Van Marcke Group, the Belgian market leader in sanitary ware and heating installations which owns Valletta-based Izola Bank, is to bring around 2,400 people to Malta by May 23 for its 16-day congress themed ‘Working together for a better future’.
The congress, the group’s fifth, serves to update architects, contractors and plumbers on the latest technology, regulations, and green solutions in heating and water treatment systems through a series of workshops and presentations.
It is also a showcase for the group’s current and future projects, underlining its commitment to pursue innovation that cares for quality of life.
It is being hosted by Mrs Carl Van Marcke who chairs the group, her son Peter and her daughter Countess Alexis d’Oultremont, Caroline Van Marcke, both executive directors.
As a fervent partner of Unicef, the Van Marcke Group has invited Belgian astronaut Frank De Winne, a Unicef ambassador, to be one of the congress’ special guests. He will urge participants to increasingly use green technologies in their trade.
Mr De Winne, who spent six months at the European Space Station in 2009, previously obtained his open water diving qualification in Malta.
Eight months in the making, the congress at the Intercontinental Hotel in St Julian’s which kicked off last Sunday, took just three days to set up after more than eight tonnes of equipment – from rigging and display booths to water and heating installations for display – were shipped to the island.
Participants and guests hail from Belgium, France, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. The first group of around 800 people left Malta yesterday after a five-day programme; a second, similarly-sized delegation begins an almost identical programme today.
One other group arrives in the next few days. Belgian newspaper and trade journalists and freelancers are accompanying each group.
Participants attend three information sessions a day and visit a sprawling trade fair featuring brands represented by 100 suppliers, including Ariston, Siemens and Loctite, besides Van Marke’s own collections. Items on display include underfloor heating solutions, rain water recycling systems, water pumps, and protective clothing.
Big Blue, the group’s own research and development arm for environmentally-friendly water and heating solutions, is also showcased. It identifies new technologies on the market and labels them under the Big Blue brand for distribution.
Several Van Marcke brands are also being exhibited. These include Intersan, a line of upmarket sanitary fixtures and accessories manufactured by the group, and a three-tiered brand proposition, Intro, Origin, and the exclusive Collection. These brands’ portfolio encompasses hundreds of products, such as water mixers and porcelain sourced for the group from all over the world by Maltese trading company GPC.
The company had an annual turnover of €30 million in 2010, a 42 per cent increase on 2009.
The congress even features its own awards ceremony for suppliers. Customers vote for products throughout the event and prizes reward innovation, environment-friendliness, design, and best exhibit.
Most afternoons are dedicated to sightseeing. Each programme ends with a gala dinner at the Mediterranean Conference Centre in Valletta.
“The event is a unique opportunity for plumbers to meet suppliers, to discuss new techniques and to understand them so they can be adapted to their own trade,” Caroline Van Marcke told The Sunday Times on Thursday.
She explained that the group has been firmly committed to its environmental responsibilities since 2000, particularly given its leadership in its sector.
That year it set up its own training college for personnel and clients with a mission to share knowledge of constantly evolving technologies received from suppliers. Last year, college staff led 48,000 hours of hands-on training to installers in Belgium, France, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg.
The group’s Rhodes congress in 2003 focused on climate change after official figures showed households were the second worst polluters, responsible for 29 per cent of total CO2 emissions (after industry’s 31 per cent) through the use of electricity, heating, and water heating.
“Van Marcke has everything to do with these functions and we felt we had to contribute to improving the situation by selling products that were energy-efficient and went about educating installers,” Mrs Van Marcke recalled. “While preparing for this year’s congress, official figures were published to show that households are now the worst polluters. With the economic crisis, industry has slowed down and pollutes less.
“The plenary session at the beginning of the congress urged installers to be aware of these developments and to stress their responsibilities.
“We have to be more social rather than capitalist in our business so that we find shared values while working together for the sake of future generations.”
The group has also pledged support to Unicef’s Wash programme which works to bring clean water, sanitation and hygiene to the world’s poorest countries, through, among other things, more intelligent use of water in developed countries.
As an example, Mrs Van Marcke said the group had urged installers to convince their clients that fashionable rain showers could be modified to use just nine litres of water per minute rather than the normal 39 litres, and still offer the same comfort.
The Van Marcke Group was established in 1929 in Kortrijk, Belgium, and has since grown to incorporate 54 industrial and commercial companies operating across Europe and in the US.
One of Europe’s top five in its sector, the Van Marcke Group, registered a turnover of €385 million in 2009 and currently has 1,600 employees. Its central warehousing unit has over 26,000 products in stock originating from 1,300 suppliers worldwide. Its distribution network boasts 128 stores selling wholesale to trade customers across the continent, including 15 in the US.
Its online business accounts for 17 per cent of total sales in Belgium alone. An additional 26 showrooms target retail and professional customers. The group also owns a transport company with 150 trucks and trailers, a packaging firm, a printer, and a travel agency.
Izola Bank plc was established in Malta in 1994, initially to act as the group’s treasury and transaction bank. In 2009, the bank’s transactions accounted for 13 per cent of all cross-border Swift transfers in Malta.
The bank’s business has evolved in the past few years to offer factoring, internet banking and card propositions to the group’s customers.
The bank came to the attention of Maltese customers and investors when it launched term deposit campaigns in 2009 and listed a five-year €9 million secured bond issue last year. Izola Bank also had its own stand within the congress exhibition.
The Van Marcke family has a long connection with Malta. Mrs Van Marcke’s late husband Carl set up an office furniture manufacturing business here in 1979 after meeting a trade delegation in Belgium. He became enamoured with the island and befriended some Maltese businessmen.
The manufacturing business has since been closed and replaced by trading company GPC, which acts as an international buyer for the group and operates its own warehouse at the Malta Freeport.
Privately, the Van Marckes spend long summer periods at their property in Malta and some of the six grandchildren have enrolled in local English language programmes.