EWM Hightec Welding, German leader of inverter-based welding technology, has set up a regional office in Jebel Ali Free Zone to cater to the Middle East market. The company is putting more investments in the Middle East as it firmly believes that the region will present high demand for its portfolio of products.
“We are very happy to be here finally,” says Susanne Szczesny-Ossing, its managing director and owner.
“We have been testing the market for over a year and we realise that there is a huge potential for our products as German technology is well respected worldwide and we have a good chance in the market.
“The global economy is changing continuously. Companies wanting to support their customers in this kind of environment must be flexible. For this reason we have continually expanded our worldwide presence. Being close to the customers helps us understand their challenges and offer optimised product range and services,” says Susanne. 
“Most manufacturers are not aware of how much they are spending on the total welding procedure, or how much money they can save. We first visit factories to see the end product of the customer. We analyse how the products are manufactured and then offer solutions that can help save time, money and also help them become more efficient. This is our philosophy.”
Since its formation in 1957, EWM has followed the goal of offering its customers around the world high-tech equipment, complete systems and individual solutions for arc welding.
“EWM combines electrical engineering expertise with technical welding operations and this combination has made us a technology leader in many fields of arc welding across decades,” says Susanne.
All EWM products are manufactured in-house, from planning and design, production of the individual components through to calibration and final functional test before shipment. The company invests on a continual basis in research and development, in the latest technical innovations and the most up-to-date quality management systems.
Over the past few years the company’s focus has been on expanding its geographical presence. Its main export focus, however, is Western Europe and Russia.
“We are very aggressive in the market and have established a local distribution network by appointing distributors in each of the GCC countries,” says Wolfgang Spies, managing director of Dubai-based EWM Hightec Welding FZCO.
Commenting on the company’s marketing strategy, Spies says, “During the last one year we had set ourselves challenging goals and we have managed to achieve them and now we are pushing ahead for the next level. As a freshly local-based company we now expect a much better penetration and push in the market.
“Our Dubai office will be responsible for the commercial side as well as offer after sales support service,” he says. 
“All our distributors have been trained in Germany,” says Hassan Lakhnati, welding specialist with the company. “We see very good potential for our new technology and for our high-tech products,” he adds.  
“Whenever we demonstrate the machines, customers are very impressed. What really distinguishes the brand is the high German quality of the machines,” according to Hani Arwan of Arwani Trading, EWM’s UAE agent.
“EWM products impress customers as they are user-friendly, lightweight, heavy duty and are also not harmed by the hot weather conditions prevalent in the Gulf region,” EWM said.   
“Their modular design makes them especially low-maintenance and easy to service. The latest inverter and control technology ensures simple, efficient and cost effective welding.”