CLEVELAND—Nihon Spindle Manufacturing Co. Ltd., the Amagasaki, Japan-based manufacturer of Moriyama rubber mixers, and Sanyu U.S.A. Inc., its U.S. distributor, both made major decisions about operations just ahead of the recent International Elastomer Conference in Cleveland.
Nihon began construction in October on a 53,000-sq.-ft., $20 million plant in Amagasaki that would increase production capacity for Moriyama tilt-style rubber mixers by 60 percent.
Also, Sanyu said it was relocating its office/warehouse operations in Maumee, Ohio, that month and opening a demonstration facility in Maumee in January.
"The decisions were made separately, but they're connected in that Moriyama is growing," said Mark Beaver, Sanyu U.S.A. vice president.
"There was a need in Japan to keep up with demand, and we had to send samples and customers to Japan, so it made sense to send machines to the U.S. for demonstration."
The new plant in Amagasaki is scheduled to begin production in October 2020, according to Nihon. It will include a 30-ton overhead crane and other advanced assembly equipment and systems to streamline the production of Moriyama machinery, especially large-scale mixers and integrated mixing lines, the company said.
"With the current plant at full capacity, the new facility will enable the company to target $100 million in annual sales of Moriyama machinery while improving lead times, machine quality and traceability," Nihon said.
As Sanyu's business has grown over the past decade, the company felt the need to expand its office and spare parts warehouse in Maumee, according to Beaver.
The opening of the demonstration facility will coincide with the 10th anniversary of Sanyu becoming Moriyama's North American representative, according to Sanyu.
Among the equipment to be exhibited there are the seven-liter Moriyama G3 mixer and the Moriyama 2TR-75 twin-taper extruder, as well as Sanyu's own 200-ton injection press, the company said.
The Moriyama seven-liter G3 tilt mixer has a unique rotor design that allows better dispersion and cooling, according to Kosaku Ono, manager, Sales and Marketing Group, Industrial Machinery, Moriyama Division, at Nihon.
The 2TR is a preforming extruder, according to Ono. "You take a batch of rubber, dump it into the hopper and turn it into strip, rope, sheet or pellet," he said.