| INOX Smooths the Way for Export Sales
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From the icy waters of Alaska to the steamy Bay of Bengal, an Australian industrial lubricant is winning acclaim – and export orders – for its ability to protect machinery against the elements. Called INOX, the moisture and corrosion resistant industrial lubricant was developed by John Chardon after years of working in the mining and transport industries. "The stuff we were using was no good, so I started mucking around and came up with the formulation. It’s turned out to be brilliant," said John. Twelve years ago, John established his own company, Candan, on Queensland’s Gold Coast to manufacture INOX. Today, INOX is sold throughout Australia and in 25 other countries. Export sales, which account for over 20% of Candan’s turnover, have
literally carried the INOX name to the far corners of the globe; from Antarctic
bases in the south the Alaskan fishing fleets which battle the elements
in the northernmost fishing grounds of the world.
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"I had a call from someone in Florida who wanted to do business and when I asked how he found us, he said he knew a boatbuilder in Brazil who used INOX in New Zealand and told him: "You’ve got to get hold of this stuff".
"Another time we were contacted by a seismic outfit that was laying cable off the coast of Bangladesh and it turned out that it was an oil guy from Texas who’d recommended INOX to them", said John.
"So our exports have grown from word of mouth and direct referrals". John’s relationship with Scottish Pacific business Finance began in 1989, about two years after establishing his company. "Things were a bit tight so someone suggested factoring and we’ve used it ever since.
It’s the best thing in the world for cashflow," said John.
"It also means we don’t have to employ staff to chase accounts which is good because we couldn’t run an accounts department for what we pay Scottish Pacific to look after it for us.
"Even better, we get 90% of invoice value upfront each week," said John.