The Difference IS Growth
""If you offer all the same services as your
competitors, the only difference is price," said Lasertech founder Denis Dubois. "My SpaceGear-U44 is a tool to differentiate
me to the customer, I can provide a service they can't get from someone else. I'm
trying to build long term relationships with my customers for the 3D service - there
are far too many 2D competitors to do that." With over 25 years experience in sheet
metal fabrication, Dubois knew he had to offer his customers more diversified services
when he started Lasertech. "You have to offer new products and services to grow.
If you don't grow, you're going to die," he said.
Dubois started Lasertech five years ago with one
Mazak 2D laser and a press brake in a 5,000 square foot
building. Since those humble beginnings, he has upgraded
his 2D capability to a Mazak Mark II, sustained an
annual growth rate of 40%, built a 15,000 square foot
facility in Quebec, Canada, hired 30 employees and
bought a Mazak SpaceGear-U44. "We're trying to bring
something different to our customers. The services we
offer like 2D laser cutting, welding, processing, and
engineering assistance are important, but these things
aren't any different than what our competitors offer -
the SpaceGear-U44 is a complementary process that's opening
doors to new customers."
Prior to purchasing the SpaceGear-U44,
a triple mode laser having 2D, 3D, 3D-Tube and Pipe with rotary capability, Dubois
went through a bench marking process, attended trade shows, toured show rooms and
spoke with business colleagues. He said they had been considering upgrading to 3D
cutting capabilities for years, "Every 3-5 years the equipment improves significantly,
if you don't update, you are going to fall behind and lose." Through his evaluation
process, Dubois determined that Mazak was Number 1 in 3D laser customer support
and that every Mazak owner he talked to was satisfied.
"I saw a growth opportunity
in 3D laser technology when I first saw the SpaceGear-U44 at IMTS and was sure it would
help my company access markets that I couldn't access before,"
said Dubois. Although he had no 3D work, Dubois was
confident in his decision to pursue new markets. "It
really wasn't that big of a risk for me, because I had
already started a business from scratch and proved that
I could be profitable in two years. It was always part
of my long term strategic plan to grow by offering 3D
laser cutting."
Lasertech's
existing customers, however, were less than confident of the new technology, "They
didn't see an immediate need, or thought it was too complex for what they were doing.
3D laser work is so different than work on a 2D laser. With 2D cutting, you can
install the machine and have it booked solid in 2 months if you are willing to compete
on price alone. It takes time to educate customers on the capabilities of the SpaceGear-U44,"
Dubois also admitted. "There was also a learning curve
on our part, as Mazak said there would be, and it took
us some time to master it."
And master it they have,
as the pictured part demonstrates, "It is a 3D aluminum prototype for a small sport
vehicle..." Dubois explained, "a formed part
with special geometry, deeply drawn, with a lot of
spring back. We had to do a lot of advanced programming
using the Mazak SPACE CAM software to get the part
right, but we produced 50 prototypes in just 48 hours.
The customer was very happy!"
Because Lasertech didn't have the luxury
of transferring many existing customer parts to SpaceGear-U44, all the work being run on
it comes in as new business, "We are doing things that we couldn't do before and
that's why we bought it," said Dubois. "We have
reached out to design engineers across the Eastern US
and Ontario to get parts from aircraft manufacturers,
the automotive industry and appliances manufacturers.
The SpaceGear-U44's capabilities have opened new markets and
that was the intent."
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