Archi.ru:
Tell us a little about the history of the company. How and when was the first production organized?
Dmitry Cherepkov:
- We started with trade, were engaged in the supply of materials for decoration and repair. The first own production, which was launched in 1996, was associated with ventilation and drainage systems. But we wanted to create a product and develop its name, guided by aesthetically more attractive ideas. And so the interest from one client directed us towards partition systems. We were inspired by the product, and after about a year, the first production series was launched.
How new was the idea for its time?
- It would be dishonest to say that we invented everything ourselves. We watched what was happening in the world. At that time, there were two segments of the office partition market in Europe. One, let's call it "northern", was the production of monumental structures with a high bearing capacity, they are erected during the construction process. Such products are produced in England, Germany, France.
In Italy and Spain - this is the “southern” segment - there were, let's say, more interior and decorative solutions in essence. After comparing and examining both, we leaned towards the first approach in the production of structures, while not missing the opportunity to create also visually attractive products for zoning. Therefore, the result of choosing our concept is somewhere in the middle.
To what extent has the chosen balanced solution helped your company to become a leader in Russia?
- Leader is a complex concept and includes a lot: someone uses product turnover as criteria for assessing, someone is proud of the fact that they apply innovations. In Russia, we really have the largest market share, we implement over 4,000 projects a year, most of which are being built in collaboration with architects. The assortment of the company includes many products: stationary, sliding, mobile, fireproof partitions, reception desks, doors, furniture. As for the finishing, these are, among other things, doors and panels made of leather, hide, stone, veneer of valuable wood species; we produce partitions with "intelligent" glass shading. Our target segment is medium-high, while on large projects we can quite afford to fit into the minimum budgets.
Today we are trying to soberly assess the consequences of the processes taking place in the European economy. For example, a very difficult situation has developed in Italy, which is why we have reoriented production in Verona to an outsourcing option.
But recently we have opened subdivisions in Krasnoyarsk and Irkutsk. 18 offices throughout Russia, impressive volumes of orders from different regions of the country - this is a significant indicator of the development of not only our business, but also the growth of consumer demand in Russia and the strengthening of the regional economies.
We manage to meet the needs of our customers due to the fact that we try to control all production processes as much as possible. Once we tried to look for good partners and suppliers, but in the end we opened our own production facilities, then made them independent business units: in addition to the production of partitions and doors, accessories, there is a glass processing factory and a complex for powder coating of metal products, production of furniture by individual projects.
By the way, about the production of furniture. How did you come to discover it? How do you interact with architects and designers, and what does such a partnership give the company?
- In Europe, until 2008, a tendency for an integrated approach to the implementation of orders was formed. Companies in our segment began to create office space as a whole, and not just complete it with furniture. At that time, we realized that we had a technological base - high-performance German and Italian machines - with which we could produce furniture items. Therefore, the next step was not economically difficult for us. The Lepota brand, our own furniture production, arose largely due to the successful collaboration with leading architects who develop the design of items for us.
The project “12 architects. Offices”, which in a year and a half won, among other things, the recognition of foreign experts, also developed on the basis of close cooperation with the masters of design and architecture. Our joint goal was to strive to maintain the prestige of a Russian manufacturer and tune customers to a new level of awareness of the quality of a Russian product, so that when choosing, for example, an office for himself, the client thought not so much about the promoted Western brands, but about the product itself.
However, we understand that in general it is a matter of time for the consumer: it is necessary to show, tell, give an opportunity to “digest” the information and get used to it, and somewhere in a couple of years we can get a stable demand for solutions like the Ostrova workstation Arseny Leonovich.
- What projects of recent times would you call the most significant?
- Interiors of the Skolkovo business school, a spa club in Zhukovka, Google, Yandex. Now we are working on projects together with the Azimut hotel chain, three projects are underway in Sochi.
You create comfortable solutions for people to work. How is the office of your company arranged?
- Our office itself determines our priorities: many functional areas have been created in it, the arrangement is as close as possible to modern requirements in order to encourage productive work and at the same time provide an opportunity to communicate informally, freely, regenerate ideas, and discuss development options. In this sense, we have adopted a philosophical corporate model that is widespread in Japan (in particular, in Toyota).
Kaizden in business is a management concept based on continuous process improvement. That, in general, is not possible without changing the attitude to work of all members of the company, from a manager to a simple worker, through a certain program of employee interaction. By the way, for this purpose, both in the office of the company and in production, special negotiation zones have been created, where this practice of “continuous improvement” is regularly practiced. Thanks to her, we reduced the time standards for the production of doors by 20% and, as a result, we were able to reduce prices for certain products. The position “to be dissatisfied and satisfied at the same time” significantly increases the efficiency of work.
What are your plans in the near future?
- We want to take a closer look at what is happening with the international market and draw the right conclusions for ourselves, which will determine our presence abroad. We want to work more actively on efficiency, introduce innovative technological solutions and continue to expand the range for our customers. We want our furniture to become the center of space organization: not just useful, but also shaping the mood, improving work processes and encouraging communication. You need to work with comfort and inspiration.
