Interview 2019

A familiar yet fresh look, that was our goal. We have once again brought the beautiful pictures to the fore, because pictures are known to say more than a thousand words. And exactly this visual impression is important when it comes to selling. After all, you offer your customers inspiration, emotion and lifestyle, not just the naked product.

That’s the way it is. That’s why we put a lot of effort into photo shoots every year. Ultimately, the ambience is also important in the purchase decision. We see that customers who actively use our photo material sell very successfully.

Of course I do. In the meantime, around 80% of all orders are placed via the web portal. Dealers can present their products directly to customers with a tablet, take advantage of all the benefits, view new products or promotions, and finally check availability in real time.

Exactly! That’s why many dealers work quasi “hybrid”. You present the catalogue as a print version, but then use the web portal with all the online advantages for additional image material or additional information and order with a 5% bonus at the end.

Yes. Most of our dealers don’t want to miss this bonus, of course. We save process costs in order entry and processing and pass this advantage on directly to our customers.

Apparently there was discussion potential about EIA prices and discounts on the part of end customers, so we omitted this at the request of some dealers this year. There are only two references on the corresponding intro pages in the front section of the catalogue.

That’s how it is! We see the trend of the increased use of the online portal and have therefore shortened many pages, these series are printed only with picture and series name. You can find them on collage pages with the tab “Online Only”. So the articles remain, but can only be found online. Now we can present novelties and top sellers in the catalogue even better and more prominent.

That’s it! This year we have focused strongly on making existing and well-running series even better. We have built many new moulds and provided popular series such as LOFT, STYLE, WELCOME, ESSENCE and many more with the new “Easy-Plant-Easy-ChangeTM” feature. With the suitable plant insert from Lechuza® you save a lot of time and unnecessary filling material when planting and exchanging plants. A strong improvement and relief, which makes the work with these popular models faster and more efficient.

Yes, with the BLOCK, SOLID and SHAPE series alone, 74 new outdoor articles are coming into 2019, which are not only trendy, but 100% outdoor in terms of quality and also very interesting in terms of price. We use high-quality 2-component lacquers from the automotive industry for the matt white and matt anthracite. All components of these new, innovative outdoor series have been tested for many years, are UV-stable, weather-resistant and, despite their relatively low weight, extremely robust. We don’t want any compromises, especially when it comes to quality.

That’s right! We have always been dependent on third parties somewhere in history. This was not only about quality or the implementation of detailed specifications, but also about lead times, delivery readiness and adherence to delivery dates. With our own factory in Europe, we now have all this under control ourselves.

Starting a completely new production from scratch is not a switch you just flip and then everything runs smoothly. But we made big steps in 2018. The new production facility is running better than ever after initial delays. Meanwhile we even have the mould making department with our own team completely in-house, which was the main reason for the delays of the backlogs. Almost all moulds had to be rebuilt. Now we are even more flexible with our own mould making department when it comes to customized designs and ODM developments.

All in all, we are very happy to have made all these investments. In 2019 we will continue to expand the factory, new departments will be added – so it will remain exciting. And it is already a real quantum leap in the history of fleur ami®.

Mr. Hübecker has just started it. The company’s own development department produces the first 3D drawings for prototype construction according to customer specifications. Paired with the in-house mould construction department, we are now in a position to respond even more flexibly and quickly to customer requests. But time-to-market is only one advantage. Since last year, we have been manufacturing articles for more and more importers and wholesalers that they have previously purchased in the Far East. The correspondingly long lead time is reduced immensely, our minimum purchase quantities are much lower and for the raw materials we rely on tested quality from Europe. High stock keeping with corresponding capital commitment and the risk of importing goods with quality defects – we are now offering importers and wholesalers a unique alternative that is nowhere else in Europe.

In addition to the high quality standard, the greatest advantage is clearly the increase in availability. In the last quarter of 2018, we had an even larger order, which could only come about because we built additional moulds ad hoc and were thus able to deliver the total quantity in the shortest possible time. In this way, our customer was able to guarantee punctual delivery including planting in time for the opening of the hotel. This would have been unthinkable with classic imports.

Of course. The best ideas always come from the users anyway. Our customers work daily with the products and know the requirements best. We are always happy to receive input and in 2019 we will again be holding workshops on the subject of product development. But there are also great tips during the year. Recently, an interior greener wanted a room divider with special dimensions. And now we’re making it easy!

We are aware that only good communication can lead to good cooperation. In the past, we were not always optimally positioned here.

We have been at the new location for over 1.5 years. And there are still customers who can hardly believe their eyes when they see the new showroom live for the first time. Apparently, we didn’t communicate enough about what has happened in the past two years. We want to change that now.

This will only be one part of our communication in 2019. We have also improved our customer service. On 6 days a week we are always available in person, on the phone or in the showroom. The coffee machine is on every Saturday and the warehouse is of course manned for collectors. Orders are generally also processed and dispatched on Saturdays.

With our new logistics centre, we are able to handle more orders than ever before. With the digital Pick & Pack, we impressively demonstrate the volume we can handle on a daily basis. Already today we send our goods to more than 50 countries. Orders placed via the web portal are picked and dispatched in record time. From the small flower vase to the 4m long tree trunk table from the Tingo Living® range, we get it safely and quickly on its way.

Of course I do. Many of our customers thus reach the free house limit much faster. Even if furniture is sometimes a different house number than small living accessories, we always find a solution. Anyone can simply… (laughs).

That’s right, I did. Not only do we have additional people on the phone and in the showroom, we also visit and inform “on site” – directly at the customer. Gilbert, please tell Ildikó a little bit more about our new colleagues.

We believe service starts with listening. We want to see what our customers see and hear. For this we need eyes and ears. We want to work with our customers, not just for them.

Of course I do. Each of our colleagues has something to say about both ranges. There is also increased demand for our innovative shop-in-shop concept.

That won’t be revealed here! (laughs). It is an innovative concept in which the online and offline worlds merge. We always say: The best of both worlds!

That’s what it is! You see, we have much to tell in 2019…

We will! It is part of the DNA of fleur ami® to learn on a daily basis and to develop continuously. We have visions and our passion drives us to implement them consistently. Let us surprise you!