AMOB is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of metalworking technologies. The company was founded in 1960 and over the years, it has grown as per the customers’ requirements and the market demand. Currently, it provides one of the biggest ranges of specialised equipment for the tube and pipe bending industry across the world.
In an interaction with Tube & Pipe India, Mr. Manuel António Barros, Operations Director, AMOB Group, talks about its manufacturing capabilities, product portfolio, and future plans.
“We believe that the Indian market has a lot of potential in future as this sector is developing very fast in India”
Tube & Pipe India: Please tell us about your company.
Manuel António Barros: AMOB has been in business for 62 years. We are the world’s leading manufacturer of metalworking technologies and provide one of the biggest ranges of specialised equipment for the tube and pipe bending industry worldwide. We remain very close to our customers. AMOB is a family- owned company and the one thing that separates us from some of our competitors is that we are completely vertical in our production. The customers can get turnkey solutions from us.
TPI: Can you elaborate on your product range?
MAB: From full hydraulic machines to full electric machines, we have one of the biggest ranges of tube machines in the world. Our machines are able to bend tubes between 5 mm in diameter and 420 mm. We serve the global market with exceptional machinery and tooling for tube and pipe bending, section bending, and swaging purposes – ranging from simple, manual appliances to complex, fully electric CNC-powered systems. AMOB designs, develops, retails, and services a variety of products for a range of leading industrial industries including automobile and shipping, aeronautics, and construction, amongst others.
TPI: Please tell us a bit about your manufacturing capabilities and the factories.
MAB: We have around 200 employees at our main plant in Portugal. Our headquarter spans 18000 sq m and is equipped with the highest technological production equipment including CNC machining centres, lathes, and milling machines, as well as sheet metal cutting and bending machinery for guaranteed high fabrication standards. As we are completely vertical in our production, everything takes place inside AMOB. We have control of the entire process starting with the welding of the frames, cutting of the metal sheet, machining of all components, to the automation of the machines, electrical cabinet construction, and software design.
TPI: Tell us about your presence in India. How do you look forward to the Indian market?
MAB: We believe that the Indian market has a lot of potential in the future as this sector is developing very fast in India. We have a long history with India and our first machine was installed more than 20 years ago. At the moment, we work with different partners in various regions of the country. In some regions, we count on commercial sales support only, but in other regions, we have service support technicians also. And yes, it has been a good market for us. While it is not the biggest market for AMOB, but, for sure, it is one of the markets with the biggest potential in the next five to 10 years.
TPI: What about your global market presence?
MAB: We have sales agencies in more than 20 countries and we have partnerships in more than 60 countries. At the moment, we have our machines installed in 92 different countries. On average, we sell machines to 35 to 40 countries a year. AMOB has commercial facilities in Russia, Brazil, Spain, Benelux, France, United Kingdom and a worldwide network of over 70 agencies and technical centers.
TPI: Has there been any new development at your company in the recent past?
MAB: In the last five years, we’ve been very focused on developing our range of fully electric tube bending machines. Our latest machine has been on the market for two years now. It’s a machine that can bend tubes up to 52 millimeters. Our customers prefer this kind of machine because the geometry of the parts that they need to produce tends to become more complex. We have received great feedback on the machine.
Also Read: Olimpia 80: Supporting Tube Industry with Customised Solutions
TPI: Tell us about your future plans.
MAB: In the future, we want to grow AMOB. We have key markets where we want to grow our presence and India is one of them. We want to continue our strategy of vertical integration as we want to be less dependent on other companies and keep on supporting our customers.
