Uni-corp opens new light equipment factory in China

Premium Content

23 June 2011

Uni-corp's 60000 m2 facility in Haimen, China. The company will produce Paclite and Hoppt branded eq

Uni-corp's 60000 m2 facility in Haimen, China. The company will produce Paclite and Hoppt branded equipment at the plant.

Uni-corp, the Singapore-based manufacturer of Hoppt and Paclite light construction equipment, has opened a 60000 m2 production facility in Haimen, 200 km west of Shanghai.

The new facility will now be home to Uni Corp's light equipment, mold base manufacturing and engineering activities, as well as its Hitachi elevator manufacturing business.

Haimen includes a 10000 m2 assembly area for roller compactors and the Paclite Duplex rollers currently built in Shanghai. This area will also accommodate a future range of ride-on tandem rollers for Europe and the US.

The facility has automatic and precision tools, laser equipment and robot welders, and includes tooling equipment moved from its existing Singapore and Shanghai plants. Around a third of the existing Shanghai facility will be retained for production.

Kent Gorsun, sales director for Paclite in Europe, told IRN that the main focus now was on developing its range of rollers based on Kubota engines and Japanese hydraulic systems.

The Haimen factory currently employs 200 staff, but by March next year when the production move has been completed there will be 400 workers at the plant.

Uni-corp has been producing light equipment for several decades. Its brands include Hoppt, which is used in Asia Pacific, while Paclite Equipment sells Uni-corp products in Europe. In the US, Equipment Synergy International (ESI) markets a range of light products produced by Uni-corp and other suppliers.

How less can be more: Rethinking cooling system design for modern heavy equipment
Smarter airflow, not bigger systems, is aiding engine efficiency and uptime
Kabalen retires; Bray promoted at A1A Software
Bruce Kabalen calls it a day, Brittany Bray promoted
How rental businesses can modernise for growth
As margins tighten and expectations rise, rental firms embracing simple, data-led technology will be best placed to scale up and unlock new growth