Having completed a global market research project into the world’s powder processing sectors this year, the company has invested in a series of moves to evolve every aspect of its business, from R&D and new products to training and development, new channels and routes to market.
Process Components is based in Cheshire, UK and its subsidiary Kemutec is based in Pennsylvania, US.
The group designs and manufactures processing and handling equipment used in the food, chemical, powder coating and pharmaceutical industries worldwide. As well as the Kemutec brand, which is rapidly growing in Europe as well as the US, the group incorporates Kek, Gardner, Mucon and PPS.
Tony Goodwin, Managing Director, said: “Historically our brands are best known in Europe and the US, and the success of those markets plus the research we have commissioned has shown us that there is significant appetite and opportunity elsewhere in the world. This demand comes not only for powder processing and handling products and spares, but also for complete systems for bespoke applications.
“In order to service the rapidly growing demand in these markets plus emerging markets elsewhere, we are therefore investing in a recruitment and training programme to create quality jobs for ambitious, technically expert engineering and sales people.”
Rob Dallow, US Managing Director at Kemutec, said: “The senior leadership team will stay very much the same, as will our existing client and channel relationships that often go back many decades. The plan is to build around us rather than change or replace anything that is already working well.
“We are very much determined to bring talent into our own company to serve each territory, to complement the existing relationships we have with independent agents and distributor partners.”
The next phase of Process Components’ expansion strategy will be to invest in a new purpose-built facility at its new global HQ in Cheshire, UK. Having moved to these new premises this year, the company is now fitting out a training and R&D centre on site.
Goodwin continues: “Our reputation for quality comes from in-house manufacturing and quality control, which allows us to stay ahead in terms of innovation, compliance, and individual customer needs.
“The natural progression from this, therefore, is to bring our training and R&D under the same roof, to maintain the highest quality from end to end.”
The training and R&D centre will also be available as added-value benefits to third parties such as clients, partners and agents. The training facility will explore partnerships with colleges and awarding bodies to develop highly specialist skills and qualifications specific to the process engineering industry.
The R&D centre will be a focal point for clients to participate in the consultative process and give them the opportunity to see how products are developed and tested, often to their individual specifications.
Tony Goodwin concludes: “As the custodian of a family of heritage UK brands, we have a responsibility to build on that heritage for generations to come. These ambitious plans for our next phase will allow us to continue to push new boundaries in hygiene and precision to help all our process engineering clients to grow and evolve.”