Interview with Tommy Sutherland, Managing Director of Eutex International

Wednesday, Jan 13, 2010

Who is Eutex & what makes the company unique to the cable & wire industry?

Eutex was established in 1998 as an International Electrical stockist and distribution company based in Houston, TX, specializing in the supply of IEC Electrical Cables and Hazardous Area products. The company was originally established  to work locally in North America – hence one of our tag lines –“ International Power – Local Presence & Support“  We have a team of experienced people whose careers have only been in the IEC & International arena and that’s thing that gives us the technical edge and advantage. We work with clients from specification, through certification of products and supply and are unique because we are the only distribution company in North America that truly stocks a full range of IEC cables : Onshore, Offshore and Marine cables “in country”, along with an extensive range of hazardous area products. We help our clients compete internationally, without the need for them to source product or expertise internationally.

You have distribution centres of IEC products in North America?  

We have over $ 4m of inventory at any given time from our 3.5 acre distribution centre in Houston, Texas and we also distribute from our stocking locations and sales offices in New Orleans - Louisiana,   Calgary – Canada, along with a major hub in Singapore servicing South East Asia & Middle East.

What products or services do you have planned to remain competitive in the industry?  

We are always on the look-out to grow our product lines and services and to remain competitive and at the forefront of the industry. The group’s latest addition is ATEC Training and Certification Services. The company offers a one –stop solution in providing training,  Certification & Management of Hazardous area locations in both the ATEX & IEC/EX Field.   Additional services & training are customizable to fit our clients needs in NEC, IECEX, ATEX, GOST & other standards.

We have also recently invested in a customised international marine product to service our growing Gulf coast Marine Sector. This will enable us to open new stocking locations planned throughout the Gulf Coast – North America.  

Has it been a good year for EUTEX and are there any particular projects that re-iterate the strength of the company?

Although the year has been challenging, Eutex continue to focus on being an international company with “local” support in the areas we work in, educating our clients on the benefits of having us partner with them on there projects and “day2day” orders & requirements. Local support, local time-zone, local personnel - knowledgeable in international products, standards and approvals. A successful part of our business is our EMCU’s (Eutex Mobile Containerised Unit), where we stock “on site” electrical bulk products and cables, keeping it fully stocked throughout the entire project, virtually eliminating shipping problems, shortages & time-frame issues.

How does EUTEX view on-line media, advertising and promotion and how can this help a company as big as EUTEX?

We have seen a shift in the industry in the last few years, from conventional marketing tactics, to more web based media campaigns. More and more companies are using social network platforms and technical articles to keep their customers informed.  We have our own marketing & media department focussing on our “brand” and have taken a more active approach for on-line marketing and continue to look into ways to communicate up to the minute technical information to our clients helping ensure they are fully conversant with our latest products, specifications & changes to industry standards.

Optimizing our web presence will continue be a main marketing goals in 2010 and first quarter we are launching our new web-site with more technical articles, complete updated catalogue and Current legislation changes in ATEX & IEC/EX  

What have been the key factors behind the success of EUTEX?  

Trained personnel, stock & service has for sure been the driving force in the continued success of Eutex.

I’d like clients to know that there is a lot of hard work, vendor and manufacturers negotiations going on behind the scenes to ensure that we are always “ahead of the curve” in the IEC and Hazardous area fields. It’s a competitive world out there and we strive to work closely with our clients and manufacturers on a daily basis giving the local support that we strive to maintain and promote.

Are there any other recent developments that our readers should be interested in?

We have witnessed the requirement for improved fire performance and less halogen emissions in cables destined for the offshore market, and we are now seeing the shift towards “safer” cables for onshore applications. More and more projects are specifying higher than standard specified cables which we promote and reflect in our stock profile. We have also broadened our stock range in the Data-Com and fibre optic cables in line with the growth in the Marine & Offshore sectors. Many offshore operators are becoming more stringent in the specifications of such cables and we have moved to accommodate the demand. In regard of this, we now hold stock of co-axial, data and fibre optic cables that comply with the rigorous International Standards of these markets.  

Also, working closely with our new partner company, ATEC Certification, it has brought to light, more than ever, the importance of training. As with the progression towards enhanced products, it’s not simply enough to have a certified product, but rather the individual involved in the design, engineering, and production of the equipment destined for a hazardous area should also be certified.

Source: Eutex International