The company is to dedicate its Swiss site to cleanroom injection moulding

Mikron has relocated a major piece of automotive injection moulding business to the UK from its Swiss headquarters in Nidau, as part of plans to dedicate the latter site to moulding medical items in cleanroom conditions.

The UK facility in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, has set up an injection moulding cell with 10 machines and 44 mould tools that have been transferred from Switzerland to fulfil a contract with German central locking supplier Kiekert.

Mikron UK has invested around Ј100,000 (E150,000) in automation to complement the cell which uses Krauss-Maffei and Netstal machines in the 80 to 110-tonne clamping force range.

Managing director Paul Wallis told PRW this transfer of business will replace work lost in the UK when Black & Decker moved its manufacture to the Czech Republic (PRW.com 4 October 2002).

“We are hoping the Kiekert business will reach Ј1.5m (E2.25m),” Wallis said. The UK site managed to avoid compulsory redundancies following the Black & Decker decision; it now employs around 100 staff and operates 47 machines in total.

The company subsequently set up a sister plant in the Czech Republic to serve Black & Decker. It opened in December and employs 20 staff operating 10 machines. Mikron UK this month gained its TS16949 accreditation, the latest ISO scheme that focuses on process excellence and is a pre-requisite for working with many automotive customers.