Wednesday, 03 December 2008 09:52

IGLOOCAR is a producer of special purpose truck bodies for food stuff products carriage. Truck bodies manufactured by IGLOOCAR are designed by teams of experienced engineers in cooperation with research institutes of various universities as well as reputed companies from Germany, Italy and France. Cooling, isothermic, refrigerated, wagon and drink carriage as well as distribution bodies are mounted on all brands and chassis types, trailers and bodies. Tradition, experience and reliability make the company a trustworthy partner for completing special truck bodies for transporting food stuffs or other products requiring stable and regulated temperatures.

Written by: Aleksandra Strojek

30+ years of history

The beginnings of the company date back to 1975 when the structure of the former Igloopol plant in Dębica, in the southern part of Poland, was extended by mechanical works producing first refrigerating bodies. The works paved the way for a separate, state-owned company, which was established in 1992. In 1999 and 2003 the enterprise witnessed further legal transformations. Since 2003 it has been operating as a private company, whose sole shareholder is PODLASIE S.A., a company headquartered in Łuków. IGLOOCAR is then a company, which successfully managed to go through the stormy times of economic and political transition in Poland and adapted to the realities of the free market. What helped to continue the tradition of the company in new market surrounding, were incessant development and improvement of production processes, introduction of technical and technological innovations as well as participation in a number of research projects. Another important factor was that personnel is constituted of people who have been working at the company for a number of years and are not afraid of new challenges. One of the them was undoubtedly to organize the company from the very start without losing the good reputation of the products, yet giving it solid economic basis for further development.

Core business

Since the establishment of the company its core business has been production of refrigerating car bodies (refrigerated truck bodies, isothermic truck bodies, box van bodies, freezing bodies, truck bodies for drinks distribution) and specialist car bodies, semi-trailers, trailers as well as their servicing and repairs. The main customers are domestic companies, dealers of European car concerns as well as enterprises active in foodstuff as well as beer industry. A new group of clients are leasing companies and firms renting specialist vehicles. Next to that, the company perceives a growing interest coming from foreign customers. What helped to gain the acknowledgment of the clientele was best quality of the products as well as strong customer orientation. IGLOOCAR possesses all certificates required by foreign and domestic regulations, including standards of the ATP agreement. Furthermore, the kind, type, parameters and special truck completion is performed on the basis of the needs and requirements of the customers. Due to that, the customers receive solutions optimal for their transport system.

Other services

The offer of IGLOOCAR includes not only manufacturing of special purpose bodies for food stuff products carriage. The customers may rest assured that all the servicing can be also conducted at IGLOOCAR. What is more, other services of the company are:

- adapting chambers, equipping with shelves, partitions, hooks, 
- chamber modernisation - refrigerating and heating units, damp boards, side doors, windows and special equipment installing,
- damaged truck repairs, 
- peening of steel elements, 
- neutral gas welding of metal plates and chromo nickel, aluminum and steel elements, 
- manufacturing of insulating panels of polyurethane in paper shields of various thickness, 
- insulating - foaming the polyurethane in doors, walls, floors, etc., 
- other services as cutting, bending, turning and milling. 

It is worth mentioning that as a manufacturer of truck bodies IGLOOCAR has easy access to original materials and parts. It allows for quick, professional and on time repairs. Next to that, any repairs of truck bodies are performed using the latest technology in accordance to procedures confirmed by the ISO 9001 certificate.

Tailor-made

IGLOOCAR continually increases technical and organizational possibilities of car bodies production. They are adapted to the special prerequisites of the customers, i.e. manufactured in all types and sizes as well as on all chassis brands. The enterprise is also able to perform even the most complicated repairs of car bodies, no matter which producer they come from. The clients can expect professional consulting on technical solutions suiting their goals and needs in the best way. The company is also known as a reliable business partner successfully competing with its western European counterparts and offering a wide spectrum of top quality products available at reasonable prices. What is more, the products delivered by IGLOOCAR guarantee their users many years of non problematic exploitation without the necessity of frequent repairs. In fact, the high quality standards are confirmed by the ISO 9001:2001 certificate awarded by the Polish Centre for Testing and Certification in Warsaw. The certificate is a proof that all processes – designing, production and sale of cooling and special purpose bodies as well as their servicing and repairs – are systematically brought to perfection and they work effectively, successfully as well as according to top grade world standards. The high quality focus and dynamic development figures of IGLOOCAR have been perceived by a number of other certifying bodies. The enterprise is for example a laureate of Gazele Businesu (Business Gazelles), a competition organized by a prestigious Polish daily Puls Biznesu. It honours dynamically developing companies representing SME sector. Other distinctions came from Gazeta Prawna or a local newspaper Nowiny.

Strategic potential

The future of the company lies in strong technical, organizational, economic as well as personnel basis. As far as technical potential is concerned, the equipment of the company assures high quality of manufactures together with the possibility of further production increase and offer extension. What is also important are: creativity in designing and constructing the solutions, many years of experience in using various production methods, incessant improvement of manufacturing processes as well as regular introduction of technical and technological innovations. The organizational competitive advantage is among others connected with: flat organizational structure, a set of written procedures, clear specification of competences and responsibilities on each managerial position as well as results-oriented work system. The economic potential derives from the measurability of goals, regular results’ registration and analysis, low level of fixed costs, the possibility of adapting cost level to production fluctuations as well as the interrelationship between financial bonuses paid to the employees and individual operational results achieved by each of them. Last but not least, the future of the company is strongly connected with its human capital. The personnel of IGLOOCAR constitutes an experienced team enriched by new employees’ inflow. The satisfaction of the employees is monitored on a regular basis. This – combined with a clear compensation system – results in low turnover figures. The employees are also given the possibility of presenting their initiatives or remarks through an Intranet system. Lots is done in order to satisfy IGLOOCAR’s employees. First and foremost, achievements of an individual employee are always appreciated and honoured with financial bonuses, which frequently are much higher than the base pay. The mechanism of pay growth depends on inflation dynamics as well as average pay growth in the national economy. Except for that, social privileges such as cultural and sport events, housing loans or excursions are delivered to the personnel.

Goals for now and the nearest future 

Undoubtedly, what helps the company on its road to success are specifically formulated and measurable, operational goals. A certain growth in production capacity and sales is determined every year for every organizational unit. What it imposes simultaneously are cost discipline, specific quality indicators or promotion of certain product groups. In the budgeting process both desired as well as critical results are presented. Each of the employees is also aware of goals that have to be achieved on an everyday basis. They include: maintaining and strengthening the leader position on the domestic market of car bodies, increasing the number of satisfied and loyal customers as well as looking after the high reputation of IGLOOCAR brand. As far as some strategic priorities for the nearest future are concerned, the company intends to expand the sales structures in Poland and search for long-term cooperation possibilities with business partners from abroad.


Market changes

The last few years have been a very dynamic time for the market that IGLOOCAR represents. Due to enormous demand for transport vehicles a number of new companies entered the market. Most probably, the sudden growth in the number of market players will be leveled by the current economic crisis – since the end of 2008 the demand for new cars has been slowing down. The companies which will overcome the slowdown, are those which have been acquainted with doing business in challenging and unfavourable business surrounding. Without doubt, one of them is IGLOOCAR.