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Recently, Simonswerk - the German expert in high quality hinges - appointed a new manager to coordinate the operations in South-Eastern Europe, including the ones on Romanian market. Goran Sekuloski has an extended experience in the field, being considered the right person to help grow the sales in the region.
 

-How would you describe the current situation of the market in the pandemic context?
-The pandemic started in Europe in the middle of March and very quickly public life was almost completely shut down in Germany. The construction industry has not suffered as much as other industries. Of course, we felt a stronger decline in sales from the affected countries and we had difficulties in shipping our goods. Nevertheless, Simonswerk kept on producing and delivering. Regarding our competitors and the construction industry in general, I´m sure they felt the effects of the pandemic the same way as we did. Now business slowly starts to grow again. The digitalization has helped a lot our employees to connect with customers, suppliers and each other, the advantages of digital communication tools becoming more obvious than ever.
 

-What were the measures implemented in your company to improve your competitive position?
-The highest priority was the health of the employees, this being a prerequisite for Simonswerk to continue producing. Rules for keeping distance to each other have been set up in the company. Moreover, we established increased hygiene measures throughout the company. Only half of the staff worked in the office and the other half did their work from home. We also provided protective masks and disinfectants to every employee for private use.
 

-List the main innovations you launched recently?
-We were and are the right supplier for small and big projects, such as public institutions, hospitals, schools and universities. Our company has the right products in terms of price and technology for different types of constructions. Worth to mention, there are our heavy-duty hinges from the Variant series, our completely concealed hinges Tectus, our hardware system for glass doors named Keep Closed and the concealed hinges from our subsidiary Anselmi. I´m sure with this product portfolio we have a big range of suitable products to Romanian market.
 

-How do you consider the industry and your company will evolve in 2020 and 2021, especially in terms of turnover?
-Forecasts are difficult to make, but we are hopeful. If the world will get a grip on the pandemic, in 2021 we will continue our successful path from the last few years. The main objective is to get back to the usual rhythm as quickly as possible. In Romania, we want, together with our local partners, to increase the collaboration with architects. We can take part in projects at an early stage, when buildings are planned and the construction has not yet started. Our technical consultants on site are very well trained for this job.