New concepts in high-technology textiles DesleeClama

Strategically located on the Mediterranean island of Malta, family owned and operated M. Demajo Group prides itself on offering a reliable and flexible service to its customers on the island as well as to its near-neighbour countries in north Africa and southern Europe.

Mr Balzan Demajo is the great-grandson of the founder Mr Demajo, who established the company in Malta in 1910. Today, the company is one of Malta’s largest, privately owned businesses, with a number of fourthgeneration Demajo family members actively working in all sectors of the group.

Mr Balzan Demajo spoke to Industry Europe to highlight the company’s solid capabilities and excellent understanding of this increasingly-important region. He said, “We have our headquarters in Valletta, Malta and we are also present across much of the Mediterranean in our core business areas of consumer import and distribution, hospitality (such as hosting conferences and incentive events), packaging solutions, ICT, energy and engineering projects and various business-tobusiness services ranging from pre-press and post-press solutions to supplying infrastructure products. Mr Balzan Demajo explained how this varied offer has evolved. He said, “We have always strived to achieve a strong sense of team work, understanding and service, which we believe are the most important factors in building a successful business. By concentrating on listening to our local and neighbouring customers, we have strategically built our offer to ensure we can expertly deliver the types of products and services that are required. Our forward-looking philosophy blends traditional values with dynamic

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achievement and it is this common thread that runs through all our active sectors.”

We spoke with Mr Balzan Demajo about one of the many successful subsidiaries of the group; M. Demajo (Graphic Arts) Ltd which is one of the leading suppliers of Prepress, Press and Postpress machinery and equipment to the Maltese printing industry. As Heidelberg, Polar Mohr and Watkiss representatives, the company enjoys a leading market position. It is also acknowledged as the undisputed leader in the field of servicing, support and maintenance of machinery in the printing industry. Furthermore, it is a major supplier of consumables, printing paper and board, representing prominent brands such as Moorim Paper, Norske Skog, Epple, Bottcher, Signode, APP and others. An especially strong division in the sales, distribution and servicing of Heidelberg re-marketed machinery has been established, which is proving to be very successful across the Mediterranean.

Mr Balzan Demajo added, “We’ve delivered and installed re-marketed machinery in several neighbouring countries as well as of course Malta – anywhere a customer wants a re-marketed Heidelberg machine delivered, we can deliver. We are also very active in the export of water-based inks to customers in Sicily, Tunisia and Libya, with our in-depth understanding of these countries proving to be a key advantage for us. Of course we are very focused on our core business here in Malta and over the past two years we have re-aligned ourselves with the demands of today’s market requirements and will carry on doing so in order to lead by example in every sector in which we operate to bring profits for both our customers and ourselves. It is only by making your customer the foremost priority that you can achieve success.

With M. Demajo’s position in the Mediterranean, just 100km south of Sicily, and its multi-lingual workforce fully acquainted with the cultural and commercial differences of neighbouring countries, the company is well positioned for growth. With expected expansion in sales support across the Mediterranean and North Africa, M. Demajo Graphic Arts is currently considering mutually-beneficial partnerships with brands that could gain from its excellent location.

Mr Balzan Demajo concluded, “Even though Malta is a tiny island, we are perfectly positioned to utilise the opportunities of our near neighbours – countries that we have long done business with and completely understand. Our history and family ownership has created a solid foundation from which we have gradually and strategically grown over the years and our latest appreciation of how our varied offer suits our local customers is also ideally matched to further expansion across the region. We have extensive investments planned that we predict will see us continue to grow over the next 3–5 years, with our target markets in the Mediterranean and North Africa likely to enjoy considerable growth in the coming years.” n

For more information contact us at: Email: news@demajographicarts.com Tel: +356 2552 0000

NEW CONCEPTS IN

HIGH-TECHNOLOGY TEXTILES

DesleeClama is a global leader in the design and manufacture of textiles for the mattress industry. Philip Yorke talked to Ben Ducatteeuw the company’s marketing director, about the success of its innovation and design centre and the futuristic technology that is driving global sales.

DesleeClama was founded in 1928 by Maurice Deslee and today the company remains a family-owned business driven by his grandson Jos Deslee and Hans Dewaele.

Since that time the Belgium-based supplier of woven and knitted fabrics has gone from producing all of its products at one facility in Belgium to having a global footprint that includes nine factories in eight countries. As a result, sales have soared and the company’s directors believe that DesleeClama is now well-positioned for even more dramatic growth. Currently the company employs around 900 people and in 2013 recorded sales of €90 million.

Building on success

The transformation of the Deslee family business began with a greenfield project in the US (Inman) in 2001. This was followed by the acquisition of the Clama mattress company in 2003, which offered not only synergy, but also the opportunity to become a global player overnight. Deslee was already successful in marketing its products in South America and Indonesia, where it established a production plant and greenfield development in 1997. With this famous brand now part of the Deslee Group, the company re-launched itself as the DesleeClama Group and in 2006 invested in the construction of two new state-of-the-art facilities on green-field sites in Romania and Brazil.

This success was compounded by another important strategic move, which involved the acquisition of the Steinhoff Group South Africa. This gain was then