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Forbes Magazine has brought together the top 100 business figures with outstanding outcome in the Romanian economy as part of the “Forbes Romania Business Hall of Fame” project. The magazine’s distinction was awarded to those who built, developed and had a vision about changing the business rules. Horațiu Țepeș, Bilka is one of these personalities, awarded with the “100 Business Hall of Fame” diploma.

Capital Magazine ranked the top 300 companies in the economy based on a methodology where financial results played an important role, but other business parameters were also included. According to the classification made by Capital, Bilka Company is one of the top 300 companies in the economy.

Below you can find the article published in Capital Magazine, Top 300 Companies in 2018:

Impressive growths have become a habit for BILKA, the leader of the roofing market and the largest Romanian consumer of pre-painted steel. The year 2017 was no exception, either, with the company registering a turnover of RON 394 million, 45% more compared to 2016. Residential products division remains a top-selling category, accounting for 90% of the total sale volumes. Thus, in just one year, the company produced and sold 57,000 complete roofing systems, and reached a consumption of 80,000 tons of pre-painted steel, being the largest consumer of such material in Eastern Europe. This year, the company continued the investment plan started in 2017, with the acquisition of the Hidromecanica 2 Brasov industrial platform amounting to EUR 20 million, due for completion in 2020.

Performance at height

In 11 years of activity, BILKA covered over 200,000 houses and made investments exceeding EUR 30 million. Its production lines are fully automated, relying on the latest technologies available worldwide. In 2017, BILKA sold its products all over the country and abroad via more than 500 established dealers. BILKA products are exported in several countries, among which Bulgaria, Hungary, the Republic of Moldova, Germany, Poland, Slovakia, and Ukraine.

“I want to thank all our clients and collaborators for trusting us. Thanks to them, we have become the market leader, a position that we strengthen year after year. This urges us to get constantly better, so we will continue to invest in developing our company and in diversifying its range of products. I am also grateful to my colleagues at BILKA, as together we have been building a company that we can be proud of”. Horațiu Țepeș, BILKA’s CEO

Capital Magazine celebrated 25 years of existence, organizing a Gala during which awards were granted to the entrepreneurs that had a major contribution to the growth of capitalism in Romania.

BILKA received the award for the fastest development of a production company.

« Happy anniversary, Capital! I think that Bilka is still at the beginning of its journey. Our performance has not been so spectacular. When I look at the billion euro financial figures of our foreign counterparties, I realize we are at an early stage. But we have to consider also the domestic economic environment where we run our business. If we refer to Romania, a turnover of almost EUR 100 million is quite a performance, considering the rather disorganized economic environment, lacking clear rules or changing them from one day to another. What comes to my mind are the words of the French General Berthelot, when he arrived with his army to help the Romanian troops during the First World War. His remark addressed to the Romanian generals was: « You are in a state of admirable disorganization! » I think we are at the same stage also nowadays. We hope for a better future », declared Horaţiu Țepeş at the Capital 25 Gala.

The chief editors of Capital magazine voted Gabriela Stoițer, Marketing Manager BILKA, among Top 100 successful women. Starting from the idea that women play an ever-growing role in the Romanian society, Capital magazine issued this year the « Top 100 Capital most successful women in Romania ».

Success has no unit of measurement and this was the biggest challenge for the Capital chief editors in creating an exceptional women ranking. Therefore, in order to remove subjectivity from such an assessment as much as possible, the first step was to define a few evaluation criteria. After a long debate, the Capital team decided that the highest scoring should be granted for the past 12 months’ achievements, while public awareness should represent the second most relevant criterion. Apart from these, other scored criteria were represented by career, social responsibility missions attended and wealth. Each category had a five-star scoring.

NewMoney magazine awarded the most appreciated entrepreneurs at the Gala dedicated to the first anniversary of the magazine. For the category of Leader – including entrepreneurs with businesses exceeding ten million euro turnover – the largest number of votes went to Horațiu Țepeș, the owner of BILKA.

The winners were nominated based on the votes of the readers of newmoney.ro.

We thank the Newmoney team and the voters!

On the occasion of its 100th anniversary, Forbes magazine released « Forbes Romania 100 Greatest Living Business Minds », presenting the top 100 most important business personalities in the Romanian economy. Horațiu Țepeș received the award for the Greatest Living Business Minds.

