'BIZNES meble.pl' international edition 1/2019

industry ◆ interview 28 biznes meble.pl ❘ international edition 1/2019 f B efore joining Impress Decor Polska, did you have contact with the furniture industry? Only as a user of furniture. On the professional path, however, I have had contacts with furniture-related indus- tries. For 21 years I had worked in the paper and packaging industry which was of some importance when I was taking the position at Impress Decor Polska. My professional experience comes from sales and marketing. For 15 years I had man- aged the sale of paper and packaging at various organizational levels of the Stora Enso Group. Later, I had been responsi- ble for managing the supply chain, and then for managing independent business units. Recently, I had managed over twen- ty small recycling plants that worked for Stora Enso factories in Poland. What challenges have you been facing since June last year, i.e. taking over the new company? With investments, re- -profiling… I think a little bit with all the ones mentioned... Over the past 3 years, the company has doubled the production and sales of its products. Part of the re- sult is investment in the production of finish foil, but not only. The production of decorative paper is also growing. In the wake of these increases, there are also challenges, not only of quantitative nature. Servicing the growing sales re- quires the implementation of new organ- izational and technical solutions, so that our clients receive the required product and service. These are also qualitative challenges, because the product must constantly evolve to meet the ever-grow- ing expectations of the market. What are the activities related to impro- ving quality? Quality is an absolutely key area of our activity. Providing the right quality is a challenge that only a company that provides the right quality of all its pro- cesses can meet. Starting from the cor- rect identification of customer’s needs, through cost-effective satisfaction of them, and on efficient after-sales service. Personally, I believe that the combina- tion of a competent and motivated team and well-designed processes is the key to achieving high quality. Of course, what the customer sees is the final product and service they receive. Thus, the quality of printing, the resistance of the surface to mechanical or chemical factors, the quality of rolls winding and timely deliv- eries are essential, basic properties. I per- ceive maintaining them on the expected level as a ‘basic element of hygiene’ in running a business. The higher level of building relationships with clients – and that is what is most important for us – is surprising the customer with a product or service that goes beyond the standard expectations from time to time. Because – paradoxically – this is the expectation of a modern client... The key to success in this matter is the constant striving for the best understanding of the client’s needs. The competence the potential of which I am still absolutely fascinated with, is the area of design development. Properly used, it can be a source of benefits for our clients that is difficult to measure. What is the design potential of the Im- press Group today? As the Group, we offer approximately 200 new designs per year. We present them at various exhibitions, including in Milan. The Impress Group has cre- ated an international design community that combines talents from Poland, Ger- many, Austria, Turkey, Spain, Brazil and the United States. Approximately 100-150 decors are annually implemented to pro- duction. This is a very strong competence of our Group. How important is proper communica- tion in strengthening the company’s po- tential? On the ‘vision’ level, I dream about super effective communication along the entire value chain. We offer decors on printed decorative papers to board manufacturers. The finish foils are in- teresting for furniture manufacturers. We receive feedback from both groups what they believe will be appreciated by the market. The final customer receives products filtered by the opinion of the component manufacturers, producers of the final product and distributors. A large number of potentially valuable decors never goes to users of furniture, which is a pity. I think that some form of direct, ef- fective communication with the final re- cipient could bring great benefits to us all. I dream of reaching this group of recipi- ents jointly and joint selection of design at various levels. What are the current directions of decor development? We strive to present to our clients de- cors that have a good chance of reaching different recipients. A very popular direc- tion is nature and everything related to it: the structure and colours of wood, the colours of the earth. At the same time, we are developing the urban trend: patterns imitating concrete, plasters, metals. Also rich, colourful cultural trends have their In a spirit of cooperation Michał Gawrych, managing director of Impress Decor Polska, talks with Diana Nachiło. Personally, I believe that the combination of a competent and motivated team and well-designed processes is the key to achieving high quality.