”It’s time that we prepare for increasing our exports, and therefore we should have a name that is easier for our customers abroad to pronounce,” says managing director and owner, Allan Rasmussen, commenting on the new name.
He further states that the name change is a natural consequence of the company’s relocation from the town of Ishøj to its current address in the town of Greve, 5 years ago. This relocation has provided factory space with room for several additional CNC cutters and CNC lathes – and, hence, opportunity for increased growth.
Today, about fifteen percent of the lathed and milled components manufactured at the machine works are for customers in Sweden, Germany, and Great Britain. However, it is Allan Rasmussen’s ambition that the company’s export share increase in the years to come:
”We experience considerable potential in the role as sub-supplier for a number of industries in our neighbouring countries, and we would like to exploit this potential for further growth,” he says, adding:
”Here in Greve, we have a sufficient basis for a pronounced increase in our export, and hence we’re working towards this end, for instance through excellent assistance provided by DI (the Confederation of Danish Industry) of which we are members.”
In a few years’ time, providing that Allan Rasmussen’s ambitions are met, between forty and fifty per cent of the IMAS production will be exported while, at the same time, the company will retain its Danish customers. So, at the end of the day, the name change was an easy decision to make, since the company was already using the name IMAS in its website address, www.imas.dk. Likewise, the abbreviation – IMAS – is easy to pronounce and remember for international customers.
Continued development at our machine works
IMAS is continuously developing its plant and equipment with for instance state-of-the-art CNC cutters and CNC lathes, long-bed lathes, and micro lathes. The specialty of our machine works is the lathing of blanks between Ø 65 mm and Ø 0.3 mm. In 2021, the machine works further initiated a new era, introducing its first KUKA industrial robot together with the most recent CNC-cutter model.
”This is the third name change during the firm’s 76-year long history. And, similar to the previous occasions, this name change is a natural consequence of our development,” Allan Rasmussen explains.
Allan’s grandfather, Henry Poulsen, laid the foundations of the machine works in 1945 – then located in central Copenhagen under the name of H. Poulsen. As Allan’s father, Mogens Poulsen, took up his duties in the business during the 60s, the name was adjusted to H. Poulsen & Søn (i.e. adding ‘& son’). When, in 1972, Mogens Poulsen took over the business and moved it to the town of Ishøj the following year, the name was changed into Ishøj Mekaniske A/S.
Reinforced in 2020 and prepared for further growth
”Though retaining ’Ishøj Mekaniske’ as our subsidiary name, we shall – along the way – change over to the sole use of IMAS, as this way we will be better equipped for the future, for export, and for continued growth,” says Allan Rasmussen.
He explains that, in spite of the challenges in the wake of the corona, 2020 was a good year with satisfactory earnings and the potential for expansion – of machinery as well as staff.
”Together with a team of skilled employees, I’m very pleased to be able to further develop the machine works founded by my grandfather. We will continue to develop our collaboration with our good Danish customers while, at the same time, seek more opportunities for the export of cut and lathed components made of any imaginable material,” Allan Rasmussen concludes.
