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Idal Group \ History The BeginningsIdal Enterprise has been established in 1990, as soon as free market economy has been brought back to Poland. Mr. Marek Ptach was the founder and majority stakeholder of this limited liability enterprise. Idal Enterprise's main area of activity has been the introduction of a Finnish brand (Kemppi) of welding machines into the Polish market and the sales of replacement parts for Finnish made materials handling equipment (mainly fork-lifts, straddle-carriers and other equipment to be found in ports, cargo terminals and shipyards). The early days were tough for Idal, as they were for the rest of the Polish economy. It has fought hard to stay afloat (despite thousands of other firms going under in those times) by securing large deals with some key customers and at the same time signing co-operation and distribution agreements with other major European (mainly Scandinavian) producers. Expansion and RecognitionIdal soon began to specialise in the welding industry by offering a wide choice of both welding equipment and welding consumables from the world leading brands. This coupled with an excellent pre- and post-sales service, and highly educated, trained and experienced engineers as staff has helped Idal to become a widely recognizable brand, which customers liked to return to. The recognition was further enhanced by opening branch offices in the most industrialised parts of the country. In 2000 Idal has targeted also the retail market by opening the biggest welding show room in the region, with a dedicated welding test stand where customers can compare materials and machines. At the same time however Idal was expanding in its other area of expertise. It no longer offered only spare parts but complete machines and solutions for ports and shipyards as well. Deciding to focus on this market segment it extended its offering to include portable warehouses (inside of which the machines sold by Idal are operating).
FocusBoth areas of focus (welding and container handling equipment) were equally promising but each started to demand more time and attention. Therefore the owners decided to split the two businesses in 2001 to aid further development and retain close focus on each business. The new company, called Idal UMDS, is to focus on the welding business. UMDS is a Polish acronym for "welding machines, materials and consulting". Idal Enterprise retained the controlling stake in Idal UMDS while the rest was sold at preferential conditions to key staff. Mr. Marek Ptach has remained the Chair of Board of the two firms, however the day-to-day running of Idal UMDS is now the domain of directors. Key milestones
The futureThe welding business (Idal UMDS) has a vision of becoming "the obvious choice", the best partner in welding, for all firms, including first time customers. It is gradually achieving this vision through its philosophy, which rests on the core concept of lowering its customers' purchasing and maintenance costs related to welding materials and equipment. Idal Enterprise will continue to specialise in all matters related to container handling equipment. There is likely to be an increased focus on related services. And to fulfil its entrepreneurial spirit (as the name itself suggests) Idal Enterprise will continue to look for new business opportunities.
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Additionally,
in 1998 Idal noticed a niche in the real estate market and decided to invest
its retained profits in an A-class, two thousand square metre
office building at an excellent location. The building, called Idal House, is
now the head quarters of both Idal Enterprise and Idal UMDS, with the aforementioned
show room on the ground floor. The rest of the office space is leased to third
parties. This additional income helps financing growth, development, or new
ventures of Idal Enterprise.