RAVAK has now been around for more than three decades and has managed to build up the largest bathroom furnishing manufacturer in the Czech Republic. István Pintér, Head of Marketing at RAVAK Hungary Ltd. tells Diplomacy&Trade, among other things, about the main milestones in the company's development and expansion and the newly built premises created with sustainability in mind.
“Before the break-up of Czechoslovakia, we produced shower enclosures under a French license. After that, it was our own development department that designed the further product lines. In 2001, we started collaborating with industrial designers, and as a result, our designs are recognized with international awards almost every year. In 2008, we started to produce marble molded products in Szeged, SE Hungary and in 2010, we added faucets to our range. In 2012, thanks to acquisitions abroad, we added bathroom sanitary ware and furniture to our offer. Customers can now furnish their bathrooms (except for tiles) with RAVAK products in a uniform design world. RAVAK Hungary continued its dynamic development in district 14 of Budapest, first in a rented building, then from 2006, in an office building and warehouse base built by own investment,” István Pintér highlights.
Newly built premises
Last year, the company moved to the newly built premises in Kistarcsa, just outside Budapest, where it also has a warehouse, showroom and training center. As the Head of Marketing explains, “in 2017, it became clear that our Budapest site had ‘outgrown’ its current location, and the space available there limited our further growth. The greenfield investment in Kistarcsa was primarily geared to our logistical objectives. The warehouse, with a height of around 3,600 m² and a warehouse management system, allows the handling of up to six truckloads of goods per day, thus providing a flexible service to our distributors. Our modern 500 m² expo showroom offers a full range of products and our training room can accommodate up to 30 people for theoretical and practical training. Our aim is to develop the knowledge of interior designers and sales staff and to create a national network of dealers, i.e. intensive practical training for at least 300 fitters.”
Sustainable and pleasant atmosphere
The new site was built with sustainability in mind. The company’s aim was to build a ‘smart building’, the details of which were already on the drawing board. The building is equipped with a number of sensors to control light switching, temperature, brightness and air quality without the need for manual intervention. “These are all optimized for the number of staff in the building at any one time. The building is surrounded by a landscaped area, where, in addition to ornamental plants, there are around 110 fruit trees. Living walls and trees in the offices and showrooms create a pleasant atmosphere, which is appreciated by our clients,” István Pintér says.
Pleasing appearance
RAVAK not only sells individual products, but also offers solutions and concepts to its customers. “We currently cooperate with three renowned design studios – STORZ Design from Austria, Krištof Nosál from the Czech Republic and Vrtiška&Žák from the Czech Republic. The design criterion is that the design of the product ranges (bathtub, shower enclosure, shower tray, washbasin, furniture, tap) should be in line with each other, with formal elements that have the same design. These harmonized conceptual elements create a harmonious whole, a pleasing appearance in the bathroom. We currently have seven such concepts. In addition, we also focus on practicality,” the Head of Marketing points out.
Listening to the customer
As regards feedback from customers and to what extent it is used in the development of products and services, István Pintér stresses that RAVAK Hungary Ltd. uses various software solutions to keep track of market information in addition to sales processes. “During on-site training sessions, we collect feedback from interior designers, distributors and installers, which is evaluated and passed on to the product development department. We collect information from our customers in the form of questionnaires, and we also receive feedback via social media. This information significantly determines our product and service development strategy.”
Long-term reliable
In recent years, the Hungarian construction industry has undergone a major development. Accordingly, RAVAK has also took up the gauntlet. As the Head of Marketing notes, “the dynamic development of the housing market has naturally increased the interest in our products. A lot of unknown manufacturers' products appeared on the market and several teams of contractors who were less skilled in the construction industry. The need for skilled professionals became even more appreciated, as well as the notion of a ‘long-term reliable’ product. This is why we have launched training courses and media campaigns to promote our products and their reliability.”
Maintaining market position
In the current economic situation, orders from the construction industry are decreasing, investments such as bathroom modernization are being pushed to the background – circumstances that RAVAK Hungary Ltd. also needs to take into account. As István Pintér describes, “demand-supply factors have also changed a lot in our market in the last year. On the supply side, the extreme rise in raw material prices and energy prices has increased production costs. In our case, the exchange rate of the Hungarian forint against major currencies has also had a negative impact on prices, and we have had to adjust the prices of our products several times. It is inevitable that demand has fallen as a result. In addition, on the demand side, resources also decreased: high interest rates, higher household spending. It is difficult to plan for years ahead. The evolution of the market in the coming period will be determined by inflation and bank lending rates. At the moment, we see the outlook as unfavorable in this respect. Our aim is to maintain our market position, stabilize our production and operating costs and adapt our product range to changing customer needs.”
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