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MACH INERY
Home and away
Inagas has played a fundamental role in the development of gas lling technology for the
UK market and further aeld. Here Chris Kemp, director at Inagas, explains how everyone
“Inagas’ concern stretches far further
aeld because it is increasingly operating in
www.ggpmag.com January 2019
As we head into 2019, we
embark on yet another
new year that sees the state
of the UK market looking
uncertain, this time because of the
continued unsettled economic and
political backdrop.
Whether you were in the leave or
remain camp on voting day back in
June 2016, with so much time passed
and only so much you can take
from our politicians, I don’t think
I’m alone in my utter lethargy for
anything Brexit related. Of course,
the final scenario will no doubt
impact in some way on the way we
do business, but it won’t stop us!
Worldwide representation
Although based in the UK, Inagas’
concern stretches far further afield
because it is increasingly operating
in global markets – a proportion of
our sales have always come from
overseas customers but it’s an area
that continues to see growth. That
means we need to understand not
just the UK arena, but the nuances
can benet from an international business model.
of each individual market we sell to.
We are fortunate to have a trusted
team of 25 distributors working with
us worldwide to promote the Inagas
offering to the global market and in
recent years these relationships have
naturally been strengthening.
During 2018, Inagas exhibited
at six trade shows worldwide – the
most we’ve ever exhibited at and
we’re already looking at adding
more to the calendar for 2019. An
increasing number of UK companies
were alongside us, doing the same,
because as well as creating more
opportunities, having a presence
around the globe gives a more
rounded perspective on industry
related trends and technologies. We
know we are delivering the very best
for our UK customers, because of the
knowledge and experience we gain
from working with all size and shape
of customer, across all territories.
Global market
When working overseas, we tend
to concentrate on three main types
of customer. The first are those
manufacturers who use an offline
gas filling machine as their principle
gas filler and are generally the small
to medium fabricators. The second
are those whose have an automated
line, but also need a small offline
solution for shapes and other less
common sealed units. Then there
are those fabricators using spacer
bars not compatible with a gas
press so need an offline equivalent
to suit higher levels of production.
Each territory comes with its own
complexities and some are far more
advanced than others. The European
market is by far the most advanced
in terms of the number of fully
automated lines in operation, the US
is the largest market using manual
gas fillers and the UK is by far the
most diverse needing solutions for
global markets”
different shaped units – Georgian
and decorative to name just a few.
Home soil
One of the things we’ve taken pride
in over our 26-year history, is the
fact we have always developed
our offering to suit the needs
of all individual markets and
requirements. From where it
all started, selling third party
equipment, spares and ancillaries,
we now offer 10 Inagas developed
and designed, insulated gas unit
gas filling solutions – which
are adaptable to any territory.
These range from our Firstfill; an
introductory gas filler for customers
wanting to make low volumes of
Argon filled insulated glass units
with a flow rate of 10 litres a minute
using the two hole filling method,
to our latest and most advanced
offering, the SmartSpeed, which
can be used for high speed Argon
gas filling – at a rate of between 70
and 85 litres per minute on multiple
lines. We are currently working on
the further development of our
Multifill range which we hope to
launch to the market this spring.
Customer focussed
At Inagas, our focus has remained
constant; to help our customers
save time and money, regardless
of how many units they produce
and in what country they produce
them. To do that we have to
continually innovate – develop
new systems and components and
test new ideas. We’re out in the
field on a daily basis, working with
IGU manufacturers, talking to our
customers to identify market needs
and trying to stay one step ahead of
changing trends.
The last 26 years have not been
without their challenges and the
next 26 won’t be either, including
whatever challenges the final Brexit
deal throws at us – but it’s how we
handle them that matters. With vast
knowledge, expertise and innovation
at our fingertips,
Inagas is in a strong position to
support its customers in the UK and
further afield and we look forward
to further expanding our customer
base worldwide in 2019.
Chris Kemp
/www.ggpmag.com
