Growth at COBA Plastics Moulding calls for newer, faster machines

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Arburg Ltd helped boost the growth of COBA Plastics Moulding’s in 2018 with four new moulding machines, which helped increase its automotive components productivity.

The plastic mouldings division of the COBA International group of companies, purchased in 2016 as CD Plastic Mouldings, mirrored its parent’s growth curve and resulted in the need for the new machines to keep up with demand.

Three Arburg AllRounder 320 C 500 -170 Golden Editions and one Arburg AllRounder 420 C 1000 -290 Golden Edition were delivered and commissioned in August 2018.

The three 320 C machines were delivered with Arburg servo electric integral pickers to maximise efficiency; the 420 C was delivered with the smallest option screw/cylinder assembly.

The products manufactured by these machines are established COBA products that required more focused equipment configurations.

Based in Whetstone, Leicestershire, UK, COBA’s Technical Manager Chris Ellis said: “The reliability, repeatability and accuracy of the older machines were affecting our operational efficiency and impacting our customer support. The four new Arburg’s replaced seven older machines – an excellent indication of their operational efficiency.”

Breaking the mould

The investment is part of a bigger investment story at COBA International, a full-service, mid-sized, international manufacturing business with a long-term strategy. The COBA Automotive S.r.o. plant in Terchová, Slovakia was the first in the group to use Arburg machines, and serves the company’s mainland European customers.

The decision to increase the moulding operation in the UK at COBA Plastics Moulding Ltd, means that COBA can predominantly focus its manufacturing operations in Britain to efficiently supply UK OEMs, where the automotive sector had a difficult 2018.

COBA has a diversified customer base, however, supplying many of the world’s largest automotive manufacturers. Its plastics division range includes:

  • extruded and moulded rubber and polymer interior and exterior parts,
  • trim retainers, cords and map pockets,
  • roof rails,
  • exterior trim, and
  • under bonnet seals, as well as gap fillers, fasteners and pins for a variety of seating and interior applications.

COBA also makes non-automotive components for the medical and packaging industries. This diversity and devotion to customer delivery has helped the business grow steadily.

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