An interview with Bruno Pröefrock of Chemetall GmbH

Citation

(2003), "An interview with Bruno Pröefrock of Chemetall GmbH", Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, Vol. 75 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/aeat.2003.12775aaf.003

An interview with Bruno Pröefrock of Chemetall GmbH

An interview with Bruno Pröefrock of Chemetall GmbH

Keywords: Chemetall GmbH, Aerospace industry

Post-September 11th, the aerospace business is suffering badly and the market is unpredictable in the extreme. Despite these lean and uncertain times, a speciality chemicals company with a leading position in aerospace technologies has its own plans for growth. Chemetall, owner of Ardrox, one of the best known brands in the aerospace business, is bullish about its ability to stay ahead and make money in a highly competitive field.

In September 1999, Chemetall – a subsidiary of Dynamit Nobel AG, Troisdorf, the chemical group of mg technologies AG, Frankfurt – bought Brent International. One of the attractions of the acquisition was Brent’s well-established aerospace business. With a turnover of around Euros20M, it boasted a leading brand of chemicals for aircraft maintenance, overhaul and construction, the Ardrox range. Brent’s business fitted well with Chemetall’s own fledging aerospace business, which was concentrating mainly on developing sealants. Chemetall had also, back in the early 1990s, acquired Oakite Inc., USA, with an interesting range of degreasers and conversion coatings for the aircraft industry under the trade mark Oakite. The Brent acquisition secured Chemetall valuable market share and created a strong, broad product portfolio.

Twelve months ago, Chemetall management created a new aerospace technologies division within its surface treatment business. The reason was simple: Chemetall had recognised the strategic importance of its aerospace technologies. The market was growing at 5 per cent a year and Chemetall’s competitive position, following its acquisition of Brent, was unrivalled.

Against this background, Chemetall appointed Bruno Pröefrock to be general manager of the division. Pröefrock boasts 22 years’ experience with Chemetall, most recently in the surface treatment division. He had big plans. He set out to expand the business by 10 per cent per annum.

But how well did he succeed and how, post-September 11th, will Chemetall cope with a downturn in the industry?

At first glance, Pröefrock appears to have over-reached his ambition. In the 2 years since the acquisition of Brent, Chemetall have achieved an average of 15 per cent growth each year in its global aerospace business.

The climate is noticeably different now, but, even so, Pröefrock insists that turnover in the months of October and November remained at comparable levels to 2000. “We cannot expect growth but we are at least maintaining value.” Although the overall market is shrinking, Chemetall’s share of the market in sealants for the aerospace business is growing, offsetting any negative impact on its bottom line. Pröefrock attributes this remarkable feat to Chemetall’s new range of low-density sealants which are proving popular in new planes.

“We are in a phase of reduced business”, he says. “But it will recover; it is only a question of time. I still believe that are there are more growth opportunities for us in this business. Our strategy remains the same, we just have to work harder. I am confident we can achieve a 5 per cent growth this year.”

The key to Pröefrock’s optimism in the face of gloomy industry forecasts is the spread of Chemetall’s product range and the global structure of its business. Chemetall claims to have the broadest product range in the, aerospace business. “It is our greatest strength”, says Pröefrock. “We can provide a one-stop shop for our customers who are trying to reduce the number of their suppliers. We can sell them everything they need from paintstrippers to sealants to corrosion inhibitors, all in one go.” Chemetall’s existing product line of Ardrox, Oakite and Naftoseal products are recognised globally as brand leaders throughout the aviation industry for maintenance, cleaning, pre-treatment, nondestructive testing and sealing. Chemetall’s new Web site (http://www.aerospace.chemetall.com) gives an easily accessible overview of products and other company information.

“We are a truly global business with a global strategy and a global structure. With three production sites around the world, we can produce the same products with the same recipe and the same approvals for any customer wherever they are – just like McDonalds.” The sites are in the USA, France and Singapore. This global reach coupled with a diverse product portfolio sets Chemetall apart from its competitors.

