COMPANY PROFILE
25
Welding World speaks to Gary Hills, UK managing director and head of welding at Fronius UK
TECHNOLOGY IN FOCUS
WW: Please give a brief background to your company and its products. GH: Fronius is a family-owned company, established in Austria in 1945, which was later set up as a trust. This means that we can maintain our independence as a supplier of high quality welding, solar and battery-charging inverters. The upside of this means we are not beholden to shareholders – this independence also allows us to invest in our own R+D with at least 5-10% of the company’s turnover going into the development of our own products which gives us a longer-term view on the market. Because of our technological innovations, along with a clear strategic approach, it is widely believed that Fronius is the market leader in terms of welding.
WW: Please explain your mission and objectives? GH: We want to continue to grow the company in 2014. We opened the doors to our Fronius UK subsidiary for welding in Milton Keynes two years ago from which we offer sales and service, technical support and training. We recently opened a regional sales office in East Kilbride Scotland. Our target over the next five years is to increase the
number of these by an additional five across the UK to offer regional sales and technical support/expertise to customers. The target is to be no more than four hours from any of our customers. That is a worldwide customer target for Fronius and a concept we believe that no-one currently offers in the market.
WW: What are your views on the current business climate for manufacturers, as well as the business climate for 2014 overall? GH: The signs are very good right now – we experienced a 30% growth in our welding sales revenue in 2013 over 2012. We expect to see an approximate 20% growth level in the UK this year. It was a busy year for us in 2013 in the oil & gas sector. I am therefore very optimistic about market prospects this year. The outlook for the UK automotive sector, one of our key markets, is very positive right now. Also, with our own technology centre based in Milton Keynes, we are able to offer our
Above: Gary Hills, UK MD and Head ofWelding, Fronius UK
Left: Manual TPSi welding
customers and potential customers customised equipment training, welding trials, service and technical support. We are currently undertaking, for instance, welding trials for Tier 1 and Tier 2 automotive suppliers, the oil & gas sector and other specialised applications.
WW: Please outline any recent successes or achievements and the reasons for this? GH: Currently, we are really concentrating on the automotive sector which is one of our core markets. Our non-robotic automation solutions have been very popular, especially in the oil & gas sector. We sold a significant number of these systems last year so it has been a big revenue-raiser for us. Our customer base comes from all areas of industry – customers are increasingly looking for solutions and advice on processes. An interesting observation about last year is the increasing number of enquiries from other channels i.e. leads that we have not come directly from our sales teams but from such mediums as online advertising and even YouTube, for instance. Our growth areas are turnkey automation, automotive sector, Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers as well as the specialist industries such as stainless steel/aluminium fabrication. Luckily, in the UK, those industries are well represented.
WW: Are there any new market areas where you see growth for your products? GH: Yes, we are looking at the resistance spot welding and laser hybrid welding markets for our Delta Spot product (for example). Core competence is now a key issue for customers – the market is becoming more technically
Below: Fronius ETRS system
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