Interview with Iñaki Garmendia Ajuria, President of Ega Master

ega master, manufacturer of hand tools of high quality for professional and industrial use, is a company in constant innovation. The awards and recognitions achieved during these years attest to this. But in addition, he has managed to weather the storm betting strong on internationalisation and innovation. Iñaki Garmendia Ajuria, President of the company, explains the keys to its success.

EGA Master was born in the 1990s in a period of dual crisis: a global, cyclical as all the global; and other structural sector, put in evidence by the competition which inexorably came at the end of the supposedly idyllic period of autarky with entry into the EU.

Short-term crises have all a shelf-life, all are exceeded, but obviously, sometimes not the case with the structural. The common denominator of the sector at that time was the application as a method of manufacturing of 'vertical integration', a concept already exceeded in other leading sectors - as the manufacture of automotive or aerospace among others - and that such a good result was giving them, by the's 'horizontal integration'.

This is the concept of manufacture applied since its founding by Ega Master, as a pioneer in the sector and based on four strategic pillars:

1. Total customer orientation
2. People-based organization
3. Innovation in the broadest sense of its meaning
4. Internationalization

The communion of those concepts and strategic pillars developed from the same genesis of the Organization, have transported you to be present in more than 150 countries, to consider the most award-winning for their innovations and the fastest growing.

EGA Master was born as a tool for pipe specialist for the professional market, industrial. Gradually and as a result of information which leads to the internationalization, we have been adjusting our offer to the needs and market trends, looking for higher value added and differentiating niches, thus diversifying the manufacturing.

In this way, Ega Master has become today, for example, the world reference in the field of tools and instruments of security, being the only one in the world to offer all these specialities: hose, for mechanics and car tools, the antichispa, the antimagnéticas of titanium, the isolated to 1,000 V, the ESD antidispativas and the equipment and instruments ATEX blast.

Not exactly. Born with an international vocation does not mean giving up the market domestic, at all, but rather leave not be limited to none, remove any restrictive approach. Markets, all, offer many and varied opportunities and alternatives, and they are a great source of wealth.

Ega Master we believe 'global village, global market'. Internationalization as well as being absolutely indispensable to become globally competitive is a superb and inexhaustible source of acquisition of knowledge, experiences and experiences, as well as building bridges and breaking borders favoring interpersonal relationships.

Competing with the best is when one becomes stronger. Adversity forces you to improve yourself, you strengthens. It's like better activate the mechanisms of adaptation and evolution. Also, lets place antennas and radars at all points of influence and decision-making, capturing real-time needs and developments both in the market of competitors. Also helps something no less important: to diversify the risk, which leads to their minimization, if always is strategically important, in times and cycles of wind against, it is especially grateful.

Spain is a market, although obviously the most important. It is also true that we did not want to depend on in excess of any market, or even of the national and thus maintain a balance between them so that we can get a healthy diversification. This road started almost two decades ago is precisely, among others, which allows us to tackle the current crisis from a less sensitive position that we would be now suffering if we had opted mainly for the domestic market. In addition, proved to be competitive at the international level opens many doors also at home as evidenced by the fact that also in Spain are gaining market share rapidly, especially among the most industrial customers.

Ega Master, through the results, we have noted that the four strategic pillars referred to and applied with a continuous adaptation - with flexibility, agility, with the maximum closeness and warmth human - are underpinning the basis for overcoming, continuous improvement, which lead to diligently doing best what others already do well, to add value to the string, starting with the deep conviction that a present by splendid it takes printed footprint for its revocation where you place your future.

Not even long ago in the goodness of the manufactured product was measured by the fame and tradition of the craftsman. In the 1980s we started to talk about design and quality, in the 1990s of competitiveness and investment, and in the first decade of the new Millennium they have predominated innovation and internationalisation.

But all that is already gone and no escapes us to talk about future is always risky but, as says the philosopher Daniel Innerarity: "humans would be nothing without the ability to 'modernized', projected towards the future and anticipate in terms of imagination"", expectation, project and determination" (the future and its enemies. 2009).

Certainly this projection cannot be arbitrary or superficial. As says the same philosopher, "the relationship with the future has to grow, as we do with the other human skills [...]." "There are societies that pathologically relate to their own future, while others treat it in a reasonable and helpful way." And where the sociologist says 'society' the businessman should be 'company'. If something we have to hit entrepreneurs - even more so in times of crisis - it is duly drawing our projection for the future and human ilusionadamente committing in this projection to the team.

In our sector there are two related global fairs as generalists of hardware items, which are Colonia and Ferroforma in Bilbao, facilities and services so that we are all really proud.

We believe that, with its holding in alternative years, visiting customers, both exhibitors expectations both very satisfactorily colman.

