The ability to diversify can be the key to survival in difficult economic times and the company founded by Fabio Paron in 1981 is well placed to do just that.
Globus’ product range includes vibrating and chain conveyors, drum chippers, knife ring flakers, hammermills, refiner mills and the Cam Classifier. This latter machine is designed to screen particles using elliptical cams with a ‘V’ profile which make the particles jump to different heights according to their size, while adjustable gaps between the cams, of varying size along the length of the classifier, allow appropriate-size particles to fall through and be collected.
Another example of Mr Paron’s
engineering flair being used to adapt more common principles is the use of the patented ‘wobble spreader’ in Globus’ knife ring flaker SRC 1400-AR. This device is designed to distribute the chips more uniformly across the length of the knives than in a conventional knife ring flaker.
That range of products is one key to the ability of Globus to diversify its markets; the rapidly increasing interest in biomass energy generation is the other.
“Today, 30% of our business is related to the biomass energy sector and we are currently quoting on projects to a total value of around €6m,” said Mr Paron.
“We are not yet involved in the household recycling sector but that is another possibility for us. We go step-by-step in these developments.”
In July, Globus delivered its first mobile chipper for biomass chipping in the forest. This is to chip the ‘waste’ in the forest, such as small logs and
branches, which in the past would have been burned in situ. This chipping unit has a 640HP motor for an average production of 150m3 of chips per hour. The unit weighs around 25 tonnes.
Another mobile unit under preparation will have a 1200HP motor, capacity of about 300m3 per hour, and will weigh in at around 35-40 tonnes.
“We already have two enquiries from eastern Europe for this larger machine,” said Mr Paron.
Of course the panel industry is still a vital component of the company’s business, as it has always been, and this year’s Ligna exhibition produced two orders for equipment for particleboard lines – one in Uzbekistan (a 400m3 per day line) and one in India (800m3 per day).
Unlike many in the industry, Mr Paron believes that Africa offers potential for his products and he recently installed a small flaker at a panel line in Zambia and another chipping and flaking line at the William Tell particleboard line in South Africa, close to Johannesburg. Another project in South Africa is also under discussion.
South America is another important market for Globus and the company is moving the production of some of its smaller machines to its new subsidiary, Globus do Brasil, in Curitiba. Here, Globus will collaborate with EMG Brasil, a subsidiary of EMG of Italy, which
produces conveyor and panel handling systems.
The machines are being sold with the brand name “EMG with Globus Technology” and in September, engineers from Curitiba will come to Galliate to spend three months learning about the machines. Then, all assistance for the market in North and South America will be based in Curitiba.
“Our strategy there is to establish a marketing, service and commercial network for the continent,” said Mr Paron.
A keen poker player, Mr Paron has decided to offer his “Four Aces” to the market in 2009: the knife ring flaker (‘Hearts’); the drum chipper (‘Diamonds’); the refiner mill (‘Clubs’); and the hammermill (‘Spades’).