The serious financial crisis just over 10 years ago that consumed Greece, the recent situation connected with Covid-19 and now the effects of the war in Ukraine: what are the prospects for the building industry in Greece at the moment? How does Mapei fit into this state of affairs?

I would rather not focus on the negative side of the situation in which we operate. We all face challenges in the course of our lives, and that also applies to nations and companies. I believe we should always try and be optimistic: a strong and well-organised company can withstand and even grow in any challenging situation. And that is exactly what Mapei Hellas has been doing in recent years, when it has even managed to triple its sales. Paraphrasing Giorgio Squinzi's famous motto, we have 'never stopped pedalling'.

Tourism is the most important resource for relaunching the Greek economy. Is this a key industry for Mapei too?

Mapei Hellas products are used to build and renovate the most prestigious hotels throughout Greece, as well as in Cyprus, Lebanon and Israel. Take, for instance, the numerous hotels of famous chains in Crete, Rhodes, Kos, Athens and Thessaloniki. Our experts in the Technical Department help architectural designers and businesses involved in their construction or redevelopment projects by finding out and suggesting just the right products and systems. Our clients receive across-the-board assistance not only from the Mapei Hellas team but also, if necessary, from the specialists of the parent company Mapei SpA. This synergy and constant exchange of know-how between Mapei SpA and Mapei Hellas, especially when it comes to major and demanding projects, gives us a significant edge and has helped us build loyal partnerships with even the most demanding clients.

Greece is gambling on the new Hellenikon real-estate project where the capital's old airport used to be located. A major investment plan to relaunch the economy: what opportunities are opening up for Mapei in relation to this project or other major infrastructure projects?

After a long series of delays, the Hellenikon project is finally getting underway. It is an € 8 billion prestigious investment project with numerous tricky technical challenges to be dealt with. Mapei's know-how and products will be used to meet all the technical demands involved in the project.

Mapei Hellas’ strong point is its products for installing ceramic: what other sectors and product lines do you intend to focus on?

We are preparing for the launch of the INTOMAP range of lime-based renders. We will start by introducing six products, which meet all the basic needs of the Greek market. Later we will complete the range with a more 'sophisticated' product. We devised this strategy with the real and regular needs of the market in mind. This launch will allow us to complete Mapei Hellas’ product portfolio so that it can meet the priorities of clients in Greece and neighbouring countries.

How are Mapei's sales networks currently organised in such a complex country from a geographical/ territorial viewpoint? And how are sales channels changing in Greece?

We market our products through the B2B network. This is a rule with few exceptions: we rarely sell directly to construction companies. This strategy helps us establish good working relations with our distributors. Most of our clients are ceramic tiles retailers. For the time being, the DIY (Do-It-Yourself) industry is not of crucial importance to us, even though we do work with the large retail chain Praktiker. Our goal for the coming years is to break into the market for renovating historical buildings with the help of the INTOMAP range serving the retail industry.

Is the Ritsona plant a manufacturing hub for supplying Mapei products to neighbouring countries, starting with Cyprus?

Yes, we can easily supply our products and systems to countries such as Cyprus, Lebanon, Israel, Malta and Albania. We have also recently started to distribute in Libya. Mapei Hellas has a strategic location that allows us to supply, with very low costs, all the Mediterranean countries and southern Balkans.

Quality is a key principle of the Mapei Group. Have you received significant recognition and commendations in Greece, too?

The quality of Mapei Hellas is acknowledged by all our clients and end users. Recently, in order to optimise the speed of our services and to work even more closely with our customers to meet their specific needs, we are setting up a new Research & Development Laboratory that will allow us to focus on developing new products like those belonging to the INTOMAP, PLANITOP and other ranges. Furthermore, the Laboratory will allow us to raise the standards of our products at lower costs. The Mapei Hellas R&D Laboratory works closely with and under the supervision of the Mapei Group's Central R&D Laboratory located in Milan. In short, our unwavering commitment to quality is one of our hallmarks and gives us a significant edge in getting clients to choose our products.

MAPEI HELLAS

Revenue tripled in the last 6 years

Mapei Hellas was founded in Athens in 2001 to distribute products for building in the Greek and Cypriot market. In 2011 the company opened a plant in Ritsona, not far from Athens, to manufacture products to install ceramic tiles and stone. Manufacturing was then expanded in 2015 with the start-up of a plant for liquid concrete admixtures. The new plant for crushing calcium carbonate also started up at the beginning of 2020 and is now operating at full capacity. Recently, the INTOMAP range of plasters, has been added to the various lines of products manufactured in Greece which include products for installing ceramic and stone materials, laying cementitious and resin floors, waterproofing, coating walls, strengthening, repairing concrete and systems for thermal insulation. In addition, a new range of grouts is also being introduced in 2022.

By constantly expanding its manufacturing output, Mapei Hellas has managed to increase its turnover from 10 million Euros in 2016 to 30 millions expected turnover by the end of 2022. These achievements were also confirmed by the double award that Mapei Hellas obtained during the Sales Excellence Awards event organized last June by the Hellenic Sales Institute, namely: Gold Award in the category "Distinction in the Sales Sector - Industry - Trade of durable products" for the sales growth achieved in recent years (63% 2017 vs 2021) and Silver Award in the category "Excellent Performance in the Sales Sector - Export Growth - Growth in International Markets" for increasing export activity in 2021 by 55%. In the photo: the award-giving ceremony.

Mapei Hellas celebrates 20 years in business

In the splendid setting of the Four Seasons Astir Palace hotel in Vouliagmeni, on June 20^th Mapei Hellas celebrated twenty years doing business and operating in the Greek building industry. The event was also attended by Patrizia Falcinelli, Italian Ambassador to Greece, and Orestis Kavalakis, General Secretary for Private Investments and Public-Private Partnerships in the Greek Ministry of Development and Investments. On this occasion, as well as retracing the path that led Mapei Hellas to become one of the three most influential companies in the industry, the General Manager, Spyros Papagiannakis, pointed out that "In Mapei Hellas we all feel united as a family sharing the same principles and values and also part of a multinational group headed by our CEOs, Veronica and Marco Squinzi, who are the third generation of an important family business tradition". In remembrance of Mapei's special relationship with music, the event also featured a 'journey' into the world of opera thanks to the performance by the mezzo-soprano Rosa Cappon Poulimenou and the tenor Yiannis Christopoulos accompanied by L'anima string quartet, who performed pieces once performed by Maria Callas.

Commitment to quality and human resources

Mapei Hellas has always been attentive to the certified quality of its products, structures, and processes. Since 2010 it has adopted a quality management system certified by TÜV AUSTRIA in compliance with the ISO 9001 standard. In recent years, the company has joined various projects aimed at promoting the compliance of all stakeholders to the highest quality standards.

In 2019 Spyros Papagiannakis, General Manager of Mapei Hellas, was recognized as Quality Leader of the Year by the Hellenic Management Association (EEDE) with the support of SEV, the leading national association of Greek manufacturing and service companies.

Moreover, Papagiannakis was awarded third prize in the 2019 European Quality Leader Award Contest, an honour that the European Organisation for Quality (EOQ) awards to people who have enabled their companies to achieve positive results by optimizing quality control procedures.

Mapei Hellas's General Manager emphasizes that the company's success is partly due to a continual focus on human resources: "Mapei Hellas is a big family that includes everyone: staff, clients, and suppliers. People are our greatest asset. This approach has guaranteed us a prominent position on the domestic market: the popularity of Mapei Hellas is growing, and we are constantly increasing our market share compared to our competitors."