KraussMaffei Corporation, the US subsidiary of Germany’s KraussMaffei (KM, Munich; www.kraussmaffei.com) has entered into a strategic cooperation with PU tool manufacturer Proper Group International (Warren, Michigan / USA; www.propergroupintl.com). In so doing, the two companies strive to provide North America’s plastics processing industry with turn-key solutions to polyurethane processing.

“Our North American polyurethane processing business has developed extremely quickly and positively,” says Paul Caprio, president of KraussMaffei Corporation, explaining the reasoning behind the cooperation. As part of the deal, both companies will pool their PU activities. As a result, the relevant KM business division will move from Novi (Michigan) to the new 4,645 m² “Polyurethane Tooling and Technology Center” located at Proper’s headquarters in Warren by 30 September.

The new centre has all the necessary equipment to develop foaming and pressing tools, KM reports, from construction and validation to testing facilities for skin-spraying and the new multiple component process “SkinForm”.

Proper operates four plants in the US and one in Shenzhen / China. The group manufactures tools as well as plastics and metal parts, most of which are earmarked for the automotive and aviation industries.