Newsletter #344 (View other news stories)
Pyroban enters North American market
BLOOMFIELD, NJ, United States
Thursday, 24 Jan 2008
 Pyroban's Gascheka system provides safety in non-classified areas. |
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Explosion-proof specialist Pyroban has high hopes for its US subsidiary established in December.
The company is looking to Robert Zuiderveld, former US vice president of global marketing and sales for German-based explosion-proof forklift manufacturer Sichelschmidt, to lead Pyroban Corp and develop the North American business.
Zuiderveld tells Forkliftaction.com News he is confident that the quality and reliability of Pyroban products will help him build Pyroban’s reputation and brand recognition in the region.
"As demand grows, employees will be added and plans are in place to open a US manufacturing site to handle all North American equipment conversions," he says.
He admits that Pyroban had previously "somewhat" neglected the North American market.
Since 1972, the company has focused mainly on the European and Asian markets. It has plants in West Sussex, the UK, and Hendrik Ido Ambacht in the Netherlands. In October 2006, it opened its first Asian plant in Suzhou, China (Forkliftaction.com News #283). The group website says its solutions are "built and certified for European ATEX regulations" unless requested otherwise.
"Based on the success in China and the current market opportunities presented by the Factory Mutual certification of the Gascheka product line, [we decided] in 2007 to enter the North American market," Zuiderveld says.
Gascheka is a gas detection system developed by Pyroban. The system shuts down equipment automatically when a certain level of gas is detected. It provides safety in non-classified areas where there may be low risk of explosion.
Zuiderveld says the Gascheka product and "competitively priced" diesel-powered EX (explosion-proof) conversions will help the company rapidly gain market share.
Dealers will be able to offer their own brand equipment with EX protection. Equipment that might not have been previously available with an EX certification, like sweepers, main lifts and personnel carriers, can now be offered with Pyroban’s EX protection.
Zuiderveld estimates that 100 to 200 EX- and DX-rated forklifts are sold in North America each year. Higher volumes of forklifts with lower levels of protections like ES, EE, DS and DY rated forklifts are sold annually, he says, but does not offer any ‘guesstimates’.
Over the years, Pyroban has done "substantial" business in the US, mainly with the offshore industry, supplying EX conversion kits to companies including Haliburton and Stewart & Stevenson.
Click here to read Pyroban’s company profile.
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