Nefab Opens Moldmaking Facility in Michigan | Plastics Technology

Nefab’s says its new 19,000-square-foot Polyflex facility will enable it design, prototype and manufacture tooling for its returnable and reusable automotive logistics packaging products.

Packaging and logistics supplier Nefab announced that its PolyFlex subsidiary is opening a new, captive toolmaking facility in Grand Blanc, Michigan. This new site will enable PolyFlex to design, prototype and build tooling for injection molded products in one location. This new site pairs with PolyFlex's nearby Farmington Hills, Michigan, location, which specializes in injection molded logistics and transport packaging for the automotive industry.

A Nefab spokesperson explained to Plastics Technology that the company specializes in returnable and expendable plastic custom packaging solutions utilizing injection molding, thermoforming and urethane processes. “An example would be a piston has to ship from the Tier supplier to the OEM engine line,” the spokesperson explains. “Our packaging would protect the piston during shipment, getting it from the tier to the OEM, and then the empty is returned to the tier supplier to be re-used.”

Nefab opened its newest facility in Grand Blanc, Michigan. Source: Nefab

The 19,000-square-foot facility houses new vertical and horizonal Haas CNC machining centers, as well as 3D printing capabilities. Nefab says the technology investments enable it to work with a wider variety of materials, including thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), to deliver rapid prototyping and faster lead times. By integrating injection molding, thermoforming and tool production under one roof, Nefab says it has been able to streamline operations, reducing turnaround times and enhancing its ability to produce tools in-house, which can lower costs and improve speed to market.

Nefab’s closed-loop model for returnable injection molded and thermoformed packaging is designed to minimize waste and enhance sustainability. The company notes that in 2024, it has successfully integrated reground material into its processes, reusing more 1 million pounds of plastic that would have otherwise ended up in landfills. Once customers finish their existing programs and no longer need their plastic packaging, Nefab offers a credit to buy back the packaging, which is then reground and repurposed for future programs.

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