Unilux, a manufacturer of surface inspection lighting systems, plans to open service centers in Mexico City and San Jose, Costa Rica. Both centers will officially open January 1, 2011, and will bring the number of Unilux service centers worldwide to six.

Victor Mejia of Flexi-Vel will manage the service center in Mexico City, which will primarily serve Unilux customers in Mexico and the Caribbean. Guillermo Gonzales of Cosalco will manage the service center in San Jose to offer service to Central and South American customers.

“Our new service centers should cut repair turnaround time to an average of two to three weeks for most repairs,” says Raul Bernal, Latin America sales and project director. “By adding service centers in these locales, the customer can expect a quicker return on their repair due to eliminating three to five days in transit to and from the United States, as well as eliminating the need to clear customs. Unilux repairs for customers in Mexico will remain in Mexico, while countries with import/export agreements with Costa Rica just need to follow a simple procedure. This will help everyone save time while significantly reducing the cost for the entire process.”

Bernal said labor rates more in line with Latin American countries will help Unilux customers save money. Furthermore, a language barrier would be eliminated.

Gonzalez has been a flexographic service technician/salesman for Representaciones Cosalco in Costa Rica for the past seven years. He specializes in narrow and wide web printing presses; extrusion, laminating and bag machines, and auxiliary equipment. Mejia has been a service technician manager for Flexi-Vel for the past eight years, also specializing in narrow and wide web printing presses; extrusion, laminating and bag machines, and auxiliary equipment.

Unilux Inc., headquartered in Saddle Brook, NJ, USA, is in its 48th year of designing and manufacturing industrial surface inspection lighting systems for the textile, printing/converting, metals and papermaking industries and heavy-duty strobe lighting systems for the film and video industry. Unilux stroboscopic and pulsed LED inspection lights ranging from handheld, battery-powered units for spot or narrow web inspection or maintenance or troubleshooting applications, to fixed-mounted units capable of inspecting surfaces up to 36 feet (12m) wide either individually or in combination.