Special Training and seminars

IT RESOLVES AROUND SYMBIOSIS

COMPANIES AND PROFESSIONALS ARE INCREASINGLY JOINING FORCES AND LEARNING FROM EACH OTHER

Mathieu Meulenaere (Ciranova - B)

‘The reflex is always: What do clients need and how do they benefit?’

In the professional world the players are paying more and more attention to education and training. That’s certainly the case at Ciranova, which is based in Roeselare in West Flanders (Belgium). Just before the start of the pandemic, the company was ready to open a giant Ciranova Academy. This Academy is housed in a brand new building designed more or less solely for education and training.

We spoke to Mathieu Meulenaere from the Blanchon Group. He is the business unit manager for the Benelux and responsible for everything related to sales in the Benelux for professionals and dealers. Mathieu starts the interview with some surprising news. Ciranova had already been incorporated into the French Blanchon Group, but now it appears that the Dutch company RIGO Verffabriek has also joined the group.

Learning from each other

‘That takeover by Blanchon didn’t surprise me,’ he says at the start of our interview. ‘Blanchon only takes over businesses which fit in with the company’s know-how and is always looking for new recruits to open up certain markets. Now the Dutch market has opened up, whereby the addition of Rigo and their brands creates a very good spread.’

Obviously, we want primarily to discuss Ciranova’s approach to education and training. ‘We employ technical trainers, who provide training courses both in house and on location. We also pay a lot of attention to supporting sites, something which is equally attractive for us as for parquet traders. From our side we support parquet traders and help them, but in addition we also learn from professionals. It’s about an interaction whereby we are there to arrive at the best possible solution and get the best result. We, too, learn from interaction and absorb those experiences into our knowledge.’

Entering into dialogue

Central with all our brands is that we enter into dialogue with all our clients and look for possibilities to provide joint customised training. The Ciranova Academy plays a crucial part in that.

‘The Academy is housed in a specially constructed building. We have deliberately chosen the word Academy because it is a broad concept. Not only can you update your knowledge, but also you can come along for a full training course from scratch. The Academy is also often a meeting place.’

‘About 70% of the training courses take place in house. We can identify five distinct groups. The first group comprises invited professionals whom we try to inspire with new or existing products. Then there are dealers from our client database. Obviously, they aren’t experts and we treat them differently with technical and commercial training which is broader. Third in line are architects, interior architects, and the purchasing market in all its facets. They receive training which is mainly about the technical aspects and the DNA of a product. We also take them to our own showroom where we can inspire them and answer any questions in more depth. The fourth group comprises industrial clients. These are people who make parquet and fit a finish onto a raw plank. In our Academy they encounter a Technical Area where they see machines which they can find in their market and which we can use to make and simulate any type of parquet. The fifth group is diverse. This can be a school, but can equally be a professional association or even a novice professional.’

Lured by the Technical Area

In Roeselare they have noted that clients from the Benelux are flowing in. That applies equally to international clients, who are lured mainly by the Technical Area. ‘We involved the Academy in October 2019, when we were ready to invite all clients at Domotex. Then, the pandemic broke out. Thankfully, we’ve been able to start it up after a two-year delay and we’ve been working already with smaller groups for a few months. What we’re now seeing is that there is a big need for such an initiative.’

Finally, we’d like more clarification about their approach ‘in the field’. Mathieu Meulenaere explains: ‘We go on location in about 30% of cases. For that purpose we have dedicated technicians, some of whom specialise in parquet production. In addition, we also have people who set up and supervise sites. On the site, if necessary, we provide training or site assistance and, if clients so wish, we can also provide information sessions on their premises.’

‘It’s important to remember that here at Ciranova we aim mainly to make a difference with our technical expertise. A product has to look nice, but that’s not all. You need to use and fit products properly. It always comes down to the same reflex: What do clients need and how do they benefit?’

The parquet profession is a splendid craft and is actually a perfect example of how professionals can make a difference with their knowledge between an ordinary gifted craftsman and someone who is top class. Long gone are the days when professionals completed their training and required just occasional extra training. The real learning starts after the initial training and that means that, in order to be successful, you have to train continually on the job and elsewhere.

These days, professionals have to know much more than just how to fit a wooden floor. For instance, they also have to be professional operators who not only work hard, but also do so with the required insight. At the same time, the market is developing at break-neck speed and you have to keep up to date with all the latest (product) developments. And so, various things mean that you have to look much further than just your own workshop and the site on which you work.

In-service training has various forms

In-service training can take on several forms. Certainly now that the pandemic has clearly lost its force, it’s a good idea to visit a specialist trade fair or preferably more than one, and to pay attention to more than just wooden floors. Think of the emergence of LVT and related products, for instance, with which you can earn lots of extra income. In the field it is noticeable that just about all companies which supply items to the parquet industry offer extra education and training courses. Those courses are held in both the producer’s own buildings and elsewhere. We advise and urge you to use these opportunities, which, moreover, are frequently offered free of charge (or virtually free of charge) and which give you much more than just knowledge about (the application of) new products.

Learning from each other

In the adjoining testimony you can read why it is good to take such courses. We discuss this with Ciranova (part of the French Blanchon Group and based in Roeselare, Belgium). To cut a long story short, in today’s world suppliers and professionals are engaging with each other more and more in a symbiosis. You learn from the provider, but the opposite also applies as well. Other specialists have their say

Bona

The market never stands still and is constantly in motion and in development with new finish products, refined machines, better fitting methods, new tools, etc. Bona has been represented worldwide since 1919 and, with its own laboratories, Bona has a wealth of knowledge and experience in house. Early in 2020, Bona BeNeLux developed a varied training programme which was aimed at professionals (parquet fitters, painters, shop and company personnel, etc.) who work with floors on a daily basis and related works and products. Due to covid, this programme didn’t actually start, but now that conditions are better, there will be opportunities to organise live product training sessions. For more information you can contact Bona (Belgium) directly.

Lägler

Always close to the craftsman Lägler has been manufacturing floor sanding machines for more than sixty years. They know exactly what is required! Knowledge and support for craftsmen, with the following seminars: Premium-Sanding-Technology PST® – the application concept for better surfaces Quality, economy and work safety are essential for the sanding of wooden floors. Lägler considered all these points and developed the PST® concept based on decades of experience. Machines, abrasives and application technology are optimally coordinated with PST. The ideal tool for customers to create premium surfaces. Surface Treatment – together with renowned partners In addition to the PST, the system solutions of renowned lacquer and oil manufacturers offer outstanding creative possibilities for wooden floors.