Hafele synonymous with quality

Recently I had the chance to catch up with Simon Lount who these days is General Manager Sales & Marketing at Hafele NZ. Last time we met was back before he left for Hafele Head Office in Germany in 2018 and I was curious to see how things had been for him since that secondment. Up till then he has had an interesting career leading him to sales and marketing. What a lot of people may not know is that he has also had an exciting sporting career in the soccer world culminating in becoming an accredited FIFA Assistant Referee and officiating at the 2018 World Cup in Russia. He is most grateful for having such an understanding and helpful employer in Hafele to enable him to fufill this particular dream. Now aged just forty, that world is a fond memory so I put some questions to him about his seventeen years with Hafele to date both here and in Germany.

Bob Nordgren

You joined Hafele here in New Zealand back in 2005 and have made your career in sales and marketing. What factors shaped your early career with them?

Joining the company at a young age and within an internal department enabled me to learn all the finer details of how the business operates. I started as a Customer Service team member, then worked within our projects team, before focusing on Product and Purchasing. I feel this journey and exposure to so many facets of our organisation, combined with the experience in Germany, are all factors leading to what I do today. Longevity within Hafele is well known and the experience and service levels this offers is unrivalled in the New Zealand hardware industry.

In 2018 you were seconded to Hafele’s Head Office in Germany for some three years. What was your role there and how has that experience shaped your thinking?

I moved to Nagold to head up a department looking after our Trade Partners across the world. Hafele has 38 subsidiaries worldwide but in those countries that we do not, we need some representation through a local partner. My department looked after the retail displays, showroom support, training, and marketing requirements of these customers. At the time of my departure back to New Zealand, we had over 120 partners in places such as Uruguay, Latvia, Lithuania, Lebanon, Israel, and right across the Gulf. The experience was incredible, and I thoroughly enjoyed all the learning I took from the team in Germany, and of course from the network of partners I visited and engaged with. I think the biggest learning was that there are so many different approaches to market and how we do things in New Zealand, is so different to other places. This will serve me well as Hafele NZ grows and evolves within the NZ market.

You have now been in your current role as General Manager Sales and Marketing for Hafele NZ for a year or so. What is your vision for the customer’s perception of the company going forward?

Hafele has always been a partner who can offer our clients anything they need. Our breadth of product range enables us to service every aspect of the home and office, as well as solutions for the commercial sector. The name Hafele is synonymous with quality and that will always be front of mind. Moving forward, customers in New Zealand will see more Hafele product – products we make and manufacture and are proud to put our name on. This enables us to offer more to our customers while still retaining the ability to adapt and provide bespoke solutions which many others cannot. The market will also see more services and value added solutions to Hafele products. We see a real opportunity to offer more assistance to our customers through installation, pre-assembly, and bespoke solutions. Watch this space!

The company now has three locations in New Zealand (Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch) with a fourth location about to open at the Auckland Home Ideas Centre. What is the rationale behind this new location?

The Home Ideas Centre has undergone a transformation over recent years with a new management team in place. You can sense the improvements they are making, and the Architecture and Design community can see the same. We want to be in there to offer our clients and partners a central location to see what Hafele has to offer. The display will serve as a space where our independent designers can bring their clients and show them all the latest storage solutions from Hafele.

Next year (2023) marks the 100 year anniversary of Hafele’s establishment in Germany. Any hints on how that will be celebrated here in NZ?

We are very proud to be part of a worldwide group that is celebrating our centenary. There will be events across the world, beginning at our home in the Black Forest in Germany. There will of course be something planned for the New Zealand market and our customers, but you will have to wait and see!

As the world now opens up once more what trends do you see emerging in terms of design and fittings in the modern kitchen and bathroom?

During the recent Eurocucina fair held biannually in Milan, we saw a lot more lighting used in kitchen and bathroom design. Multi-layered use of LED lighting was common throughout the fair using Hafele LOOX5, along with the Connect Mesh system, a system that allows the control of lighting from a mobile phone. Integrated smart technology was also used with lighting and appliances alongside darker colours and lots of natural materials. Within New Zealand, Hafele has our own dedicated Design & Specification Team headed up by Belle Bourne, who is also a member of the NKBA board. As a qualified kitchen designer, Belle keeps herself and her team up to date with the latest trends coming out of Europe and around the world. Belle works closely with designers across the country keeping them informed and educated on the innovations from Hafele.