PRAGMATIKA.MEDIA: What is the purpose of Knauf Gips KG's acquisition of the European and Asian divisions of Armstrong ceiling manufacturing company?
Ruslan Vyshnevsky: Knauf is the largest international manufacturer of building and finishing materials and a market leader in the creation of reliable, safe for health and comfortable residential, public and commercial spaces. One of the key elements of the company's strategy is the expansion of the assortment, the search and development of new solutions, and the maximization of the quantity of high-quality finishing materials for interior decoration. The acquisition of Armstrong Ceiling Solutions is the next logical step on the way to realizing the company's strategy.
Ruslan Vyshnevsky, head of the Armstrong Ceiling Solutions representative office in Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Armenia
PM: How long have you been present on the Ukrainian market and what kind of fate do you currently occupy?
R.V.: Armstrong opened a Ukrainian representative office in 1997. If today we speak in the context of the current situation about our share of the market in Ukraine, then according to the results of the assessment of independent experts, in 2019 it was estimated to be about 37% in the segment of mineral fiber suspended ceilings with a total volume of the suspended ceiling market of about 4 million square meters. m. For comparison: in Russia in 2019, Armstrong's share was about 60%.
Armstrong Ceiling Solutions is the largest player in the segment of suspended ceilings in Europe and Asia
PM: Under which brands will the Knauf ceiling line be developed in the coming years?
R.V.: We expect that a long-term development strategy for the newly created Knauf Ceiling Solutions division will be announced in April, which includes the following companies: Armstrong Ceiling Solutions, WAVE and Knauf AMF. For several years, the brands will be sold under the usual brands, but in the future, most likely, special attention will be paid to the development of the Knauf Ceiling Solutions brand.
PM: What are the first results of the association?
R.V.: Today, the Knauf Ceiling Solutions division has become the largest player in the segment of suspended ceilings in Europe and Asia. In fact, the Knauf Gips KG holding can satisfy almost any need of an architect, builder and customer in terms of solutions for interior decoration. But the main thing is the consolidation of the efforts of manufacturers of different product categories within the framework of one Knauf concern, which, in turn, opens up prospects for further development of the industry as a whole. This is extremely important, as our main task is to listen to the architect's opinion. For us, this is an opportunity to get information about the required product, take into account possible comments and provide a ready-made and effective solution, which is possible precisely at the junction of different technologies and companies. The Armstrong Ceiling Solutions team, for its part, has already begun to establish cooperation with Knauf divisions regarding the development of new products and solutions and the possible expansion of production capabilities.
Armstrong metal suspended ceilings can be seen in the capital's Central Shopping Center
PM: If we look at the deal not from the point of view of geography, but from the point of view of technology, what has already appeared in Knauf with the acquisition of Armstrong?
R.V.: After the creation of the Knauf Ceiling Solutions division, in which the Armstrong Ceiling Solutions company played an important role, the Knauf group of companies gained access to such products as metal ceiling and wall panels (from galvanized steel with subsequent painting, stainless steel or aluminum), wooden suspended ceilings , and a large portfolio of suspension systems for the installation of standard and non-standard solutions, including the company's know-how — special design aluminum profiles (used in the project of the capital's Central Shopping Center). In our work, as a rule, we come across completely different projects — from utilitarian and inexpensive ones, where functionality and value are important, to architectural ones, created by professionals and which are essentially unique individual creations.
If we take a step back, globally, mineral fiber suspended ceilings currently dominate the markets of Europe. But the growth points, in my opinion, are metal, wood and non-standard ceiling and wall solutions at the junction of different materials. This is what is interesting to the modern architect.
City Hall, Great Britain. Architectural project — wall metal panels with artistic perforation (facade imitation)
Minvolokno is a functional and today very popular product, which, despite all its advantages, is still limited from the point of view of creating unique architectural solutions. Its strong point is the ability to combine standard elements with complex shapes, colors and combine different materials.
Mineral fiber suspended ceilings are also divided into economic solutions, standard and special, or, as we also call them, architectural solutions. As an example of an economical solution, I will give the chain of DIY centers "Epicentr", which actively sells our economic product, and it is available - it can be purchased by both professional builders and ordinary buyers. This is a basic product for the economy segment, and it is a 60 x 60 cm slab that is understandable to the consumer. Armstrong has become a household name over many years of work, and any suspended ceiling is customarily called "Armstrong".
Center named after Metropolitan Andrei Sheptytskyi (Lviv). Vertical acoustic panels create ideal conditions for studying
But the suspended ceiling is not only an economical solution in the form of plates measuring 60 x 60 cm, the main task of which is to hide engineering communications, while maintaining access for their maintenance. This is no longer an economy project: the panels differ from the usual 60 x 60 cm, some design, acoustics and possible non-standard geometry are required, or there is a request for increased fire safety requirements. When working with such projects, which can already be classified as standard, we are talking about more functional products made of mineral fiber or metal, and the architect joins the work, and the manufacturer helps him combine different materials and functionally divides the products into zones.
