Interview with Tomasz Kościesza: OECE through the eyes of those who choose it

February 24, 2016 - The most efficient method a company has for testing the validity of its products is to talk to the people that decide to sell them. This is the reason why OECE decided to conduct an interview with Tomasz Kościesza, joint-owner and technology and marketing manager of Armwood, OECE's distributor in Poland.

Mr Kościesza says that the slogan "OECE is a brand of the Sherwin-Williams Company" was already sufficient to help his company decide to become a reseller of this brand. This certainty comes from almost 20 years of experience in the Polish wood coating market. It is a highly competitive market, due to the large concentration of foreign companies that, in order to achieve success, must have an important and reliable company behind them: something that OECE clearly is not lacking.

Kościesza states, with great confidence, that the history and expertise that OECE has obtained thanks to The Sherwin-Williams Company will allow it to become one of the principal points of reference in the wood coating market. From the many strengths of the company, Kościesza identifies the excellent team that is able to understand the needs of its distributors and the wide range of products which is due to the sharing of information between the various brands of The Sherwin-Williams Company.

Interview with Tomasz Kościesza:

1) Why did you choose to become a distributor for OECE in Poland?

I've been working in the wood coating distribution market in Poland since 1997. During this period I have had the opportunity to work with several Italian paint producers. When I decided to change my supplier in 2013 I only had one option on the table which was Sherwin-Williams Italy and its OECE brand. Why was OECE the only option? The answer is quite simple for me and the answer comes from the OECE slogan "OECE is a brand of the Sherwin-Williams Company". This makes a huge difference as behind the OECE brand there is one of the global leaders of the paint industry. The Polish market for wood coating is very competitive as we have not only foreign suppliers but also some local Polish producers as well as international producers with their production based in Poland. To be successful in this market you need to cooperate with strong and reliable partners and OECE has all these key factors and thanks to this it was very easy for me to take the decision to become an OECE distributor in Poland.

2) In your opinion, what are the strengths of the OECE brand?
As I said, the Polish wood coating market is very competitive not only in terms of prices but also in terms of service as many companies have their service centers located in Poland and these service centers are also responsible for other countries in Central Europe. The reason for this is that Poland is also one of the biggest furniture manufacturers in Europe with a significant production of windows, doors, coffins, etc. The OECE brand - thanks to its long history, experience and very strong ownership - is able to become one of the key players in the Polish wood coatings market in the near future. The other strengths of OECE are:

a team of very dedicated people who know exactly what to do and they always do their best to meet distributor requirements

the transfer of knowledge between other brands from the coating divisions of Sherwin-Williams a very wide and deep product range.

Anywhere in the world and whatever the surface to be painted, Sherwin-Williams provides innovative solutions that guarantee the best results.

Commitment to innovation and sustainability, technological strength, commitment to research and development, ability to listen and serve markets with innovative solutions, effective and safe: Sherwin-Williams Italy today is the benchmark of the market finishes for wood, glass, metal and plastics, through recognized international brands.

In 2010 the American colossus of paints The Sherwin-Williams Company has purchased Sayerlack and Becker Acroma which held OECE brand, creating a global leader in wood coatings.
The Sherwin-Williams Company, which employs more than 30000 people, is the first paint company in United States and the third in the world. From January 1, 2013 the two legal entities Sayerlack S.r.l. and SWIC became one company: Sherwin-Williams Italy S.r.l.

Sherwin-Williams Italy has three production plants in Italy: Pianoro (BO), Mariano Comense (CO) and Cavezzo (MO), and distributes its products in more than 80 countries around the world, serving more than 40000 customers.

The company develops, manufactures and distributes its brand products, Sayerlack, Linea Blu, OECE and Sherwin-Williams.

OECE: leadership in special effects and in paints for glass. OECE intercepts the creative challenges of artisans, architects, designers and entrepreneurs of glass and wood by meeting every aesthetic need, with innovative, safe and high quality solutions that guarantee strength and beauty to the surface. OECE produces a wide range of innovative solutions for glass with high aesthetic content - lacquered pigmented and semi transparent, dedicated to the sector of furniture and design - wood - whose high quality satisfy any application need, for indoors and outdoors - metal and plastic. Special effects for glass and wood were created to offer new aesthetic solutions: metalized effects, glitter, sandblasted, satin, droplet, iridescent, fluorescent, cracked, marble, granite, mirror.

Direzione Marketing
SHERWIN-WILLIAMS ITALY S.R.L.

Contatto:
Maria Teresa Ruzzi

Via del Fiffo, 12
40065 Pianoro (Bologna) - Italia
tel. +39 051 770511 - fax +39 051 777437
mruzzi@sherwin.com - www.oece.it