The year 2021 is going - 2022 is coming

The year is almost over and we look back on a turbulent 2021 and look forward to an exciting 2022, where a lot lies ahead.

2021 Goes - 2022 Comes

I think we can safely say that 2021 will be one of the most eventful years in the history of S-Polytec. We are not talking about the Corona pandemic, which currently has us and the world in a firm stranglehold and has resulted in constant ups and downs, but about the many challenges, changes and innovations we have dealt with in recent weeks and months.

One of the most significant changes was probably the purchase of a new property in the Hammereisen industrial estate in Nütterden. For those who follow our blog regularly, it is not new information that our two production sites in Goch are bursting at the seams. There was an acute lack of space in all areas. We were no longer able to accommodate more plastics or small materials because we could no longer provide storage space for new products. Even our buffer stores have become somewhat small. They have not become smaller, but the demand has increased so much that we have to store more goods to guarantee the ability to deliver. Our offices also no longer offered enough space, so that the marketing team has already been relocated to an office space rented externally. In the meantime, however, the team of 4 has become a permanent fixture at the new location. The warehouse with a production employee for the packaging of silicones, adhesives and assembly material is also already in regular operation in Nütterden. However, these five are the only ones who carry out their daily work from there. A lot has already been done in adapting the new site, but there is still a lot of work to be done before the entire production will move from Goch to Hammereisen.

Other major investments have gone into the new server structure at the new location. There are now two large server cabinets here with lots of colourful network cables and countless flashing lights that, in keeping with the season, have a bit of a Christmas tree feel to them, even if they are square, ugly and loud. I could start talking technical jargon about what is so important about the server structure and the communication between the locations and the respective servers, but I know far too little about that myself. We have internet - even if the fibre optic connection is a long time coming - and can do our job, that's enough for us here. In addition to the servers, some machines have also been purchased for the new location this year. Forklifts, electric high-lift trucks, a lifting platform, as well as a cleaning machine for the hall area. Not to mention countless shelves and tools. In a few days, we will even receive the first new saw. This is a large saw-storage combination, with automated warehouse management. The footprint of this one saw alone takes up around 360 square metres.

It is not only our space or our machines that have grown. In the past few months, we have also strengthened our staff. In production, one employee went into his well-deserved retirement. This position was newly filled and production as a whole was also strengthened by further motivated employees, so that we now have 7 employees for this area alone. The marketing team has also been increased from four to six creative nerds, of which the two translators do not work full time for the company, and so the company now has 20 employees, 5 koi carp, a sturgeon, lots of small POLYFish and the two vacuum cleaning robots Nono and Nana.

Our product range in the online shop has also grown enormously. More decors have been added to the HPL panels and aluminium composite panels. Countless drills and useful tools as well as sealing tapes have been added. What we are particularly pleased about, however, is that our first own alkoxy silicones have been produced. This was a very time-consuming process, from the recipe, to the product design, to the creation of data sheets, to the writing and translation of product texts and the activation of the silicones in the online shop and the well-known marketplaces.

Picture left: Our office building in the golden sunrise with morning frost
Picture right: Christmas time is chocolate time - MarkeTEAM loves chocolate ;-)

The year 2022 will bring changes

New machines, new products, the big move

The plan is to fill the location with life early in the new year, so that we from the marketing team are no longer alone. If everything goes according to plan, sales, accounting and production are to be relocated to us in Nütterden as early as the end of January. At the moment, the necessary pipes for the machines are being laid and the heat pump for heating the offices and the hall are also in the works. As soon as these steps have been taken, we will also expand the range of our plastic sheets. Many types of plastic that we currently only offer in standing format will then also be available in cut-to-size. In addition, we will significantly expand our range of recycled panels over time, because we consider sustainability and the careful use of raw materials to be extremely important. Not only because raw material prices on the world market are exploding in almost all areas and the ability of manufacturers to deliver is in part catastrophic due to the ongoing pandemic situation. We hope that we will be able to keep our prices stable despite the massive price increases.

Other products that we will include in our range are screws, dowels and impact bolts. Here we have contacted fisher - the leading manufacturer from Germany for fastening systems and are looking forward to soon being able to carry the products of this quality company. We are also busy expanding our adhesives division. At the moment, many formulations are being tried and tested in order to develop a good adhesive especially for rigid PVC that is free of hazardous or dangerous ingredients. Silicones in other colours are also to be added to our product range and high-quality painter's acrylics will follow very soon.

We already stock many different screws, rivets and drills and, as already mentioned, there are still some more to come. It is therefore very obvious to include the appropriate tools in our range. From cordless screwdrivers to jigsaws, hand-held circular saws or battery-operated silicone guns, we already have a lot of different tools and accessories on our wish list and are already negotiating with various well-known manufacturers to see which one we will finally cooperate with. It is obvious that matching saw blades will follow the saws in the range. Unfortunately, we cannot yet say which manufacturer it will be and when the first saws will be available in the online shop.

Picture left: Our warehouse still has a lot of space for new things.
Picture right: Components of the heat pump system - What exactly - I don't know

We will certainly strengthen our staff somewhat in the coming year. More machines mean that more employees are needed to operate them. More products usually result in more orders, so we also have to upgrade our packaging and shipping department. In the area of marketing, we will certainly also fill another position, because we would like to work a little more in the area of video creation and create helpful do-it-yourself videos. In the area of social media, we could also do a bit more, but somehow there is always a lack of time for that. For copywriting, we could also use some support again soon.

Our thanks goes to YOU

Of course we wouldn't grow and create more jobs if it weren't for you. Customers, prospects, readers, suppliers. For your support and loyalty, we would like to take this opportunity to say a huge, mega-huge thank you to each and every one of you. We will continue to strive to meet all your needs in the future, so that you are and remain happy customers.

Your feedback, be it in the form of reviews, emails about what we can improve or which products you would like us to make, makes it much easier for us, because we can't always guess them, no matter how hard we try. Even tiny suggestions can help us to get better and better, because we put our heart and soul into everything we do. Not for us - but for you. As MarkeTEAM, we are of course delighted when we receive pictures of what you have conjured up with our products. A link on Instagram or Facebook? We think that's great and hope that we will grow even closer together. You with us and we with you.

We wish you a great Advent season and happy holidays. Come safe, sound and cheerful into the new year.

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