We have gotten used to being the outcasts of Europe. The laggards. The beggars. Hasn’t this been going on for six years now, with the country begging every now and then for its… installment? Used to easiness, fond of grand words, the Greeks have ended up among the slowest in the EU. Bright exceptions are a few Greek companies that, from the private sector’s front, fight to change the image.
Mr. Thanasis Papapanagiotou is anything but a laggard. It’s not only his business activity that ranks him among those who run their business and produce profits, but also the name of the industry he founded. Dromeas, which from 1979 until today manages to win, hope, and ultimately move forward. Like a modern rolling stone that never grows tired, the Macedonian professional furniture company, thanks to its right moves and investment in extroversion, has managed to stand not only domestically but also internationally.
Its latest achievement? Recently it succeeded in an exclusive international competition for supplying office furniture to all services of the European Commission. A project with an initial turnover of 30 million euros, with the prospect of continuing for another three years after the two-year period. And while for some Greek politicians crossing Mr. Jean-Claude Juncker’s threshold is extremely difficult, for Mr. Papapanagiotou it is very simple. And not, of course, with foreign backing, but because of the quality work he did. This particular agreement gives Dromeas a new object for a large and critical period for the Greek market. And this while our country is again entering a new phase of questioning and introversion. On the contrary, Dromeas is reinvesting in extroversion, the prospect of international markets, and a giant project with an undisputedly prestigious body like the EU. Of course, for Mr. Papapanagiotou, this is not the first time he has achieved such a large international collaboration. Recently, Dromeas undertook furniture supply work on behalf of the German army, confirming its international path but also the high quality and standards that the Greek industry has. It is no small thing for the always demanding German army to choose a Greek industry for cooperation.
The strategic decision that changed everything
Already from the mid-last decade, the active Mr. Papapanagiotou had seen the difficulties in the market and the path of the country entering the deadlock it is experiencing today. Business in Greece would become particularly difficult, while the retreat of large projects that previously relied on big visions, like the Olympic Games or public works that changed the country’s image, began to accumulate. The country was entering the labyrinth of recession, an unprecedented crisis that even today troubles the market.
Thus, the Northern Greek entrepreneur decided to turn to foreign markets. His dominant area of interest was Central Europe and especially the German market, with which he immediately developed ties. Soon one job brought another, and today Dromeas excels. It is no coincidence that it currently maintains a base even in Brussels, confirming its extroverted path.
Of course, Greece remains the home market for the company, but the risks here are now great. For example, when Mr. Papapanagiotou was winning, as an experienced person, large projects like the metro (equipment) or the Olympic facilities, many spoke easily of a company with special relations with the then political situation. It is the well-known modern Greek envy, the jealousy that lurks behind every successful attempt. The fact that Dromeas survived many governments and political situations worried few, always leaving room for speculation. However, whatever the criticism was in a sector like furniture, which has suffered in recent years from the recession of the domestic economy, the Greek industry manages to go against the tide. Recently, through an international tender process, it was decided that Dromeas would supply special filing cabinets worth 500,000 euros to the German army. These particular pieces fully meet the EU specifications and are entirely produced in Dromeas’ facilities in the Industrial Zone of Serres.
Equipped even CERN
And this was not Mr. Papapanagiotou’s first international success. Since 2009, Dromeas has been the exclusive supplier of office furniture to the EU services. Also, in 2011, it undertook to equip the building facilities of CERN (European Center for Nuclear Research) in Geneva, Switzerland, with desks, cabinets, and libraries, while since last year it has been the official supplier of die-cast aluminum parts to the Mercedes automotive industry, expanding its already existing activity in Germany. It is characteristic that the company’s management has invested over 40 million euros since 2002 in building facilities and mechanical equipment, focusing on needs created abroad. Currently, Dromeas is considered the largest office furniture company in Greece in terms of technology and infrastructure and one of the best-organized in Europe, with its competition in many cases trailing behind.
Its facilities in the Industrial Zone of Serres cover 55,000 square meters on plots of 130,000 sq.m., employing 200 people. It produces a total of 35,000 product codes, with great emphasis on innovation. Its product design is done by specialized company scientists, but also in collaboration with internationally recognized external designers, while the Greek industry holds numerous production process certificates, as well as many distinctions and awards. Its sales network includes 34 branded stores in the major cities of Greece and the Balkans. It exports complete products and components to the UK, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, Australia, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Egypt, Cyprus, Russia, Bulgaria, and Albania.
The historical course
Dromeas was founded in 1979 in Thessaloniki by Mr. Thanasis Papapanagiotou along with his brothers Giorgos (deceased) and Giannis (who left), having as its main activity the production of caravans. It was an emerging market in Greece at the time, as this way of vacationing was gaining ground in Greece and abroad. It was also helped by the fact that Thessaloniki was shaken by earthquakes, resulting in a patent by the three brothers creating momentum. The name Dromeas was related to the mobility of caravans, but soon, especially in 1986, the know-how of civil engineer Thanasis Papapanagiotou led in a different direction. A visionary himself, he wanted to escape the limited sector and see the broader perspective.
The businessman in Macedonia did not see Northern Greece and Serres, where he moved his facilities in 1982, as a remote area on the map but rather as an opportunity to highlight the advantages of Greek production. Thus, Dromeas developed and proceeded with a series of investments towards producing office furniture. Most businesses of the period saw growth and interest only in home furniture, but Mr. Papapanagiotou believed that the office market, due to the country’s transition to the new era and the emergence of the private sector, also held opportunities.
In the 1985-1987 period, the Serres-based industry made new investments in building facilities and mechanical equipment and began producing office furniture for workspaces in an investment move that hid profits and development. Great sales momentum came from the agreement to furnish the offices and commercial stores of OTE, the agreement to produce furniture for the customs and tax offices of Switzerland, while in the early 2000s the company introduced its shares to the Athens Stock Exchange. Then, furnishing projects for metro stations with waiting seats and for Eurobank’s stores with furniture gave it a huge boost. 2004 was a milestone year for Greece due to the Olympic Games. At that time, Dromeas undertook furnishing the Olympic accommodation facilities for athletes and journalists with furniture worth 12.7 million euros, while in 2007 it cooperated with the German Daimler for the supply of furniture for the company’s European exhibitions. The latter cooperation boosted the Greek industry in the German market and also boosted its domestic profile. In 2009, the contract between the European Union and Dromeas was signed for the supply of office furniture to all its services, worth 31 million euros and lasting two years with the option of extension for 1+1 years, while in 2010 the company’s production process certification by Mercedes as an official supplier of die-cast aluminum parts was completed. The company has stores-showrooms all over Greece and one in Sofia, Bulgaria. Its export activity is also significant, as it exports to Germany, the UK, Saudi Arabia and the Middle East, Cyprus, and Australia. Moreover, Dromeas ABEEA has supplied products to the largest organizations in the country (OTE, Attiko Metro, IKA, Ministry of Finance, etc.), the biggest companies in the market (ETVA, Intracom, Cosmote, Olympic Airlines, Hellenic Petroleum, TVX Gold, Hochtief AG, Eurobank, etc.), while it has supplied all the airports in the country with new Ikaros waiting seats.
A businessman with social activity, coming from the democratic space, Mr. Papapanagiotou, who opposed oppression during the junta years, takes clear positions even today on issues he disagrees with. Characteristic was the issue of the ENFIA tax. With a letter to then-Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, government officials, and opposition party leaders, he stressed that with the recent announcement-imposition of ENFIA the market was heading to a dead end.
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