Interview to Iñaki Garmendia Urkizu, director manager of Ega Master
16 November 2011
The labour security has turned into a decisive factor to the hour to choose the tools of work. What bets has done Ega Master in this sense?
From our beginning prevail the security in the use of the tool, from the same phase of design. It is one of the main factors to take into account when we develop a new tool.
In the last decade have given another strategic step to develop special tools that mitigate the risks no only of his own use, but they reduce in the possible other risks of the surroundings: tools antichispa and devices intrinsically insurances for explosive surroundings; isolated for works in high voltages; antimagnéticas of titanium for applications under intense magnetic fields; or the tools ESD of electrostatic download controlled for the security in electronic components.
Which sectors cover his tools of security?
Practically any sector has some surroundings with the up mentioned characteristics: oil, minería, chemical, feeding, destilerías and a long etcetera require the tool antichispa; railways, manufacturers of electrical engines, hospitable teams or centres/centers of investigation need tools antimagnéticas; all electrical surroundings requires of isolated tools; and any work on electronic plates needs of tool ESD so that the components do not suffer damages.
However, it seems that in the last times the care by the security has relaxed ‘' as they report some entities...
Really ours perception is the contrary. It is truth that the hygiene has a cost. And this, in periods of crisis, looks with lupa, but is not less true that the ‘inhygiene' has a greater cost, perhaps no immediate, but definitely on a long-term basis. And in this sense the society in his group, so many workers like companies and institutions, are each more conscious day that not investing in hygiene, in addition to ethically wrong, equivale to loss of competitiveness on a long-term basis.
It treats of a market in constant movement... Which level of innovation demands to manufacturers like Ega Master?
The innovation is one of our strategic pillars. We have to innovar in all what do, so that we offer to all the groups of interest that interactúan with Ega Master the greater value added possible. No only in product, also in service, in logistics, in marketing, in finance… His direct consequence is that the price turns into a secondary variable for the customers, what allows to defend better the margins and therefore, face also better the future investments.
It can explain us some contribution regarding design by part of the company?
Have cientos of examples. It would fit to quote perhaps the key Mastergrip, one of the most recent developments that have patented to world-wide level, that incorporates in a same tool factors of security, ergonomics, efficiency and aesthetic. It treats of a key for tube of adjust fast, designed for his use with an alone hand, freeing the another to the user so that it can take or simply ensure his position, and for which besides have employed a technology that, in addition to other important characteristics, caters him of an especially attractive design.
Which tendencies of future foresee?
Think that the demand of all the related with the hygiene goes to be followed growing to rhythms very upper to the conventional tool. On the other hand, it is clear that the world-wide economic growth goes to give in the developing countries (estimates that in taxles of 3 or 4 times the ones of the developed countries). Taking into account besides that they are precisely the developing countries those that have an elder walk that visit in hygiene, the taxles of growth of these ranges of products will experience a true peak in his demand (such as already it comes it doing in the last years).
It is to suppose that the tools of security have more regulation and controls that other products of the sector of the ironmongery and the bricolaje. It is like this?
Like this is. In addition to the own controls of his mechanical characteristics, ergonomic, etc. that they realise in the professional tool, the ones of hygiene require of specific certificates that ensure that they fulfil with the very demanding and strict characteristics of hygiene that in each case explicitan and sue: properties antichispa, antimagnética, of electrical isolation or conductivity etc. These complex certifications are indispensable for his sale and use.
Even so, which level of competition have? And of where it proceeds?
Because of the high content in technology and to his relative youth, the competition is not so wide as in the professional tool. The main competitors are of EE UU, Germany, and in lower measure, of Italy.
Ega Master, like company that exports on 80% of his production, took to multiple fairs and meetings abroad. Which differences find at present between the Spanish market and the international?
Further of the commonplace, is true that all the markets are distinct. It does not exist an international market, exist a lot of markets, so many like countries. In the last decade, the sector of the distribution in Spain has implemented strategies of volume, since the demand was insaciable. Now, however, the sector is in crisis, by what are those that promote new forms of distribution, more oriented to the personalised/personalized service to the customer, less centred/centered in the conventional, and more in the professional advice that derive in adding value to his business, that is the most important, those that will succeed.
His internationalisation/internationalization, has been a key factor for capear the crisis?
Has been and is, from the start, and together with the innovation, one of our strategic pillars. Further to diversify the risk selling in a lot of countries, understand the internationalisation like the best tool of improvement. It is, competing with the best in each one of his markets, in the most hostile environingingments, where one develops the mechanisms of adaptation that in the long term turn him into more versatile and strong. Ega Master Distributes in more than 150 countries. This diversification and the intensification of our positioning in the emergent markets has been one of the main reasons so that even in this period of crisis, the fall of the demand in the most developed countries have been favorablemente covered by the increase in the emergent.
To finalise, can advance some immediate project? And on a long-term basis?
Ours first strategic aim of distribution already have completed it, the expansion. We sell in the actuality in more than 150 countries, the practical whole of the planet, and without that any of the markets suppose more than 15% of our turnover. The following step has to be strengthen our positions in the markets advanced and take advantage of the tug of the growth that becomes of the emergent, countries with big potential of development and therefore, of growth. The past year add to our network the subsidiary in Brazil and the intention is to continue with this model of expansion in Mexico, China, India or Indonesia, that allow us establish the firm bases of future growth.