Then there are fairs specialists, in the case of Ega Master are many and varied and in many countries: those of gas and oil, security etc. More than two dozen exhibitions a year spread over five continents.

EGA Master won the award Human who values the bet by the human factor... What does mean to you?

An important boost. We have already said that the human factor is one of the four strategic pillars of Ega Master since its foundation. Only a team completely oriented to the client, well trained, involved in the project of the company, satisfied and excited, will be able to face the future with a guarantee of continuity, as we have already said, improving what others do well.

With respect to the strictly business, when we talk about innovation and internationalization becomes more evident that the process of globalization of the economy has shown the importance of human capital as a fundamental resource for the success of the expansion strategies andespecially, for implementation in other markets. It is the creative minds that depends on all the industrial process and the implementation of the strategies.

There is no doubt that they are they which designed the product, manage supplies, plan production, control the process and the quality, marketed products, seduce to vendors, customers, users and prescribers, and set out the objectives and strategies of the organization. In this design for the future, the organizations that we firmly believe in the development of advantages competitive based on the strength of the team and the empowerment of differentiating jurisdiction enabling superior performance, we are faced with three major challenges to which anybody can do front by us:

1. Recruitment of young talent from University, work with it to ensure that the academic training and professional competence to respond to the demand of today's markets;
2. Establishment of a model of leadership that takes into account the expectations of the team, identify their proposals and increase productivity, creativity and innovation at work, to achieve both organizational success and the satisfaction of the needs of all people;
3. Implementation of a continuous system of personal and professional development that meets both scientific progress and its technological applications, with an international vision that takes into account the multiplicity of cultural contexts. This means in practice that there are objective arguments to bet on the strategy of incorporating young talent, giving priority to the development and improvement of their knowledge of the values and culture of the organization from the outset.

Indeed, the extraordinary relevance of all these awards and his eco media have set our sights very high, but just reading tells us that, to be creditors to them, we had to sharply develop our values, and also with success, and that there is no reasonable target for a good team with professionalism and enthusiasm, is unattainable and, that way the more carry route, more clearly we realize that we still can and we must go, because the ability of well managed improvementIt has no expiration date.

In fact, already us given the great joy of informing us that, in obtaining the gold Q, Ega Master has also been the only company in the sector and that we will be delivered on December 17 in a solemn ceremony at the fairgrounds of the BEC where our fair is also held par excellenceFerroforma.

Without a doubt a great climax, especially emotional for a difficult year for the sector.

Innovation is, as we have said, one of the four strategic pillars of Ega Master; It is in the spirit of all of its components and up to in their logo, ' Ega Master Art in Innovation'.

Ega master innovation we understand it as a concept generally applicable to all daily activity, to improve what we have done before, the own knowledge and skills to obtain a better result. Therefore is you can innovate not only in the product or marketing, that also, but in all areas and disciplines of the company, as a result of applying it to the knowledge and personal skills.

Innovation when it is operational, rarely is spontaneous. Therefore, their planning is very important and its incorporation into the strategy of the firm, decisive. If creativity is more due to the development of the knowledge that of inspiration, and if as says the great industrial designer Giorgio Giugaro, also the inspiration comes from the observation of what already exists to propose something new, we have focused innovation with greater clarity as a concept of global implementationnon-restrictive.

In accordance with our ethical commitment with society, we collaborate with many NGOs working both the training and rehabilitation or reintegration, etc. even to the construction of homes for orphaned children, targeting young people with limited resources in the most disadvantaged countries in general, like that you mentioned, collaborations especially rewarding all of them for all of us.

Can move forward us how he sees the sector next year?

In this country it seems that we will play continue to suffer even next year. In the case of Ega Master, which is that obviously we know better, Spain sales represent no more than 20%, therefore, the situation of the domestic market has a relatively small influence on our results. Elsewhere, i.e. in foreign markets, as you want that we have our very diversified sales in more than 150 countries, even slight growths which augur well in Europe and North America, will be overcome, in line with what is already happening this year, by the results of many of the so-called emerging countries, such as Viet Nam, China, Yemen, Nigeria, Brazil and many others in which the economy continues to grow rapidly.

This, the internationalization, is one of the competitive advantages and a good support even in sensitive situations in general, with the result of innovation, one of the four strategic pillars of Ega Master, both, makes the present moderately satisfactory in overall terms and very satisfactory in relative terms, and the immediate, however satisfactory future in two parameters, with a gradual and stable growth.

We have at an advanced stage of development more than 200 new references, not only, but mostly, the world of security, to be officially presented at the next fair in Cologne as a world first. In times of adversity is when the market is most avid news and of course, under no circumstances is can disappoint but rather surprise and stimulate.