The early part of 2006 proved to be a challenging time for Millennium Plastics as demand began to exceed production capacity, particularly in the animal health sector. Whilst increased demand is an enviable situation, being unable to provide fast production turnaround did not fit comfortably with the company’s service ethos.

The company didn’t hesitate to invest for future growth, and a decision was taken to add significant production capacity. Two new Negri Bossi injection moulding machines were ordered and arrived at the company's Te Rapa plant in August.

"We challenged our technical team to commission the units in record time", said Bob Gutsell, Operations Manager. "We actually had both machines up and running in production mode within 3 days" he added. "This outstanding achievement is testimony to the skill and organisational abilities of the staff at Millennium Plastics".

The two new machines now bring Millennium’s total fleet to 18 Negri Bossi production units. One of the new machines, a 55 tonne unit has been customised for very small shot size. This provides the ability to produce intricate products with extremely high tolerances. The other machine has an 85 tonne capacity and will be used to cope with the additional demand across a wider range of applications.

The company now has adequate capacity to meet current demand and service levels, as well as excess capacity to cope with future near-term growth.

This increased capacity and expanded capability adds to the growing recognition of Millennium Plastics as a specialist high quality injection moulder.