New business opportunities for enterprises of industrial supplies
December 4, 2008
As for suppliers to the construction industry, needless to say that they do not escape to the "domino effect". The figures of the slowdown in production of the cement sector, one of the thermometers of the sector, speak for themselves. According to Anefhop (Spanish Association of manufacturers of concrete prepared), provinces such as Almeria and Seville have reduced production a 39,21 and 36,83 per cent respectively. For its part, supplies for the individual protection, despite their good state of health, so far, nor fought of the typhoon, which seems that it can be only front to resist, and those will be stronger and better anchoredthat is, more effective, and competitive companies who will remain standing when the hurricane back to breeze.
There is no doubt that standards of environmental protection and industrial safety and the obligation to purchase and use of regulated products involving compliance, provide new opportunities for business firms of industrial supplies and are conducive toIn addition, the innovation. Thus, suppliers of chemicals or personal protective equipment is expected to be two of the segments to a lesser extent suffering from the consequences of this chain reaction that seems impossible to escapar…
In any case, we have gone too far and abused the credit culture. Probably, both the industry and the distribution be it with a functioning of management different, based, as once, in liquidity. And looking back, perhaps make the sector return to a saying of those of life; and it is that, maintaining independence is certainly romantic, but everyone knows that "the Union is strength". You already understand me.
Opportunities in labour protection
The construction sector is that requires more attention by professionals of job security. Last year the number of accidents in the sector amounted to 249.910, with 282 fatalities. While this figure represents a decline of accident rate of 5 per cent over the previous year, the construction sector continues to be the sector which has a higher incidence of workplace accidents. With regard to the current year, as early as April accumulating more than 33 per cent. It is estimated that 92 per cent of workers in the construction sector should use some form of individual protection. From the Personal protective equipment companies Association drew attention to a circumstance which is not always takes into account when dealing with the provision of equipment: "these computers are used in an appropriate manner is imperative that a proper risk assessment of workplaces has previously carried out"", a basic work for the prevention and that often is not made with sufficient precision".
A segment so far considered within the scope of the construction, open to new opportunities for suppliers of personal protective equipment is the vertical works, due to the breadth of its scope. The Manager of Anetva, David Cendal explains: "the vertical works have a great future because its scope is very large, i.e., through these techniques can be numerous works in height in different structures", facilities, buildings, ships, etc. Today it encorseta to the vertical work within the scope of the construction sector and, although in most cases it is, in many others they are also in fields such as in the installation of advertising banners, cleaning of crystals, the installation of antennas of telecommunications, the cleaning of wind turbines, the testing and measurements in ships, installations of safety measures in height, etc. "."
Another area in which the obligatory nature of the use of personal protective equipment opens up expectations of growth for industrial supplies, is on prevention in the work of exposure to asbestos. Although the marketing and use of asbestos is prohibited in Spain since 1984, we can still find this material in operations of withdrawal, removal and maintenance of facilities where there is asbestos or materials containing. Providers of personal protective equipment for operations with asbestos increase quality standards. These teams are designed to prevent inhalation of fibers. The possibility that asbestos fibers are introduced or to be trapped in the structure of the tissue makes it necessary that the material appears few fibers and is made up of small pores. This is achieved through structures of non-woven fabric or by several overlapping layers to achieve high efficiency of protection against particles. Another important factor in the selection of protective clothing is the comfort of the user, especially when performing continuing work and require medium or high physical effort.
The personal protective equipment industry has understood that social and labour conditions and legislation blow to their credit, if we do an exercise in abstraction and place the crisis between paréntesis… so he is determined to implement business and trade strategies that will help you get the highest returns while prestige and consolidate this segment of the supplies. On this issue, since Asepal argues that "one of the keys of this business strategy is to provide teams that respond to the needs of the worker in a specific place of work." To do this, in many cases you choose to carry out a joint with the user enterprise design for PPE requirements to the maximum of protection, functionality and ergonomics. "The contributions of the final recipient of product are fundamental when it comes to pick up the behavior of the teams in practice."
