GEMA SWITZERLAND I PROFILE

Architecture and aluminium profiles, job coaters, white goods,
home appliances, electrical cabinets, general machinery and a roster ofother multifarious and niche materials
and products entrust their surfaces toGema Switzerland. The business specialises in both portable handheld devices
and fully automated powder coating lines,
all capable of demonstrating the pinnacleof effective and robust electrostatic
coating solutions.
“We have been an active player in thisindustry since its very inception,” noted
Christian Gföhler, General Manager ofDistribution Business for Gema Switzerland.
“We take pride in being recognised as thebenchmark and pioneer of this sector, with along history of innovation and high-performance products.”

Beneath the surface

LAYERED WITH

PRESTIGE
Gema Switzerland GmbH operates as a leader in electrostatic coating across a spectrum of industries, and utilises
the insights gained in doing so to refine an approach thathas already cemented its success in the eyes of countlessleading business minds. Christian Gföhler, General Managerof Distribution Business, introduced the product range diversification and state-of-the-art laboratories that together, areshaping the course of the company. Tony White reports.

1Gema Switzerland

Gema operates headquarters in Switzerland,
functioning as the partner of choice to anever-expanding client base.
“There are over 3,500 of our automaticbooth systems and well over a quarter ofa million powder guns in operation worldwide today,” Mr Gföhler remarked. “OurSwiss headquarters is also where we conduct our research and development, undertake product management, coordinate
our global marketing strategy, as wellas engage in engineering works, andthe manufacturing and assembly ofcore components.”
Gema sustains laboratories in key markets around the world where customers
can validate their production, and test andverify their future systems.
“Customers can come to our labs, see
how we work and can not only try out newequipment, but can see how their new line
is going to perform. At Gema, our state-ofthe-art laboratories are one of our greatest
selling tools.”
Gema’s laboratories are located in
Switzerland, the USA, China and Japan.
In addition to a physical presence in thesefour countries, Gema has offices inMexico, Germany, Italy, France and theUK. The rest of the world is covered byindependent distributors.
“Our network of independent distributors are a crucial part of our successand enable us to deal with clients inand around a given nation’s market much
more directly,” acknowledged Mr Gföhler.

Empowering innovation
Gema’s penchant for pioneering is wellregarded, and landmark innovations – suchas being the first company to offer commercially available electrostatic powder coating
guns with integrated high-voltage cascade,Gema’s OptiCenter powder management
system or the EquiFlow booth technology
for quick colour change applications – further highlight the company’s leading
market position.
Furthermore, one of Gema’s more recent
landmark products is the powder application
technology OptiSpray AP01 with SmartInline-Technology (SIT) for constant powder
output and gentle powder transport.
“Our latest endeavours hinge on theconcept of automation and quick colourchange,” Mr Gföhler commented. “Withregards to automation, Gema has developed
and launched individually controllable gunaxes that are controlled by laser scanners
that can detect an object’s contours. The
benefits of this include reduced setup time,
it optimises application results and delivers
powder savings.”
Further enhancing Gema’s automation
capabilities, the company has developed
automatic powder guns that can be mounted
on multi-axis robots. “This is one of Gema’s
recent solutions to the growing demand forautomation within our industry,” affirmed
Mr Gföhler.
And in response to ever-increasing
market requirements to maximise equipment utilisation, Gema has also launched
MultiColor, a superfast colour change solution for automatic systems.
Gema also specialises in catering toniche interests from the market, such as
MDF coating solutions, which neverthelessrepresent a large untapped market that thefirm anticipates growing going forward.

Embracing the variety
A wide and expanding range of target
demographics make up Gema’s focus
today, with its solutions seeing implementation in everything from home appliances
to aluminium facades on buildings andindustrial machinery worldwide.

Gema Switzerland

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GEMA SWITZERLAND I PROFILE“Staying ahead of the competition is vitalto us, not least due to our positive reputation
as a market leader to which other players
often aspire,” Mr Gföhler said. “We cansupply everything from components tomanual equipment and fully integrated andautomated solutions, all with a guarantee ofbest performance, reliability and longevity,
backed up further by aftersales support.”
And Mr Gföhler was keen to highlightthe crucial role Gema’s aftersales service
plays in the company’s ongoing success.
“It is not only the product, but also theafter sales support that we provide to ourcustomers worldwide, which is important, beit spare parts, repair and maintenance services, application consultancy and so forth.”That said, complacency never enters thecollective mind of Gema, and the businessis aware of the rising wave of competition
that keeps a close eye on Gema’s
innovate developments.
“Competition, especially from the East,is both expansive and highly aggressive inpricing,” Mr Gföhler stated. “Not only that,but such businesses copy products alreadyon the market, rather than developing
their own innovations, and they are doing
this at an ever-increasing speed. But they
have no chance to meet us on our performance, quality and service capabilities. We
embrace the opportunities that thereby

3Gema Switzerlandarise to go one step further and continuously better ourselves as a market benchmark should.”
Gema is able to keep its worldwide presence both humble and nimble thanks to its
closer relationships with clients and suppliers alike. As well as the communication
avenues made possible by its internationalpresence, the firm also attends industry
events and seminars to keep the channels
of information open at all times.
“That is why we continue to invest inautomation and efficiency, as I alluded
to beforehand,” Mr Gföhler highlighted.
“Innovation cycles are becoming ever tighter,and Industry 4.0 makes smart solutions

a major factor in swaying market opinions
towards a given product. The time froma new idea being formed to the launch of theresultant product has never before needed tobe swifter – ours is the information age, andis why our investments in research anddevelopment are so consistently high.
“In terms of market trends, there is a constant drive at Gema to help our customers
reduce their production costs and increase
their production quality.”

Expanding ever further
As the company’s product portfolio grows
ever more distinctive and its client basebecomes increasingly broad in variety andgeographic positioning, Gema intends its
future focus to display as much growth asits formative decades.
“Flexibility to sudden market shifts is critical in that respect,” Mr Gföhler said. “While
we have some degree of knowledge in termsof the broad roadmap of the market, so tospeak, unexpected shifts can and will occur,and we must stand ready. The right mindset,
combined with the high talent of our staff
within the organisation and the right equipment ready to meet the needs of the rightgeographic market at the right time, hasalways been the heart of our philosophy. We
believe that remaining close to these tenets
will further galvanise our progress for years
to come.”nGema Switzerland

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