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Zimmer and Ghulam sign the agreement.

Modern Abrasives adds German brand to portfolio

01 April 2016

Modern Abrasives Middle East has signed an agreement with one of the world’s largest abrasive suppliers that will further strengthen its foothold in the regional market.

Under the agreement, the Bahrain-based company will have the sole distribution rights of abrasives from the Germany-based Hermes Schleifmittel for the entire GCC region, says Modern Abrasives general manager Omar Saleem.

Describing the pact as a “true landmark” for Modern Abrasives, Saleem says the agreement also involves importing finished products from Hermes and slitting and joining them to customer specifications in the region.

Following this agreement, Modern Abrasives intends to invest in new machinery to boost its capacity fivefold – from 10,000 to 50,000 units of orbital sanding discs which are widely consumed by a host of industries.

The agreement was signed between Ernst Zimmer, vice-president sales, Hermes Schleifmittel, and Zahid Mahmood Ghulam, the CEO and managing director of Modern Abrasives.

Zimmer comments: “We have been in search of a partner who is a manufacturer; we also needed someone who was willing to serve the industry. We now have a manufacturer in the form of Modern Abrasives, who can follow our advice and realise products that match our concept.”

Hermes Schleifmittel generally does business in global markets through local partners. “To achieve good business, we prefer a local approach through a local partner,” Zimmer stresses.

He says in the abrasives business, everything is customised, and for that a thorough understanding of the local market is vital.

Hermes Schleifmittel also offers consultancy services. Zimmer says some of its competitors in the market just supply the abrasives and don’t care what the customer does with it. “But what we do is supply the product and at the same time, together with our partner, give a grinding solution to the customer. We take care of the requirements of the client, the grinding application, the stability and the economy of the process.”

Saleem says Modern Abrasives is the first conversion facility of its kind in the Middle East, providing a wide range of abrasives for every processing level in any industry. It imports rolls of sandpaper and sanding abrasives and produces them to custom sizes as demanded by customers.

“Previously, all Hermes sanding belts were imported and this meant four to five weeks of lead time. Now, with our facility in operation, we have eliminated that lead time and the client can get what he requires much quicker.”

Modern Abrasives’ clientele includes woodworking joineries, solid surface related factories, automotive repair shops, aluminium fabricators, glass tempering companies, and metal fabricators.

Saleem says the company works in conjunction with factories to practice the JIT (just in time) inventory system technique. “This frees the end-user of the need to stockpile materials they require and thus avoid tying up their capital,” he points.

Modern Abrasives enjoys a 99 per cent share of Bahrain’s market, he says, adding that the company has now sets its sights on the other GCC states.

In Saudi Arabia, Modern Abrasives commands a “fairly good market share” in the Eastern Province” while in Riyadh and Jeddah, it has supplied to key companies such as Saudi Binladin Group, Al Jeraisy Group and Saudi Company for Development of Construction and Trading Company (Sacodeco).

The company supports the Saudi market through its Bahrain production unit and a distribution facility in the Eastern Province.

Modern Abrasives has a strong technical team with all the knowhow of the abrasives industry and well-equipped to advise clients on the most appropriate material for the job.

“This is a unique selling point of our company since prior to us, there was no one to advise clients on the type of materials to use. We offer clients this much-needed consultancy,” Saleem says.

Modern Abrasives, which is ISO 9001:2008 certified, also undertakes research and development to enhance the properties of sandpaper belts.

Saleem is appreciative of the support of the Bahrain government which, especially through its Tamkeen initiative, has enabled Modern Abrasives to acquire the latest technology.

Founded in 1927, Hermes Schleifmittel is a family-owned company and a leading industrial supplier of coated abrasives. It has numerous conversion plants throughout the world, making it one of the largest abrasive suppliers in the world. The company has three manufacturing plants, one each in Germany (Hamburg), Austria and the US.

Hermes Schleifmittel supplies raw materials and as well as manufactures finished goods. Its core market is the industrial sector, where it supplies to major producers and its products are sold in 100 countries worldwide.