Stryker Corp., a major medical supplier, plans to invest $5 million in a new metal injection molding (MIM) plant in Portage, MI in anticipation of rising demand.
With the new Injection Molding Center, Stryker will establish a new core competency within its integrated manufacturing department that will include vertical integration of metal injection molding technology.
“The majority of components that are currently machined will continue to be machined in the future, but specific components that are excellent candidates for MIM will be transferred to that technology,” says J. Patrick Anderson,
vice president of corporate affairs at Stryker. Stryker currently has no internal MIM capability.
Stryker’s investment follows a trend toward metal injection molding for medical parts. A new report from BCC research predicts a 12.9 percent annual growth rate for powder molding in North America through 2014. The amount of MIM for the medical market in North America is more than quadruple any other region in the world.
