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Tooling and injection molding supplier VEM Group (Clovis, Calif.) opened a 17,500-ft² facility in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, in January, expanding its global operation into Eastern Europe. The operation in Bulgaria gives the U.S.-owned company five sites across three continents, with facilities in China, India, Thailand and Mexico.

A company spokesperson told Plastics Technology that the Plovdiv operation has one Arburg injection molding machine installed, with two more on order. The newest facility, known as VEM Europe, will offer injection mold tool fabrication and design services, as well as mold maintenance and repairs, with the Arburg machines available for testing and production runs. 

In a release, VEM Group President Marc Weinmann said his company already had many European customers and that opening a new site in Bulgaria would provide them with local manufacturing at the best price point. “Our advantage is that VEM is a U.S.-owned company led by a highly experienced international management and engineering team,” Weinmann said. “Combine that with best-in-class equipment and rigorous quality, and VEM can deliver solutions to the toughest tooling and molding challenges.”