Interview to Oskar Santiuste, commercial director of Supraform

Supraform, S.L. it commercialises in Spain and Portugal several signatures of accessories, spare parts and machinery for the sector of the metallic deformation. Recently, the company has moved his headquarters to Gavà (Barcelona), to some new installations that give fit to the commercial offices, to the warehouse and to a room of exhibition in which Supraform shows the behaviour of the machinery that distributes. His commercial director, Oskar Santiuste, explains in this interview the reason of this transfer and analyses the keys to do of his customers companies more competitive.

Supraform Has gone evolving along the years; we begin with consumables for punzonado and now can offer flexible systems of production.

Product? The customers sue solutions, already says it our slogan More than useful! How can offer them solutions?

As the best way to give solutions to our customers is that they open us the doors of his house and show us his systems of manufacture. Sure that a short visit by factory allows us give him 3 or 4 fast councils of how can manufacture his products of a more effective way and efficient. Already we know that in some cases this is not possible by reasons of confidentiality, but this is not problem: we offer learning home of the customer where expose examples of our experience, which is a lot of.

Know the important that is to keep an image of mark, therefore Supraform represents in Spain and Portugal to the best world-wide marks in each one of the products that commercialises. Have very differentiated these marks to internal level, splitting of the base that a range of product is of consumption and the another is of production or, said of another form, have a division of consumables and another of machinery.

In this area represent mark leaders in the sector like Wilson Tool, II-SAW or Toolspresses. These marks are known in any country of the world where there is a punzonadora, a laser or a plegadora. A lot of people does not know it but these three marks manufacture for some of the best signatures of punch presseses, lasers and folding machines that are in first world-wide line. Therefore, we offer a product endorsed by the manufacturers of machines.

The division of machinery is specialised in three very related sectors, the panelado, the fimbriated and punzonado. In panelado have of the widest range of the market with three signatures that are reference in all the planet by his singularity: Ras, Jorns and Schecthl.

In fimbriated distribute Schlebach that is a skilled company in a so punished sector in the world and especially in Spain, that is the construction. The specialisation comes given by the exclusivity of the materials that outline that in any of the cases are ferríticos. The fundamental base is the aluminium, copper, zinc and his alloys usually these materials use for the production of covers and light faã§ades.

In punzonado represent to Pivatic. We differentiate us of the rest because we offer systems of punzonado CNC splitting of coil instead of splitting of format to measure or commercial, with the saving in costs that this supposes. It does not be necessary to forget that these systems of production are used to to be for companies that produce metallic pieces from 100.000 annual units like minimum.

New centre demostrativo of Supraform.

Decide that we needed some installations where found the commercial offices, the warehouse and, especially, a centre demostrativo to be able to offer to our customers a product that can see and touch.

Usually, one changes to improve. Of course that for any company the decision of a transfer is an important decision. We have moved us twice in these 17 years. It is necessary to look to the future, does not remain us another. We have to look to the past to avoid errors committed previously, but the best is for arriving. I consider me a positive person and think that there is a lot of way that visit. Each day more the service and the personalised attention to the customer are more important. The fairs are important of course, but to be able to give the greater possible information of a product or technology is necessary to have of some installations that allow it. During years, Supraform has attended to his customers displacing to his installations, from some commercial offices in Pallejà (Barcelona), with the limitations that comports. Now they are all invited when they want to know of the To to the Z all the products of Supraform.

Like curiosity can comment that it does some years deliver to a company of the surroundings of Barcelona a plegadora of apron of 4 metres and with 120 tonnes of strength. It treats of an only team in the market, that manufactures a product that has been patented to world-wide level. And the most recent and curious was the delivery of a plegadora electrical to another company of Barcelona that has produced cientos of pieces, all different ones of the others, that cover the interior of the needles of the Holy Family.

…Does not require any effort in doing it.

