Ekomaziva is a Czech based distribution and manufacturing company. The company has 2 main product branches: products for surface treatment and industrial lubricants including application technology. Their customers are industrial companies dealing with metals. Among the customers are small paint shops, important local companies and also global companies e.g. ZF, Mubea, GE.
Interview with Ing. Pavel Čepelák, CEO of Ekomaziva s.r.o.
Easy Engineering: What are the main areas of activity of the company?
Pavel Čepelák: Our company is in the first order supplier of original solutions for industry. Many of our products are supplied as customized solutions or standards products with customer specific integration in the existing process. But we have also wide range of standard products which have broad industry use. We also utilize our experience to advice to our customers best solutions for their specific purpose.
E.E: What’s the news about new products?
P.Č: There is introduced new generation of oil free metal forming lubricants – more powerful, less residues, greener technology. Those lubricants are supported by Minimum quantity lubrication spray systems which multiply effect of use of those lubricants.
E.E: What are the ranges of products?
P.Č: There are following groups of products:
SURFACE TREATMENT TECHNOLOGIES:
- masking products:
- plugs and cups (material silicone, neoprene, EPDN, vinil),
- tapes – polyester, kapton, silicone, crepe paper, glass cloth, vinil
- hanging technology: hooks (standard, customised) frames and jigs for powder painting, galvanic or chemical plating and anodising (materials: steel, stainless steel, aluminum, brass, cooper, titanium)
- filtration and pumping of chemical / galvanic baths
- electric contacts and cables for galvanic
- plating barrel aggregates
- metals for anodes (Zn, Ni, Cu, Pb….)
- cleaning of pretreatment baths from oils mechanic dirt or ferromagnetic impurities
Lubricants and application technology:
- oil free metal forming lubricants IRMCO
- maintenance and assembly lubricants
- green ester oil milling emulsions
- management of milling emulsions (cleaning, filtration, automatic preparation in standard Industry 4.0)
- plastic products for transport protection
- equipment for minimum quantity spray lubrication and many others.
E.E: At what stage is the market where you are currently active?
P.Č: Customers have become more caution about capacity expansion and very focused on cost savings, so they have switched to low-cost products with acceptable performance, but usually with higher operation cost. Generally, there are 2 different strategies: save money to be safe in the near future or buy materials to the stock and invest in new, more efficient technologies because money are losing their value. Luckily, majority of our customers has enough work and fully booked capacities.
E.E: What can you tell us about market trends?
P.Č: Prices rising like hell – materials, energies, transport. Transport prices are extremely high, up to 200-300% higher than in 2019, the same energies. Raw material prices are also going up. Customers mostly accept it because they know what the situation is, we can’t really change it. Overall business environment has changed in the past two yers very significantly. It seems like end of the world we knew, but this is not the end of world itself and we must find new attitude to handle this change. There will be real (and not only formally declared) focus on real energy savings, better utilisation of all resources which will lead to more effective and efficient processes.
E.E: What are the most innovative products marketed?
P.Č: From the whole range I would like point out:
- oil free metalforming lubricants – those are based on raw materials used in cosmetic industry, not listed in REACH SVHC, biodegradable. It is completely another world.
- cleaning of washing baths and waste water from oils – The most effective machine called Suparator® is usually used together with active vacuum belt filter Q-Filter® (vacuum up to 200mbar, filtration to 5µm). Both units are fully automated with almost no need of operator service.
E.E: What estimations do you have for 2022?
P.Č: I’m still optimistic and believe in interest of companies in our innovative technologies and products. Despite of the situation in Ukraine and with Covid it seems that customers realized need of new ways in production to meet their targets.
