value when a visitor from Queretaro, Mexico, saw a wall graphic announcing Milacron's new remanufacturing facility in that city.

A team from Grupo Kangy, a diversified manufacturing company located in Queretaro, was shopping at NPE for a new machine in the 8000kN - 1000kN (800-100 tonf) range, but their thinking turned to remanufacturing when the wall graphic was noticed, according to Pablo Marin, general director of the company.

"Milacron's local remanufacturing facility presented us with a new option," said Marin.

Kangy's management team immediately recognized the advantages of local remanufacturing for two of their 1970's-era Cincinnati Milacron H-1000 machines.

According to Marin, "We could have two 'like-new' machines for a little more than half of what we budgeted for a single new machine.

Two remanufactured machines would give us more production flexibility and capacity than a single new machine, and we would still save nearly US$300,000 in the process." The result was an order to Milacron for two completely remanufactured machines, including new controls, hydraulics, screws and barrels.

Grupo Kangy is a true group of separate companies with about 300 total employees and US$18 million in annual sales.

It has businesses in investment casting, production of stainless steel valves, recycling plastics, building molds (for chocolate makers, as well as plastics), injection molding of housewares and agricultural products, plus sales of all these products.

The company has approximately 30 injection molding machines, ranging from 30g shot size to 10MN (1000 tonf) clamp force.

Thirteen of them are Cincinnati Milacron machines and all were purchased as used equipment.

The advantages in time and cost for local or on-site remanufacturing in Mexico have propelled Milacron's Queretaro operation well ahead of its forecasted potential, just weeks after opening, according to Bob Rabe, business unit manager of Milacron's Applied Technologies Business.

"We have already booked several million dollars in orders and have a number of outstanding quotes," he stated.

"There is excellent potential for us in that market, with several thousand older Milacron machines in Mexico and used equipment from the US continuing to flow into the country." Local or on-site remanufacturing offers a number of advantages that customers find attractive, Rabe explained.

"On a 1500 tonf (15MN) press, transport from Mexico can easily exceed US$150,000 and take three weeks or more to make a round trip to our Ohio plant for the same work, not to mention the frequent delays over import/export issues," he said.

"We can go one step further, and save all transportation costs for the customer by remanufacturing a machine at the customer's plant.

The customer then not only saves all transportation costs, but can keep the machines running longer and get them back into production sooner." For on-site remanufacturing, Milacron sends in a service engineer to determine what components and parts need to be replaced and the work that needs to be performed.

Back at Milacron, the project is engineered, parts ordered, the remanufacturing kit assembled, and the technician crew scheduled.

"We give the customer advance notice when we're going to bring the upgrade package in," Rabe said.

"In the meantime, the machine can still run production." In the remanufacturing process, Milacron replaces key components and controls with latest technologies, according to Rabe.

"We keep the original machine chassis, but everything under the hood is 2006." The service includes hydraulic system replacement, a new control, new injection unit capability and safety compliance, among others.

We provide upgrade services for just about every machinery brand on the market today, as well as some no longer on the market.

Milacron is the only company that can help a customer with full new plant design and then equip it with new machines, remanufactured and retrofitted machines, plus all auxiliaries.

Milacron is unique in its capability and flexibility to provide this kind of top-to-bottom work." Rabe added, "It is a strange twist that we are nearly neighbors in Mexico, but did not meet until the Chicago show.

Our local capability for Kangy should be mutually beneficial.".

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