A School Chair with Ten-Year-Guarantee – Furniture Manufacturers from Mansfelder Land supply as far as the Emirates
One of the latest developments is the “Sigma” chair. According to Winkler, there is nothing comparable in Germany. The plastic seat is made of three layers with a fibreglass-reinforced core, making it virtually indestructible under normal conditions. Even scratches have no chance. “We give a 10-year-guarantee for this product,” he affirms.
The constant exchange and further development of models is possible through an in-house creative division within the company. The managing director reports that huge value is placed on this. Otherwise, there is virtually no chance to survive on a highly competitive market. This is a liability and opportunity at the same time. When you manage to act on the Zeitgeist, you have an invaluable competitive advantage. About 10,000 different products - including colour variations and several sizes of a model - belong to the range.
Since the Wende, project from Saxony-Anhalt has developed into a partner for schools, in particular. 80 percent of the products go to educational facilities; the rest go to offices and conference rooms, among other places. On the site of an old copper mine, which had ceased extraction, the company has existed since 1968, producing steel tube furniture for the entire GDR at that point. Tables and chairs stood in schools, canteens and consulting rooms. After 1998, the first privatisation failed. Gerhard Winkler then sought a new beginning from the insolvency. The decision cost him some sleepless nights and, ultimately, a smart concept for classrooms provided the breakthrough. In the meantime, the company now belongs to the Big Five of the industry in Germany. 100 employees currently receive support from 35 seasonal workers. In order to be able to fill the growing demand, work has just begun on a new production hall, according to the managing director.
Listening to customers pays off. Last year, project achieved a 9 million Euro turnover and wants to raise this to 11 million Euros in 2010. Winkler considers an annual growth of 15% to be realistic. A strategic partnership with the Haba family of companies based in Bad Rodach, which was concluded in 2009, is paying off. The comprehensive distribution network is further developing; Bavaria and Rhineland-Palatinate have recently been added.
The search for partners, who will get involved in new learning concepts, is part of this. In a grammar school in Hannover, a sample classroom has been developed. The team of teachers there is creative, wants to introduce new educational opportunities. The Eisleben-based company also offers the design of entire schools to meet computer-aided suggestions. To do this, its experts will work through the night to incorporate the requests at short notice.
School furniture from Eisleben is being exported in increasing quantities. Among others, customers from the Netherlands, Belgium and Switzerland are interested in the products from Mansfelder Land. For the last four years, the company has been supplying the Emirates. At present, exportation makes up 15% of the turnover; this should rise to 20% in the medium term. While the European region is virtually a given, other markets are not being disregarded. The demographic change in Germany with its decreasing number of pupils is demanding new sales strategies.
Author: Klaus-Peter Voigt
Contact:
project
Schul- und Objekteinrichtungen GmbH
Gerbstedter Chaussee 13
06295 Lutherstadt Eisleben
Telephone: 03475-67710
Gerhard Winkler (Managing Director)
info@project-online.de