Clyde Materials Handling : Rising star
Published : May 2008
Gavin Money, marketing director at Clyde Materials Handling, talked to Jayne Flannery about the company’s growth strategy
Clyde Materials Handling (CMH) has opted for a specific niche within the huge and diverse --marketplace of materials handling solutions. The company provides ground-breaking solutions to pneumatically convey or inject materials used within production processes for the iron and steel, non-ferrous metals, gypsum and cement markets.
“We stand out because meeting our customer’s need for complex, bespoke handling solutions and getting it right first time is at the heart of what we do. Our processes add value through reducing energy usage, operating processes more efficiently and giving a higher output than traditional material handling solutions,” stated Gavin Money,
marketing director. CMH was also used as a platform to gain a presence on AIM in July 2006, when CMH reversed into a cash shell to create Clyde Process Solutions plc. Today, Clyde Materials Handling operates as a subsidiary of Clyde Process Solutions. Since floating on AIM, Clyde Process Solutions has gone on to complete the acquisition of MAC Equipment, a heritage company based in the US that has operated successfully in the pneumatic conveying and air filtration sector for 40 years. Clyde Process Solutions acquired MAC Equipment in April 2007 for £43 million.
CMH currently has a direct presence in America, Brazil, China, India, South Africa and a joint venture registered in Singapore. Manufacturing is based on an outsourced model.
“We rely on an outsourced supply chain model that enables us to ‘think global, but act local’ ensuring that we continue to meet our customers’ local needs and provide local support whilst remaining competitive in our market,” he added.
A global presence demands consistency of service across the globe and Money sees training and staff development as fundamental to realising the future potential of the business. Last year, the Clyde Academy was launched at CMH’s Doncaster headquarters to fulfil this need. “It represents the hub of creativity and new thinking for the business and we believe that our approach is unique within the engineering industry,”
he said. The Academy is intended to be a centre of excellence and learning for every employee. “It is a place where people can learn about our vision, values and strategy as well as a common integrated approach, which extends from understanding the technology we provide through to a standard approach to sizing a system or writing a proposal, for example.
It offers the kind of development that people coming into the organisation want. It might sound like a cliché, but our people are our single greatest asset and we need to facilitate their growth and development in the best possible way that we can.”
He believes that the Clyde Academy will provide a solid foundation for realising further ambitious organic growth plans. The thirst to develop business through new technologies, new markets and new territories is fundamental to CMH’s strategy. It is clear that the company still has no intention of sitting still.
“We have begun to take a closer look at the aluminium industry and other industries which depend on energy intensive processes. Pneumatic conveying solutions offer the benefit of very low energy consumption compared to traditional methods of conveying. As energy prices rise, the benefits our solutions provide to the process industry become increasingly appealing.
The conversion of coal to liquid form, from which oil can then be extracted, is another area which he believes has big potential as oil reserves dwindle.
Originally discarded on cost grounds, coal-based energy is enjoying a renaissance as oil prices surge through the $100 per barrel barrier. “We are also expanding our reach in the copper market where a specific type of furnace is used to create the commodity, which is applied predominately in transport, telecommunication and utility sectors. Again, it is low energy, but also offers greater accuracy of feed of the copper concentrate to the heart of the furnace. If we can prove that we can generate higher yield from this increasingly demanded commodity which is used in a huge variety of applications, then we can demonstrate real added-value to potential customers,” he said.
CMH also has a keen eye on the adoption of alternative fuel sources, which is a trend across all industries. The company has already successfully injected electronic scrap into copper furnaces to extract copper. It has also been involved in a successful Australian project to apply its technology to containing dust pollution caused in zinc production. Cement production is another opportunity. Typically, it relies on nonrenewable fuels, but CMH believes it offers a more sustainable and cost-effective solution. “We want to explore the potential for injecting waste products such as recycled tyres and even sewage sludge as an energy source,” he said. “If we can convey and inject these materials it saves on energy as well as enabling customers to dramatically reduce their emissions, which will save further money as new, tougher environmental legislation comes into effect.”
With an extended global reach, market leading technology and a foothold in an array of these emerging, growth markets, Money is convinced that CMH´s star is only just rising.
