Plastic Injection molding

On June 27, Shape Corp., a global Tier 1 automotive supplier, officially opened its second Alabama production facility today after completing a growth project that will create over 100 jobs in the coming year.

Michigan-based Shape held a ceremony at the new 202,306-square-foot facility in Southpoint Industrial Park which will specialize in production of lightweight aluminum and steel crash management and structural components for automobiles, enhancing vehicle performance and safety.

In addition to aluminum and steel welding, the facility will introduce roll forming capabilities.

Shape’s facility in nearby Athens, Alabama will continue its operations specializing in plastic injection molding. 

Headquartered in Grand Haven, Michigan, Shape employs 4,200 people across 14 manufacturing plants and five tech centers worldwide.

(Alabama Department of Commerce release on June 27, 2024)

Kautex Textron GmbH & Co., KG (Kautex) presented its Green+ products for the first time at the Battery Show 2024 in Stuttgart, Germany.

The Green+ products are made with 20% biomass materials and/or 25% recycled materials.

The showcased Pentatonic Green+ product is a composite EV battery enclosure made up of fishing nets discarded in the ocean. The material makeup is reinforced with glass fiber and produced via injection molding. This product is a part of Kautex’s scope 3 carbon emission reductions in its Sustainability Roadmap, aiming to reduce carbon emissions in the supply chain by working with strategic suppliers, sourcing low-carbon material, and focusing on a circular economy.

(From a press release dated June 28, 2024)

TI Fluid Systems officially opened its all-new e-Mobility Innovation Center (eMIC) in Auburn Hills, Michigan. 

Designed to nurture customer collaboration, the Auburn Hills eMIC promotes innovation, making it faster and more efficient for North American automakers to develop thermal management systems for hybrid, plug-in hybrid and battery electric vehicles.

The new 48,000-square-foot facility brings together virtual engineering, designing, processing, prototyping, product testing, and vehicle testing under one roof. 

This reduces the development time for prototype thermal management components and systems from six months to as little as two weeks. 

It also can achieve system-weight reductions of up to 60% and overall cost savings of up to 30%.

The facility features equipment that enables rapid prototyping of fully functioning components and systems using 3D-printing and injection molding.

(TI Fluid Systems release on June 26, 2024)