Really do big part of what can do the folding machines conventional but besides that allow other folded that they would be impossible in them and the diversity and investment in useful would be very high. A plegadora of apron offers boundless designs of folded in real time without investment in useful neither demora in the delivery by the terms of manufacture of these when they are special. Besides, they do not produce any type of mark on the steel, do not deform the punzonados near of the line of folded and allows to fold material type rejilla or sheet with rugosidades without damaging them. Like expert that think that am in useful of plegadora recognise that the best plegadora of the world is always limited by the mechanical limits that offer us the own useful.

His evolution has concentrated more in the last 10-15 years that in the 40 previous. In my short labour experience in the sector, only 20 years, think that the machines of 15 years backwards do not present big differences regarding the ones of 25 or 30 years. Nevertheless, from principles of 2000, all the leading marks of the sector, especially the manufacturers of paneladoras, surprise us every year with new designs that never in the 50 previous years had seen in pieces manufactured by folding machines. The evolution is and goes to be constant.

The paneladoras more sophisticated of the market are not exclusivity of a mark, at least to world-wide level. There is paneladoras more adapted for a type of design that others. Any company that value the possibility to invest in a paneladora has to look all the options of market. What more investigate, what more information receive of part of all the marks, better will be the decision that will take. Supraform It can offer a real and safe alternative to the most demanding needs of our customers.

All, but especially exclusivity in the design of his pieces, repetitividad guaranteeed and quality of finishing. Ras Measures and square the sheets to panelar by means of an escaner laser without possibility of error. It does not produce friction of the useful with the sheet by what guarantee 100% free of marks and do not have to forget other factors to take into account to the hour to calculate the amortización of a paneladora as they are the electrical consumption and the maintenance. Ras Manufactures paneladoras electrical from does almost 20 years, whereas other signatures does less than five that have begun them to manufacture.

Know that although the paneladora is a machine, as well it describes his name, indicated mainly for big panels, each day more manufacture paneladoras for formats of sheet that usually are handy by an operario or robot of small dimensions. The capacity of design of the engineers does not have limit and nowadays the pieces to fold are more complex to delete other additional processes that do not do more than putting up the price of the final product. In the actuality, in Ras have of software for import of archives DXF, GEO or Step incorporated in the machine that programs us automatically the sequence of folded and calculates the best position of the useful of the paneladora, reducing to some seconds the time of programming and tuned of the tooling of the machine.

Think that does not have to confuse price with cost. The price is a very relative value. A good price with a low quality goes out expensive. What there is demand is low cost. The commitment of Supraform in the division of consumables is to find the best relation quality/price without forgetting the service. In the last years have launched to the useful market of punzonado with costs lower of manufacture combined with steels of greater performance that multiply the performance of the life of use. It calls EXP and does not suppose any additional investment to start with to use it even for users of other systems. Regarding the machines always say the same: the machines are not neither expensive neither cheap, are profitable or are not it.

One of the virtues of Supraform is that we have of the best products in terms of quality with the best service of delivery from the reception of the request. Well it was by that deliver directly from factory ‘door to door' or by that have of a very wide permanent stock difficult to equalise. Regarding the division of machinery think that are to the avant-garde in technology, innovation and ecology.

Santiuste, in one of the days of learning for a customer.

Then , if it fits, with more illusion that never. These years of recession have caused a change in the mentality of a lot of employers. We have to explore new markets in commercial terms and for all the export has to be a vital aim. Besides, we can not forget the internal consumption, but it is necessary to be conscious that the country goes to need of a time of recovery before being able to arrive to the figures of occupation of previous years.

Have to invest in new technologies that are more sustainable, efficient and effective. Although the new technologies substitute the hand of work of a lot of operarios, to short or half term these places of work will be regenerated to continuation of the chain of manufacture in the departments of setting, packaging, commercialisation, expedition, installation, post-sale, etc.

Know that this crisis has been very hard, but have to learn of the errors committed and see the future like a big challenge to the that face up.