Years ago, the construction industry was considered to be a man thing only that had nothing to do with women, but this theory seems to have faded away and female presence has risen unexpectedly in the companies operating in this sector. Even more interesting is that the number of young women in management positions has increased rapidly in these companies, a sign that the industry has refined its past habits. Moreover, the construction industry undergoes a full development process.

Gabriela Stoițer (cover photo) is the youngest marketing manager in the industry of construction material producers, but also the marketing manager of the largest roof manufacturer in Romania, handling an annual budget of more than EUR 1 million in connection with Bilka Steel promotion activities.

She joined the Bilka team in 2014, in a period when the business of the company in Brasov began to diversify and when the marketing activity was ensured mostly by LinksPR, a communication agency with which Horaţiu Ţepeş, the owner of Bilka, cooperated at that time.

« Before joining the team, I worked for Bilka as a communication representative. Bilka was a client of the agency that I was working for and we started communication from scratch, which helped me know and understand the company’s activity, as well as the specific market and their competitors. I admired the company’s vision and evolution, I was familiar with its needs in terms of marketing, so I knew what was to be done. (…) Now, I see that period as training for what came next. Having the know-how was a great advantage both for me and for the company; therefore I skipped the adaptation and induction stages and took over action and implementation attributions. The team was open to changes, supported and assisted me in outlining and implementing marketing actions », said the 27-year-old executive.

Before her affiliation with Bilka, marketing activities did not represent a priority for the metal roofing manufacturer between 2008-2014, the company focusing on business development, product range extension and distribution coverage across the country.

« Ever since the period when I used to work for the communication agency, I began to draft various projects and proposals for our client companies, actions that were more related to marketing than to communication. Companies were open to my initiatives, but although I wanted to accomplish more, I could not replace their own marketing departments. In my opinion, marketing cannot be made through an agency; the most efficient form of marketing is that inside the company, coordinating the relationship with various agencies. (…) The transition from the PR agency to the company was not difficult. Through the very nature of my job, I began to get used to the companies’ operations and I enjoyed being involved in the development of each company that I worked with. I knew that time would come to move on the client’s side, although I didn’t expect it to happen so soon. The challenge for me was to switch from the vision and approach of a communication person to that of a marketing person, but my experience in the communication agency proved to be helpful over time. In 2014, when I joined the team, Bilka had already been a leader on the roofing market ever since 2012. The real challenge was to design the marketing strategy for the market leader », admitted Gabriela Stoițer, the marketing manager of Bilka, a company preparing for a new record on its market this year. The company’s business is on fast forward towards EUR 100 million.

In 2015, the year of Bilka’s first large promotion campaign at national level, the marketing budget amounted to EUR 1 million, double as compared to 2014, being maintained also in 2016.

« The investments in marketing activities reach EUR 1.2 million this year. The budget supplementation is correlated with the company’s growth and the development of new products, but also with the diversification of communication means, the particularization of consumption habits and of advertising messages. At present, in order to achieve the highest possible share of the target audience, the communication mix must include a variety of channels, with individually adapted messages, which means more consistent investments. (…) It is normal for a company undergoing a full development process, such as Bilka, to be sustained also by marketing initiatives well adapted to the market trend. Any business strategy and development of the company and of its product portfolio must be correlated with the marketing strategy. It is essential to know what and how to communicate so that the company’s message reaches the target audience; how much to communicate is a business outcome, when the company faces an ongoing development », added Gabriela Stoițer.

The largest portion of the marketing budget during the period 2015 – 2016 was directed towards TV and radio campaigns, street billboards and social media, but also to the promotion of each partner in the country. « Apart from the channels mentioned above, an important role in our communication mix is played by the online environment. Considering that most consumers spend an increasing amount of time online, the investments and attention given to this zone are higher. It is important for a company and particularly for its brand to be in line with the current development trends and present in all the media that have a significant impact on the consumers », continued the Bilka manager.

Gabriela Stoițer graduated two university specializations – Communication at the Faculty of Letters within the University of Bucharest and Political Science – and also holds a Master’s degree in communication from SNSPA (National School of Political Science and Public Administration).

Bilka is getting ready for investments of over EUR 20 million in the forthcoming years

The investment focus in the following years will be on the company’s vertical development, by enhancing the product range dedicated to the industrial sector, but also on its horizontal development, by targeting new sales markets.

