Exico UK - Strong foundations laid before first birthday
29 January 2016
A successful and eventful first year of trading has been celebrated by electric motor company Exico UK. The company’s name was previously used in the UK until twelve years ago, but was absorbed into a global conglomerate and has now re-emerged as an independent business.
An order intake of very nearly £1 million is one of several initial objectives that have been met with a turnover just short of this due to orders rolling into 2016. A network of 15 distributors has been created to cover the whole of England, Scotland and Wales, with distributors for Ireland and Northern Ireland to be appointed during 2016 and 2017.
“We wanted our first year to be momentous,” says Sales Director Lucie Hodkova. “Critical mass is important for a motor supplier. Below a certain level you are just treading water and at the mercy of the market. By going for high growth in our first year we have become masters of our own destiny. Our distributors will create 10%-20% growth for us next year just by consolidating their business, leaving us free to concentrate on other aspects of developing the business.”
As well as mainstream industrial motors, Exico has already supplied large motors, such as marine execution motors for arduous marine duty, a 3.3kV motor to an upmarket coffee processor, ATEX motors and Marine motors. Winning certification for these high specification motors was another of Exico’s first year objectives.
Exico’s motor range includes: single phase motors; three-phase motors (IE1, IE2, and IE3); ATEX explosion-proof motors; marine motors; medium and high voltage motors. In addition, Exico has built up a portfolio of complementary products such as gearboxes, brakes, fans, encoders, coolant pumps for machine tools and electronic variable speed drives. “We are representing Kostal drives, a highly respected industrial electronics company from Germany, and can supply many other makes too,” says Lucie.
The strategy is to meet the need in the UK for quality European manufactured electric motors at affordable prices. Exico traces it early history back to communist Czechoslovakia; nowadays its motors are made in a highly-automated, modern factory and shipped around the world.
Target sectors for Exico’s first year have been OEMs and rewinders, but it has also included some notable activity in other sectors including quarrying, pumps, fans and food processing.
Based in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, Exico actually moved into its new premises some months before the start of trading. Much preparatory work was done, including adapting the accommodation to provide offices, training facilities, servicing and engineering areas as well as storage. Stock was built up and key staff members were recruited in the month before the start of trading.
Exico UK was keen to have the ability from Day One to integrate drive packages and to supply bespoke motors with, for instance, winding for non-standard voltages, shaft modifications, fitted brakes and encoders, and marine motors for use both on and below decks.
“A full function motor supplier is as much a service company as a supplier,” explains Lucie. “To best serve our customers we have to keep up with all the technical developments and related industry standards, understand energy efficiency, help design and build systems for specific applications. In fact Exico is committed to becoming the service standard by which other companies are measured.”
Contact Details and Archive...