Podim Abrasives is a coated abrasive manufacturer and distributor of many well-known brands such as 3M, Sia-Bosch Company and Saint Gobain. Being founded with an innovative entrepreneurship 35 years ago, Podim now reaches out to most of the major companies from metal-steel industry in every continent.
Easy Engineering: What are the main areas of activity of the company?
PODIM ABRASIVES: Podim combines unique products developed from practice and world’s leading abrasive brands technology-raw material together to provide comprehensive grinding solutions to its customers. These solutions vary from customized products to implementing robotic grinding-polishing cells.
Podim Abrasive offers cost-effective & innovative grinding solutions to metal industry aiming at flawless results while contributing to employee’s general wellness by providing robotic cells and safe products to grinding.
E.E: What’s the news for 2020 about new products?
PODIM ABRASIVES: P-flex: This is a new type of abrasive flap wheel. It is developed for high-demanding grinding jobs. It enables us to customize right specifications for the application. Result is cost-effective, fast, desired results without going for overly high prices.
Mirror Finishing Kit: Basically, it is a package that consists everything you need to get a scratch free, shiny surfaces in just few steps. Where user needs to go from a 1G-2G surface to “mirror finish” which is 1P-2P in DIN norms. All they need is inside the package. It seems like no big deal but it eliminated a lot of questions in users’ mind.
E.E: What are the ranges of traded products?
PODIM ABRASIVES: We do manufacture complete range of coated abrasives; oversize flap wheels, spindle wheels, quick change discs, endless belts and so on.
Also, we offer robotic polishing solutions to our customers this year. We create a polishing cell up to customer’s application requirements, once it is ready; user has a flexible, easy to program system that can automate one of the most demanding-hazardous job for many industries.
E.E: At what stage is the market where you are currently active?
PODIM ABRASIVES: Abrasive industry is one of the oldest industries. It is the first industry that 3M started to operate in for instance. However, the development of technologies from different markets creates opportunities for us; let it be the improvements in technology for fittings, chemistry or robotics. So, it is an old-well-established market with only space for innovative companies. That keeps us to stay on the track all the time.
E.E: What can you tell us about market trends?
PODIM ABRASIVES: In parallel to the technologic developments; abrasive industry is also getting integrated with the trends and leaving the conventional way of usages. In this regard, we had already started our developments for robotic polishing cells and it’s programming to serve our customers complete solutions. It’s also a fact that due to increasing the number of abrasive manufacturers; it’s the time to be an expertise in manufacturing and developing specific items as we have been doing last 3 years in our abrasive flap wheel group. Not only by offering competitive prices; offering on time servicing, right product for application and professional support.
On the other hand, it’s also a fact that the way of business practice is being changed due to the pandemic and we believe it becomes a ‘must’ to be a part of this online business trends. We are building our future in this regard.
E.E: What are the most innovative products marketed?
PODIM ABRASIVES: Recessed-head-flap-wheel: It is an abrasive flap wheel that was specifically designed for stainless steel cooking pot manufacturers. It reduced cycle time of polishing inside of the cooking pot drastically. Perfect solution for automated polishing lines of cooking pots. It was patented in 1999 by the founder of Podim Abrasives.
E.E: What estimations do you have for 2020?
PODIM ABRASIVES: It is very hard to predict close future because of Covid-19. However, there is one thing that is certain: we will never shut down factories or ateliers again. We see that whether it is Europe or Pacific countries; restraints are there for schools or social life but not for production. It is an unbelievably big wheel that we cannot take the risk to stop even for a minute in fear of not being able to turn it rolling again. So I think we will have some reduction to a fair amount in economies but we will not go down as we did during March-April-May of 2020.
