PUMORI tools in new market conditions
10 March 2024
RITM magazine Issue 2, 2024
Ural Tooling Systems Works (a Pumori Corporation member company) designs and produces complex clamping tools under the brand of PUMORI. This production, the only of its kind in Russia, has been running since 1990. It delivers boring systems, milling, drilling, tapping chucks, arbors, toolholders and many other items. Among them, electronic boring heads and the Pyramid visualization system are of especial interest.
The clamping tool market has gone through major changes triggered by exit of a significant number of foreign brands. And it should be borne in mind that, for example, large production facilities have processes developed mostly using tools of exactly such gone brands. Now, it is still possible to purchase such tools in Russia through grey-market import, which, however, means substantially higher prices, long delivery times, and difficulties with warranty provision.
Another source of tools is China; they are high-pressuring the Russian market with extremely low prices. These cheap tools are suitable for a good many customers, they often win tenders, but they are not an option for no-nonsense businesses. It is even more important in these circumstances to stake on Russian manufacturers, preserving and expanding their competencies in this type of tools.
It is only natural that there has been a significant growth of demand for Russian-made products, viz. PUMORI tools. And to convert the growing demand into our sales, we take a number of steps:
- Keeping our prices competitive (thanks to bigger lots and to new processes that increase productivity).
- Offering short delivery times, by keeping some especially popular items in stock in Ekaterinburg, St. Petersburg, and Moscow.
- Helping customers switch to processes that use our tools.
- Expanding our competencies in the development and production of such tools as fine boring heads, milling chucks, thread-cutting chucks; developing tools which are new to us, like hydraulic chucks, special tools for valving makers, new types of boring heads, and incorporation of electronic components into tools made by us.
- Optimizing the production for the new demand while preserving high quality of products. Our high-performance machines now work at their highest efficiency.
- Making considerable efforts to employ skilled turners, millers, setters, grinders. We work closely with training centres and cultivate personal guidance of young workers.
An important event took place lately: we filed an application for our works to be recognized a Russian manufacturer of clamping tools. The Ural Chamber of Commerce and Industry has already produced a certificate of conformance to the requirements for a product to be considered made in the territory of the Russian Federation. After that, the works will be entered in the register of manufacturers of industrial products in the territory of Russia by the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation. We are confident that this recognition will give us a certain edge in marketing our tools in the Russian market.