LATEST technology is boosting business for a Bolton firm.

MG Stuma, an injectionmoulding specialist, has invested £130,000 on improving equipment to increase production levels and output.

Bosses have spent £80,000 on an injection-moulding machine to increase production levels.

And chiefs at the company, based in Atlas Mill, Mornington Road, have now also invested more than £50,000 in a system to improve production planning.

The BarcoVision PlantMaster system monitors production in real time and enables the team to service customers better with more accurate times and improved production planning.

All MG Stuma’s 35 i n j e c t i o n - m o u l d i n g machines are monitored wirelessly by the new system, giving instant updates on parts produced, waste and rework, downtime, production times and machine speeds.

Mr John Sturgess, director at MG Stuma, said: “A flexible management tool providing real time visibility on key performance indicators enables us to respond rapidly to changing conditions and achieve operational excellence.”

At its 55,000 square feet factory, MG Stuma has 35 i n j e c t i o n - m o u l d i n g machines making a variety of products from medical components weighing less than 1g to 3.7kg industrial pump components.

MG Stuma supplies plastic injection mouldings to customers in markets which include medical, hygiene, security, safety, and electronics.

It makes hundreds of different injection moulded plastic products from roller towel housings, and microwave steamers, to hard plastic helmets for the building industry and white water rafting protective head gear.

The company also makes components for military communication equipment and mass produced small plastic caps and filters.

Established in 1974, the family-owned firm has around 100 employees and a turnover of £6.5 million a year.

In August, 2009, two plastic injection-moulding companies — MG Plastics and Stuma Plastics — joined together under one roof in Bolton to form MG Stuma. The company’s order book has resulted in MG Stuma moving from a five-day week, to continuous seven day, 24- hour shifts.

It also increased its workforce from 80 to around 100 employees over the past year.