Szczecinbiznes.pl: Durable intends to expand its Przecław plant. Can you tell us more about that investment?

Zbigniew Beltrani:  Durable continually develops and consistently aims at abandoning simple manual work in favour of electronic facilities and equipment. With that idea in mind, we plan to expand our plant considerably and build a new factory floor for such modernised production.  The new factory floor will cover the area of 5600 square meters – this is even more than the floor of 4 thousand square meters which we are currently using. We are now at the stage of preparing the documentation, but the construction works should begin in June. In May next year we intend to put the building into service.
 
Will the construction of a new factory floor translate into increased production output and additional workplaces?

Constructing new production buildings will bring about extension of the potential scale of our production and our products’ range but primarily, as I have already mentioned, it will be linked with automation of operations. Hence, there is no pressure to expand the workforce. Today, increasing staff numbers is the most expensive way to boost production, so most companies tend to use other methods to that end. However, we are sure to hire 25 – 30 new employees, mainly engineers and technicians who will operate the equipment.

How many people do you employ at present?

We directly employ 150 persons plus approx. 30 persons as the so-called support working from home, among them many disabled persons.

How long has Durable been operating in Przecław?

Our activities were launched in 1993, but we started doing business under the Durable logo in 2004 when the Durable concern became our sole owner. The Przecław plant has been operating since 2006. Now we are a subsidiary of Durable Germany.

Why has the concern decided to locate part of its production in the vicinity of Szczecin?

The most important criterion was to recruit qualified staff. We also took into account the logistics, convenient situation and the overhead costs that are still lower here than in the western Poland.  Ours is the only Durable production plant in Poland.

What does your company produce?

Generally, Durable focuses on production of designer stationery and more technologically advanced office supplies. Our manufacturing relies on two main parameters: very high quality and original design. Only some of the products included in our range are manufactured in our plant.  We produce approximately 400 different articles. Usually, we receive ready-made materials or half-finished products from other countries and then our task is to put them together. Afterwards, we dispatch them to Germany where they are sold. We primarily focus on producing files, ring binders, office equipment elements, lock boxes, a whole variety of ID badges, etc. Some of the materials are also produced on the site. Swing clip files made of foil manufactured in our plant are among our flagship products. We also have our own products – recently we have signed a contract with a British company to produce sachets containing tissues for cleaning phones and computers. Our annual turnover has reached the amount of PLN 8.5 M.

Where are your products sold?

Our company exports its goods almost all over the globe. Europe, the US and Russia are the main markets for Durable products. The Central logistic warehouse is located in Germany. We operate in an open market without the assistance of dealers. Most of our sales are based on long-term contracts. In Poland our brand is not so well-known, because the majority of Polish customers care more about the price than product quality. Nonetheless, our domestic sales are also on the up.

Has the world financial crisis affected your company?

We have managed to go through the crisis unscathed. The decrease in the production output of the concern as a whole was very slight – in Poland there were no lay-offs and the production fell only by several percent. The concern took very rational steps, especially linked with staff management. Thanks to that, we have managed to retain our well-qualified personnel.
 
Interviewed by MAB and KZ