World Class Standards from Hungary (Unique Needs, Unique Solutions) Piacpanoráma 2000/2 "Every informative sign is worth only as much as it contributes to the logical operation of a company or an institution", says Ferenc Winkler in this article. The company has outgrown its fourth site since it foundation in 1991, and presently operates in the 1000 m² LetterHouse, in a plant equipped with world-class machines. Sign systems are used by many public institutions, corporate enterprises, and multinational companies countrywide. These signs not only help people orient themselves, and help administration, but also provide safety orientation and a sense of comfort. The Executive Manager of Gravoform Ltd. summarises the company's activity as follows: "We sew the buttons on the coat, but we do not have the right to ruin the coat."
Gravoform Ltd. Conquers with Original Design Világgazdaság, economic daily, 23 April, 2003 Entering the EU with plastic security seals Following environmental restrictions in the European Union, the use of lead based customs security seals ceased, starting in 2004. Gravoform has spent HUF 40 million on developing and launching a plastic security seal that replaces the lead seal. The plastic seal can not be forced open or falsified, and the invention received patent protection. In this article, Márta Vaszkó also informs us that 2002 was a fruitful year not only from a financial point of view, but also because the company was awarded a Certificate of Merit of the Hungarian Quality Product Awards for the Gravoplex Sign System manufactured for the Apponyi Castle in Hőgyész.
The Secret of the LetterHouse Üzlet & Siker magazine, 2003/04 Gravoform Ltd.'s location, the LetterHouse, which has been awarded the Budapest Architecture Award, stands out from the surrounding buildings with its ambitious design. The excellent professional team and devoted management can only be complemented by a building of such high standards, by its spaciousness, and by the world class technological equipment of the workshop. In 2002 the company was awarded the Certificate of Merit of the Hungarian Quality Product Awards for the visual design and production of the orientation signs of the Apponyi Castle in Hőgyész, based on the ideas of Sales Manager Márta Vaszkó. The several-hundred-year-old Apponyi style and state-of-the-art laser engraving technology came together in Márta Vaszkó's imagination on a light green Hungarian plexiglass base material. Production was a total success, which could start only after successful negotiations with numerous authorities. In this article, Ferenc Winkler also presents his business strategy: Gravoform must stick to the highest quality. He considers the company's faithfully returning clientele a great achievement. The key to success is the complexity of the company. A security seal for money and valuables, which today enjoys patent protection in 103 countries around the world, was introduced as a new opportunity in the product portfolio.
Gravoform: We Sew Buttons on Others' Coats Plakativ, 2003/7 "The signmaker must be neat and exacting: we do not have the right to ruin the values that others have paid dearly for ", states Ferenc Winkler, Executive Manager of Gravoform Ltd., the company that has won numerous awards. Its professional reputation speaks of the main values of this small enterprise, with only twenty employees, that designs and produces laser engraved signs and security seals. These values are: innovative ideas, clear symbols in visual communication, reserved yet ergonomic designs, elegant solutions, and a refined work environment. Order is extremely important, whereas the essence is in the details. The visual culture magazine presents the life story of company founder Ferenc Winkler and Gravoform Ltd.'s history. Ferenc Winkler founded the company after the political change, and in the beginning he produced name tags for waiters and engraved cutlery for hotels. The stormy 90's brought about many changes in the business, and this is when the small company broke into the signmaking market and remained there to this day with its high-class and attractive products. Environmental awareness is an important element of their business philosophy. The company's professional team is also an outstanding asset. Ferenc Winkler emphasises that one of the main challenges of unavoidable globalisation is the confidence of mobility, for which simply acquiring languages is not sufficient. The correct interpretation of the conventional signs surrounding us is also necessary. Gravoform therefore endeavours to encourage the widespread introduction of pictograms in domestic practice for the proper information of clients, and aims that instead of confusion, people should be given the ability to easily orient themselves in any corner of the world.
Gravoform Ltd. Intends to Introduce a European Patent Világgazdaság, economic daily, 28 August, 2003 At the first World Customs Congress, held in Budapest in 2003, Gravoform presented its original design security seal product line that won the Hungarian Quality Product Award. One product of this line is accepted as a customs seal by all customs authorities worldwide, and even in Europe this product is considered a rarity. The plastic seal received patent protection in Hungary and the European Union. The demand for such seals is expected to take off after the use of lead based customs security seals ceases.
Hungarian Quality Product Awards Have Been Awarded The aim of the founders of the Hungarian Quality Product Awards is to stimulate the production of high-class Hungarian products that are competitive on the international market, and to facilitate their access to the markets. In 2003 fourteen companies were awarded for their products, among which Gravoform Ltd.'s security seal won the Hungarian Quality Product Award. The modern and inexpensive security seal satisfies all the requirements, and it also won the special award of the Hungarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The seal is extremely safe, it is impossible to tamper with it without any trace, therefore it is unfalsifiable, and the serial numbers can not be altered. Ferenc Winkler, Executive Manager of Gravoform expects an ever increasing demand, as after the disappearance of the lead seals from the market, the interest towards plastic seals is increasing, especially coming from Hungarian companies that sell excise products.
