The Japan Times WORLD EYE REPORTS SWITZERLAND
©THE JAPAN TIMES	Thursday, August 2, 2001

Success is woven with quality and creativity

Création Baumann stands for quality, modern, classical fabrics for curtaining, upholstery and wallcoverings as well as for roller blinds and vertical blinds. The company from Langenthal is renowned for its high quality products, creativity and flexibility thanks to its completely in-house production process: from yarn to the finished fabric. Amidst extremely tight competition and saturated markets, Creation Baumann has emerged as number two in the Swiss textile industry, finishing last year with a consolidated turnover of around 40.99 million dollars), up 4.8 percent from the previous year.

Création Baumann's Swiss production facilities manufacture a full range of textiles for a global clientele.

Growth for Creation Baumann has been a steady goal. Established in 1886, the company started with a workforce of just two people. Today, the firm employs 280 people, including fourth-generation descendant and chief executive Philippe Baumann.

Baumann attributes the firm's success to three factors that are deeply rooted in Switzerland: creative products, quality service, and international sales. "Creativity is something typically Swiss because having no resources here, we have been used to producing things ourselves," he explains.

"Also, Swiss people are very exact and as a result, service is very important to us. Lastly, the domestic market is so small that we have been forced to export," he adds.

Creation Baumann's textile craftsmanship ranges from light sheer fabrics to heavy upholsteries, from prints to sophisticated weaves. This ensures that the right fabric can be found for any application, not least due to the enormous spectrum of color on offer. Furthermore, production includes fabrics bearing modern and classical designs. Specifically, the company feels it leads the market in weaving textiles with an undeniably modern feel.

Creation Baumann's design teams have always been a key element in their strategy of maintaining creativity and creftsmanship in their product ranges.

The modern line, dubbed "création baumann collection", represents 85 percent of the firm's total sales. Their classical line, called "Living", makes up 15 percent of total sales. Living was launched seven years ago with the objective of penetrating traditional markets such as Italy, France, and the United States. Despite the disproportionate sales figures, Baumann is confident that the company can boost its share of the classical textile market given the growing popularity of this line. Baumann also claims that a pioneering spirit that is deeply ingrained in the company's work culture plays an important role in securing success. "It is our aim to be one of the leading creators in our field. We are successful because we are innovative. To ensure the company maintains its competitive edge, our design team always works intensively and uses all kinds of inspiration to create our unique and high quality fabrics," he points out.

With a strong commitment to excellent product quality and design, Creation Baumann has become a favoured supplier for contractors, architects, and interior designers -- as well as with private customers who purchase the company's much sought-after fabrics in leading furniture stores around the world.

A world-wide sales network and a high state of supply readiness enables items to be supplied internationally within a few days.

In Japan, Creation Baumann has maintained widespread popularity as its products are sold by the country's top department stores and retail shops. The company further enhanced its reputation when it designed and fitted the presidential suites of the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo.

Baumann is clearly pleased about the impression his company has made in Japan. "Japanese consumers are much more demanding in terms of quality and service," he explains. "I think the reason that we are successful there is because our headquarters are located here in Switzerland, and therefore we are known to provide high quality products and quality customer service to Japanese clients."

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