Across North America, there are many polymer industry companies, but few offer the diverse skill sets, advanced technology, and global advantage of KB Components. Over almost 80 years, the Swedish-headquartered business has expanded operations to include 14 production plants in Slovakia, China, Estonia, Finland, India, Mexico, the U.S., and Canada to better serve clients worldwide. Through its multiple locations, KB Components has built a stable of resources to grow alongside its many clients, providing the latest advanced systems and components.
Much more than a business, KB is a proud partner. “KB Components offers complete solutions that support our customers’ product development process all the way from idea conception to production with an innovative and solution-oriented mindset,” states the company on its website. “We aim for optimal concepts by taking into account customer requirements, tool design, quality, and cost-efficient production.”
Backed by many decades of combined experience in production methods and materials, KB Components works alongside clients to create optimal designs. With its own testing and metrology labs, the company offers precise measurement, calibration inspection services, and advanced product validation before production even starts, ensuring quality at every stage.
An industry giant
When KB Components was founded in 1947 by Solweig and Anders Månson, the aim was to become a polymer industry leader. The company’s industry experience has seen KB steadily build its client base, working with customers in a variety of industries. Today, KB Components is active in numerous sectors: light vehicles, heavy vehicles, industrial, medical, furniture, lighting, chrome plating, and industrial windows.
Across all sectors, KB Components remains committed to delivering the utmost in customer satisfaction and quality assurance. The company’s quality management system (QMS) is certified to ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and IATF 16949 standards. Initially created by the International Automotive Task Force in 1999, IATF 16949 has been revised several times with the goal of harmonizing worldwide certifications in the automotive sector supply chain.
Along with ensuring that its processes meet rigorous standards, KB Components continuously monitors and improves its processes to ensure client satisfaction. The company has adopted lean production to increase efficiency and reduce waste, alongside Six Sigma methodology. Described as “a method for disciplined quality improvement,” Six Sigma incorporates qualitative and quantitative techniques and tools like control charts, process mapping, and statistical process control to drive process improvements.
“Our continuous efforts to minimize waste and variations in our processes help generate high efficiency in our production and low PPM for our customers,” says the company. “We are also experienced in applying error-proofing methods such as poka-yoke (a Japanese term for error prevention) and machine vision technology in our processes, which reduces quality costs and minimizes risks for us and our customers.”
In addition to its emphasis on quality, KB Components is equally committed to environmentally sustainable practices such as conserving resources and developing eco-friendly solutions wherever possible.
Embracing automation
To ensure the company remains competitive, KB Components is committed to advancing through technology. For customers, this means maximizing efficiencies and quality, increasing value, and being as competitive as possible.
Just some of the many technologies KB incorporates include plastic injection moulding and extrusion operations. These services include injection moulding 35–3500 T, extrusion of tubing, profiles, or sheets, clean room injection, clean room assembly, laser printing, laser cutting, IPPC (Integrated Process Product Conversion) composite technology, and many more.
Of course, even with the most advanced technology, a company is only as good as its people. Along with its powerful reputation as a plastic moulding industry leader, KB Components is known for fostering an upbeat work environment and a forward-thinking culture, which benefits the business and staff alike. As a result, “KB Components is one of the fastest growing companies in the plastics industry,” states the company.
People and planet
Along with its outstanding staff, another strength of KB Components in its Code of Conduct. For stakeholders, the Code of Conduct serves as KB’s pledge to abide by strict regulations governing worker health and safety, sustainable initiatives, and protecting the environment. This includes many actions to reduce waste, energy consumption, and greenhouse gases. In some company locations such as Sweden, Slovakia, Lithuania and Mexico, all energy purchased is CO2 -free. And according to a recent sustainability report, renewable sources of energy represent about 50 percent of the company’s total purchases.
Recent years have seen the company install 1,450 solar panels covering 5,750 square meters at KBC Örkelljunga Sweden, and impressive solar energy production of 560,000 kWh. At the company’s plants in Puebla, Mexico and Wuxi, China, most electricity is derived from solar panels. And in 2023, KBC Placell Gislaved Sweden began installing solar panels. Just a few years ago, the company’s own fleet of cars became fully electric, fueled by KB’s own solar production.
“We have a history of technical leadership in plastic moulding,” states the company. “We also contribute innovative and sustainable solutions for a greener planet. Add targeted efforts to create an attractive work environment and positive corporate culture, and you get an innovative company that works with its customers to deepen relationships and improve products for the long haul.”
With the company’s 80th anniversary fast approaching, KB Components remains as committed as ever to serving customers worldwide and building its reputation as one of the fastest-growing plastics industry companies in the business.
“Goals, figures and results—these are the quantifiable values,” maintains the company. “Behind them you’ll find our core values—businessmanship, professionalism, and engagement—and our most important resource of all: our employees. Each and every one of us plays a part in our success and what we call the KB family. We never lose sight of our customers and always strive to improve.”
