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Contract Manufacturer Opens Facility in China

Shana Leonard

The opening of an 115,800 sq-ft facility in the industrial area of Suzhou marks a contract manufacturer's third facility in China. The result of a two-year evaluation period of best practices, the United Plastics Group (UPG; Oak Brook, IL; www.unitedplasticsgroup.com) plant was established in response to a demand for China-based manufacturing, according to the company.

"We gathered and evaluated best practices both with United Plastics Group and our competitors," says Tom Opielowski. "Our objective in Suzhou EPZ was to change the game in China with showcase-quality output housed in a state-of-the-art facility."

Because of its export-processing zone (EPZ) status, the facility is exempt from taxes and duties on all materials and components brought into the plant from outside China, as well as goods exported from the plant, according to the firm.

Capabilities include plant management, tooling, production, assembly, engineering, supply-chain management, and quality testing. Decorating processes such as pad printing, hot stamping, plating, and painting are also offered. Furthermore, Class 100,000 expandable cleanroom and whiteroom environments can accommodate contaminant-free production.

In addition, the company also provides extensive molding services. Among them are mold building, as well as overmolding, micromolding, and insert molding. Plans for the new facility include the addition of an estimated 60 molding machines ranging from 35 to 610 tn.

UPG has two additional plants in China. The company boasts a 32,000 sq-ft tooling plant, as well as 25,000 sq-ft manufacturing plant located just a few miles away from the new facility.

"Our aim is to site local low-cost production around the world, all working to the highest standards of quality and program execution," says Richard R. Harris, CEO of UPG. "This allows our global customers to enjoy the benefits of direct well-coordinated output that meets or exceeds their cost and product-performance goals."

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