One of Japan’s leading manufacturers of injection moulding machinery, Nissei Plastic Industrial (Nagano / Japan; www.nisseijushi.co.jp), is planning to build a production facility in Shanghai / China. Construction is scheduled to begin this year, says Nissei’s president Hozumi Yoda, with the plant due to start operating in 2009. Nissei is the last of the major Japanese injection moulding machinery producers to establish a plant in China, although it has a sales office in Shanghai.

Capacity will initially comprise 180 "ANX" machines annually, with most key components being sourced from Japanese plants. Nissei expects the low-priced hybrid models developed specifically for the Asian market to be a big success in China.

In the 2007/2008 fiscal year, ending 31 March, the company had 740 employees and reported sales of around JPY 40 bn (EUR 236m), virtually unchanged from the previous year. The operating profit was EUR 6.4m, with net income of EUR 3m.

Three-quarters of the company’s sales come from injection moulding machines. The remainder is generated by spare parts, tools and peripherals. Exports account for two-thirds of sales. However, volume sales to Europe are low at around 1% of the total. The majority goes to China (43%), North America (23%) and other countries in South East Asia (22%).