3M Partners is a fast-growing supplier of attachment equipment, primarily for cleaning industrial premises and outdoor areas. Although the company is still young, it has already established a clear market niche and become known in Moscow and several other Russian regions.
In September 2013, 3M Partners again participated in the CeMAT/ITFM international exhibition for warehouse equipment and technologies. General Director Mikhail Zhuchkov discussed the company's products and plans.
How did you decide to build a business around such a narrowly specialised product?
We began in 2009 by selling a single product that remains the flagship of our range: SmartSweep, a unique cleaning attachment for industrial and warehouse facilities manufactured by the Belgian company TVH.
At the time there was nothing comparable on the market, and there is still no direct equivalent of the same quality. The product's distinctiveness gave us confidence in the future of the business.
What is SmartSweep, and why did this model become successful for you from the outset?
Our company motto is, "We help optimise your business." SmartSweep gives those words a practical meaning.
For owners of warehouses and production facilities that require daily cleaning, it is an indispensable tool. The machine can collect debris of different sizes in a wide variety of industrial locations. Its waste container has a capacity of 255 litres and can carry up to 409 kilograms.
Removing waste from the container is easier than emptying a domestic vacuum cleaner. The mechanism is built around belt drives and contains no motors, gearboxes or unnecessary assemblies. Any fault can be corrected immediately on site without calling additional service personnel.
The only consumable components are the brushes, and even these require replacement only after a long period of use.
SmartSweep can be attached to virtually any type of industrial forklift in about a minute. Removing it takes approximately the same amount of time.
The labour saving is clear. Once the attachment is connected, the forklift driver automatically becomes the operator of the cleaning machine without requiring additional training or instruction.
What difficulties did you encounter when entering the Russian market?
Paradoxically, the product's innovative character made it harder to introduce. Potential customers had never seen anything similar, so we often encountered a lack of trust.
We explained the SmartSweep specifications and took the equipment to customer sites for demonstrations. The response was highly positive: most of the machines sent out for demonstration did not come back because customers decided to keep them.
Did customers buy immediately?
They usually appreciated the advantages, but introducing any new product to the Russian market is made more difficult by the availability of inexpensive manual labour from neighbouring countries. Some company owners believe it is easier to hire several low-paid temporary workers than purchase an unfamiliar machine.
The product's obvious advantages are now becoming better understood. We see SmartSweep as our modest contribution to a more modern and civilised approach to business and to the use of human labour in our country.
What is the geographical reach of the business and how are you developing it?
We have customers in Saint Petersburg, Chelyabinsk, Krasnoyarsk, Novorossiysk, Khabarovsk, Yekaterinburg and other cities.
We are actively developing a dealer network and can offer attractive commercial terms. We are also open to granting exclusive dealership rights where the market and partner justify that arrangement.
Tell us about the manufacturing partners you work with
Our partner, the Belgian company TVH, is one of Europe's largest industrial businesses producing attachment equipment. TVH has operated since 1969, employs more than 4,000 people and represents its brands in more than 162 countries.
In Russia, the company is represented by its subsidiary TVH Rus, located near Moscow in the Solnechnogorsk district. Interested companies can contact TVH Rus by telephone at +7 (495) 739-44-82 or by email at info@tvhrus.com.
When SmartSweep appeared in 2009 and we began introducing it to the Russian market, 3M Partners and TVH established a dependable partnership. We are confident in the product and sell it knowing that our customers will be satisfied with its quality.
How will the product range develop?
TVH continues to expand its attachment-equipment range. New products are now available from CAM, a company owned by TVH. These include high-quality hydraulic grabs, rotators, snow blades, buckets and other attachments.
What will visitors see at your exhibition stand?
Two of our stands will feature SmartSweep and other equipment. Visitors will also have an opportunity to speak with our company's management and with TVH's senior representatives from Belgium, Bernard De Meester and Filip Gootals. They will be pleased to answer questions and meet prospective partners.
We look forward to welcoming visitors in Pavilion 6, stand A331.
Interview by V. Antonov.
