US plastics technology and equipment supplier Milacron (Cincinnati, Ohio; www.milacron.com) has completed an expansion of its hot runner and control systems production plant in Kunshan, Jiangsu / China. Currently, 30 new machining centres are being put into operation, followed by another 22 in the autumn. The additional equipment will increase capacity for manufacturing nozzles, manifolds and components and also allow production that has been outsourced to be brought in-house, ensuring tighter control of quality and delivery.

CEO Tom Goeke said its Mold-Masters hot runner systems have grown particularly strongly in the Chinese and other Asian plastics markets. “Our hot runner operations in China have seen year-over-year growth every year since their inception in 2005,” he noted.

An Heid, Mold-Masters president in Asia and Americas, said that speed was vital in China, and Milacron’s ability to offer the fastest delivery times in the hot runner industry was a major differentiator to its competitors. “Quotes are returned in hours, engineering drawings in a day and final drawing in less than three days,” she said.

Milacron’s operations in China employ more than 800 people and this number is expected to rise to 900 by the end of 2017.