From furniture manufacturer to WDMAX machinery dealer - interview with Ciprian Iacob, Woodmatic manager

WDMAX machines, a brand of the Korean manufacturer based in China, KDT Machinery, have recently entered the Romanian woodworking market. The Guangzhou-headquartered company manufactures computerised machinery for furniture production. The company's two research and development centres, located in South Korea and Italy, ensure and support the performance of the equipment manufactured. The product range includes automatic boring machines, computerized saws, automatic multi-drilling machines, CNCs. WDMAX is the group's brand developed for emerging markets, a brand that aims to conquer the market by relying on a very good quality/price ratio. Its presence in Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, Mexico, Hungary, Australia and more than 40 other countries shows that many furniture manufacturers have been convinced by the company's motto - premium quality equipment at an affordable cost.

In Romania, WDMAX is brought to you by Woodmatic, a new brand with no history in woodworking machinery. The brand is new to the furniture industry, but the person representing the company is not. It is Ciprian Iacob, a well-known name in the production of chipboard furniture, Sanitop being a long-established brand in the bathroom furniture market. I know Ciprian Iacob from the time when my activity was closely related to finishing products. I knew even then that he admired the Chinese market, having had countless collaborations in that part of the world. When I asked him why he likes China so much, he told me that he is fascinated by the Chinese people who are "Extremely well organized, hardworking and very meticulous. Sort of like brown, slant-eyed Germans„.

Learning that he had entered the machinery market brought up a lot of questions I wished he would have answered. So I contacted him and got answers to many of them.

China is today a globally recognized market leader in technology

Ciprian Iacob has a cult following for technology from China. He sees WDMAX and KDT as leaders in the field of furniture factory equipment manufacturers, trailblazers in making high technology accessible to as many manufacturers as possible. Seeing how passionately he talks about the technology coming from China, but given the perception of some about "made in China" I couldn't help but ask the question: isn't he afraid that the market will perceive the machines as "Chinese"?

"WDMAX and KDT are not Chinese, WDMAX-KDT is a corporation that acts and behaves like a corporation, i.e. they are listed on the stock exchange, have development and research centers in South Korea and Italy, have over 56 patented inventions and over 31 versions of software developed and protected by copywrite law. Personally, I believe that this kind of labelling could only come from uninformed, uninformed people. We are towards the end of 2020 and almost everything we use in terms of technology is related to China. China today is a globally recognised market leader in technology. It is true that there are uninformed people who still refuse to accept the truth that there are high-tech companies in China, such as KDT. These opinions can only come from uneducated or ill-intentioned people. Absolutely all major European technology companies, regardless of the field, have strong business links with China. China is an important supplier of sub-assemblies, semi-finished or finished products for such companies. I believe that this is now our role in the market, to correctly inform our potential customers of the advantages they will benefit from if they choose to become WoodMatic customers.

WoodMatic is a committed company, which wants to build together with WDMAX a solid, transparent partnership, based on honesty and fairness towards Romanian manufacturers, the future beneficiaries of the technology we commercialize. The ultimate goal is to be able to offer together with Romanian producers access to high technology through an extremely affordable pricing policy. We are fair in saying origin of the machinery we sell and we are proud of the fact that KDT Machinery, whose brand is also WDMAX, is one of the strongest and best-known woodworking machinery manufacturers in continuous expansion, specializing in the design, manufacture and supply of advanced technological solutions for the furniture manufacturing industry.

Furniture manufacturer versus machinery seller

Sanitop has been producing furniture for a very long time. The beginning was in Braila, with the first factory opened, where it started with chipboard furniture, continued with MDF dyed, then diversifying with the flaked one. The company grew steadily, which led to the opening of a second factory in Comănești. I wanted to know how his experience as a derivative panel furniture manufacturer is helping him in this new business and whether he is thinking of giving up furniture production.

"Basically, as a furniture manufacturer we were in the position of having to purchase technology for the two factories we operated and often felt the lack of alternatives. We were constantly having to look for solutions to our production problems and sometimes even pioneered the import of machinery such as PVC thermoforming presses. Când we needed equipment, we had specific needs in production, we felt the lack of alternatives in terms of budget. Specifically - if we needed a CNC drilling machine to drill 6 sides at once, 2 plates at the same time, there were no alternatives. Right now, on this machine, there is no alternative to the very expensive machines coming from Italy and Germany. We come up with the solution - we bring high technology at affordable prices, at fair prices.

Under no circumstances will we give up furniture production. Never! We love what we do, and we love making it. We have two factories where, unfortunately, we feel, like the whole industry, an acute lack of specialists in the field. Basically, there is no more middle school for the furniture industry, there are no more schools to provide the need for specialists in the field. In spite of all the difficulties, we are moving forward and we will try to limit ourselves in doing only as much as we can do."

"WDMAX brings high technology to the furniture industry at fair prices"

Woodmatic is entering a machine market that has grown and matured in recent times. The need for technology and factory upgrading is becoming more and more evident and in a very short time it will not be possible to perform without quality machinery and state-of-the-art technology. This process has already started and European and national funding programmes have helped a lot. However, there are also many companies that are developing under their own steam and choosing suppliers very carefully, making a very strict quality/price ratio. In this context we wanted to find out from Ciprian Iacob what new WDMAX machines bring to the market, apart from competitive prices, what is the range of machines and which markets are they aimed at?

