A great collaboration between companies focusing on the shared end customer in cold insulation.
Temati’s focus is on protecting insulation, particularly in cold insulation. That is exactly the challenge for which the companies Insulcon and Isopartner Netherlands sought a solution for their clients. Insulcon specialises in heat management and has been working with Temati for four years now. The cooperation with Isopartner Netherlands, wholesaler of technical insulation materials, goes back longer and has lasted for 40 years. We spoke to Hans Vlasman, Senior Sales Executive at Isopartner Netherlands, and Patrick Schults, Technical Product Manager at Insulcon, about this collaboration.
Emergence of cooperation
Hans Vlasman explains that he has known Temati for a very long time as a supplier of accessories for cold insulation in particular. This goes back as far as 40 years, when they traditionally purchased Foster® materials and Froth-Pak. Later, VaporStop foil, in practice also called Mylar foil, was added as a finish for rigid foams from our own production. For Patrick Schults, that experience is somewhat shorter. About four years ago at Insulcon, they got their first order in the cold application, where Temati’s foils, tapes, coatings and adhesives offered a good solution in addition to the insulation materials that were in their own programme.
Who are Isopartner Netherlands and Insulcon?
Isopartner Netherlands has been operating as a wholesaler with a focus on technical insulation materials since 1951. With a wide range of products in technical insulation in stock, a high level of knowledge, reliable logistics and advanced machinery, Isopartner Netherlands is the partner for insulation companies in the HVAC, industrial, marine and O.E.M. markets.
Insulcon was founded in 1980 and specialises in heat management. They provide solutions involving thermal shock, chemical and abrasion resistance and/or high thermal insulation properties at high temperatures, up to 1600°C. Headquartered in the Netherlands, with manufacturing, sales and engineering offices across Europe and a network of agents and distributors, Insulcon covers the globe.
Professional with knowledge
As far as Isopartner Netherlands was concerned, the reason for choosing Temati was the fact that they had the know-how and the right product in house and were also fairly unique in that respect. Hans Vlasman: “When bonding polyurethane pir, we always contacted Temati as a professional in that field. And then particularly the Foster® products.” Temati is also exclusive distributor within Europe of this brand.
What was also very important for Insulcon is the fact that Temati itself does not mainly supply insulation material. Patrick Schults: “There are certainly other parties supplying the products, but it makes sense for us to look into the group first. With a group partner like Temati, it is often easier to share competitively sensitive details.”
Support to the joint end customer
For both companies, Temati provides support to the joint end customer. One way they do this is by sharing knowledge and recommending the right products. Patrick Schults and Hans Vlasman can always call with any questions they have in the field of cold insulation. In addition, Harold Snoeren (Technical Products Manager at Temati) goes to the end customer himself and also together with Hans Vlasman to give advice. And with Temati’s products, Insulcon can offer a complete package.
The companies complement each other well in this way. “We supply something they don’t have and they supply something we don’t have. And together we should be able to give good advice to a customer in that. That is something we do try to distinguish ourselves with in a partnership,” says Johan Sentjens (Business & Product Development Manager at Temati).
Quality and service
Both gentlemen are very satisfied with the cooperation. They both mention the quality of the service, both of the products and the people, and the delivery reliability. One strength is to get the right products, in the right place at the right time. Patrick Schults: “Contacts with the office staff are good and information is always delivered neatly and completely. In the past four years, nothing has ever gone wrong with that”.
Sharing knowledge
According to Patrick Schults, the art of the game is to be present throughout the chain and make sure people understand that you are the party that can help. Cold and cryogenic is something specialised after all, and there too it is noticeable that more and more knowledge is disappearing. By pooling and sharing that knowledge of the companies in this sector, the sector should remain able to continue to serve its customer group optimally and with customisation.
The IPCOM group
All three companies have joined the IPCOM group. The IPCOM group is a fast-growing and ambitious European group of companies specialising in the distribution and conversion of innovative solutions for cold insulation, high-temperature insulation, passive fire protection and sound insulation. A major advantage of this group is that it provides (more) contacts outside the Benelux, which brings the opportunity to deploy products internationally more often. But new companies joining the IPCOM group also offer opportunities. They may now buy elsewhere and get to know new suppliers within the group.
Anticipate
The insulation market is changing enormously and rapidly, which makes it important to keep abreast of events, according to Hans Vlasman. A development that is also important, according to Patrick Schults, is the disappearance of craftsmanship. Knowledge to work properly with products like Pir and Foamglas is slowly disappearing from the market, making the installation of these insulation materials increasingly difficult. Towards the future, the demand for alternative and new products, which are easier and require less knowledge to process, is likely to increase.