NZ Manufacturer’s Q&A session with Soo KT, General Manager, Hypertherm Asia

1. How would you say the metal cutting industry fared in 2010, globally and regionally?
There definitely has been an improvement over 2009 with recovery in the Asian region, but less so in the international scene. Re-stocking of inventories may have contributed in part to the improvement in our business.

2. Where did Hypertherm see the greatest growth in the region, and what were some notable trends there?
China, which recovered quickly after the 2008 financial crisis, is in the forefront of growth. This is not unexpected as China has been the main engine propelling the Asia region onto the recovery path. The construction and agricultural equipment segments have rebounded strongly, fuelled by infrastructure development. The shipbuilding industry, however, is still languishing due to a record number of ships being decommissioned, and marine transportation suffering from the slowdown in US and Europe.

3. What about other Asian markets that you serve?-
The entire ASEAN region did well in recovery with some notable exceptions like Thailand that faced political unrest.  India, which is more insulated from export orientation and international banking, almost didn’t skip a beat and maintained its contribution to the industry.

4. Which industries have impacted the metal cutting business the most this past year?
Construction and infrastructure-related developments have both made significant contribution to our business in 2010.

5. What significant technological advances did the industry enjoy from Hypertherm this year?
We introduced a number of new technologies in 2010.  With one of the advancements, businesses are now able to improve cut-to-cut cycle time and consumable life, enhancing productivity and operational cost-savings. With another development, the unique combination of our power supply, motion control systems and software help to produce high bolt-hole quality. And most recently, we launched a new high-powered plasma system featuring a patent-pending technology that enables both piercing and cutting of very thick stainless steel and aluminium.

6. How widespread is the use of oxyfuel, plasma and laser in metal cutting applications across Asia?
Oxyfuel is still the dominant metal-cutting method in most emerging markets in Asia and these present significant opportunities for plasma for productivity reasons. With lasers, the market is niche with applications specially designed for precision.  But where there are some overlaps between laser and plasma, especially when metal thickness increases, plasma technology has gained an edge. This is because recent technological advancements have enabled cost-savings while preserving cut quality.

7. What can metal cutting users expect from industry suppliers like Hypertherm in the next few years?-
Our users can expect greater performance, reliability and ease of use with new-to-market applications that will further simplify the intricacies of technological integration.

8. What sustainability and environmentally-friendly initiatives, if any, does Hypertherm undertake, and what’s the impact to-date, as well as the expected effects in upcoming years?
As a company, Hypertherm is committed to sustainability with green efforts as one of our corporate priorities in 2011. Product-wise, we will continue introducing new plasma technologies that offer higher performance with lower power consumption, enabling users to do more with less impact on environmental resources.

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