“Our wood enriches the interior and exterior of your homes. We are here for you because wood is our world”
The Austrian JAF Group bases its business on a long tradition. The small sawmill founded by the Frischeis family and the log trade, over time, led to the development of business in Austria in several locations, as well as the internationalization and development of the JAF brand. The JAF brand is created from the initials of the names of the company’s founders, Josef and Antonia Frischeis.
What is the guiding idea of the JAF Group?
Since its inception 75 years ago, the JAF Group has become the leading wood and wood-based panel wholesaler in Central Europe. The founding family’s clear vision and a prudent approach to business have contributed to customers seeing JAF as a responsible and reliable partner that offers them quality service at all times, in addition to an extremely wide range of products which includes plywood, veneer, timber wood, melamine faced chipboard, raw plywood, MDF, compact panels for cladding and interior, decking, laminates, etc. As a result of extensive know-how and experience in working with wood, JAF today has a large number of different brands in its sales range. A large number of products certainly sets us apart from the competition. JAF’s guiding principle is to always be customer-oriented and stay close to the customer.
JAF is one of the leading distributors of board materials and timber on our market. We are, of course, not the only distributor and we respect our competitors. Healthy competition is always desirable because if there is no competition, there is no quality business.
JAF is a socially responsible company that cares for people and the environment
What sets your company apart from other companies in the same sector? Why should customers choose your products?
Our sales range, quality service and professional team show that we are a stable and reliable partner to every customer. The market has always recognized quality. Our people are our greatest asset and customers have recognized our team as reliable and professional.
JAF has been operating in Serbia since 2008, with headquarters, warehouses and processing centres in Nova Pazova. During that time, the company has built a reputation as a reliable distributor, which, along with quality, provides delivery of a wide range of products throughout Serbia and the region. The company stocks products from renowned suppliers to meet all the requirements of the furniture and construction industry.
In 2019, JAF Group opened a contemporary showroom in Novi Beograd.
JAF is a partner you can rely on at all times. In our machining centre in Nova Pazova, we offer service cutting, edging, material processing on a CNC machine, as well as services such as service of cutting, joining and pressing veneer.
Does the company follow the latest trends? How did you adapt your business to the coronavirus pandemic?
Our new, contemporary showroom in Novi Beograd has led to even better cooperation with architects and architectural studios. As an architectural engineer, I know how important it is for my colleagues to choose the latest quality materials and follow current trends. Constant investments in business, marketing, employee and market education, as well as a socially responsible business, are our greatest strengths.
The year 2020 showed us that people in this part of the world had an even better trait than the infamous spite, and that is adaptability. The onset of the COVID- 19 pandemic has brought us a changed way of doing business in every way.
2020 was a challenging year. When you are managing a company and are a team leader, you learn about risk management systems and techniques in practice and through education, but you can always rely on and follow the examples from practice. The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic has shown us that we can rely very little on examples from practice, because this was the first time that we encountered such a situation, so everything hinges on you and your assessments.
Due to the lack of historical data that can give you guidance in planning business and creating a strategy, you must rely on personal perception and invest a lot of effort into your assessment leading to the implementation of the best-case scenario. As a manager and team leader, you had to maintain normal business operations during a difficult period.
Our people are our greatest asset and customers have recognized our team as reliable and professional
How did you manage to do that?
You can always act like an ostrich and hide your head in the sand by running away from problems and waiting for them to pass. Life did not stop, and neither did work, and we didn’t have time to wait for problems to pass. Life has no replay. The biggest responsibility was on me as a manager and team leader, and I had to show by my example that I am not afraid and that we will continue to work and move forward with all the challenges.
Looking at our business now, from a two-year distance, everything sounded and looked very logical, easy and simple, but when you make decisions on a daily basis while thinking about the possibility of everything coming to a halt, then you realize that nothing was easy and simple, nor for people or for business.
How do you deal with the lack of workforce in your industry? Can a Dual Education project be helpful here?
JAF is a socially responsible company that cares for people and the environment. Regardless of the changed business conditions and the new rules imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, we decided to join the Dual Education project with the support of the Austrian Trade Department at the Austrian Embassy – Advantage Austria, and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia. The shortage of workforce in our industry, that is the furniture industry, has been noticeable for years and it is very important to involve young people in education and professional development, as well as to provide support to them.
We have wonderful cooperation with the Faculty of Architecture in Belgrade, whose students come to our company to get acquainted with our materials and use some of them for faculty subjects.
Man cannot live alone. A leader is an originator and a motivator, but no matter how good a leader you are, you have to create, motivate and develop a good team. In 2020, I told my team that a football match lasts 90 minutes plus overtime plus penalties and that there would be no setbacks and surrenders until the end. I am proud of the complete JAF Serbia team, because without their commitment, unwavering faith in victory and perseverance, we probably would not have succeeded in ending 2020 on a successful note. 2021 brought us new challenges in terms of shortage of raw material, prolonged delivery times, and exuberant growth of raw material prices throughout the year, which continued this year too. However, as I pointed out earlier, you can always act like an ostrich and hide your head in the sand and run away from problems, waiting for ’the storm’ to pass or you can adjust and move forward.
