Quebec Report: Different strokes

It’s not the same old, same old at several plastics machinery distributors in Quebec. These companies are selling brands of equipment not found in other parts of Canada.

Automatisation S.A.B. is the distributor of several types of plastics auxiliary equipment manufactured in Italy. The company’s inventory of equipment includes Dal Maschio robots, Dega materials handling equipment, Euro Chiller cooling units and BM blow molding machines.

“All the Italian companies make high quality machinery,” says Stephane Bourdages, vice president for Automatisation S.A.B., based in Varennes, QC. Bourdages says the price advantage once provided by the low lira has diminished somewhat since the introduction of the euro last year, but notes that the price/ performance features of the equipment are still very favorable.

Euro Chiller’s MiniChill temperature control units allow beside-the-press mold cooling with extremely high precision, says Bourdages. The units are capable of heating or cooling water in a temperature range of -5C to 90C. A stainless steel, high pressure centrifugal pump is capable of supplying a high flow of water to the mold for efficient cooling or heating.

Dega’s line of drying units has been an especially hot seller for the distributor. Bourdages says European energy costs, which can be three times higher than in North America, have led to a design which is very energy efficient. Dryer walls have two inches of insulation. Additionally, a user-friendly menu allows an operator to program the dryer by pushing a button corresponding to the material being dried, for example PET. Automatisation S.A.B. recently sold a 750 lb./hr. unit to a Montreal injection molder who is using it to dry nylon. Dega also offers a line of granulators. Bourdages says the granulators are identical to a well-known North American brand, but cost $1000 less.

Automatisation S.A.B. is the licensed distributor for Negri Bossi injection molding machines in Quebec and the Maritimes. The company currently has both a 210-ton and a 220-ton machine for demonstration at its sales and warehouse facility. The machines come with a standard Canbus-based control and communication system, which reduces wiring and enhances flexibility to expand and integrate new machines and devices to an operation.

“One difference between us and some other auxiliary equipment suppliers is that we keep inventory in stock here,” says Bourdages. “We can deliver the next day.”

Lutek Equipment Plastique Inc. (Dorval, QC) is a distributor of a full line of moldmaking auxiliary equipment in Quebec, the Maritimes and eastern Ontario. These products include hot runners, tool steels and various mold components. Velocity Hi-Performance Tooling is one of the newer product lines offered by the company. These ceramic- and diamond-coated cutting tools have a longer life and can be used at much higher feed rates than conventional tools, according to Luc Gloutney, Lutek president.

“We’ve had a lot of success with these tools,” says Gloutney. “Moldmakers love them.”

In one specific application, moldmakers are using the tools to replace time-consuming EDM, reducing production time and costs, and freeing up an EDM machine for other uses. Gloutney reports that U.S.-based Velocity can usually deliver a custom-built tool in less than two weeks, a feat Japanese and German competitors have trouble matching.

The unique equipment sold by these suppliers can, in best case, often help pad the bottom line. Definitely not the same old, same old.

Automatisation S.A.B. supplies a full line of plastics auxiliary equipment manufactured in Italy; as well distributes Negri Bossi injection molding machines in Quebec and eastern Canada. Vice president Stephane Bourdages (left) says equipment lines are carried in stock, allowing the company to ship most orders the same day.