Pröefrock is keen to reinforce the product portfolio wherever he can. To this end, Chemetall bought a range of corrosion inhibiting compounds and waxes (the Dinitrol range) used for the protection of aerospace metals and alloys within aircraft structures from the Swedish company Dinol AB, part of the Swiss Ems-Chemie Holding AG, in July last year. He stresses that this would not be the last acquisition despite the downturn. “We are looking for niche acquisitions to improve our market share and strengthen regional markets.”

Chemetall is confident that it will find growth in different ways and from new sources. That is why, Chemetall is getting more imaginative still. It is targeting the private aircraft sector, such as jet owners and helicopter users as well as flying clubs and police units. Although currently a tiny part of its business, this sector could provide some welcome market growth. Nigel Wood, business manager of aerospace technologies: “Out of ignorance, private plane users use any products they can lay their hands on to clean and maintain their planes. Household detergents bought from supermarkets might be cheaper but they should be using products, which have met aircraft maintenance specifications, as for commercial and military aircraft.”

Imagination and creativity are also at the fore when it comes to R&D, a vital strand of Chemetall’s business. One of the main drivers for Chemetall scientists are environmental factors. At the top of their wish-list are reduced emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), improved product biodegradeability, more environmentally acceptable packaging and enhanced product safety. They are focusing on, among other things, water-based systems for corrosion inhibition and paintstrippers that are free of methylene chloride and phenol. Regulations, especially European Union directives, are another factor. It is important to keep ahead of the game, explains Wood. Chemetall must have a product ready to come on-line immediately to replace any product being phased out if it is not lose market share.

R&D is even more crucial to Chemetall’s business in lean times. “At times like these, it is even more important to stay close to your customers and react to their changing needs and objectives”, explains Wood. One result of this close customer relationship is a lucrative new order from a major customer. Chemetall has developed wipes specially impregnated with solvent to remove excess semi-cured and un-cured sealant. This simple innovation devised by Chemetall chemists hinged on finding the right of material for the wipe and achieving the right level of solvent saturation. They have several advantages, not least cost savings. The wipes are quicker and easier to use than bulk liquid, the amount of solvent can be controlled, and both spillages and solvent emissions should be reduced. Chemetall researchers are now working on wipes that will contain other solvents and temporary corrosion inhibitors. Wipes could also be used for other applications with cockpit cleaners and exterior cleaning fluids, for example.

R&D, like other capabilities within the aerospace business, benefits from synergies with other Chemetall divisions. In R&D, this may take the form of exchanging know-how related to cleaners or corrosion protection from the automotive unit. “It is the strength of Chemetall that its R&D expertise can be utilised and applied across the board”, says Pröefrock.

So Pröefrock’s strategy remains unaltered, further acquisitions to add to the product portfolio and widen its global reach, and continued concentrated efforts in R&D to keep those technical advantages coming. Only time will tell whether his optimism and determination will pay off.

Product information

The Ardrox range caters for every part of an aircraft structure or engine. These include products for exterior cleaning of engines to remove oil and carbon deposits; dry-wash chemicals for ramp cleaning and for where wastewater disposal is difficult; and for cleaning instruments and windshields. There are products for aqueous soak and fired-wash cleaning of engine compressor components; primary cleaning of other metal parts; paint and silicone rubber stripping; cleaning and removing oxide from specific titanium parts; removing carbon deposits from exhaust systems; corrosion protection; and dye penetrant inspection processes for nondestructive testing applications.

The technological requirements of the aerospace industry provide unique challenges. Naftoseal polysulphide sealants and Naftosolv sealant removers are specifically designed to meet these challenging needs, combining user-friendly handling with outstanding technical performance and process efficiencies.

With over 40 years of polysulphide experience, Chemetall has developed a complete range of eco-friendly approved Naftoseal sealants and Naftosolv sealant removers for the OEM and maintenance sectors.

The Oakite range of products includes conversion coating processes, cleaners and degreasers.

Chemetall’s corrosion inhibiting compounds (CIC) are used for protecting aerospace metals and alloys within aircraft structures. The Dinitrol brand of aerospace products is recognised as the technology and market leader throughout the world for this niche market.