Carpets and doormats for total safety
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Carpets and doormats for total safety

While waiting to have direct contact with customers again and to return to the exhibition spaces of the PTE Fair, MAT.EN continues to produce carpets, some of which are perfect for keeping distance while queuing. We are told all by Engineer Giancarlo Facchini, owner and manager of the design and certification department

by Maddalena Baldini

 

The particular situation of the moment forces us to find alternative solutions: what has MAT.EN done and what is it doing?

"Our first thought was for the safety of our workers and the environment. We then offered a sanitising service for individual products purchased and offered carpets for sale to enable and encourage social distancing, an item that was especially successful after the first lockdown. Basically, it is a carpet on which footprints are printed at a distance of 100 cm, a very useful item for getting the right space between one person and the next. It is mainly used in supermarkets, big stores, exhibitions and all those places where it is not possible (or aesthetically acceptable) to mark the distances to be kept using tape".

 

What are the most popular products in this period? What's new in the catalogue?

"In a way, our items are in high demand in this situation precisely because, as there is a greater focus on hygiene and care for the environment, a doormat is seen as a vital element for cleaning and decontamination."

 

What are the strengths to be 'exploited' in the relationship between company and customer? How has this relationship changed?

"We are now faced with customers who are more aware and careful with their purchases. The fact that we are a specific, specialised Italian company with almost forty years' experience allows us to respond competently to customer requests. We are certain that, today, know-how and reliability are decisive and give a certain security to our buyers.

During the first lockdown we did a complete overhaul of our website: it is now more technical, comprehensive, more understandable and easier to consult; we have turned it into an effective sales and training tool. For the latter, we organise training or discussion webinars with our sales network and we try to be always present with our partners by phone and video calls. At this time we need our humanity and we want MAT.EN to remain a company based on human relations".

 

We look forward with 'hope' to the second half of 2021: what value will the PTE fair give a company like MAT.EN after these complex months?

"We hope that the PTE Fair can mark the time of return to a 'new normal', bringing back the value of meetings and contact with people. We hope that it can coincide with the restart of an economy that is not only sectoral and that it can give way to many challenges and much cooperation: this period, sad and difficult, must become an opportunity to be exploited for a rebirth and to give opportunities to all".

 

Opening image: Giancarlo and Luca Facchini, the two brothers at the helm of the company