IMC's double vision has profitable results
The letters IMC stand for Imperial Machine Company and, not surprisingly, the name dates back to the days of Empire (or at least the tail end of it) in 1908. Some of the products made at the company's factory at Croxley Green, near Watford, can be traced to those early days, notably the company's well established range of food preparation equipment such as potato and vegetable peelers and potato chippers, which continue to be produced profitably in considerable variety.
In its transition from a family-owned business to an important part of the fast-growing Lincat group of companies, IMC has remained a highly profitable business. According to an inter-company comparison during 2000 of the most profitable companies in the catering industry by Schober Direct Marketing, IMC emerged at the top of the list with a profit margin estimated at over six times the industry average.
Today's company has a much wider focus than food preparation, thanks in part to a momentous decision taken in the mid-1980s when a gap appeared in the UK market for American-style bar equipment. Initially inspired by US entrepreneur the late Bob Payton of Chicago Pizza Pie factory fame, IMC created its Bartender modular concept. Since then, activity in bar systems and related products like glass and bottle coolers has become a major part of the business.
From a production viewpoint, this activity is very different from the food preparation side and much of the bar equipment production is carried out at another factory employing 35-40 people just outside Chester. With its emphasis on skills in the manipulation and bending of stainless steel, this plant handles the bulk of the bar equipment and a lot of the refrigeration products. Capacity was recently increased significantly with the introduction of a major new piece of forming and fabricating equipment in December 2000.
Most of the the bar equipment output comprises off-the-shelf items but, according to Nigel Roberts, IMC marketing manager, there is some bespoke production. "Where someone wants a curved bar run, we have the ability to form infill panels, fillets and other items suitable for bending counters around corners," he comments.
The main factory at Watford also increased its production warehousing capabilities significantly in 2000 with an extension which enables a company to hold more stock and generally operate a better working environment.
"The recent investments are really a way of offering better customer service," Roberts comments. " One of the biggest issues in this business is having enough stock and the right stock in the right place at the right time. The changes enable us to keep up with demand, bring down lead times and offer a better range of items from stock." As well as the factory extension, there have been improvements to offices and a new showroom is expected to open shortly.
In addition to food preparation, IMC has developed a significant production of waste handling equipment where it straddles both ends of the spectrum from small in-sink food disposers to waste compactors. "While our established items of veg prep equipment are now in a relatively mature market because of the growth of pre-packed vegetables, waste disposal still has a potential for high growth," Roberts comments.
One notable area of development has been the company's range of waste dewatering equipment where spiral mechanisms process wet kitchen waste and squeeze most of the water from it. This results in a light fibrous material which is easily disposed of through conventional bagged waste removal. "With the potential for new legislation through the EEC covering disposal of waste through waste disposers, the dewatering equipment promises a lot of potential in the future," Roberts comments.
