Investing in power SPARKY GROUP

INVESTING IN POWER

Leading power tools manufacturer SPARKY GROUP is enjoying the benefits of its considerable investment in equipment and resources in recent years. Emma-Jane Batey spoke to CEO Stanislav Petkov to see how this investment is good for business.

Established in Berlin, Germany in 1990, SPARKY GROUP is the majority shareholder in two state-of-the-art factories in Bulgaria, both listed on the Bulgarian stock exchange. One of the well-positioned professional power tools brands, SPARKY also manufactures power tools and components for OEM customers, as well as welded parts and machinery.

In the five years since Industry Europe last spoke to SPARKY, the company has invested some €27million in ensuring its facilities are the best they can possibly be. CEO Mr Petkov explained why this considerable investment has been made, and explained more about the ways in which the money has been spent: “We are investing all the time in developing innovative new products and training our staff, but this major investment programme was primarily focused on making sure our two production facilities were fully equipped with the very latest technology.”

Spending wisely

The first Bulgarian factory received €16 million of the €27 million investment, which was spent on upgrading its power tools manu-

facturing capabilities. This factory produces high-quality power tools for the professional industry sector and for the DIY sector, with at least 85 per cent of the €16 million used to purchase new equipment. The remainder was used to ensure the facility’s infrastructure could support and integrate the new equipment, and that the workforce was trained to utilise its capabilities.

The second Bulgarian SPARKY factory benefited from an €11 million investment. This factory focuses on manufacturing steel components including welded machines and steel parts. The steel parts produced at the SPARKY site are primarily supplied to major producers in the fields of construction, cranes, agriculture and railways, with SPARKY being a globally recognised name in the OEM sector.

In addition to enhanced production capabilities and global competitiveness, another reason behind SPARKY’s extensive investment programme was to mark its 50th anniversary in 2011. Mr Petkov explained, “We felt very strongly that we wanted SPARKY to be more than prepared for our next 50 years in business. We wanted to stake our claim at the forefront of power tools manufacture and so our €27 million investment was a statement of intent. I am proud of how this huge amount of money has been carefully and cleverly spent to ensure the best possible return, both for us and for our customers. Our facilities are truly second-to-none, with the most advanced manufacturing equipment and very highly trained workers able to use each machine to the best of its potential. We can continue to develop new products using our equipment

and can also implement the most effective processes for using the equipment. It’s a very exciting time at SPARKY right now.”

Both of SPARKY’s factories are accredited to the widely recognised ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 standards. The investment and these certificates illustrate the importance that SPARKY places on keeping all aspects of its business up to date with the latest requirements of a competitive market, particularly as it is rapidly increasing its global reach in terms of its customer base.

Always improving

Mr Petkov added, “It’s all about continuous improvement at SPARKY, whether that’s investment in equipment, developing new models or ensuring that our environmental practices are as responsible as possible. We are always asking ourselves how we can guarantee that our customers are satisfied with what we’re delivering by putting ourselves in their shoes and understanding what they want.”

A perfect illustration of this philosophy is shown in the 17 new models introduced in to the SPARKY catalogue in 2011, all of which were developed in close coopera-

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tion with feedback from customers and an appreciation of the changing industry trends. In the last three years, SPARKY has introduced new products including a line of heavy-duty power tools for industrial clients, a range of angle grinders, new rotary hammers and dry wall sanding machines.

The customer feedback for these new products shows that the investment has been well received. Mr Petkov said, “These latest products have been selling very well and have quickly and positively been accepted by customers. We are not surprised at this as we have increased the durability of many of our core products by up to two or three times compared to previous series, and have introduced many new features that meet the changing needs of our customers.”

SPARKY intends to continue to upgrade and improve its product ranges as technology develops and production allows. Mr Petkov pointed out that it is imperative that the company maintains its market leading position and regularly delivers new-generation products to retain its reputation for innovative quality. One such area where newgeneration products are being introduced is the cordless machines market, with SPARKY excitedly creating a number of products for both the professional and DIY sectors.

With customers all over Europe and a marketing department that is embracing social media in order to engage with existing customers and connect with potential customers, SPARKY’s current customer base, which also includes customers in North Africa, South Africa, South America and the Middle East, is set to grow further in the coming years. n