Top taps Mofém

TOP TAPS

MOFÉM Zrt in Hungary has been playing an essential role within the international TEKA group since 2009 when the Hungarian plant was selected to become the European production and distribution centre for the TEKA Sanitary Systems Division. Edina Beale investigates the changes that have taken place within the company’s operation since.

Established in 1900, MOFÉM Zrt is today the market-leading sanitary products and industrial valve producer in Hungary. Since 1994 the company has operated as part of the internationally recognized kitchen and bathroom equipment specialist, TEKA group, which has production facilities and subsidiaries worldwide. The main production plant of MOFÉM Zrt is situated in Mosonmagyaróvár, north-west Hungary, on a 12 hectares site. Today the company employs 190 people and its net turnover exceeded HUF 6 billion in 2010.

MOFÉM manufactures bathroom and kitchen taps as well as industrial valves including ball valves, bottle valves and thermostatic radiator valves. The company produces a wide assortment of mixer taps under the MOFÉM brand. Its stylish and trendy single lever mixer family ranges include the Junior, Trend, Inka, Mambó and the most recently developed Junior EVO and Mode, whilst among the two handle mixer tap assortment the traditional Eurosztar is the most popular range.

MOFÉM has also been producing ball valves for over 30 years, and the majority of Hungarian apartment blocks have been fitted with MOFÉM radiator valves since the 1970s. In the industrial taps segment, the company’s latest development is the Flexum ball valve range, suitable for gas, water and heating applications. In 2010 MOFÉM introduced its newly constructed thermostatic radiator valves range, which was a great success. This range offers a perfect solution for energy saving and heating modernisation for blocks of flats.

MOFÉM Zrt also distributes a wide variety of Teka branded products. In addition to

mixer tap family ranges including the Vita and Aura range, and shower systems and parts, the company now also distributes stainless steel sanitary systems including sinks, drinking fountains, utility and bucket sinks, urinals and toilets. “Two years ago a Spanish and a Norwegian company joined the Teka Sanitary System division which led to this new extension of our product portfolio,” explains Mr János Luka, managing director of MOFÉM Zrt.

In Hungary, MOFÉM is a market leader in its segment, but the company has also acquired a competitive position mainly in Eastern and Central Europe. “Our firm has a great advantage being not only a distributor but also a producer – it allows us to be flexible and deliver large orders just-in-time,” says Mr Luka. “Our 110 years of history and good reputation also strengthened our position in the domestic market. In addition, being part of an international group means that our company is backed by international knowledge and financial stability. When we have to compete with prominent large companies, it is a very important aspect.” Unexploited markets

Last year over 30 per cent of sales were made though exports, the most significant markets being Russia, Baltic countries and Belarus, but the company has other markets includiwng the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Sweden, Germany and Austria. “In the future we see potential for growth in our export actitivities. We have not exploited all our markets yet, not even in the surrounding countries including Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia Herzegovina, Slovenia and Macedonia, or more distant countries

such as Kazakhstan. We are working on these opportunities at the moment,” says Mr Luka.

Continuous product development was an important strategy for the company to pull through the recession and to maintain competitiveness. It aims to develop at least one or two new family ranges every year as well as modernizing its existing range. MOFÉM works in close cooperation with the other development centres within the division to meet current customer needs and to produce the highest quality products.

In the past two years investments were also made to improve the efficiency of production processes. The company bought two CNC cutting machines and improved the facilities of its assembly units where most employees work. MOFÉM also invested in quality management including the electroplating process and upgring the measuring room to current requirements.

“As part of the Teka group, our opportunities lie within logistics and production for the long term. It is in our plans to build a new logistics warehouse at our current plant,” reveals Mr Luka. “In the short term our aim is to increase exports. That could be seen in this year’s sales figures which are very similar to our record export sales in 2008. In the domestic market we intend to exploit new opportunities provided by the energy sector and the government’s energy saving construction programmes. In addition, we will continue to develop new added value products and to provide services that meet with the interests of our company owner, and aim to stay competitive within the group to strive for new business success together.” n