The future is clear Tenax Group

THE FUTURE IS CLEAR

Leading industrial chemical producer to the glass industry Tenax Group has spent the last few years developing its business strategy in order to increase its global presence. Emma-Jane Batey spoke to sales director Mrs Kristina Kurma to find out more.

Established in Dobele, Latvia, in 1991, Tenax Group has grown to become the Baltic region’s largest industrial chemical producer. A major player in the production of sandwich-type panels and insulating materials under its Tenapor brand, the Tenax Group has two clear areas of activity, both in the glass industry.

Sales director Mrs Kristina Kurma told Industry Europe how the company is organised, and how this was decided. She said, “We are essentially still a new company as we were only founded 20 years ago, and we expanded into the glass industry just 12 years ago. This is plenty long enough to gain credible experience in the industry, but it is also short enough to mean that we are still open-minded to discover new ideas and implement fresh thinking. In 2008 we undertook a series of strategic changes to reorganise our internal operations, and it was then that we clearly defined our two business areas – Tenapor, which is focused on panels and insulating materials, and Tenachem, which is dedicated to insulating glass sealants, bitumen materials and glues.”

Local and global

These two business areas work in tandem to offer a comprehensive service to customers worldwide. Tenax Group employs nearly 300 people and is present and active in more than 40 countries across the world. Mrs

Kurma continued, “Our export philosophy is integral to our continued success. This philosophy is characterised by always having a local representative in each market. We make sure there is a team member or partner who has trained with the local team and has a deep understanding of our facilities on hand for customers wherever they are. Each customer can have direct contact with our local representative and know that they are getting the best advice from someone that understands their business. Furthermore, our export philosophy continues our domestic philosophy, guaranteeing strong, reliable logistics solutions, quick reaction to customer requirements and a transparent, comprehensive service.”

Tenax is the largest player in both its local business areas in Latvia and the neighbouring countries. Initially founded on local strength, knowledge and capabilities, part of Tenax’s success story is that it replicated its performance in other territories once it had cemented its offer in its Latvian homeland.

This strong international presence is complemented by a customer-focused service that helps set Tenax apart from the competition. Mrs Kurma explained, “Everyone knows that the customer is important; nothing happens without them. We also know that nothing happens without our loyal workforce being motivated and happy. So here at Tenax we work hard to make sure both of those key aspects work in harmony, for the benefit of us all. We are well aware that our team helps to keep our business performing at the highest level, and they deliver a level of service and product quality to our customers that keeps them coming back to Tenax.”

Private and personal

A privately owned company, Tenax is keen to maintain its promise of high quality throughout the organisation. Mrs Kurma said, “From high quality products, to high quality processes, to high quality service – everything we do is about being the best that we can be and passing that on to the customer. We know that we are strong inside and out; we’ve discussed the strength of our team as the power inside our business, and it is our increasingly global

The Shepherd Color Company

The Shepherd Color Company is a major supplier of colors and functional materials to the building and construction industries world-wide. In the glass markets, particularly in Europe, we are a long time supplier of color pigments for surface decoration and coloring of window profiles. Since 2003 we have also supplied a key component for formulating premium polysulfide sealants for the insulating glass (IG) market.

One of our key partners from the early days in the IG business was Tenachem. From a small beginning, our relationship and business with them has grown steadily over the years. Their dedication to the IG industry and clear vision has led Tenachem to become one of the largest sealant suppliers in Europe in a short period of time. Shepherd particularly values the personal attention to business, their focus on quality, and the great technical cooperation exhibited by our friends there. The saying, “It is a pleasure to do business with you” certainly comes to mind when I think of Shepherd’s relationship with Tenachem.

As regular attendees of the Glasstec Exhibition, Shepherd looks forward to visiting with Tenachem as well as other key partners at this event. Glasstec is a great exhibition that brings together all the important players in the European glass markets. It is a great opportunity to meet with valued customers such as Tenechem, and to keep current on new ideas and technologies. In this spirit, Glasstec 2012 was well attended and seemed a big success.

presence that is our strength outside. It is also our exceptional product range that keeps us strong, and customers know that Tenax products are high quality, reliable and cost-effective. Tenax really cares; we are about our people, our customers and our products. We also care about the environment. We are increasingly involved in the legislative aspects of the glass industry and we are excited to be playing a part in this sustainable change.”

With such a clear appreciation of its strengths, Tenax is well prepared for continued success in the coming years. Its recent participation in the important GLASSTEC trade fair highlighted its commitment to investment in the future, with numerous customer meetings alongside new product launches making the fair a key event in the 2012 diary.

Mrs Kurma commented, “It’s the event to be at – it only happens once every two years and we have not noticed any reduced participation during the global economic downturn. We scheduled important meetings and were able to have positive discussions with a number of key clients. We are already considering our participation at GLASSTEC 2014 as this will be the perfect opportunity to present some of the new solutions we are currently working on, particularly in the field of polyurethane materials development.” n