In 2008 the company IMSA IMPEX SRL, leader in glass and glass equipment distribution in Central and East Europe, has reached its thirtieth year of operation through unwavering confidence, élan and transparent operations. IMSA could be associated to the image of a successful sailing boat, overcoming the challenges and risks of the global market thanks to its experience, reliability, technology and passion.
These are the values which paved the way towards the achievement of positive results in glass sector. Mr. Giovanni Miklus, one of two brothers Miklus who founded the company in 1978, recalls the 30 years with the following words:
“Glass has fascinated mankind since the time of the Phoenicians. It was precious and rare: a means of protection with great durability, solid and hard but fragile and quite malleable at the same time. Pure, transparent and safe. In the course of history, the role of glass has strengthened and expanded, but has also preserved its charm and attraction - something managed by only a few types of material.
Glass evoked great admiration in our family as well and, when my brother Eugenio and I bought a small production plant for glaziers’ putty in Gorizia thirty years ago, we were actually accepting an internal challenge that opened the doors to a new world for us.
Youthful energy, meetings with various suppliers, constant searches for new information and possible uses, belief in the economic potential of our goods and, as I have already said, the attractive characteristics of glass Itself – such as its beauty, firmness, transparency, fragility and flexibility – have all prompted us to enter the world of glass.
The small production plant in Gorizia grew and expanded its operations into the field of selling and servicing machinery and equipment for glassworkers. We began on the market that was closest to us at the time, Yugoslavia. Our knowledge of the language and the mentality of the people, Gorizia’s geographical location and our connection with the strong and well-developed high-quality industry of processing machinery in Italy were among the trump cards that helped the company make the right decisions.
IMSA was becoming a synonym for quality and reliability in the glass industry of South-Eastern Europe. Its markets continued to expand each year and the company not only provided glass and machinery, but also knowledge, advice and local service workshops and it established a constant presence through its employees.
Daily monitoring of new developments in production, presentations at fairs, a constant market presence, a willingness to visit and lend an ear even to our smallest customers, our familiarity with problems and their solutions, founding local branch offices and warehouses (we currently have eighteen), solid and transparent connections with first-rate suppliers and, most of all, the constant training and education of our young employees have all been the basis and confirmation of our company’s success story for a number of years now.
Imsa distribution network
Starting in 1978 as mere intermediaries between supply and demand of two different countries, Imsa today has changed physiognomy becoming something more than just a distributor. Through our subsidiaries, we are currently present in seven countries – from Slovenia to Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia and from Romania to Slovakia and the Czech Republic. We also directly supply Poland, Macedonia, Ukraine, Montenegro, Bulgaria and Russia.
The list of companies represented is very long and collects prestigious names belonging to various sectors of glass and machinery equipment: Saint Gobain, Fenzi, Alu Pro, For.El, Schiatti, Lovati, F. Pezza, Macotec, Tornati, Pellini, Hoaf, Giardina, Officine Mistrello, Forza G, Ceca, Bohle,Ino, Vitreal Specchi.
We are proud of our numerous business successes recorded within our thirty-year story. We can name countless production plants and buildings that we have equipped in the wide area reaching from the Adriatic Sea to the Ural Mountains and from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea.
Today, IMSA is a large integrated distribution network of companies supplying the entire East European market. Our advantages include our large selection of products, competitive prices, direct presence, high-quality service and quick and quality delivery. All our subsidiaries base their operations upon close long-term relations with their customers. I would also like to draw attention to the extremely capable, experienced and generally young team of co-workers. My brother Eugenio and I are particularly proud that our sons decided to join IMSA’s operations, which represents a guarantee for the consolidation of the current situation and our continuation down the set path.
We have created in these thirty years a solid and functional structure, for the future we will increasingly consolidate our position, satisfied to be a reference point for the Eastern countries always careful to Italian technology”.
