DROMEAS climbed onto the European podium

Athanasios Papapanagiotou, Chairman of the Board of Directors and CEO of the company, talks to “Horizons” about DROMEAS’s thirty-year history.

 

The Company

Dromeas S.A. was founded in 1979 and is based in the Serres Industrial Area, with production and building facilities covering 55,000 square meters on a 130,000 square meter plot. It employs 271 people, 52 of whom work in administration, 30 in sales, and the rest in production. It is active in the production of office furniture, partition walls and filing systems, as well as complete kitchen and home furniture systems.

 

DROMEAS ABEE is currently the largest company in its sector in Greece and one of the largest in Europe in terms of infrastructure, technology, facilities, productivity, and product quality.

 

The wood and steel processing and painting, aluminum casting, plastics and polyurethane casting, metal component production, corian, and upholstery are specialized and independent production units through which the final products are assembled.

The company holds numerous international patents, on the basis of which it manufactures in many sectors.

 

The company holds ISO 9001:2000, ISO 14000:2004 environmental protection, EMAS, ELOT 1801:2002, ISO/TS 16949:2002, and PEFC (SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT) certifications.

 

In 1999, it was awarded by the European Union for Health and Safety of Employees.

 

In 2008, it received the 1st Business Excellence Award (in the large enterprises category) as part of the Ministry of Development’s “Competitiveness” operational program.

 

In 2009, DROMEAS won a tender to furnish all European Union offices worldwide. This is a €31 million project, which it won among 22 leading companies from around the world.

 

How did DROMEAS begin?

DROMEAS was established in 1979 as a mobile home manufacturing company with 13 employees. Through continuous investment and innovative designs, it became the leading company in the field within three years. The caravans had an important patent, which allowed them to open like a “matchbox” on the right and left when stationary, more than doubling the usable space. However, the product was seasonal, and socio-economic changes during that period led to a decline in demand. Therefore, in 1987, we decided to change our focus, choosing to manufacture office furniture, partition walls, and filing systems.

 

Was there a gap in the office furniture market?

In reality, there was no gap—when we started out, we had to compete with those who were already in the market and a strong leader. We were the small players who entered the industry with optimism, looking for gaps to fill. The period of caravan production from 1979 to 1987 was very important for DROMEAS, as it shaped a coherent understanding of the manufacturing industry at both the international and national levels.

 

What strategy did you follow to differentiate yourself from the competition and get consumers to choose you?

Basically, to produce components that make up the products and which are not imported. The situation in our country at that time was as follows:

Strong “protectionism” of domestic production with customs duties exceeding 40%-50% on average.
The limited capacity of domestic industry to produce components of comparable quality to those in Europe due to a lack of modern technology and production equipment.
The significant bureaucratic difficulties involved in imports, quotas, the banking system, etc.

In this environment, Dromeas’ basic choice was to invest, to the extent of our capabilities, continuously, so that we could produce components. By exploiting these gaps in terms of both philosophy and investment, we were able to make the right moves. Our reward came in the first year when we won the tender to furnish the OTE building with 5,000 workstations, which, it should be noted, are still in excellent condition today, 20 years later.

 

Did Dromeas’ upward trajectory continue from there?

After our first major successes, we made new investments. There has been and continues to be a series of major projects and investments.

 

At the same time, we started opening stores in the rest of Greece—there are 35 today—so that we cover almost the entire country. We have an international presence, both in Europe and the rest of the world. We have a subsidiary in Sofia and maintain partnerships in Albania, Romania, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Cyprus, France, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom. The numerous international patents held by DROMEAS, on the basis of which it produces in many sectors, have also contributed significantly to its growth. Innovative choices include numerous individual investments in mechanical equipment, which, in terms of quantitative production, do not amortize the acquisition value, but add value and competitiveness to the final product. Consequently, their amortization is achieved through the strengthening and efficiency of the overall mechanical equipment and, through this, the final product. In 2000, the company’s shares were listed on the Stock Exchange and today DROMEAS competes with large companies in Spain, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, and the USA, 22 of which it competed against in the EU tender and emerged victorious.

 

Let’s focus on Bulgaria. When will DROMEAS arrive in Sofia?

After the fall of the Eastern Bloc regimes, Bulgaria was our closest market, with Sofia just 200 kilometers from our factory. We realized that people were interested in creating a work environment different from the one provided by the regime. So we found fertile ground and, with the right moves and infrastructure, we became the leading company in the Sofia market in terms of recognition and sales. Today, the company is located in Business PARK SOFIA, “MLADOST 4.” Our immediate plans include further development with a modern exhibition space and a seat manufacturing unit.

 

Are DROMEAS’s capabilities limited to furniture production?

Indeed, in parallel with our subsidiary company “KEM,” we produce casting molds and cast aluminum parts for the MERCEDES-CHRYSLER automotive industry and MTU, the German company that manufactures marine engines.

 

Why should consumers choose DROMEAS furniture?

Thanks to continuous investment, DROMEAS furniture is high-end, high-quality, ergonomic, and aesthetically pleasing, with respect for the user and the environment, all at very affordable prices.

 

Looking back thirty years, could you have imagined how far DROMEAS would go?

My brothers Ioannis and the late Giorgos and I started DROMEAS with patience and perseverance, trying to set achievable goals and sticking to them.

 

In 2009, DROMEAS won the International Competition and was selected by the European Union to furnish its Organizations and Services around the world, a project worth €31 million and lasting 2 (two) years with the possibility of a 1+1 year extension. This success of Dromas is undoubtedly further certification and recognition of the quality and competitive products it produces, but also the continuation of the major projects it has implemented over its long history. It is a top recognition of the efforts it has made since its establishment to develop innovative products, technologies, and production units. It is a vindication of the strategic choices made to verticalize the production process across the entire spectrum of manufacturing with high-tech equipment.

 

Today, DROMEAS is the largest company in its sector in Greece and one of the largest in Europe in terms of infrastructure, technology, facilities, productivity, and product quality.

 

 

Η θυγατρική εταιρία του ΔΡΟΜΕΑ στη Σόφια διευθύνεται από την κυρία Κλεονίκη Γεωργιάδου. Στεγάζεται στο Business Park Sofia, «MLADOST 4» κτίριο 1, ισόγειο.

 

τηλ.: 02 4899720 fax: 02 4899721
Ε -mail: office@dromeas.bg
Web site : www.dromeas.bg