Interview to Antón Planas, manager of ITC
The export is not new for
ITC Created in 1988, but how were the starts?
Come of the field of the agriculture, in which we were specialised in the dosage of fertilisers for water of irrigation. We develop a wide series of products like pumps dosing machines for chemical products, treatment of the water of irrigation and part of the electronics equipment dealers equipment dealers, controllers for the dosage, for the control of pH, control of productivity, among others. Like our products also headed to the water sector, fifteen years ago roughly open a specific department for this field from which supply products for the chemical industry and treatments of water, fundamentally, for the disinfection of the waters.
In what centre in the actuality?
Have achieved a range of product of pumps dosing machines from discharges very small until 2.000 litres/h so much in piston as in membrane, and of stirrers, controllers and sensors of quality of water, that allow to cover the needs of applications of treatments of waters in debuggers, plants of potabilización, industrial processes, alimentary industry, paisajismo and agriculture.
To who direct these products? Which is the profile of his customers?
Our customers are distributors, technical engineers that realizar specifications and installers. ITC Is a company that always has had exporting will. When we devoted us to the agriculture already were exporting and nowadays practically 80% of our production allocates to the export, therefore, our customer number one is the international distributor.
To which countries distribute?
United States mainly, afterwards, Europe in his group and Middle East. Also we work the north of Africa, Asia (Vietnam, Malaysia...), and have punctual distributors in Australia and South Africa. Practically all over the world, aside we have a delegation in United States, in California, that calls Injection Technical Control.
And this exporting eagerness is due to the situation in Spain?
No, at all, as it commented we already were cream with the exporting will. Obviously, if we had taken it like a solution to the crisis would be died surely. The export never is a solution. I began to work as commercial in the company, and 20 years ago already displaced me. In 1992, it was, for example, in destinations like Saudi Arabia, so that you see the profile of the company.
They are competitive our products abroad? They enjoy of some reputation?
Yes, are it, although every time it is more difficult compete in the international market. On the one hand, it is the European product that considers of quality and high price, and by another, products of other countries of low price. We, to be able to defend us in the international market, offer vicinity to the distributor. That is to say, at the end, we sell pumps dosing machines, something that no only manufacture we, but our strong point is that we are always at the side of our distributors.
How?
Travel a lot and, besides, have a very active web through which are in constant contact with our distributors. Also we offer a technical office: we are 15 workers, three of them in technical office to disposal of our distributors. Therefore, many times our distributors do not ask us pumps, ask us solutions. This offers us the possibility to compete with markets of low cost, that what interests them is to sell big quantities, like the case of India, where, by the way, have a joint venture.
But in India there will be a fierce competition. They offer something different?
In India offer the vicinity, in addition to competing in price. The motors and other standard elements of our products there are Indian, therefore can reduce a bit the price. Anyway, when it spoke of markets, have not mentioned Indian because it is a difficult market. Have this joint venture to support to a company there with the intention to go entering us little by little, but the truth is that it is a very difficult market although with a big potential, this yes. It is necessary to be there thinking in morning.
Anticipate to the future…
Yes, is fundamental. With the current situation in Spain it is necessary to do it. What also is true is that as well as it does years in India existed big opportunities, no so much available but of purchase, nowadays, the opportunities are a lot lower. The Spanish market has put the batteries and manufacture in Indian no longer goes out so profitable.
Going back to Spain and to this 20% of the sales that have here. To which obstacles confront in our country?
The big difficulty that have is the ignorance of the big companies installers by the local production.
In which sense?
Looks, we can have products in waters of Ankara, products in Colombia, in Ecuador or in Chile, for example, but have little in Spain. When they do specifications in our country, usually specifies foreign material. For us it is very difficult to compete with this.
It is paradoxical that you are exporting the greater part of his production and in Spain tend to buy product of out...
Is curious, yes. The true is that the Icex organised some bilateral meetings of the small Spanish industry with the big distributors and installers with the aim to give to know the national production to these big companies Spanish constructors, but did not go out well. I think that the problem of the big ignorance continues.
But our product can perfectly compete with products, for example, Germans or leading countries in this type of products...
Would owe to be able to compete.
Then?
Are to the level regarding quality, but no regarding prestige.
Which are the tendencies of the sector regarding pumps of dosage and control of fluids? What will mark the future?
We bet strong by tecnificar all the dosage. We try to enter technology in our pumps dosing machines, basically in the field of the control and communication. For example, add a control of the bomb that was intelligent, that allow to regulate automatically and that, besides, was able to inform of his state, of the discharges, of the pressesures, of if there is break or defect, etc. And second, bet by that all this that realizar the bomb can transmit by means of GPRS or road wifi to the centre of control.
They have novelties of this type in the market?
Yes, have of controllers via GPRS and road wifi. The bomb can arrive to give the information that at present offers, for example, a car (if has internal breaks or fault of oil…).
How it would evaluate to the companies of the sector of the distribution of water regarding technology and equipment? They are sufficiently instrumented? They are obsolete? They know of the importance of the technology and to incorporate new products?
Yes, Are doing big things in the technological field. We, that are the only manufacturers of pumps dosing machines of piston, membrane and hydraulics, are partners of Fluidex, Agragex and Aqua Spain. These associations have companies very competitive and all, more or less, have the same problem: it costs us horrors purchase national prestige and, instead, are exporting a lot.
