"Article by the president Mr. A. Papapanagiotou in the economic electronic newspaper."

A. Papapanagiotou (Dromeas): “Our exports kept us alive during the crisis”

Expectations from the new government

The head of “Dromeas,” Athanasios Papapanagiotou, hopes for “better days” for the Greek economy and the office furniture sector.

Mr. Papapanagiotou, speaking to mononews.gr, describes the first signs from the new government optimistically, noting that there are valid reasons to expect an improvement in the climate.

He also views positively the determination expressed by government officials to accelerate changes and reforms, but he emphasizes that a great effort is needed to tackle the long-standing problems troubling the country.

“We have many wrongs to correct. There are too many bureaucratic obstacles that, even though we are used to them, continue to hinder our work,” he points out.

According to Mr. Papapanagiotou, the restart of large projects that have been stagnant, such as the “Elliniko” project, will play a decisive role in changing the climate.

“Such projects will help, initially, to change the investors’ psychology. And they will convince many foreigners who are currently hesitant to invest in the country,” he notes.

The recovery of the economy will also help the office furniture market, which has been stagnant for nearly ten years, to regain its momentum.

It is estimated that after the outbreak of the crisis, sales fell by more than 80% due to the collapse of the economy. Even banks, which were among the most important clients in the sector, were forced to reduce their presence.

However, “Dromeas” has made a strategic shift abroad, which has helped limit losses in the Greek market.

“The expansion abroad,” says Mr. Papapanagiotou, “gave the company a lifeline, as we managed to make up for 40% of the losses from the domestic market.”

“For two years now, the numbers have been smiling, although the domestic market remains under pressure,” says the executive of “Dromeas,” noting that the goal is further growth of operations abroad.

The company will continue to participate in international tenders and pursue projects mainly in Central Europe, and countries like Germany and Belgium, in order to further expand its international footprint. Last year, international sales accounted for 77% of total sales, and this year they are expected to reach 80%.

“Dromeas” was founded in 1979 in the Industrial Area of Serres, initially producing caravans, and since 1987 has been active in the production and trade of office furniture.

Today, it is one of the largest office furniture manufacturing units at the European level, with five independent production units and approximately 220 employees.

Among its notable projects are the 2009 contract, following an international tender, as the exclusive supplier to the European Commission for the 2009–2013 period and again in 2015 for the 2015–2020 period, as well as multiple contract awards since 2012, following international tenders, by the German army and also the European nuclear research center CERN.