« After completing the expansion stage related to the residential division last year, the company is now preparing a new investment budget. In this respect, we are raising at present an investment budget of Eur 20 million. » The first stage will be dedicated to the extension of the production area, the current space available being fully used. The second stage will include the purchase and installment of the equipment used in the production of corrugated metal sheets, insulated panels, industrial profiles, structural liner trays and turnkey halls dedicated to the industrial sector. (…) The company’s progress is based on a finely tuned business plan, on a future strategy that involves the development of solutions for the industrial sector, a purpose for which there is a planned budget ready to be invested. A company’s growth requires constant investments and Bilka is well aware of that. Ever since the company’s beginnings, its strategies were based on profit reinvestment in order to improve the range of products and services, but also to extend the production area mainly in connection with the residential division », added Gabriela Stoițer.

10 years after its establishment, Bilka has a new strategic plan envisaging the development of the industrial sector, because the market requires so and the company has the resources to do it.

« What I see printed on my business card 10 years from now is « . Bilka, ambitious to become a European brand

The new development plans set up the premises for another decade of sustainable growth, according to the company’s representative.

« We know what we will do in 10 years and in 20 years, as well. The answer to the question regarding how I see myself over 10 years from now is very much connected with how I see Bilka’s evolution in the next 10 years. Bilka will definitely be an important player at the regional level, as well as a reputable brand through its factories located in the European Union and also in Eastern Europe. The real challenges have yet to come. The marketing strategy for the forthcoming years follows three main directions – maintaining and enhancing public awareness of the company as a manufacturer of complete roofing systems, placing the company among the manufacturers of products dedicated to the industrial sector (insulated panels, corrugated steel sheets, turnkey halls), propelling the company’s brand at European level », stated the marketing manager of the company founded by Horatiu Țepeș, one of the youngest entrepreneurs in the local construction industry.

In the future, the largest roof manufacturer plans to run promotion campaigns abroad, in order to consolidate the Bilka brand at an international level.

« The decision to steer our marketing initiatives also towards the markets outside Romania is a confirmation of the company’s evolution and of the increasing sales volumes abroad. Not even in 10 years do I picture myself giving up what I am doing now, but I do imagine myself moving forward and using the accrued experience to make the company grow. What I see printed on my business card 10 years from now is « , stated confidently Gabriela Stoițer.

Bilka’s future plans: higher exports, a new business line, and European presence

Bilka’s future strategy will be focused on the development of the industrial sector, but also on the extension of the distribution network beyond the country borders and even the opening of a factory abroad.

« Once the investments in the residential sector are completed, the next step of the company is to develop the production regarding the industrial sector, consisting in turnkey halls for industrial zones and logistics parks – sandwich panels, high-profile corrugated steel sheets, mini-corrugated profiles, structures. The investment related to this sector will be implemented in three years and may be completed in 2020 when the new production hall is furnished and ready. (…) Another important aspect of our strategy for the following years is the increase in export sales and we already have encouraging signals in this respect. In 2016, Bilka exported complete roofing systems in the amount of RON 27 million. Export sales went up by 33% in H1, 2017, as compared to the same period of the previous year. (…) We estimate a comparable growth for the year-end, as well. We noticed the great potential in the foreign markets and a high interest in our products. This is also due to the fact that Bilka is currently the largest manufacturer of roofing systems in Eastern Europe. Given the investments made, we now have the necessary production and logistic means to become a player on the foreign markets », added the young entrepreneur.

Bilka brand is becoming more and more present on the foreign markets, in countries such as Hungary, Bulgaria, the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine, Poland, France or Germany.

Bilka representatives affirm that the roofing market increased by 5 to 10 percent year over year, exceeding for the first time last year the threshold of 32 million square meters recorded in 2008, during the real estate boom.

In terms of business plans, the company founded by Horatiu Țepeș expects to exceed Eur 100 million turnover by the end of next year.

The domestic roofing market is currently dominated by Bilka, a local company owned by the young Romanian entrepreneur Horatiu Țepeș; other companies operating in this industry are Wetterbest, Lindab, Ruukki or Viking Pruszynski.

Article published on www.wall-street.ro

After the first decade of record growth, up to revenues reaching almost RON 400 million in 2017, the entrepreneur Horaţiu Ţepeş has a clear-cut plan for the next 10 years of Bilka, a company that he wishes to pass on to the next generations.

