NAA Business Excellence Programme Case Study: Hylomar takes part in a European roadshow to showcase its products to car manufacturers
Hylomar, manufacturer of sealing compounds for automotive powertrain components, took part in a mobile exhibition which toured the sites of major European car manufacturers
Project
Hylomar European Automotive Industry Technology Roadshow.
Background
Hylomar manufactures a wide range of high performance sealants and adhesives used by some of the world’s leading companies, including in the automotive sector, as well as aerospace and industrial OEMs and their aftermarkets. Hylomar’s ‘Universal Blue’ is the leading non-setting gasket and jointing compound in the world. Hylosil RTV silicone sealants are used globally by leading manufacturers to seal engines, gearboxes and transmissions. Hylomar’s original product was developed over 40 years ago for Rolls Royce plc, when it was used to seal aircraft engines.
Project aim
The aim of the project was to increase the visibility of Hylomar’s products with major automotive companies.
Need for improvement
Hylomar identified a lack of awareness about the company and its products within the automotive industry. This was in part due to changes in the company in the past, which even resulted in some car manufacturers not being aware that the company still existed. Hylomar had taken part in exhibitions, but when it became aware of a novel initiative to showcase a number of automotive suppliers as part of a travelling European roadshow, it believed that taking its products to the market may be a more effective, and cost-effective, way to reach its target audience.
Approach
Hylomar took part in a mobile exhibition organised by Dream Marketing International, which was in the form of a large articulated truck containing displays from participating companies. This travelled between OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers in the UK, Germany and Belgium. With the approval of the respective companies, the truck was positioned at the sites of the manufacturers or suppliers, and it worked on the basis of attracting engineers from the factories into the exhibition. In the UK the exhibition visited Bentley, Jaguar Land Rover, Nissan’s Technical Centre at Cranfield, and Ford at Dagenham. In Germany, sites included Audi, BMW, Mercedes and Opel. The tour lasted 28 days, covered approximately 3,000 miles, and visited 15 OEM and Tier 1 automotive customers. The roadshow took place in March 2012 and funding support was provided by the Northwest Automotive Alliance (NAA) Business Excellence (BE) programme.
Outcomes
Over 1,865 people visited the truck from over 80 different companies and over 2,000 enquiries were taken by the exhibitors. For Hylomar specifically, the roadshow achieved the desired result to engage engineers across OEMs and T1 suppliers. The ultimate goal is to become specified within their OEM applications, however such an outcome can typically take up to five years to achieve due to the long product lifecycles in the automotive industry.
Ken Thompson, Technical Manager of Hylomar, says “Germany is an important existing and potential market for us, so this roadshow concept, with its focus on taking products to the German OEMs, seemed ideal. It proved to be highly effective in reinforcing our brand image and reminding people that we exist. It was extremely beneficial to meet engineers face-to-face to discuss new ideas and applications, and even the ‘librarians’ – the people in the OEMs who manage the systems containing information about suppliers and products. We have since received follow-ups from the exhibition and we have sent out product samples for testing. The funding assistance from the NAA tipped the balance to enable us to take part in this innovative and effective marketing exercise.”
Hylomar Ltd
Hylo House, Cale Lane, Wigan, Lancashire, WN2 1JT
T: +44 (0)1942 617006
E: sales@hylomar.co.uk
W: www.hylomar.co.uk
