Hardinge Inc. is planning to move production of its XR Series vertical-machining centers to its Elmira, N.Y., manufacturing facility from its plant in Taiwan. The XR Series machines are being introduced at the IMTS show in Chicago in September, and are the machines Hardinge previously had branded as its XP3 Series of high-end, vertical machining centers.
Hardinge is building the machines exclusively in Taiwan, but the production line is full there, while production capacity is available in Elmira.
David Barber, marketing manager for Hardinge, said the first XR machines will be built in Elmira in August. Those machines will be produced from kits made in Taiwan, and full production will shift to Elmira over the next 18 to 24 months. Barber said it's expected that Hardinge will build as many as a dozen machines from kits per month by January, 2007.
The machine series is available in three models, with 600 mm, 710 mm and 1,000 mm x-axis travel.
Barber said sales of the machines has been brisk, providing the necessity to increase production.
