Since ancient times, humanity has been able to innovate and rise above the existing challenges with the backbone of the secondary sector. But while doing so, the need to be in sync with the goals of climate modification was felt. Keeping our lives without machines around is inevitable now. The production of machinery has made our operations easier day in and day out.
GPAINNOVA is a company that took an active step to help other industrial players integrate this element into their industrial processes in the emergence of the 21st century. Founded in 2013, in an association of efforts of its CEO and Co-founder, Pau Sarsanedas, along with other shareholders, the company is designing, manufacturing, and marketing products designed to increase energy efficiency in order to conserve the environment while improving people’s well-being, cost-effectively and sustainably.
With a strong focus on research and development, it has 12 patents related to metal surface treatments in its name. Alongside this, it is constantly investing in reducing its carbon footprint, creating circular and renewable energy solutions, and making better products for its clients as well as the planet.
Currently, GPAINNOVA is largely focused on metal surface finishing elements with its renowned brands like DLyte, which is reinventing the way to automate high-quality metal surface finishing, and MURUA, the smallest machine based on the passive-layer liquid, created to polish precious metals.
Apart from this, it also caters to the medical device market with GPA Medical and the marine robotics sector with SEABOTS.
Let’s dive into the interview highlight and learn more about GPAINNOVA!
Please brief us about your company and the ideas that led to its inception.
GPAINNOVA was established in 2013 in Barcelona by four shareholders to create a technology platform to carry out multidisciplinary, innovative projects. The business group’s goal is to design, manufacture, and marketproducts that have been designed to increase energy efficiency, conserve the environment, and the improvement of people’s well-being, cost-effectively and sustainably.
GPAINNOVA is currently specializing in surface metal finishing solutions, with its brands DLyte and MURUA; medical devices, with GPA Medical; and marine robotics, with SEABOTS.
Kindly tell us about yourself and your professional milestones so far. What has been your motivation to venture into the Industrial Machinery niche?
I am a mechanical engineer from the University of Girona (UdG) and a European specialist in adhesives from the Fraunhofer IFAM, in Germany. This training enabled me to work in the industrial machinery field from the very beginning.
After developing projects in two companies focused on innovation, some friends and I decided to create a company to manufacture and market MURUA, the smallest machine based on the passive-layer liquid created to polish precious metals. Some years later, we launched the DLyte brand, based on the DryLyte Technology. This surface-finishing solution was based on advanced machinery and the first dry electrolyte, which had been patented in 24 countries.
The success achieved led us to open three subsidiaries in Florida (USA), Hong Kong, and Shenzhen (China) in 2019, to enter the medical devices and power electronics sectors in 2020, and to open new facilities in Barcelona in 2021.
We have installed more than 800 polishing machines, thanks to 55 distributors located on five continents and more than 600 satisfied clients worldwide.
What are the core values of the company? How are you driving the company to achieve its vision and mission statement?
All the team share values such as creativity, honesty, transparency, and passion for innovation and technology.
Our mission is to become a global benchmark for metal surface finishing equipment and to revolutionize the industry by creating cost-effective, efficient, and environmentally friendly solutions.
To achieve it, we are constantly investing and researching to reduce our carbon footprint and create circular, renewable energy solutions, but also to make our products better for our clients and the planet.
What are the company’s key offerings that make it stand out in the machinery market? How is it revolutionizing the industry?
GPAINNOVA, mainly through its brand DLyte, is reinventing the way to automate high-quality metal surface finishing, from the medical device field to mass production in industrial sectors, launching customized, affordable, and cost-effective solutions to meet the real needs of the market.
To lead the metal surface treatment industry, we are constantly committed to R&D and to assure close cooperation of our Test Lab with universities and research centers worldwide. As a result of this major effort, GPAINNOVA has 12 patents related to metal surface treatment. On the other hand, we count on a Customer Care department to guarantee the satisfaction of our customers.
How are you adopting emerging technological solutions to advance output in the industrial machinery market? How is it also ensuring the safety of employees working with your company?
Besides our standard solutions, we are increasingly offering automatization solutions, connectivity, and manufacturing integration with advanced monitoring for the machinery to our clients, in order to help them to manufacture faster and cheaper, with the highest quality.
For instance, we have recently launched an improved machine for mass production, DLyte 100PRO, designed to fulfill the specifications of high-demanding standards in sectors like the medical device industry and to assure the batches’ traceability.
Concerning the safety of GPAINNOVA’s employees, we follow the strictest protocols for occupational risk prevention.
What are the challenges that you encounter in daily operations? How do you infuse your leadership skills to turn them into opportunities for the success and growth of the company?
Maybe our main challenge nowadays is the current global situation since there is a certain fear of investment caused by uncertainty.
Fortunately, GPAINNOVA can manufacture high-value products with high automation content and reduced operating costs, as well as a perfect fit with sustainability and environmental protection policies.
As an experienced leader, what advice would you like to give to budding entrepreneurs who wish to enter the Industrial Machinery niche?
I would recommend they focus on offering solutions instead of products, constant innovation, and flexibility in times of major change like ours.
What are the future goals of the company? How do you envision upscaling its operations and reach in 2022 and beyond?
We want to improve customer service with increasing offerings such as maintenance and warranty extension packages, consulting, and digitalization. We also expect to continue receiving approvals from manufacturers in high-end applications in aerospace, medical, luxury, automotive, and toolmaking to increase the customer base in those sectors.
Finally, GPAINNNOVA is working hard to consolidate our partnerships with distributors and partners to offer better products and services in all regions.
Please share any clientele, awards, or recognitions that correctly highlight your current market position. (If available/ permissible)
Among other awards and recognitions, GPAINNOVA received the TCT Award for Excellence in Additive Manufacturing Post-Processing (2018 and 2022), the Cepyme Award for Internationalization (2019), the European Enterprise Award to the Best Multinational Industrial Technology Group in 2021 (2022), and the Innovation Award at the Surfair Congress (2022) held in Biarritz, France. In the last three years (from 2020 to 2022)
GPAINNOVA has been ranked by The Financial Timesamong the fastest-growing European companies, being the first Spanish company in the industrial goods sector for three consecutive years.
