RIS Rubber has ordered a new compression press with vacuum box from Panstone in Taiwan. It was ready in early January 2025 and our director Wouter and colleague Edgar travelled to Taiwan to evaluate and test the press.
A long journey to Taiwan
On Tuesday 14 January, Wouter and Edgar left Schiphol Airport for Taiwan, a journey totalling 20 hours. After arriving in Taoyuan, the journey continued by high-speed train to Taichung, where Panstone’s factory is located. Here, they were welcomed by Panstone Europe’s English representative.
During dinner, it soon became clear that eating with chopsticks was a requirement, but fortunately everyone had mastered it…. After a pleasant meal and a good night’s sleep, the next day was all about the press inspection.
Inspection and adjustments
On Thursday and Friday, Wouter and Edgar visited Panstone’s factory, where some 1,200 injection and compression presses are produced every year. There, the new press was ready for extensive testing.
During the tests, a specially written press programme for automatic transfer of Combiring dies was optimised. Our standard press programme with venting steps was also incorporated and tested. In addition, important adjustments were made, such as a clearer menu. After two days of testing and fine-tuning, the press was approved and released for transport to the Netherlands.
Expected delivery in April 2025
The press will now be shipped in containers and is expected to arrive at RIS Rubber in the second half of April 2025. Of course, we will keep you updated on this process again.
Cultural closure: Chinese New Year party
After the technical work, Wouter and Edgar stayed in Taiwan for two more days. Saturday afternoon they fished shrimps, after which the catch was immediately roasted (and eaten without chopsticks). On Saturday evening, the gentlemen were invited to Panstone’s Chinese New Year party. An impressive event with 600 people in attendance, including performances by a well-known Taiwanese rock band. Sunday saw a brief exploration of the city before the return trip. On Monday morning, they landed back on Dutch soil.
RIS Rubber is looking forward to the arrival of this new press, which contributes to further optimisation of our production processes!
