Close to three decades of activity in the injection molding field have established Rion’s standing as a leading plastic injection sub-contractor. While we have been involved in numerous projects identified with leading companies in the Israeli industry, local companies are not our only customers.

We are also proud to provide service to two leading customers in the US, both manufacturers of products in the medical field: Chembio Diagnostic Systems and Thermo Fisher Scientific. These customers have accompanied our activity at Rion for over 20 years, and our success has grown along with their success. Working and servicing customers abroad is not the same as in the local market. We spoke to Omer Kraus, the plant manager at Plastokit responsible for handling these customers, to hear about this overseas activity and service.

Thermo Fisher Scientific – Thin-Walled Test Tube Racks

Thermo Fisher Scientific specializes in the production of medical use test tube racks. The racks pose production challenges and are comprised of many thin-sided walls. Rack planning and production is not simple and requires skill in order to achieve proper filling, without welding lines, weak points and without distortions. Every rack must be uniquely marked with a barcode and a QR in addition to the company’s logo. These are achieved by using pad printing and laser marking.

“The relationship with this customer spans more than twenty years, and this is something special for us”, says Omer. “It began when the company was still called Matrix, with a random encounter at a conference where we learned about the small American company which was under Jewish ownership. The warm relationship that developed and the satisfaction have remained over the many years. The relationship also withstood the change of ownership when Matrix was acquired by the giant Thermo Fisher Scientific. Plastokit also experienced extensive changes with its merger with Rion, and this transition was also traversed successfully while maintaining and strengthening the relationship with the customer”.

There have been changes over the years that entailed new and different product requirements. One of the changes had to do with product marking. “In recent years we introduced a laser barcode marking process”, recounts Omer. “This is ‘green’ marking compared to the alternative which uses labels. It is economical in terms of raw materials such as labels, ink, solvents and glues. Now, it is also a more efficient and quality oriented – the quality control process was significantly improved with a computerized quality control system which examines the marking quality of each and every rack”.

Picture 1: A Thermo Fisher Scientific test tube rack with pad printing and laser marking.

Chembio – Rapid Medical Diagnostic Tests

Another American company in the medical field, also with over 20 years of activity with Rion, is Chembio, a company that specializes in medical diagnostic products. Demand for its products increased over the past two years with the outbreak of the corona. Rion produces for the company plastic receptacles for medical diagnostic tests, very similar to the antigen tests we know for corona testing. ” We succeed in supplying a rapid and quality solution and in providing an infrastructure which supports the customers’ growth. Our value is reflected not only in production but also in actively participating in product planning to achieve maximum efficiency. All our customers know that we are a company they can count on”.

Are there differences in providing support to overseas customers?

“A relationship with an overseas customer is different from that with a local customer”, explains Omer. “We have to take into consideration shipment times and costs and, as you know the supply chain experienced a serious crisis during the corona period. There are also cultural differences. 20 years of work with the same customer demonstrate that we can overcome these challenges while providing quality products and service to our customers at competitive prices. We look forward to continuing to provide the best service in the coming twenty years!”.

Picture 2: Rapid diagnostic test by the American company Chembio.