INCOE Consolidates Michigan Facilities Into New Global Headquarters
Over the month of August, the global hot runner supplier moved its three existing operations in the Detroit area into a new 138,000-ft² facility in Auburn Hills.
INCOE Corp. USA global headquarters are now in a new facility in Auburn Hills, Mich., moving from Troy and consolidating three distinct operations into a single purpose-built location. In a release, plant manager Bob Fons said the move was orchestrated in such a way that INCOE’s day-to-day operations were not impacted. “Hot runner systems were continually being designed, manufactured, inspected and assembled throughout the entire moving process,” Fons said.
INCOE’S Tim Chisholm told Plastics Technology that the move better aligns the company’s capabilities and work flow. “The new facility allowed us to locate dependent processes closer to one another, streamlining all of our operations,” Chisholm said. “The design of the new office space also allowed us to modernize the working environment for employees while offering an attractive incentive for prospective candidates.”
The $20-million-plus facility features an 85,000-ft² manufacturing area and a 2400-ft² molding laboratory. Chisholm said the new global headquarters facility will produce all of INCOE’s products for the North American market, including hot runner systems from its two smallest nozzle series—DF3 and the new Slim DF5 series (flow diameters of 3 mm and 5 mm respectively)—up to its largest nozzle series, the DF25, with a 25-mm flow diameter. The company’s flow simulation capabilities are performed within its engineering department for customer applications as well as coordinating with its own product development team.
The new lab operation will be adding three KraussMaffei injection molding machines this year. “The three main functions of the space will be product development testing, hands-on technical training for customers, and hands-on process training conducted by long-time INCOE partners within the industry,” Chisholm said.
Related Content
-
Design Your Tools for Moldability ... and Maintenance
In the initial design phase, when considering the structure and elements of the tool, are you designing them to be maintenance friendly? Canon Virginia has used this approach and preventive maintenance to make tool replacement a thing of the past. You can, too. Here’s how.
-
How to Optimize Pack & Hold Times for Hot-Runner & Valve-Gated Molds
Applying a scientific method to what is typically a trial-and-error process. Part 2 of 2.
-
How to Design Three-Plate Molds, Part 1
There are many things to consider, and paying attention to the details can help avoid machine downtime and higher maintenance costs, and keep the customer happy.
