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6 | Roto Inside | 11.2014 From Poland to France and back Team-Plast ■■ Lean In particular, builders and dealers in Western Europe value the products supplied by the Polish Team-Plast window and door manufacturer. The company has only started to turn its focus more to the domestic market in the past few years. An unusual combination of factors and a corporate develop- ment which has a lot to do with the personal career of owner and general manager Justyna Nowicka. Roto Inside met with the self-made woman to mark the inauguration of a new production plant. Team-Plast started producing PVC and aluminium windows and doors in 2001, in a small, rented hall in Sycówm near Wrocław, in South-Eastern Poland. However, Polish construction sites initially had to wait a few years for their first deliveries. “Before establish- ing Team-Plast, I worked for a French company and was responsi- ble for, among other things, the development and establishment of a completely new brand”, explains Justyna Nowicka. “During this period I naturally established a large number of personal contacts. Together with the knowledge that I acquired of the French and Belgian markets, this network formed the basis for the successful foundation of Team-Plast and the company’s strong focus on exports.” Putting the cart before the horse? Justyna Nowicka never found it to be a problem that the typical path for a young company tends to be the exact opposite – be- coming established in the domestic market and then developing neighbouring international markets. “For me it was clear that you first have to become established in the market that you are familiar with.” In 2008, Team-Plast opened its first independent production hall covering an area of around 3,000 square metres – including modern production lines with complete CNC machin- ing. New export markets were gradually added: the Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy, Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria, Sweden and Spain. “This was not just a matter of chance. We focussed our produc- tion on providing the greatest possible flexibility, which meant that we were able to implement the window shapes and opening types that are typical for each country. Moreover, we had a com- mitment from the very first window that we produced: We want to provide high-quality. That was the only way that we were going to become established in Western Europe”, says Justyna Nowicka. The company was also a regular guest at international industry exhibitions: Nuremberg, Milan, Paris – that’s where the foundation was laid for the increasing awareness of the Team-Plast brand. New hall doubles production capacity A positive sales development naturally also requires a corre- sponding adaptation of capacities and production know-how. In 2008 the entire company moved to its current location in Stradomia Wierzchnia, about fifty kilometres outside Wrocław, and established a cutting edge production site. This is also where over the past few months the most recent production hall was es- tablished, covering about 3,000 square metres. It is also equipped with the latest systems, while Team-Plast management received planning support from the Roto Lean department (see text box). Its inauguration also doubled the company’s production capacity. In focus: Polish builders looking for quality The company has now been operating in Western European mar- kets for 13 years; it has established a solid dealer network in many countries and a loyal customer base. Is and will the Polish market remain a ‘footnote’ in Team-Plast’s history? “A question to which I can clearly respond in the negative. The company’s strategic direction remains focussed on exports – we produce about eighty percent of windows and doors for customers outside Poland. But we have always been a Polish company and this has also always been clearly communicated. For example, our trucks and service vehicles have always had Polish markings. We currently employ about one hundred staff members and are continuously investing in the production location. Our experience, which we have gained in the Western European markets, is now also benefiting build- ers, architects and building companies in Poland. The increasing quality consciousness and simultaneous increase in purchasing power have ensured that we have also become a popular provider in Poland in the past few years.” Domestic sales are currently pri- marily focussed on central Poland, continues Team-Plast’s general manager. However, the expansion of the distribution network via its own sales subsidiaries and appropriate dealers is now also a consistent goal. Roto provides diverse solutions and training courses The cooperation with Roto started when Team-Plast was founded. Justyna Nowicka remembers their initial discussions very well: “We were obviously aware of the quality that we wanted to achieve with our products and extended invitations to a few hardware manufacturers. At the time, Roto already had a range of solutions for our PVC as well as our aluminium systems, which fit perfectly with our ideas. Over the years we have not once been disappointed and our belief that we have selected the right partner has constantly been reinforced. Roto provides virtually unique support in employee training and qualification as well as in marketing. A particular highlight is the ‘Rotomania’ concept, as part of which our partners at Roto in Warsaw develop new op- portunities to establish customer contacts.” The aim in the future is to continue this intensive cooperation to develop the Polish market – ‘new developments’ of additional export markets are naturally also in the cards. Roto Lean in Team-Plast’s new production hall. Optimal processes and maximum productivity – these are the primary goals that Roto Lean experts set for them- selves when they are assigned to a consulting project. This includes Rafał Koźlik, who was already involved in the planning for Team-Plast’s new production plant at an early stage. He and his colleagues planned the ideal hall layout based on the future machinery. “The focus was on a clear material flow and short paths for employees and logistics”, says Rafał Koźlik. Further optimisation adjustments have also been identified: We are currently testing the possibil- ity of bringing individual, pre-picked hardware items to the production line to further increase output. In the area of reinforcement, Roto is also supporting the introduction of a Kanban system, which will be implemented in the near future. Team-Plast’s current company headquarters in Stradomia Wierzchnia, about 50 kilometres outside Wrocław Western European quality standards have been the benchmark for Team-Plast’s product development from the very start. Today, the Polish producer’s durable windows are in demand throughout Europe. General manager Justyna Nowicka and her team at an early stage identified the importance of specialist and end-user exhibitions to increase brand awareness. As recently as March of this year, they had a high-profile representation at TARBUD, in Wrocław, Poland, a regional building exhibition that attracted more than 20,000 planners, architects and builders.