Special
Discover the possibilities of industrial lacquers
LET’S HONOUR THE ART OF SMALL THINGS COATING CONTRACTORS OFFER MUCH MORE THAN JUST AN INDUSTRIAL FINISH Ann Jordens (Mapo Group - B) We think that you have very probably heard of Mapo in Houthalen-Helchteren. This company has been active as a coating contractor since 1983 when managing director Jan Schoonbrood decided to start coating contracting for third parties. At present, they operate mainly in the treatment of wood (mainly oak, but also pine, deal, and occasionally more exotic sorts such as wenge or afrormosia), but in addition indoor walls and wall cladding also account for a lot of their work. Director Ann Jordens says: ‘We’re only coating contractors, as we certainly don’t want to become rivals of our own clients. Various things mean that we don’t trade in our own ranges of wood and that our client database consists mainly of timber traders, importers, producers, and, sometimes, also parquet traders, who have often found their way to Mapo via one of their own Mapo clients.’ On the market Mapo is well known mainly for the supply of big series. However, that’s precisely where our interviewee wants to put matters right, since those days are long gone: ‘We might work all over Europe, but that image has been out of date for over ten years. Yes, that was certainly true once, but now we do all our work customised to suit clients and that means that even a floor of 5 to 10m² is certainly no exception.’ ‘The latter illustrates what we’re all about: offering clients maximum flexibility. We do that not only in volumes, but certainly also in delivery periods and in the range of colours. We always try to think along with the other party so that we always find the best modus vivendi and the best solution for the client in terms of price and technology. And so, various things mean that you explain to the full what you’re offering, that you clarify the treatment process as well as possible, and especially that you indicate why one demand costs more or less than the other. The delivery period is also exceptionally important nowadays, we really do plan from day to day, and we try to help clients as quickly as possible. At all events, this means that over the years we’ve managed to build up a relationship of trust with scores of clients.’ ‘What might the future hold? It’s important to realise that we finish everything as much as possible on our own premises where we have state-of-the-art lacquering and oiling lines with which we can also finish ecologically. We also have a manual spray division in Genk, where we’ve also been offering covering lacquering on other floors under our own management. The difference with Houthalen-Helchteren is that everything is much more industrial in the main establishment, whilst traditional skills take centre stage in Genk. Furthermore, we obviously work on the development of our print division in Malle. Personalised wall and floor panels with a print are TOP CLASS!’
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The term coating contractors is a little bit misleading. Don’t they concentrate solely on applying a finish? Nothing could be further from the truth; nowadays, coating contractors are involved in all steps of the wooden flooring production process and have developed increasingly into direct contact partners who look for answers to scores of demands.
increasingly specialist world. No one can still do everything alone, even if they (or the company in question) have all the necessary equipment, so outsourcing is necessary. In the world of wooden flooring, that ranges amongst other things from the mass production such as with the well known pre-finished parquet to the floor which a floor fitter installs on the site inclusive.
One fact takes centre stage in the coating contractor profession. It is the ideal point of contact for outsourcing work. This is something which is becoming more the rule than the exception in an
What, then are the reasons for outsourcing work to a coating contractor? The first one is quite obvious. Coating contractors can complete a requested job much cheaper than it would be if you did
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Time is money
