INTEX PLUS: 30 years of innovation and unstoppable forward movement

Yaroslav Lazarchuk, the company's founder: "Successful deliveries of tools to woodworkers from Bulgaria and Romania gave the Intex Plus Group of Companies determination to develop foreign markets. Recently, we took the first steps in the market of Turkey, Great Britain and Canada, where the owners are reluctant to let outsiders. But thanks to the quality of our products, we managed to prove our competitiveness and even increase our supplies. As for the price of the Ukrainian instrument, we will have to, as always, "fight" for our interests."

The company "Intex" (that's the name it originally had) was established in 1990. on the basis of the Kamianets-Podilsky wood-cutting tool plant. Its founders were experienced specialists of the enterprise - Yaroslav Volodymyrovych Lazarchuk and Petro Mykolayovych Kolomiets.

Competitor prospects of toolmakers from Kamianets-Podilsk

Difficult formation and first results

The new tool production was deployed on leased premises and initially had only 12 employees. Responsible technological operations, such as tool soldering, were performed on self-made machines.

It took more than ten years until "Intex" was able to purchase modern equipment from reputable foreign machine tool builders, mostly German. The first significant update of the machine park became the basis for a real technological breakthrough of "Intex". Subsequently, it provided the company with the opportunity to become the leader of the domestic instrument market and to start cooperation with foreign customers.

Modernization and personnel renewal

A well-thought-out policy of investing in the modernization of production, mastering new technologies, mastering modern approaches to maintenance and restoration of wood-cutting tools have become characteristic features of "Intex". And equipping production with machines from the world-famous Vollmer company, hard alloy soldering equipment from the Kahny company, as well as laser cutting equipment from the Trumpf company made it possible to increase its productivity to three thousand saws per month and expand the range of products. At the same time, the company was undergoing personnel renewal, which included young, competent and ambitious employees.

The use of a new generation of automated and robotic equipment, under which one of the workshops was reconstructed, strengthened the company's market position in Ukraine and abroad. Progressive equipment contributed to the improvement of product quality, minimized the influence of the human factor, which minimized the cases of defects in the tool manufacturing process and improved its maintenance.

"Intex Plus": new capabilities of the Group

The year 2015 was marked by the reorganization of the enterprise into a Group of companies under the general name "Intex Plus".

Its composition included: the company of the same name, which specializes in the production of equipment and experimental production; the manufacturer of prefabricated and one-piece soldering cutters, wood-cutting knives with a straight cutting edge "Intex Udacha" and the manufacturer of circular saws "Innatex". The implemented measures made it possible to separate production flows and clearly define priorities.

As you know, domestic enterprises working in the woodworking and woodworking industries are quite heterogeneous both in terms of the level of technical development and financial condition. Among them there are powerful ones, equipped with the most modern imported equipment, and there are small ones that still use Soviet sawmills and machine tools to at least somehow earn a living.

Having learned how to make a high-class tool under the INTEX PLUS brand, the company did not abandon the production of wood-cutting tools of the lower price segment. However, it is already significantly different from the products of 1990. Over 30 years, the instrumental technologies used in the company have significantly improved, workers have acquired higher qualifications. Current products of a lower price category fully meet the requirements for products of this class in terms of service life and cut quality. Otherwise, she would have no demand, and he would be stable for her.

In general, primary processing of wood traditionally prevails in Ukraine, which is why wood-cutting tools for raw work with timber are in the greatest demand. However, the company's gradual development prompted it to transition from an economy-class tool to European-level products.

Components of competitiveness

Currently, the production of "Intex plus" has reached such a level that it is able to manufacture special tools and carry out service operations that are not offered by any other tool manufacturer in Ukraine. The company's assortment includes 120 names of various products, which are constantly updated. For example, in August of this year, the production of cylindrical prefab milling cutters with helical arrangement of hard alloy knives, intended for rough processing of curved and straight surfaces of wood products, was started.

And recently, having updated the machine park and acquired new 3- and 5-coordinate CNC machining centers, the company started the production of milling cutters with interchangeable inserts. From now on, you can buy the entire range of tools of the "Mechanic" company at "Intex Plus".

The main suppliers of metal for wood-cutting tools since 2000. became the French company Forezienne and the German Risse + Wilke .

It goes without saying that a higher class tool has a higher cost. It is determined by many characteristics, in particular by the amount of material that can be processed with it, in other words, when working with these tools, the costs per cubic meter of chopped wood are guaranteed to be lower. Therefore, as a rule, a more expensive tool is economically more profitable than a cheaper one. It will work longer, better, give more products.

Frame saws

In the list of such "Intex plus" products, first of all, it is worth noting frame saws. The company manufactures them in different sizes (length and width) and purpose — for both soft and hard wood species; all-metal and stellited. These saws are suitable for operation on sawmills of domestic and foreign production.

Frame stellite saws have twice the sharpening resource than folding saws. The use of stellited saws allows you to work with a set of tools without resharpening for at least eight hours.

Band saws

The company's band saws are designed for processing hard and soft wood. Despite the difficulty of manufacturing such saws of increased width (260 mm), "Intex Plus" successfully mastered their production, thereby confirming the high technological level of the company.

Drill bits, disc cutters for wood

A variety of "Intex Plus" milling cutters are used for the production of paneling and Euro-paneling, wooden and Euro-windows, doors, parquet, handrails, processing of edges and radii, and more.

The tool according to the customer's drawings

The company manufactures cutting tools according to the customer's drawings. Its production is equipped with modern, advanced equipment that allows the production of socket, disk cutters, profiling interchangeable plates and banquet knives. The maximum term of such tasks does not exceed two days.

Production of machines

The volumes of production and repair of machine tools are still not very significant, orders are periodic, but the direction has good prospects, and the company does not want to lose them. GC "Intex Plus" manufactures machines for maintenance of wood-cutting tools: brazing of hard alloy, sharpening of cutting tools, welding and maintenance of band saws. In addition, it restores and modernizes the equipment that was already in use.

In 2013 GC "Intex Plus" has started production of equipment for companies engaged in the construction of wooden houses from glued beams.

Specialists of the company's high-tech service center service tools from "Intex Plus" and other manufacturers, sharpen tools of any volume and complexity with high quality and in the shortest possible time, and also travel to woodworking and processing enterprises to provide "quick technological assistance". Often, their intervention helps to prevent an emergency shutdown of production.

Service

In addition to the "reanimation" of saw teeth, the center restores deformed bodies using special thermal presses for this purpose. No one provides a similar service in Ukraine except "Intex Plus". As a result, the service life of the restored tool is significantly extended.

Deliveries abroad

A convincing confirmation of the competitiveness of the company's wood-cutting tool is its export potential. The main and stable foreign market for him was and remains Belarus, tools marked "INTEX PLUS" are bought by Moldova and Lithuania.

For known reasons, deliveries to Russia, which was also a priority partner, decreased. In recent years, the company's customers have included consumers from the European Union - woodworkers from Bulgaria and Romania, as well as representatives of countries that are more distant for us, namely, Canada.

A significant foreign economic achievement was the recent entry into the market of Turkey and Great Britain, which ensured the Kamianets-Podil instrument makers successful participation in a prestigious profile exhibition in Istanbul and in the "Woodworking" exhibition in Lviv.