Pittsfield Plastics Engineering, LLC brings large part molding capability to New England
Pittsfield, Massachusetts, (January 7, 2020) – Pittsfield Plastics Engineering, LLC (PPE), a custom molder in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, has enhanced its large part molding capability with the addition of a 1,204-ton injection molding machine with a shot size capacity of 155.6 ounces. The Haitian Jupiter III (JU10800 III) from Absolute Haitian was delivered to the plant in November 2019. The machine cell is equipped with a CW15-2000 servo robot from sister company Absolute Robot. The largest machine at the company’s facility until the delivery was a 730-ton injection molding machine.
As a result of the energy savings from the servo-hydraulic, two-platen JUIII, PPE applied for and received a substantive rebate in excess of $25,000 from their energy provider, Eversource Energy.
“An existing customer had a substantial project that required a large-tonnage press and we wanted to take advantage of the opportunity,” said Bruce Dixon, CEO/CFO of PPE. “If we didn’t add a larger tonnage machine quickly, we would have missed out on the project.” The initial job is to mold kayak seating, but Dixon has additional projects lined up for the JUIII, including electrical component enclosures used in commercial real estate development. “Our current utilization on the JUIII is at about 50 percent so we have custom molding availability which we plan to grow,” said Dixon.
The decision to differentiate PPE from competitors with large-tonnage molding capability was in part based on Dixon’s realization that if their own 730-ton machine went down, there wasn’t a nearby molder they could outsource the work to. “There just aren’t many large machines in the New England area and we saw this as an opportunity,” said Dixon.
One challenge was to bring the large-tonnage machine online quickly to meet the customer’s timing.
“Delivery was a critical factor. We began looking at Absolute Haitian’s stock machine availability, which would have worked. But their lead time on a machine built to our specifications and needs was so aggressive, we were able to place the order from China. It was nice to have that choice,” noted Dixon.
Installation took about four days and was overseen by Absolute Haitian’s service engineering team.
“The service engineers worked closely with our maintenance supervisor throughout installation, so we became very familiar with the JUIII during start-up. Like the product, the customer service from Absolute Haitian has been excellent,” said Dixon.
“Not only is our capability increased, the JUIII is more robust and runs at a more efficient pace. This acquisition puts us in a nice position for 2020,” Dixon concluded.
Pittsfield Plastics Engineering, LLC is an ISO 9001:2015 certified company, housed in an updated 64,000 square-foot manufacturing facility with over 25 pieces of high-end production equipment for all aspects of plastics injection molding, custom molding and more. A fully equipped tool room complements their production capabilities. Pittsfield Plastics is positioned as a key supplier to the wire, cable and textile industries, as well as other companies with custom molding requirements.
Absolute Haitian, based in Worcester, Massachusetts, is the exclusive sales and service partner in the U.S. and Canada for Ningbo Haitian Machinery Co., Ltd. based in Ningbo, China. Ningbo Haitian Machinery Co., Ltd. is the world’s largest supplier of plastics injection molding machinery, shipping more than 35,000 machines in 2018. Haitian products are sold in more than 130 countries with machine sizes ranging from 44 to 7,425 U.S. tons of clamp force. More information is available by visiting the Absolute Haitian website at www.absolutehaitian.com
CONTACT:
Patrice Aylward, Communications Consultant, +1 216/618-3174 or paylward@absolutehaitian.com
Bruce Dixon, CEO/CFO, +1 413/442-0067 or bruce@pittsplas.com
