MMT has covered the value of strategic relationships with technology suppliers over the years. We've even reported on this mold builder's partnership before, but today they've kicked it up a notch.
MMT has covered the value of strategic relationships with technology suppliers over the years. We've even reported on this mold builder's partnership before, but today they've kicked it up a notch. About 80 percent of the injection molding machines in Proper Group International's plants are KraussMaffei, according to Proper President Joe Grippe. "We work with KraussMaffei on a number of levels," says Grippe. "One is in pursuing new technologies such as in light-weighting, which is a major initiative in the automotive market. The second is working together on unique technologies and molding applications, which involve integrating different technologies with the injection mold and injection molding machines."
Proper Group International has been manufacturing since 1971, and since the recession of 2008, has grown substantially because of its strength in engineering and technical molding applications. One area of substantial growth is the automotive lighting sector, which requires highly technical molding applications, including two- and three-component molding.
Proper Group International, comprised of Proper Tooling and Proper Polymers, has high demands for both reliable and efficient precision machinery. That is why they have partnered with KraussMaffei for more than eight years. Service is another key factor in their relationship. When a machine at Proper Polymers goes down, the three-shift manufacturing schedule can reach critical proportions, especially if the machine is customized and there is no replacement available.
Grippe notes that KraussMaffei provides excellent service through phone support or in person. Typically a service person can be onsite within 24 to 48 hours. That, coupled with the quality of the machinery, is one of the reasons that KraussMaffei has been chosen for a 12-machine order at the Proper Polymers facility in Pulaski, TN, as well as 11 presses for Proper's new plant in Greenville, SC. The overall efficiencies of the plants are up 10 percent due to replacing the old equipment, he added.
