Sumitomo Electric to invest 8 billion yen in cemented carbide plant
January 5, 2018
Indexable cemented carbide inserts from SEI (Courtesy SEI)
Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd., (SEI) has announced it will make a capital investment of 8 billion yen (€60 million) into Hokkaido Sumiden Precision Co., Ltd., Hokkaido, Japan, the production base for the group’s indexable cemented carbide inserts.
Since beginning operations in 1980, Hokkaido Sumiden Precision, a wholly owned subsidiary of Sumitomo Electric Hardmetal Corporation, has been engaged in the integrated production of high-performance cemented carbide inserts for delivery to domestic and overseas customers. Cemented carbide inserts are widely used for machining in a variety of industrial fields such as automotive, energy, and aerospace industries.
SEI stated that its investment plans are a response to recent economic growth and an increase in automobile production volume in emerging markets, which have seen the demand for cemented carbide inserts grow worldwide. The planned investment would cover enhancements to production equipment and the construction of a new plant at Hokkaido Sumiden Precision.
This enhancement and expansion is expected to increase the production capacity of the company’s cemented carbide inserts by 20%. The new equipment and facilities are expected to enter operation in December 2019.
