MAPAL Vertretung in Spanien – Nähe schafft Vertrauen

AYMA Herramientas ist ein langjähriger Partner und eine der größten Handelsvertretungen, mit denen MAPAL in Europa zusammenarbeitet. Das Familienunternehmen beschäftigt rund 80 Mitarbeiter und hat ein Handelsnetz über ganz Spanien aufgebaut. Neben der Zentrale in Ezkio-Itsaso hat AYMA Standorte in Vitoria (Álava), Gijón (Asturien) und La Llagosa (Barcelona). Auch in Madrid, Bollullos de la Mitacion (Sevilla), Valencia (Valencia) und Bilbao (Vizcaya) ist das Unternehmen mit Niederlassungen vertreten. Jesús García Uralde, der Vater des heutigen Geschäftsführers Jesús M. García Lanciego, gründete die Handelsvertretung 1959 zusammen mit Partnern. 

Ezkio-Itsaso liegt im Baskenland. Die kleine Region am Atlantik galt früher als Zentrum der spanischen Stahl- und Werftindustrie. Das Geschäft von AYMA basierte zunächst auf dem Vertrieb von Sonderstählen für den Maschinenbau. In den 1980er Jahren kamen Präzisionswerkzeuge hinzu – heute konzentriert sich das Unternehmen ganz auf diesen Markt und bietet den Kunden ein umfangreiches Programm und individuelle Prozesslösungen an.
 

Unsere Zusammenarbeit begann in 1970er-Jahren. Mein Vater nahm damals mit MAPAL Kontakt auf und sprach mit dem damaligen geschäftsführenden Gesellschafter, Dr. Georg Kress, über die Möglichkeiten einer Handelsvertretung. Mit dem Vertrieb von Präzisionswerkzeugen wollte er ein zweites Standbein für AYMA schaffen. Da mein Vater ohnehin bei den Kunden vor Ort war, wollte er ihnen ein vielseitigeres Produktsortiment vorstellen. Im Prinzip war es ein logischer Schritt, denn die Abnehmer der Spezialstähle waren potenzielle Kunden für Präzisionswerkzeuge, mit denen sie den Stahl bearbeiten konnten. 

AYMA ging also mit den ersten Werkzeugen von MAPAL in den Markt. Zunächst waren das Reibahlen, Fräswerkzeuge und Werkzeuge mit Führungsleisten, mit denen wir schnell erfolgreich waren. MAPAL baute das Produkt- und Serviceprogramm in den Folgejahren aus und wir expandierten im gleichen Umfang. Heute ist AYMA mit acht Standorten in ganz Spanien präsent und wir sind in der Lage, schnell und flexibel auf die Bedürfnisse unserer Kunden zu reagieren. Unsere Kunden kommen in erster Linie aus dem Maschinenbau und der Automobilindustrie. Aber wir sind auch im Luftfahrtbereich aktiv, bei den Zulieferern und vielen kleinen Unternehmen, die die unterschiedlichsten Produkte herstellen. 

The steel business became more difficult in the 1980s. We decided at the time to focus solely on trade with precision tools. We knew we were well positioned with MAPAL tools and had the necessary expertise to move forward.

Our customers can rely on us developing the best machining solution for every application. Our close cooperation with the specialists from MAPAL has always proved worthwhile. We support users in the design and commissioning of new tools right through to the optimisation of machine processes. We’re there for you virtually every step of the process. We take care of the downstream processes and offer customers a comprehensive after-sales service. We keep a range of common standard tools at all AYMA sites, we have various tool management systems in our programme and, if required, we set up a consignment stock for the customer. We also carry out repairs or the reconditioning of tools.

Both MAPAL and AYMA are family businesses. Both companies stand for continuity in terms of the staff and this creates a lot of trust among customers. As well as this, we maintain a similar corporate culture. We focus heavily on quality, service and innovation. We claim to be at the cutting edge of technology. AYMA benefits from the fact that MAPAL has been consistently expanding its product and service range for decades and is providing strong impetus with new tool developments. This has greatly enhanced our market position in Spain. We have to keep in mind the dynamics with which the automotive industry has developed here in this country. And MAPAL knows the requirements of this sector very well. This is also evident in the field of electric mobility. We see good opportunities there and already have some customers that we are supplying with the appropriate tools from MAPAL.

Yes, my brother Luis Garcia (55) also works in the company. He joined AYMA in 1988 and has been with us a little longer than me. Luis has worked in various fields. He started in Sales, where he specialised in the large machine tool manufacturers. He now heads up our Madrid office and serves one of our largest customers.

Our employees are in daily contact with the MAPAL Customer Service team and communication runs smoothly and directly. We’re also in contact with the technicians and development engineers at MAPAL. This is important because larger projects usually involve a corresponding number of custom tools. With technical support from MAPAL, we can optimise the process as soon as the tools are commissioned. Errors do not occur in the first place. It is quite common with major customers that employees from other MAPAL sites are also involved in projects. We have personal contacts there too, which is of course a huge advantage for the customer. In this way, we avoid duplicating work in the design of processes. Everything runs quickly, easily and efficiently.

I can think of two projects with major automobile manufacturers. First, there was a project with FORD. When we first started working with FORD, we worked closely with the specialists at company headquarters and the MAPAL subsidiary in the UK. The work involved a new machining process. We were very well supported in the design and commissioning of the tools. Our concept was perfect and this has had an extremely positive effect on subsequent projects, both here in Spain and at FORD’s other factories abroad. The same applies to our projects with RENAULT. Here, we’ve been working very closely with the MAPAL team in France for many years and have enjoyed lasting success here as well. Projects like these have earned us great trust from our customers.

Anyone interested in finding out more can visit our website www.ayma.es and get an overview of our company and our range of services. Our catalogues are also available to download there. Our staff at the headquarters in Ezkio-Itsaso and at our branch offices will be happy to answer your queries. At the moment, the best way to reach them is by email or telephone. But we hope that in the post-coronavirus world, we’ll be able to focus more on face-to-face meetings again. And maybe we’ll even meet at a visit to a trade fair again. We regularly have a stand at BIEMH (International Machine-Tool Biennial Exhibition) in Bilbao and at Metal Madrid. 

Jesús M. García Lanciego (57) studied engineering and joined the commercial agency AYMA HERRAMIENTAS in 1989. He initially worked in the technical area to drive the 
development of the tool programme.