Steering towards new markets M+S Hydraulic

STEERING TOWARDS NEW MARKETS

The Bulgarian company M+S Hydraulic has made a strong entrance into the world’s hydraulic market with a wide range and various designs of motors, steering units and brakes. Mr Yordan Papazov talks about combining proven expertise in the field with a comprehensive logistical support. Vanja Švačko reports.

M+S Hydraulic has been operating for more than 50 years, offering its services to customers on every continent through its large network of distributors. It is currently the fifth largest brand in the world with eight per cent of the global market share when it comes to the sale of hydraulic products.

The company entered the construction industry in 1963 servicing heavy equipment and machinery, and in 1976 it started manufacturing its own hydraulic equipment after purchasing a licence from the German company Zahnradfabrik. Furthermore, in the 1980s its portfolio was enlarged with a low speed, high torque hydromotor under yet another licence (Danfoss from Denmark). Today the company boasts its own brand of motors, M+S Hydraulic, predominantly used in the agriculture, forestry, marine, construction, oil & mining and many other industry segments.

M+S is located in the city of Kazanlak, with its headquarters, the main plant, storehouse and three smaller production facilities/ workshops near the city. In 2009 the company bought the Serbian manufacturer of steering units and valves Lifam Hidravlika.

At the beginning of 2015 a new subsidiary trading company, M+S Hydraulic Power Transmission GmbH, was set up in Germany. According to Mr Papazov, “the main goal is to streamline its distribution channels to larger clients, to attract and win new OEM customers and increase the international M+S brand evaluation. This step is expected to reinforce the sustainable business development of M+S Hydraulic and to confirm its leading position among the global leaders in the world’s hydraulic market.”

Outstanding portfolio and services

All the key products in the M+S portfolio – hydraulic orbital motors and steering units – are offered in both metric and SAE versions. Apart from motors, the company also produces a complete line of hydraulic steering units for use in low speed vehicles up to 60 km/h, as well as dynamic and static hydraulic brakes with hydraulic and manual control, varying range of static torque and so on.

But its elaborate portfolio and capacity to deliver hydraulic solutions that match specific customers’ technical requirements is not the company’s only competitive advantage. Mr Papazov explains: “At M+S we train technical personnel from the companies working within our ever-growing distributors’ network. We support the marketing activities of our partners through trade fairs and international exhibitions.

“M+S is a very flexible company, always open to discussing relevant ideas in order to find the best solutions for cooperation with partners and customers. We are keen on our flawless logistics and the flexibility of all sections in the chain. We work tirelessly to ensure our clients are completely satisfied with our products and

Trelleborg

Trelleborg is a leading global sealing solutions provider, offering the best in elastomer, thermoplastic, PTFE and composite technologies for applications in diverse industries.

Trelleborg’s expert engineers support customers using stateof-the-art design and manufacturing tools. We are honored to be one of M+S Hydraulic’s partners, supplying hydraulic motor sealing solutions, among which radial oil seals.

Trelleborg’s specially designed radial oil seals are reinforced with a metal insert, without spring energized sealing lip and a wavy rubber covered outer diameter. Some of the advantages are: good static sealing and thermal expansion compensation; low friction and low heat generation; compact design; suitability for scraper applications.

services. They are the resource upon which the success of our business depends.”

M+S Hydraulic was the first company in Bulgaria to be certified according to the ISO 9001:2008 standard. It also holds certificates for occupational health and safety (OHSAS 18001:2007) and for environmental management (ISO 14001:2004).

Winning new clients

With more than 90 per cent of its products sold abroad, M+S is clearly an export-oriented company. Its main markets are in Europe (70 per cent), followed by North America, Canada, Asia, Australia and South America.

Owing to the rapid growth of the industry in Asia/Pacific, as well as in South America and South Africa, the company aims to expand its market share in those regions. A significant increase in sales of 27 per cent in India compared to the previous year is testament to the company’s readiness to secure new clients.

“Expanding to new markets in the past 18 months has been the result of applying a very flexible price policy and presenting our clients with fast on-time customer services and highly professional technical skills. Furthermore, organising international distributor meetings on a regular basis helps us to synchronise the present and future business activities with our partners,” claims Mr Papazov.

Boosting competitiveness

Apart from investing 10 per cent of its own turnover in technological equipment, M+S Hydraulic is benefitting from various EU programmes that support the ongoing development of the Bulgarian economy. Its production sites are equipped with programme machine facilities, special purpose and modular machine equipment, as well as a new totally computerised heat treatment processing line providing increased production capabilities. The entire production system is controlled by a specially designed MRP II system. Very often the company develops a completely new line of products based on the latest market demands or makes modifications to existing ones.

Mr Papazov concludes, “M+S Hydraulic is a modern company with a very rich history, strong commitment to social and environmental responsibility and a contemporary management structure. We have a well-developed sales network, flexible customer oriented policies and services and a new product development programme, which boosts our profits.

“Meeting the challenges driven by transformations in the domestic and global markets has become a key point of our management strategy. With a brand which stands as a synonym for guaranteed quality, M+S Hydraulic remains committed to its core values and ready to stand up to the challenges in the global business world.” n

Visit: www.ms-hydraulic.com