Wood & Panel

Ronald Weber

Ronald Weber

GRASS has been talk of the town for quite sometime for its remarkeable contribution to the industry. Recently GRASS has secured a fourth Red Dot Award for its innovation with Vionaro. In an exclusive interview with us, Ronald Weber, Chairman of the GRASS Executive Board, spoke to us about its success and also his views on the present market situations:

woodandpaneleurope How does it feel to be winner of Red Dot award for the fourth time? Does it bring any added responsibility with it?
  Ronald Weber : Developing innovative and sustainable products which inspire has always been a fundamental part of our brand philosophy. We’ve succeeded in doing that yet again with Vionaro – as borne out not only by this highly prestigious award but also by the positive feedback from our customers. The fact that we’ve won the Red Dot Design Award for the fourth time strengthens our resolve to strive for the best possible product solution and reinforces our continuing commitment to this successful path.
 
woodandpaneleurope How has Holz-Handwerk 2014 been for you?
  Ronald Weber : HOLZ-HANDWERK is traditionally an important trade fair for us. A lot of joiners who are looking for new machines liked to take the opportunity to find out about the latest developments in the area of movement systems. In 2014, the focus has been on Tiomos hinges with integrated damping for glass, mirror and slender doors as well as the new designer drawer Vionaro. A lot of visitors with concrete interest came to our stand to find out more.
 
woodandpaneleurope What would be your business strategies for coming years?
  Ronald Weber : Over the next few years, we shall be working to achieve targeted market positioning for our movement systems. Worldwide, GRASS products are yet to achieve an adequate presence and level of brand awareness in all markets. Above and beyond that, we shall of course continue to work on the development of new products which, like Vionaro, Tiomos, Dynapro or Nova Pro, are aimed at redefining standards in the industry. Our clear goal is to further expand our position as a leading provider of innovative movement systems.
 
woodandpaneleurope What are your plans for upcoming shows and what are the new products to be showcased?
  Ronald Weber : Our next major trade fair will be IWF in Atlanta. As the flagship trade fair for the North American wood industry, this platform is extremely important for us as it facilitates the dialogue with existing and potential customers. Two years ago, the hinge system TEC Soft-close with 3D adjustment and Tiomos amongst others were the absolute stars of the show. Both products will again be presented on our exhibition stand this year. In addition, we shall also be showcasing the new designer drawer Vionaro in the American market for the first time. Apart from that, we’re already working towards next year’s interzum in Cologne where we shall again be presenting a series of new products.
 
woodandpaneleurope How is the industry faring in the markets of Europe, Asia and Middle East?
  Ronald Weber : In the European furniture industry, there’s an identifiable trend towards modern design, narrow reveals and comfort in the case of movement elements. This is where first and foremost the manufacturers of premium furniture differentiate themselves from the mass producers in what is still a rather weak market environment. The German furniture industry in particular, which plays an important role, showed fairly weak performance in the first few months of 2014, but the situation now seems to be improving somewhat. The markets in Asia and the Middle East are heavily dependent on projects. We also expect to see the trend towards higher-quality movement systems continuing in these regions.
 

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