Accessories, components and tools
Challenges of the sector
In order to adapt the product families to their consumption, the Aecoc Committee of Ironmongery and DIY is updating the standardised classification of products. The first level of the new classification, which provides a total of 15 families has recently been approved. They disappear 'locksmith', 'machinery', 'rubber' and 'drawing'. According to Aecoc responsible for these measures is to adjust the market to the reality of the consumer, whose demand for decoration and DIY articles has increased with respect to the majority professional purchase years ago.
Another problem that faces the industry supplies, is the increase in the price of raw materials. In this sense, in recent times, the material that is more rising is steel, once the major ironworks are accepting pay double or more for the iron mining companies that supply. The reason is the increase in the demand by the emergence on the world market of the large Indian and Chinese steel groups.
With regard to the problem of supply and higher prices of steel and other steel products, as well as transport and electricity, the Asociación de Fabricantes de tool Manual, Herramex, has warned that the situation generated in manufacturers of tools "the impossibility of properly plan production costs and optimum delivery times", by which does not rule out an adjustment of rates for the coming year.
The distribution, for its part, has its own challenges, as the progressive introduction of new technologies of the information to improve both the management and the customer loyalty; consolidate the role of the Central of purchase, which should serve for something rather than to buy, and exploit the main advantage of the channel, which places it in a location with other commercial formats: its ability to offer solutions customized to the final consumer, with a high degree of service and flexibility.
The safeguard of the planet and the physical integrity of individuals instead of work referred to in the legislation in force, regulating increasingly with greater demand in this respect, appears to be a protective shield against the crisis. Thus, for example, supplies to the chemical industry are likely to maintain their levels of sales, moreover, these legislative requirements drive, also, innovation, one of the advantages to survive the crisis and even come out strengthened it. The same applies to personal protective equipment, although it is clear that this segment, in its range to the construction sector, is slowing down.
Habits and interests of the consumer also had their impact on the market regardless of the challenges of the economy. As an example, the timber industry. The wood is a material increasingly appreciated by consumers to dress your home, so the supplies to this segment are also perspectives of carry the day out of the Gale. But nothing is free. There are associations of the sector pushing its industry. Let's look at the last action promoted by the Confederation Española entrepreneurs of timber, Confemadera: a study conducted by the Institute of biomechanics of Valencia (IBV) about the benefits of the wood for the health, the results have been presented in the international health fairFisalud, held in Madrid between 27 and 30 November. One of the main conclusions of the study is that "environments with wood improves the quality of life and health and have beneficial effects on growth and the mood of the people". A good strategy of market to the growing interest of the population in the physical and psychological well-being.
Another of the actions that are being carried out to promote the industry of wood, with the consequent impact on the industrial supplies to this sector, is developed by the Department of Rural development and environment of the Government of Navarra, which consists in promoting the use of this material between the collective of all areas of the building: architects, surveyors, engineers, and technical engineers. Progressive familiarisation of these professionals with the use of wood, will mean that, at the same time, develop new products from the industrial supply sector, to meet the new needs generated. Some of the reasons why the above-mentioned Department estimates that practitioners do not use wood in your projects are lack of knowledge of the technology for its use, the lack of knowledge about the availability of where to buy or the lack of manpower to work and/or install it. This regional administration intends to stimulate is use of wood, so the trend is to that in the future the sector of industrial supplies will increase sales of products intended for the installation of elements beyond doors, Windows, or floor, and will extend the use in structure (beams, columns, armaduras…), covers of ceilings and walls, both external and internal.
More expectations for supplies; rehabilitative activity has, no doubt, long-haul. Currently, the weight of the non-residential construction and civil engineering is similar in Spain and Europe. However, the weight of the rehabilitation and maintenance in our country is very less and the trend is to match in the next few years, due to the increase in this type of business and the decline of the new residential building. The sub-sector of rehabilitation is also much more stable than other sub-sectors of construction, with much less marked variations and stable increases over time, as already happened in the crisis of the mid-1990s at Spain and as expected will happen in the next few years.
