Polish Tyre Storage Specialist Expanding in Export Markets

Arcom was founded in 1996 and is run by its two partners; Artur Wilk and Robert Zieba. There are 80 staff in all and Arcom is situated in the town of Rzezawa, 45 kilometres east of Cracow. The company manufactures welded metal structures, mainly for the automotive industry. The core products are pallets, racks and carts for consumers from the tyre-manufacturing industry: tyre manufacturers, wholesale stores, warehouses and workshops. These products are used for storing all kinds of tyres, from small tyres for fork lift trucks, quads, scooters and bikes, through tyres for passenger cars, off-road vehicles, delivery vans, lorries, agricultural and industrial tyres, to large-sized tyres, weighing even several hundred kgs.

For 10 years, Arcom has increased its output and market share and, in 2008, growth in excess of 20 per cent was recorded, despite the fact that production was being carried out in a plant with outdated machinery.

Today, Arcom is undoubtedly a leader in tyre pallet manufacturing in Poland and is one of the top three manufacturers of these products in Europe. Exports form a major part of Arcom’s business – over 95 per cent of products are sold abroad, with customers in more than 30 countries on four continents.

The vast majority of export sales (60 per cent) are made in Germany, where the clients include practically all the major wholesale tyre stores and warehouses. Italy is the second-placed export market, buying 20 per cent of production, and other export customers are based in more exotic locations such as the UAE, Singapore, Uruguay, Egypt, Jordan and Israel.

Product range

One of Arcom’s most popular products is the AR-01 pallet for car tyres; one pallet (2400mm x 1250mm x 2200mm high) can carry 100 tyres, stacked in a herringbone pattern. Pallets can be stacked on top of each other, up to five high, so in a warehouse 11m high, five pallets can be placed on top of each other. This means that about 500 tyres can be stored in an area of 3 square metres. This system of storage is very economical and popular especially in Western Europe.

AR-05 is compatible with AR-01. This pallet is fitted with rods that allow the stacking of tyres in vertical rows. One pallet has three levels with two rows. Each row holds 10 tyres and the whole pallet has space for 60 tyres. With small modifications, this pallet can be also used for storing tyres for off-road vehicles, quads or delivery vans.

AR-10 is a pallet for lorry tyres. It holds six 385/65 R22.5 or eight 315/80 R22.5 tyres. Pallets can be stacked one on top of the other, up to five high.

All pallets have one more advantage: the sides can be folded and when a pallet is empty, it occupies only 35cm of vertical space. Pallets can be used as fixed warehouse structures; they can also be lifted from each side with a forklift and easily loaded onto a lorry.

The final product is the AR-33 tyre/wheel cart, which is used for storing clients’ wheels in so-called “wheel hotels” and moving wheels from branch warehouses to the main warehouse.

These products have become familiar to the European tyre industry as Arcom is a regular exhibitor at both the Reifen and Autopromotec trade shows in Essen and Bologna.

Specialist knowledge

Although Arcom is not a massive company, it says it has an advantage over its competitors in that, before they founded Arcom, both partners had extensive experience in the tyre industry. The knowledge and expertise gained during this period – not to mention the contacts established – has made it easier to develop the company and to establish its position in the market. By specialising in one area, the company argues that it can offer a better product and service than companies with wider product ranges.

There is active co-operation with customers and Arcom’s construction and design department in order to ensure that products are constantly modified and improved. Wherever possible, high quality steel is used in construction, which has one third greater strength than regular steel.

This allows, for example, a wall thickness of 3mm to be reduced to 2mm, significantly reducing weight and therefore costs. Some competitors, says Arcom, tell customers that their products are heavier and thus more stable, with no reference to the quality of materials used. This is a false argument, says Arcom, as weight is no measure of stability.

Looking towards the future

In October last year, Arcom relocated its manufacturing to a larger and more modern building, with welding robots, CNC machines and a very modern and ecological powder coating line. If necessary, products can be zinc-plated. This new facility has greatly increased production capacity. Not only does the modern production line ensure consistent quality, but it also reduces manufacturing costs and product prices.

Manufacture for the tyre industry still accounts for around 90 per cent of production, but Arcom is aware that the market – particularly in Western Europe, where most of its products are exported – is becoming saturated and demand is likely to drop sharply. For this reason, Arcom has been exploring other potential markets, such as the automotive industry and this has resulted in orders from car, trailer and even aeroplane manufacturers.

Arcom prides itself on the knowledge and professionalism of its staff; for example, employees in the marketing and sales departments can speak English, German, Italian, Spanish and Russian as well as Polish.

When it comes to client service, Arcom has begun to visit clients to assess their storage needs and the potential of the storage area. This enables the company to offer a bespoke and economical solution to their storage requirements. Arcom says that client satisfaction is its paramount priority and the company works on the principle that a satisfied customer may pass his recommendation on to two or three others, but a dissatisfied one will probably tell more than five.