Zhafir Plastics Machinery GmbH, Ebermannsdorf, Germany, has expanded, opening a new plant in Chunxiao, China, that emphasizes the company's vision for high-efficiency, subassembly line production. The new facility has been designed to produce 5,000 all-electric, high-grade, energy-efficient injection molding machines a year. Eventually, the company anticipates increasing annual capacity to 10,000 machines.
In all, about 400 people are expected to work at the plant.
The subsidiary of Haitian International Holdings Ltd., Hong Kong, says it also plans to expand its European operations, based in Ebermannsdorf, at Haitian International Germany GmbH.
Zhafir says work at the new factory will focus on production of the Venus and Zeres Series machines, with other models to be added later. The complex now features about 1.3 million square feet of production space, but the total future area for its buildings is planned to be around 3.2 million square feet. Construction of the initial space took 15 months.
Company officials said the factory reflects Zhafir's lean, modular manufacturing process. Designed to reduce manufacturing times while guaranteeing high-quality production, the approach makes use of subassembly stations and decentralizes some functions, such as warehousing and painting. For example, a decentralized paint shop is installed upstream of final assembly in order to handle castings, sheet-metal parts and machine beds on demand. In addition, the plant includes space for research and development, machine testing, metal processing and machine assembly, as well as a technology and application center.
"The concentration on subassembly stations for injection units, clamping units, control cabinets or machine beds reflects our modular approach concept while incorporating our high standards of quality," Fang Jiangting, deputy GM for Zhafir, said in a press release. "Here all subprocesses are thought out efficiently and controlled by qualified employees."
