Thermal Care Inc. names Hirate as Southwest rep

Niles, Ill.-based Thermal Care, a manufacturer of custom heat-transfer systems and equipment, has appointed Hirate America to be its exclusive representative in Arizona, California and Nevada. Hirate, a full-service agency serving the plastics industry, also will be responsible for Mexico's maquiladora cities. Manufacturing facilities in the special economic zones are allowed to import equipment and materials on a tax- and duty-free basis, then export the finished goods back to the U.S.