August 26, 2012 Strength Below the Surface

Volume 15 | Issue 3

Maintaining the market lead in submerged water pumps, Brazil’s Bombas Leão SA continues to go from strength to strength. With an uninterrupt

Where there is water being pumped beneath the surface, there is probably Bombas Leão SA. Brazil’s largest manufacturer of submerged pumps and motors has a market share in excess of 40 percent and the yellow-green symbol of the company is synonymous with solutions. Blowing competitors out of the water has required commitment and innovation as well as listening to its customers – and Bombas Leão certainly pumps up the volume and exceeds expectations.

CLOSE TO CUSTOMERS
Keeping an ear to the ground is important for Bombas Leão, which attends its customers’ needs and offers full authorized technical assistance on all of its submerged pumps and products throughout Brazil. In fact, the company has four strategically located facilities, totaling 20,000 square meters. Bombas Leão SA in the city of Monte Azul Paulista (São Paulo) manufactures pumps of four to ten inches in diameter and motors to power them. Bombas Leaõ Nordeste, in Teresina – Piauí state, serves the north east of the country and produces four-inch-diameter pumps and can assemble motors and system control panels.

“Being close to our customers has always been one of our goals, their needs define our development and efficient and punctual delivery is a priority for us,” says Managing Director Jeferson Plaza. A distribution center in Recife, Pernambuco state ensures that customers receive orders on time.

A fourth facility, Paineis Leão also located in Monte Azul Paulista attends the specific need of assembling control panels for the pump and motor systems. The success of the company’s products inspired the inauguration of the division to provide a complete service. The electrical and electronic parts are purchased from third parties and assembled at the plant, which also assembles Bombas Leão oil-bath motors.

Today, Bombas Leão prides itself on being 100 percent focused on its clients, a policy that has earned the company its reputation together with constant investment in technology and people.

TRADITION AND TECHNOLOGY
Way ahead of its time, Bombas Leão began revolutionizing the Brazilian Market when it was founded in 1964. At the time the military regime in the country presented a real challenge to industry as pumps were imported and the dictatorship that followed made replacement parts and repairs difficult. The company serviced the existing equipment with national resources.

When the three Plaza brothers assumed control of the company in 1970, their determination and dedication turned it around. Their entrepreneurial spirit quickly expanded the company and they gained valuable experience in the functionality and engineering of water pumps and motors. This experience soon led to production of their own technology and Bombas Leão became one of the first national companies to make and market its own pumps. More than 30 years later, the company is the Latin American market leader.

Working with leading technologies and implementing new management, development and production systems, Bombas Leão has always been innovating, searching for the expertise to manufacture its products and high quality services. In order to maintain the achieved success and constant growth, the company executive board employs modern and active methods, which closely follow all operational facts and techniques employed in the process. “Over the last five years we grown by 30 percent, and seen a 25 percent increase in our product lines,” Plaza confirms.

Bombas Leão supplies a variety of markets with different submerged motors of up to 440 volts and rotation and semi-axle pumps of up to 10 inches in diameter. “We are a pioneer in the industry, being the first to present many products and we are investing more and more in new technology,” continues Plaza.

More than $3 million has been invested in new imported production machinery for the facility in Piauí, reflecting the growth and success of the company. Markets are presenting increased potential for the technology too, with industries such as mining, sanitation, food and drinks and agriculture all having working applications for water pumps. Due to host the Olympics in 2016 and the Soccer World Cup in 2014, Brazil is a steady flow of opportunity and with domestic sales accounting for 95 percent of revenue, the outlook is certainly positive.

Bombas Leão can also design and execute specific projects for its clients. Examples of individually built pumps include sophisticated offshore machinery for Brazil’s oil giant, Petrobras, which required different technology for sea water. The company has also produced a booster system – a series of parallel pumps to carry out multiple applications.

MANNING THE PUMPS
According to Plaza, strong market performance is not only the result of innovation and tradition. While the products and techniques continue to evolve over time, one thing has remained a constant at Bombas Leão. “From our earliest days we have always prioritized technical assistance. Before authorized representatives, technicians responded to calls directly from the plant in Monte Azul Paulista, not only during the day, but at night as well,” recalls Plaza. Today, of course the infrastructure has grown and the company has more than 90 authorized technicians available throughout Brazil. However, the devotion of its staff is what provided Bombas Leão with its loyal customer base.

“People are our differential,” says Plaza. The timely delivery, top technology and organic growth of the company have all been made possible by the company’s 500 valued employees. “Customer care and marketing support offered to our representatives and clients are directly responsible for the obtained results. These are the reasons why Bombas Leão is the market leader in the pump sector,” he says.

The constant reliability of the staff has been a stronghold for the company that has successfully fought its way through political regimes, economic instability and a once volatile industry. More recently, Bombas Leão has come under attack from multinational competitors, which have tried to conquer sought after Brazilian industries. Despite several attempts, Bombas Leão has kept a firm hold on leadership. Only Mother Nature occasionally influences the company’s sales, with rainfall and dry spells reflecting in sales.

Only a company devoting such commitment and respect to quality, human beings and nature could have led the submersible pump market for 15 consecutive years. Keeping its head well above water, Bombas Leão has always worked with technology, implementing new management systems, development and production, innovation and quality. But the true success boils down to the employees. “We are a family company and we have a familiar culture and service that people trust – behind our leading technology is a good, safe working environment,” concludes Plaza. An unbeatable strategy – Bombas Leão proves that when it comes to water – it can power the future.

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