"In many countries, the brand has become a household name: suspended ceiling = Armstrong"
Ruslan Vyshnevsky. Photo: Yury Ferendovych
If we go to the plane of architectural projects, then, as a rule, it is metal, wood and combinations of various materials in non-standard sizes, colors, with various textures, and such projects are already created in the creative cooperation of architects and designers with manufacturers. And these are not only ceiling solutions - there can be, for example, wall panels with perforation. And my task as a representative of the company is to help create similar solutions and deal more closely with individual projects. Experience shows that it is precisely such solutions on a global scale that move the ceiling industry forward both in a particular region and in Europe as a whole, allowing the improvement of existing products and the creation of new ones. It seems to me that this is exactly what Armstrong is interested in. The company works equally well both in the basic product and in the project business, in close cooperation with architects, and this is exactly what not all players get.
Armstrong is the founder of the suspended ceiling market with a 150-year history. The company was always several steps ahead of competitors, created products and set trends. Thanks to this, the brand became a household name in many countries.
School in Bullock (Great Britain). The TechZone solution made it possible to integrate lighting devices and elements of the fire extinguishing system into the ceiling, while providing high acoustic characteristics and a perfectly flat ceiling surface. Photo: © Gillian Hayes - Dapples Photography
PM: And what is the market of the former USSR?
R.V.: I would characterize it as a market strongly gravitating towards European trends. But in recent years, the CIS markets in some projects even began to outpace their European counterparts in terms of uniqueness. Over the past few years, the level of implemented projects in Ukraine has grown significantly, and this is the merit of closer attention to work with architects and a correctly chosen development strategy in the region.
In my opinion, today the level of implementation and development of our projects is in no way inferior to projects implemented in Europe or the USA. And here flexibility of production capabilities plays not the last role. If yesterday we did not work with any material, then tomorrow we can start the production of a product or solution, if it is required by the architect or the customer.
School in Bullock (Great Britain). Photo: © Gillian Hayes - Dapples Photography
I think that the appearance of such a player as Knauf Ceiling Solutions on the market will allow us to set the right vector for the further development of the ceiling industry as a whole. Knauf is a modern and high-tech company that has serious resources both in production and in the development of new solutions.
And the ceiling product, or rather, the ceiling solution, is exactly what is at the intersection of different technologies and has a high potential for further development.
PM: Give examples of the implementation of world trends on projects in Ukraine.
R.V.: One of the most interesting projects is TSUM. Here we managed to implement the idea of the architects and develop a product in the form of a metal ceiling solution — a unique combination of custom-made metal panels and a designer aluminum profile. We hope we will have the opportunity to tell more about this project in future issues.
It is also possible to note terminal D at Boryspil airport - here we used a standard solution made of metal panels. International Airport named after D. Halytskyi in Lviv is unique in its own way, on this project we used Optima L Canopy acoustic ceiling fragments, about 500 pieces of islands. Another bright project of ours is the wooden ceilings in the central office of BMW.
"Creative teams of regional divisions have considerable independence"
Ruslan Vyshnevsky. Photo: Yury Ferendovych
PM: What are your plans for the coming years in Ukraine?
R.V.: I am confident that the acquisition of Armstrong Ceiling Solutions by Knauf is an opportunity for development and growth for both parties. Thanks to this step, it became possible to implement large projects, which, as a rule, are created in partnership with an architect and designer, and to develop new products directed to the ceiling industry.
As before, we will continue to focus on the development of complex ceiling and special architectural solutions and want to assure our clients that stable European quality, a high level of service and product compliance with European standards of reliability and safety will remain the main priorities of our business. I want to emphasize once again: we have non-standard products and solutions, thanks to which we can create modern and memorable interiors. We are ready to implement unique projects!
Teaching Laboratory (CTL), University of Birmingham. A set of metal ceiling panels was used, with the help of which it was possible to implement the "wall-to-wall" concept using the DGS system (for ceilings made of GKL). Photo: © Simon Miles
ARMSTRONG FACTORIES IN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES:
- MUNSTER (GERMANY) — CEILING PANELS MADE OF SOLID MIN FIBER.
- PONTALIE (FRANCE) — CEILING PANELS MADE OF SOLID MIN FIBER.
- SEZ "ALABUGA" (RUSSIA) - CEILING PANELS MADE OF SOLID MIN FIBER.
- RANKWEIL (AUSTRIA) — METAL CEILING PANELS.
- STAFFORD (ENGLAND) — METAL CEILING PANELS.
- VALANCIEN (FRANCE) — SUSPENSION SYSTEMS (FRAME).
REFERENCE
Knauf Gips KG is a leading manufacturer of modern gypsum building materials, acoustic ceilings, heat-insulating materials, metal profiles, construction equipment, and packaging. In total, these are more than 220 production enterprises in more than 86 countries of the world. The current range of Armstrong Ceiling Solutions products includes ceiling and wall solutions intended for use in various segments — offices, educational institutions, healthcare, retail trade, and also in transport infrastructure facilities.
