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Product Piracy is a Problem
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11-2006/1867
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Fuente: Stadtspiegel, Germany
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Issue 2006 - "Product Piracy is a Problem"
but not for Diamant Metallplastic GmbH. The company based in Giesenkirchen is a market leader in casting cosmetics and foudn around the world.
"You must find your niches and be better than the others then you are having all chances in the world markets," says Achim Schulz, Managing Partner of Diamant Metallplastic GmbH. The small scale enterprise with 25 employees is based in the city of Giesenkirchen and looks back on 120 years of tradition. The company delivers goods to customers all over the world. These are mainly foudnries and their end users, no matter whether they are in Europe, America or Far East. The enterprise may have eight competitors worldwide having a similar range of products.
"Yet, we are not beaten easily! We have optimized our qualities by our years of experience. We produce over 300 formulations and can offer approximately 1,000 producs", says Schulz. But what exactly isit that Diemant offers? "It is kind of casting cosmetics," tries Schulz to explain. More understanding can be gathered when looking at the history of the enterprise. It was founded by Robert Schulz as a foundry follwed in 1892 by the "Robert Schulz Drogerie" (drugstore) in the city of Rheydt. Experiences made in both business branches were bundled at the end of the 19th century and the first repair cements were formulated. After WW I the enterprise was re-named into "Adler Rheydter Lack-, Spachtel- & Kittfabrik" (Eagle Rheydt Paint, Putty and Cement Company) and the product 'Iron Cement' was developed for the steel industries, the first material resisting 1,500 degress Celsius. Still today, this product is part of the product range, but Diamant developed new formulations.The benefit of the enterpise being that chemical products are hard to copy. "We have additives like metal powders, so called sleeping dogs, so that the original formulation cannot be copied", continues Schulz. The chemist cannot quantify the used materials. The thermosets made by Diamant have moreover been formulated to recipes based on decades of experiences. And that is allright so because product piracy is big especially in China. "That should not be under-estimated", says Schulz, who leads the company together with his cousin Dieter Schulz and his introduced the fifth generation with his daughter. Boom-markets like China and India are of course main business fields for the company in Giesenkirchen because end users are establishing their branches there. No problem for the globetrotter Achim Schulz - contrary:"I am fscinated by other cultures." Schulz thinks that also other small scale enterpises must get out to the world. "The ones staying here will lose." Nevertheless, Moenchgladbach as a home base is not to be disputed. "We are rooted to the soil. We have worked here since five generations. We are Gladbacher", ensures Schulz. Yet the Know How of the enterprise is seeked for all over the world. Diamant has own rooms at the Indian Technology Center Bangalore. Here is where Schulz give a small insight into the world of thermosets - but only a clue.
At one Glance - Internet
Over one million clicks per month speak a clear language. "No dount: this business field is becoming more and more important to us", explains Achim Schulz. And that is the reason why the internet presence under www.diamant.ph is being widened. So far, the products were sold only to the long establioshed end users but now also private end users can order products for their small usage in the e-shop at the homepage. An ebay-Shop is to follow.
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