High-Resistance Screening Solutions

Q: What trends have you noticed in the mechanical screening industry in recent years?

A: The company was born out of the Mexican mining industry with the goal of filling the need for a Mexico based sieve manufacturer. We have been present in the market since the beginning, growing with it, and we have led many of the technological developments. Originally, the company only manufactured wire and perforated plates but over the years the prevalent material used in the screening process has been switched to more synthetic products like rubber. Lately, we have seen several hybrid options arising with rubber and wire conversions, where the elasticity of the rubber is complemented by wire cloth to achieve more efficiency. We only vulcanize natural rubber, which improves the efficiency of the material and the wear life when used in screening applications.

Q: What products is Cribas developing that are breaking new ground in terms of innovation and technology?

A: We have developed a self-cleaning screen that has been on the market for some years. This mechanism allows the wires to vibrate independently of one another to help with binding issues. We are the only company in Mexico that can manufacture this type of screening system, and in fact we can manufacture every available screening system at our plant in Monterrey, making us unique in Mexico. We have also started using different materials in our wire. We have developed a special formulation high-carbon wire, which is stronger and more resistant than traditional wire compositions.

Q: How do your clients react to you offering a new product?

A: It is true that there is a certain resistance to change within the industry but thanks to the wide array of mergers and acquisitions in recent years, the community is becoming more international and therefore more forward thinking. We offer initial trial periods for all our new products, and because we have been working with the majority of our clients for many years, they trust that our recommendations will provide a solution to their problem. We always try to work directly with each individual customer to develop specific solutions to their problems so we are constantly innovating hand-in-hand with our clients. Word of mouth is vital in this industry, and we gain a lot of new customers because our existing clients recommend us to their co-workers and acquaintances throughout the mining community.

Q: What are the main challenges the company has overcome during its long existence?

A: Like many other businesses, the main challenge comes from falling metal prices and issues associated with economic recessions. I believe this is due to the family owned structure we have in place, which allows us more flexibility in the face of market gyrations. In the future, we will be focused on consolidating our customer base both in Mexico and externally. We have distributors in every country throughout Central America and South America, and we want to strengthen our presence in this region specifically. Additionally, we have recently opened a sales office in the US, and over time we want to be able to offer our customers there the same level of service we offer our clients in Mexico. Moreover, our products can be used in a variety of different industries, and although we have traditionally been focused on serving the mining industry we also want to expand our network into the oil and gas, architectural, and food industries as they can also benefit from our technology and local service. We invest the majority of our profit into product development, plant improvements, and customer service in order to provide our clients with a higher quality product, faster lead times, and superior service.