The San Antonio factory that makes the machines that make plastic products is close to opening a new addition that expands its Brooks factory by nearly a third.
Plastics manufacturer Nissei America, which opened the $20 million plant in 2018 as its third production facility outside of Japan, began work on the expansion a year ago and expects to open the facility in January.
The company’s investment adds more space to its plant, square footage that will be used to accommodate growth since acquiring Negri Bossi North America, a company based in Turin, Italy.
The San Antonio plant is the company’s only manufacturing facility in the U.S., said Bob Tala, manager for general administration and human resources at Nissei America. Nissei also operates service offices in 10 states.
Tala was the company’s first hire in San Antonio, he said. While working for a supplier at the Toyota Motor Manufacturing plant, a recruiter asked Tala if he would consider making the move to Nissei.
Tala’s experience working at Toyota since 2007 prepared him for the job at Nissei, he said. “I’ve been around the culture for so long.”
Led by Hozumi Yoda as company president, Nissei America specializes in injection molding, and researches and develops injection molding machines as well as its molds, molding support systems, and mold processing technologies.
The San Antonio plant manufactures the company’s bigger machines among its inventory.
The acquisition of Negri Bossi allows the company to build even larger machines, up to 2700 metric tons of clamping force.
The factory is designed to allow semi-trucks to drive onto the factory floor where 60-ton cranes load the machinery for delivery to customers. With the expansion, the factory also will have 80-ton cranes.
“We’re connected to anyone who makes a plastic product,” he said, naming industries like automotive, toys, plumbing, medical, safety and gun makers.
The manufacturer consolidated its U.S. operations in San Antonio in 2021, relocating a main office from Anaheim, Calif., to its San Antonio facility.
Nissei officials cited San Antonio’s proximity to growing markets in Mexico and access to the Port of Houston as reasons for selecting San Antonio.
Correction: This story has been updated to accurately reflect the weight of the machines, the product value, plant size and Bob Tala’s title and details about the company’s work culture.