The Penman Üzlet & Siker magazine, 12 December, 2003 Gravoform's performance in 2002 earned the special award of Business and Success magazine. The stagnation of the economy this year, however, brought many difficulties for the company. Fewer government commissions have started a realignment that affects the whole market. In this context, a successful end of year was especially remarkable. "We have further strengthened customer orientation, and we've stayed on our feet by relying on our world class machine park, on the European working culture, and by using high-class base materials," is the determined opinion of Ferenc Winkler, Executive Manager of Gravoform Ltd. In a country that is very receptive to innovation, the company's original design, a plastic security seal product line, has recently received the highest honour, the Hungarian Quality Product Award, and the same product was highly praised at the first World Customs Congress.
Logo Change and Brand Update at K&H Banking Group Sign, 2005/05 In 2005, based on the Belgian KBC group's branding strategy, the business portfolio containing Hungary's second largest bank appeared with a new brand name and visual business image. KBC's several companies that are present in the Hungarian banking and insurance sector were united under the K&H brand name. K&H therefore was able to keep its name, and was consolidated with its new logo, and a more youthful and dynamic image. One of the most important manufacturers of the communication products that came with the new image was Gravoform Ltd., which took the necessary local measurements, and based on these, manufactured and assembled the indoor image products on location. The assembly process went smoothly due to perfect cooperation in all 160 retail, 19 business, and 15 leasing branches, as well as in the country-wide office network. In the interview, Executive Manager Ferenc Winkler pointed out that the country-wide image change went smoothly, and on schedule, and this is due in part to Gravoform's capacity and precision, as well as to the cooperation of the people at the different locations.
Üzlet & Siker Gala 2005 Üzlet & Siker magazine, December, 2005/10 Üzlet és Siker magazine, the devoted supporter of the small- and medium-sized business sector, announced the Business and Success Qualified Company Award in 2005, for the fourth time. The decision is made by a jury of professionals, and the competing companies are all successful Hungarian small- and medium-sized enterprises. The gala was organised in the hall of the Museum of Applied Arts, where the 18 Qualified Company Awards, and nine special prizes, were awarded in between musical and dance gala shows. In the category of production companies the special award granted to Gravoform Ltd. was received by Executive Manager, Ferenc Winkler.
A Constant Award Winner Üzlet & Siker (Business and Success) magazine, December, 2005/10. Gravoform Ltd.'s market position has been solid and their clientele has been stable ever since the establishment of the company, which started out as a family business. Almost 70 percent of their customers are recurring clients. Over the years this successful medium-sized company has been awarded many times for its achievements in the areas of innovation and product development. In 1999, the company received the Hungarian Innovation Grand Prize for developing its own inlaid signmaking technology. Both the Gravoplex Sign System (2002), and the security seal product line for money and valuables (2003) were developed within the company's own research and development section, and they both proved to be successful business investments. The praise received from Business and Success magazine in 2005 further enhances the company's professional prestige. The executive manager, in the interview given at the award ceremony, pointed out that only those small and medium-sized Hungarian enterprises that provide opportunity for the flexible adaptation of modern technologies, in addition to developing the business culture, could be competitive in Europe.
The Sailor in the Sea of Letters - The Owner of Gravoform Ltd. Figyelő magazine, 13 April, 2006 Hungary's leading economic weekly magazine, Figyelő, interviewed Gravoform's Executive Manager in the spring of 2006. "Quality must be produced, not controlled", says a sign in Gravoform Ltd.'s sign collection, and this is also how the article begins that follows the life path of Ferenc Winkler since his childhood. Winkler works as a car mechanic during secondary school, and passes his final exams while working, after which he acquires a diploma in catering. In his home town, Balatonalmádi, he has the first opportunity to demonstrate his abilities. The diligent young man soon excels in his work at the Tourist Propaganda and Press Company, where he assists in setting up the Budapest Spring Festival and the Formula-1 events. He advances in his career up to the position of deputy managing director, but after the change of regime in 1989, the company dissolves and he finds himself without a job. Someone he was helping asked him to get a shop front sign. The precision work of the engraving machine fascinated him, and in 1991 he and his siblings bought one. This is how the Gravoform Ltd. story begins, which, 15 years later, is still about quality, precision, and respect for the trade and its customers. Today Gravoform is a dominant enterprise with strong capital on the signage producing market. Its main values are innovation and the ability to renew. Ferenc Winkler has put together a professional team that meets each new challenge with devotion and a willingness to develop. This is why, despite the strong competition in the industry, Gravoform keeps developing and augmenting year by year.