"WDMAX doesn't bring competitive pricing, WDMAX brings high technology to the furniture industry at fair prices. I want to be very clear and make this point. WDMAX does not offer competitive pricing, WDMAX offers fair pricing. WDMAX appreciates European manufacturers, they are a technological role model for the company we represent. I want to tell you that in 2018, KDT acquired the Italian CNC manufacturer MasterWood. Also since that year there is a research and development centre in Rimini, Italy. In the last 2 years KDT has managed to integrate state-of-the-art technology into its products from one of the best European manufacturers. WDMAX is a complete manufacturer, it provides a full range of CNC machines, intelligent machines for furniture manufacturing. The range of machines is aimed at both manufacturers of chipboard and MDF furniture, as well as those who process solid wood, but only for cutting, drilling, milling operations. Most of the equipment is dedicated to the processing of chipboard and MDF. We mainly target manufacturers of chipboard and MDF furniture.

Basically, WDMAX, with the wide range of equipment it produces, can meet the demand for machines for workshops - I am referring here, for example, to the WDX-132 or 323, small-capacity edgebanders - as well as for small, medium and large factories. I want to tell you that we are boldly approaching solutions for large factories and when I say that I mean automation, automatic drilling lines, conveyors, with which we can configure, design modern factories. It is worth highlighting KDT's ability to produce automatic lines for high productivity, both for small workshops and large factories. We will provide powerful and affordable industrial machines with professional technical support.

What I think is the strength of WDMAX machines is that furniture manufacturers can get new, modern, state-of-the-art technology at second-hand prices. In the price segment that we cover, we're basically competing only with European second-hand technology."

The Romanian furniture machinery market

The woodworking machinery market is fairly well represented in Romania. How does Ciprian Iacob see this market now and in the future and why is he so confident in the technology he brings from China.

"I have been going to China for more than 10 years, I have many Chinese partners who have become my good friends. The Chinese people fascinate me. In Romania and other parts of the world, the Chinese are regarded as an extremely well-organised, hard-working and very meticulous people. Îince 2009 I have been going to China to buy supplies for our factories. Before the pandemic came, my colleagues and I used to go 2-3 times a year and we got a good overview of the Chinese market. It's hard to say you know the Chinese market, but strictly in our niche, we can say we understand it. What attracts me to it? We're talking about education and work culture. Asians are completely different from the rest of the world in this area, not necessarily from us, from Europeans, from the rest of the world. They are very rigorous people, very meticulous, they are very hardworking people, extremely hardworking. They are very disciplined, they are educated, they are technically and commercially educated. I am one of those people who appreciate Chinese culture, I am a fan of products made in China, of course products made with a sense of responsibility and offered at the right price.

As far as the Romanian market is concerned, the whole industry is facing an acute shortage of qualified personnel. There is a problem with the workforce because for a long time no one has taken care of this training. The biggest challenge for machinery suppliers is to be able to offer affordable production automation solutions. We take on this mission to provide solutions for the lack of skilled personnel by supplying CNC machinery, automation, in production processes. In the short time I have had to study the machinery market I see a fantastic desire from small and medium sized companies to purchase modern state-of-the-art technology at fair prices. I see the Romanian market in continuous development. In the short term, there are clear signs of caution on the part of manufacturers, given the current context. But it is clear that the only medium- and long-term direction, which everyone is considering, is the technological upgrading and re-engineering of factories, equipping them with modern technology. In this respect we are coming up with fresh forces, with new offers. WDMAX will change the face of the local industry and I would like to discuss in 5 years time what the market for industrial woodworking equipment will look like.

From the beginning, we saw WoodMatic's entry into the market as an act of courage. For a production-focused entrepreneur I found it hard to adapt to the new market and the "battle" they had to fight with people with a lot of experience in the field. Indeed, his experience as a salesman proved it by selling the furniture he produced so that he could open a second factory, but selling machinery is something else. On the other hand, his production experience, seeing all these machines at work and discovering the good and not so good points, is an important asset. So how is WoodMatic entering this market and, not least, is there room for newcomers?

I think there is room and will be room in the future for other producers. The thing to remember is that there are not many manufacturers in the world of WDMAX's stature. We have a say in the industry. For a start we have a huge amount to learn. We are here to learn, we are here to know the market, to understand it, to talk to potential customers. Only in this way, by understanding their needs, will we be able to offer them the best solutions. We are here to offer high-performance industrial machinery that can be easily operated in 3 shifts at great prices. We believe that there is and always will be room for new energies, for new companies willing to add value in the segments in which they operate. Today, more than ever, it is clear that China is assuming, with subject and predicate, a leading role in more and more areas. We believe that the partnership with China, with WDMAX, can only be beneficial for any manufacturer willing to grow, willing to push the accelerator pedal of development. We will be there for all those customers who want to go beyond their condition, offering them access to high technology at affordable prices. Basically, we make it our goal to promote high technology at very affordable prices for the local market. Everything that yesterday seemed impossible, today, with us, they will be able to achieve.

No big words, we know and we take responsibility for what we say. We sell machines made in China, we have a centre of excellence in development and design in Italy. Through the company we represent we can say that we are part of the big KDT family. Our machines benefit from all the best Italy has to offer in terms of technology and state-of-the-art equipment. Italy's contribution to the development of high technology for furniture factories is unanimously recognised worldwide. We are thus able to offer potential customers access to high technology at affordable prices. We are extremely excited about our partnership with WDMAX. We are a team of young people and WDMAX wanted this partnership with us because they wanted a young and dynamic team. They made an informed choice, they knew we had no experience in machine sales and distribution, but they appreciated what we did as manufacturers and they have absolute confidence that we will succeed as a high-tech supplier to the furniture industry. We recommend all those who want to make an investment to also pay attention to us, to ask for details, to study our offer and when they make the decision to purchase equipment, to do it in full knowledge of the facts.

We can only wish Ciprian Iacob and Woodmatic the best of luck and promise to come back sooner than 5 years to see how they were received by the Romanian market.