Leading European injection moulding machine manufacturer Negri Bossi S.p.A. announces the appointment of Douglas M. Hugo as President of North American operations beginning October 1, 2018. Additionally, his responsibilities will include the North American operations of the group’s automation specialist, Sytrama.

Negri Bossi CEO Craig Ward commented; “We are excited to have Douglas join our leadership team as he brings more than 30 years of experience in our industry. Over his career, he has gained extensive knowledge working across the moulding and mould-making sectors.”

When asked how he planned to develop the Negri Bossi brand over the coming years in North America, Douglas commented; “Negri Bossi has built a reputation of high-quality equipment with a strong emphasis on incorporating the latest technologies into the brand. From electric, co-injection and mid to large tonnage machines, through to Sytrama automation solutions, North America is well positioned for growth and to increase market share.”

In closing, Douglas added; “The brand has seen excellent results and growth across Europe, the company has built a strong sales, service and support structure, and we look forward to the continued growth in North America.”

PLAST, held in Milan every three years, is one of the worlds most important plastics exhibitions. Being on home soil Negri Bossi always puts on a great show and the 2018 event was no exception.

Negri Bossi chose the venue to launch two significant events. The first initiative was a completely new corporate brand for the business, which included updating their 70 years old logo, creating new mission statements and introducing new stationery and brochures as part of completely new brand guidelines.

The second major event was the launch of the NOVA range of machines. The new range incorporates NOVA sT, NOVA iT and NOVA eT.

A NOVA s700T machine was on display moulding a 2kg Minipallet incorporating our FMC technology. FMC is a technique of moulding with gas (nitrogen in microcellular form) which reduces the weight of the product and eliminates aesthetic defects.

The NOVA sT range of machines, available in the range 700 to 1150 tonnes are aimed specifically at the Automotive, White Goods, Construction and Technical Moulding markets. NOVA sT incorporates a new and upgraded clamp unit and injection unit combining versatility, compactness and control. In line with Negri Bossi’s philosophy energy efficiency was at the forefront of the design consideration, incorporating the very latest servo-pump technology, purpose built for injection moulding applications.

The first ‘True’ Multi Touch controller is installed on both the NOVA sT and NOVA iT range. The system features an innovative gesture navigation system incorporating swipe, scroll and zoom functions. A patent pending Virtual Object controls axis movement, based on gesture orientation with smart phone familiarity.

Three NOVA eT all electric machines completed the collection of NOVA machines on display. The NOVA eT range are aimed at the Packaging, Closure, Medical and Optical moulding sectors. An 80-tonne model fitted with a 35 mm barrier screw ran a two impression 29g PP (MFI10) mould in a 12 second cycle time. A 180-tonne model produced an eight-impression coffee capsule in a 4.8 second cycle. The material was a special low viscosity PBT ULTRADUR, developed specifically for packaging applications.

The third NOVA eT machine with 280 tonnes clamp force was moulding a 16-impression closure in a 14 second cycle time. Automation by our sister company Sytrama, collected and closed the parts within the cycle.

Our Industry 4.0 display area was also particularly popular, where customers could see the latest developments achieved through collaboration with our various partners.

The exhibition was a great success with companies from all over the globe joining us on the stand. The markets are clearly buoyant as all our visitors were full of confidence. A significant number of new projects were discussed with our team, presenting a very optimistic outlook for the future.

GIC represents a group of companies dedicated to the automotive business with a global turnover of €115 million and 2500 employees.

With 40 years of experience, the GIC Group has an optimised organisational structure, driven forward by customer requirements and technological innovation. GIC operates in 3 major sectors, offering their customers complete manufacturing solutions based on the synergies between these 3 fields:

• Thermoplastics
• Metal Processing
• Assemblies

The core business of GIC group company, Subansamble Auto SA, is thermoplastic and polyurethane processing for Automotive. By maintaining pace with process technologies and utilising the latest machinery and equipment Subansamble increasingly won the confidence of new customers. The relationships started with local OEM’s before developing into Tier 2 high level companies across Europe.

Staying close to their customers, adapting their structure and offering a flexible approach to their individual needs, resulted in a very successful 10-year period. Over this time turnover doubled and the company invested heavily in new processing equipment.

Subansamble has now become a reference point and household name for the automotive industry. The machinery supplier of choice was Negri Bossi where Subansamble quoted process accuracy, consistent high-quality parts and reliable delivery times as the main reason for selection.

Alin Zafir – Project Manager says “Negri Bossi’s team showed us a high level of professionalism starting from RFQ phase until the installation and start-up of the machines. This assured us that we are on a good track in our cooperation. The new equipment offered by Negri Bossi for our injection moulding business was a key part of our success, demonstrating a robust process on new and reliable machines with improved control and higher efficiency”.

Subansamble has Negri Bossi machines up to VH1500 tonnes, including a multi-colour (Mulitmat) supplied with an automatic rotary table. A recent order for two Vector V650 and two Canbio ST 500 tonne machines will further develop the relationship between the two companies.