Could even a single decision be stopping you from achieving expected goals in the filament winding industry?
In how many different ways can your company produce a GRP pipe?
Certainly, there are many ways, several recipes, processes, and approaches for the same diameter, class, and stiffness.
Nowadays, there is a wide variety of Filament Winding manufacturing plants. But sometimes this wide choice ends up confusing them to the point where they find it difficult to make a logical choice instead of benefiting the end-users.
Throughout the years, I have met all kinds of customers. But in this article, I will deliberately focus on the two extreme types:
- Customers who are attracted by last-minute discounts are looking for equipment providers that are ready to discount their products by even up to 50%. Sometimes these providers just want to get rid of a Filament Winding machine that they have not been able to sell for several years;
- Customers who are in love with extreme technologies. They are the ones that say “It does not matter how much it costs, I want the most technically advanced Filament Winding machine, with the latest generation systems and equipped with all the optional accessories.” They want a mountain of technology. But they are not aware that they can be crushed by the complications it generates.
The type of customer is important.
The first type of customer represents the companies I usually do not do business with. In fact, I cannot quench their extreme need for discounts. Or the need for the feeling that they have squeezed the seller for as much as they could and established a new record in doing so.
Most of them, when they are finally able to close the deal, are not even aware that they are purchasing obsolete equipment with characteristics that are no longer in line with modern times.
This attitude and the need for discounts that this type of customer has, do not coincide with the EFFECTIVE FILAMENT WINDING LINES made by TOPFIBRA. In order to satisfy these customers, we would have to set up a different business model, based on the cheapest possible materials. But this would result in a low-cost solution with all the associated risks involved.
The second type of customer will also be dissatisfied when dealing with me. It is a customer who is in search of the most extreme technology just to have the “latest gadget”, which is being aggressively promoted at all costs by the supplier even if in its prototype phase, They would receive several NO answers to his requests to implement new technology for the first time, which has not been tried and tested beforehand.
Generally speaking, making very complicated equipment by including prototype technology, only to attempt to show that the manufacturer is a step ahead, goes against my philosophy of building EFFECTIVE FILAMENT WINDING LINES. The personnel must concentrate on the process and not on the useless complicated technology.
You are probably asking who actually purchases TOPFIBRA’S EFW MACHINES.
Or you might be thinking: you will never find the ideal customer by acting this way …
Who is the correct customer for me?
The answer is very simple. I do not focus on selling the EFW machines but I focus on your PROFIT MAKING in the Filament Winding industry.
I do not go around knocking on the doors of potential customers, in a desperate attempt to persuade someone to purchase my equipment, hoping to convince them or place them under some sort of spell, using my magic words.
Instead, I am fortunate enough to receive calls from customers who are looking for profit-making in the Filament Winding industry. And who are aiming to improve their competitiveness. Or from customers willing to engage in an open discussion with us, in order to find the right balance between the investment and the final result.
These customers are often not looking for a 50 % discount or an overly complicated “dream machine”. They are interested in achieving a very important, though often forgotten objective: THE REQUIRED PROFIT FOR EACH CLASS OF GRP PIPE IN PRODUCTION.
I find myself quite at ease with this type of customer. Like me, they go straight to the point: the main focus is the PROFIT while achieving high-quality products.
Focus on the profit and the final quality of your production.
If you think about it for a moment. Why would I need to have philosophical speeches about the type of Filament Winding machine or about which production theory to adopt if we then fail to concentrate on the FINAL PROFIT? Of course, while achieving the desired quality and quantity?
ALWAYS FOCUS ON THE PROFIT & THE FINAL QUALITY OF YOUR PRODUCTION, NOT ON THE EQUIPMENT DESCRIPTION.
The Filament Winding machine is a tool that must be used effectively, so you can make a profit through a clear and effective methodology.
This is why I told you that my focus is not to sell the equipment, but rather to create the PROFIT PER YEAR. By taking this concept to the extreme, I am selling a method with which you can succeed in this industry. The Filament Winding machine is just a tool, which of course must be EFFECTIVE.
We need to be careful when talking about PROFIT IN THE FILAMENT WINDING INDUSTRY in absolute terms. You could fall under the illusion that if you produce as fast as possible, your profit would certainly increase.
This concept of production belongs to the past and, unfortunately, it pushed many companies into bankruptcy. Even sadder it is to see that there are still equipment manufacturers who are trying to convince their potential customers by talking only about the incredible (and unrealistic) production speeds.
The PROFIT IN THE FILAMENT WINDING INDUSTRY needs to be evaluated by taking into account all of its aspects.
For example, if we are talking about the production speed, it is pointless to produce at the speed of light when the curing of the GRP pipe cannot be completely achieved (and it is not possible to determine that by simple tests), forcing you to use more raw materials to get the same performance. You will notice that some of the recipes that equipment manufacturers propose to you to achieve incredible production speeds will result in higher pipe costs (between 10-15% depending on the diameter of the pipe).
Unskilled personnel
Another example is the introduction of the variable “with unskilled personnel”, used by some suppliers.
It is easy to start a racing team in Formula 1 if your driver is someone like Vettel or Hamilton. But sometimes, you need to run your manufacturing plant with averagely skilled personnel and let me tell you, that could be a difficult task if you do not have a precise and effective methodology.
So, whenever the conversation with a potential customer starts with the phrase: “What sort of a discount do you apply on your Filament Winding machines?” or “I already have 3 offers and I need yours to compare the prices so the one who gives me the biggest discount will win”, I prefer to step back.
IF YOU ARE THE TYPE OF A PERSON WHO IS ONLY LOOKING FOR A DISCOUNT, LET ME BE HONEST WITH YOU: WE CANNOT WORK TOGETHER.
Only if you are seriously interested in having a better understanding of how to make a PROFIT IN THE FILAMENT WINDING INDUSTRY, click below to download the complete article. In the second part of this article, I will explain to you step by step, without any obligations on your part, how the profit ensuring approach is structured, as well as reveal the 3 questions which will help you understand the correct path forward for your company.
Defeat your competitors using the EFW® Technology. Read how in this article.