Roca Corporacion Empresarial, a Spanish specialist in the design, production and marketing of bathrooms, ceramic tiles, heating and air conditioning products, is looking forward to capitalise on the opportunities presented by the booming construction sector in the UAE.
“Roca has a 50 year-old operational history in the Middle Eastern region. However, the escalation in construction activity, especially in Dubai has prompted us to focus our attention on further expanding its large clientele base,” says Victor Schoone, Middle East export area manager.
The sheer magnitude of construction activity in the UAE has made it the place to be in the Middle East and has opened up a plethora of opportunities, he says. “This market is huge but only the best products backed by a strong quality control system and a comprehensive distribution network would succeed in the long term. Roca can boast a strong base and is sure to maintain a sizeable share of the UAE’s market,” he points out.
Roca shares a unique relation with every market and accords special treatment to every market segment, he points out.
“Since its inception in 1917 and particularly after the organisation was transformed into a corporation in September 2002, Roca has been concentrating for satisfying customers needs by offering quality products at affordable price with a human approach through excellent relationships with our distributors and end customers,” Schoone points out.
While Roca has been targeting the architectural, construction and interior design sectors across the world, the European and Middle Eastern markets have accounted for a bulk of the company’s annual earnings.
Over a period of time, the company claims to have established itself as Europe’s largest and the world’s second largest producer of bathrooms accessories. The company is actively selling through a network of its distributors in more than 100 countries worldwide and has sales subsidiaries in all European countries, 46 production facilities in 16 different countries, 14,000 employees worldwide and an annual turnover of 1.6 billion euros ($2.15 billion).
Currently, Roca operates fully-owned production centres and sales subsidiaries in Germany, Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Bulgaria, China, France, Greece, Holland, Hong Kong, Italy, Morocco, Poland, Portugal, the UK, Spain, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Turkey and the US.
Continuous improvements in design, quality, efficiency and image have been the hallmarks of Roca’s evolution as a corporation. “While innovation and design intricacies are the two key factors Roca is focusing on, the principles of quality and reliability have also not been overlooked. We believe, the combination of all four attributes makes a perfect product and that is what has given Roca an edge over the competition,” he adds.
The corporation has opted for best designers from across the world to find the designs that reflects on style, class and convenience. Roca draws on a long list of designers who have worked together with the company in creating some of the most exquisite bathroom accessories. The list includes the names such as Ramón Benedito, Schmidt-Lackner (German) and David Chipperfield (UK), Spanish icons like Tous/Fargas/Marquina, Bernal/Isern, J Llusca, Quod, J Puig, Delta Design, Costa Design, Integral Design and Development, Ramón Benedito, Magma, CDN and international designers such as L Lepoix (Baden-Baden, Germany), R Oberson (Zurich, Switzerland), BCF (Verona, Italy), Il Menestrello (Milan, Italy), and Giugiaro Design (Torino, Italy).
Roca has recently introduced a new logo in line with the image it aims to portray in the global market.
“The last time the logo was changed was in 1987. Over the past 17 years, Roca has become one of the leaders across the globe and this fact has driven the company to redefine its strategic position to be able to cope with the challenges of the new century,” he explains.
“Roca is adding to its list of traditional values, the brand’s attractions, and next-generation concepts linked to innovation and design. In short, with the new brand Roca aims to link the company’s achievements of the past with a very promising future,” he continues.
Roca has been associated with some of the bigger names in luxury hotels all over the world including the Four Seasons, Hilton, Le Royal Meridien, Sheraton, Carlton, InterContinental, Radisson SAS, Sofitel, Novotel, Holiday Inn, Palm Beach, Hyatt Regency, Melia and Royal, Grand and Crown Prince Hotels, as well as many tower buildings and villas across the Arabian Gulf.
Roca has been the part of several royal and presidential palaces and luxury buildings in the region. It has supplied to 1,000 complete sets of its high-end luxury model – Veranda - to Dubai’s 21st Century Tower. “We are currently eyeing several upcoming projects such as The World in Dubai, and Pearl-Qatar,” Schoone concludes.