The new plans set up the premises for sound growth also in the decade to come, including an investment budget of EUR 20 million for a new production hall and the opening of a factory abroad.

“From the very beginning, I must confess that we have no intention to give away even 1% of our company because we do not need any investment fund support or financing. Our indebtedness degree is very comfortable and we have a development plan well defined for the next 10 years for sure. Our strategy is finely tuned, we know what we have to do”, replied Horaţiu Ţepeş when asked if he considered selling Bilka, given the fact that the news of Romanian entrepreneurs selling their business developed in crisis times has been in the headlines over the last years.

However, Bilka, a metal roofing system brand originating in Brasov, is not for sale, although the company’s financial figures after a decade of activity are attractive to many investors who constantly contact the entrepreneur. Last year, the company’s net turnover amounted to RON 271 million (approx. EUR 60 million), being 41% higher versus that of the previous year; the growth in the first semester was of 54%, up to RON 147 million.

The company has been a leader in the metal roofing industry since 2012, with a market share reaching 30% last year; its indebtedness degree stands at 24.23% and the gross profit margin at 12.2%. 95% of the turnover results from the company’s own products (all the roofing system components made of pre-painted steel) and the remaining percentage results from the sale of auxiliary products (a complete roofing system also requires accessories such as attic windows, anti-condensation film, and screws, products which are sold via strategic partners).

The current area of 4.5 hectares, consisting of five production compartments totaling 29,000 square meters and offices of approximately 4,000 square meters, has become insufficient for the entrepreneur’s future plans. “Considering the current season, all these cease to be sufficient. We will definitely have to do something, particularly as concerns the development of the products dedicated to the industrial sector”, states Ţepeş, suggesting the strategic focus of Bilka for the following years.

A NEW DECADE FOR BILKA

Horaţiu Ţepeş has made time for the interview, although it is the busiest period in this industry: August and September is the peak season in terms of demand, a season which starts immediately after Easter, usually in May, and ends before the winter holidays when the demand slows down, with lower volumes in January and February. “What is different now as compared to the previous years is the optimism on the market and the future plans which are productive in all respects, considering that the construction needs in Romania are also very high”, noticed Ţepeş. In this peak season, the growth familiar to Bilka has already begun to take shape. “According to our history-based calculations, we will probably exceed RON 400 million by the end of the year, which means that we keep the 40% annual growth tradition. Although we reached high results, the market also worked in our favor – the existence of demand is a result of past investments as well.”

And still, how much room is there for growth? The entrepreneur describes a few of the criteria taken into consideration when analyzing market evolution. “There are several indicators that we monitor. For instance, pre-painted steel is our raw material; the level of the Romanian market in 2015 was of 213,000 tons and in 2016 it reached 256,000 tons. If we look at Poland, Europe’s market leader in the consumption of pre-painted steel, the market is of 900,000 tons. Thus, from calculations correlated with the population of Poland of approximately 40 million people, the resulted potential market is of 400,000 – 450,000 tons of pre-painted steel.”

As per the entrepreneur’s assumptions, pre-painted steel, which is used especially in the construction of industrial halls and metal roofs, may reach a double volume on the market within 5-7 years. He expects the demand for metal roofing in Romania to grow, the reason for which the company’s plans for the next years are shaped in that direction. And if Bilka’s investments so far have targeted mainly the residential sector, the investments of the following years will be towards the industrial sector. “We are currently preparing our budget and the investment plan related to the industrial sector, consisting of the sale of turnkey industrial halls. The budget amounts to approximately EUR 20 million and the project also includes the construction of an industrial platform of 10 hectares, the procurement of the necessary equipment and raw materials, the designation of the responsible team and market development, of course.”

At present, the manufacturing of industrial products accounts for 10% of the company’s turnover, while the remaining 90% is represented by residential products. Over time, after the consolidation of the investments made between 2014-2016 for the development of the residential division and after the implementation of the investment plan targeting the industrial division, 40% of the production will be generated by the industrial sector and 60% by the residential sector. In the view of Horaţiu Ţepeş, such maturity will be reached in 2018 as concerns the residential production and in 2022 with respect to the industrial one.

Article published in the “Business Magazin” periodical of September 2017.