Flavio Maluf is a Brazilian businessman, born on December 2, 1961, in the city of São Paulo (SP), and current president of the Eucatex Group — one of the largest producers of flooring, partitions, doors, MDP, and MDF panels for the furniture industry, wood fiber sheets and paints and varnishes for the construction market in Brazil.
It has been more than two decades since Flavio Maluf assumed the highest position of Eucatex (still in 1997), but to reach the presidency, it was long years of study, effort, and dedication. The executive graduated in Mechanical Engineering from Fundação Armando Álvares Penteado (FAAP), in the city of São Paulo, in 1985. After that, during the year of 1986, he lived abroad, in New York, in the United States, to work and take quick courses in universities with the New York State Univercity (NYU).
However, Flavio Maluf’s career began in 1979 in the agricultural part of the family, and, after returning from the United States in late 1986 and early 1987, he also began working at Eucatex in the export and import area of the group. Then, in 1989, he started working in the industrial area of the business with the director, where he was responsible for the design and construction of two new factories, one for real estate paints and another for MDP panels, in a total investment of US$ 200.00 million, and in this project, he remained until the end of 1996. At the end of 1996, the executive Roberto Maluf, Flavio’s uncle, who was the current president of Eucatex at the time, retired, passing the position of Executive President to Flavio Maluf in 1997, a position in which he remains to this day. Since that time, the annual turnover of the group has grown more than 20 times.
Since then, the executive has opted for a model of management based on innovation and practicality of installation and use of new products, as well as having focused on keeping up with market trends.
Currently, Eucatex — founded in 1951 and therefore with more than seven decades of history — meets the main demands of furniture manufacturers and large construction companies not only in the country but also abroad (with exports to more than 40 countries). The group has more than three thousand employees, distributed in five modern fabrics throughout Brazil. In addition, the group has three regional offices nationwide and a wholly-owned subsidiary in the United States based in Atlanta, Georgia.
“Genuinely Brazilian, the Eucatex Group is one of the only ones in the market to present a wide variety of items for the civil construction, furniture industry, and wood resale”, emphasizes the company’s official website. ”Always concerned about the consumer and the environment, the Eucatex Group is known for developing products that offer practical and creative options, based on research, with cutting-edge technology and respect for the environment”, adds the text.
Also, according to the company’s website, Eucatex “knew how to keep up with the demands of a new time: it was a pioneer in Latin America in installing a wood recycling line” being supplied with wood waste from more than 100 industries within a radius of 70 km from the Salto unit, and always made sure to obtain the necessary certificates within the field of operation.
Where did the idea for Eucatex come from?
The idea came from my great-grandfather Salim who had one of the largest sawmills in Latin America. The mill was originally founded in 1940. In the 60’s my uncle and father decided to use the sawmill forests to make a wood fiber lining industry. The name Eucatex came from Eucalyptus which is the wood that the company uses in the manufacture of its slabs for furniture industry needs, and civil construction products.
What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive
A normal day starts at 8:45 am to about 6:30 pm in the office, four times a week. I always have a very orderly agenda with weekly meetings with all areas of the company. Then one day a week I visit a group factory to keep in touch with the production. Twice a week I do aerobic exercises at the gym at 7:00 am and on weekends I go on a Track Bike.
How do you bring ideas to life?
The ideas come from reading magazines from the sectors that we work, from the internet, or visiting the points of sale looking at related products. Then we discuss them with the team to see which of them we carry forward..
What’s one trend that excites you?
The evolution of technology companies and online services, and how you can use them in your business is something that catches my attention.
What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?
When I’m not at the office, I look everywhere for something different. Over the weekend, when I’m surfing the internet, I’m also looking for something that helps me to relax, But at the same time, for ideas that I can apply at work.
What advice would you give your younger self?
If I could go back in time, I think I would have looked at more business outside my family field. The customs are changing at a speed that there is no more branch that is not in constant transformation and rapid evolution.
Tell us something that’s true that almost nobody agrees with you on.
It is possible to grow your business at expressive rates even when you are already market leader in the segments of your expertise.
As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?
Dedicate yourself and seek perfection in what you do.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business?
Every consumer of a particular product always seeks novelty. The key is to try to anticipate trends. Eucatex was the first company in the world in the early 2000s to offer environmentally-friendly products to American Home Depot chains and to have their products certified by them. To this day, we are a relevant supplier in our segment to them.
What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?
The failure rate is directly proportional to its growth ambition. There were several products released over the years that did not work, but some did and the balance was and is positive. Recognizing your limitations is more important than recognizing your abilities.
What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?
Products that remember that natural and environmentally friendly are on the rise in all business areas. This is the way forward with almost all production.
What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?
The $ 100.00 better spent I do not know, but from $ 100,000.00 upwards I have several examples in the industry.
What is one piece of software or a web service that helps you be productive? How do you use it?
The Qlikview program of management reports. Use to analyze business performance.
Key Learnings:
• An orderly day is a necessity for remaining focused at work, but also ensuring that every aspect of your business is addressed every week.
• You must be prepared to fail if you want to succeed. Anybody with a reasonable amount of success is going to encounter failure on a regular basis.
• Anticipating trends is key to remaining successful in a consumer based industry. Staying on top of what the customer will want is vital to ensuring you can deliver in demand products, as demand evolves.
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Steve (Stefan) Junge hails from Germany and helps with the day-to-day publishing of interviews on IdeaMensch. While he and Mario don’t share a favorite soccer club, their enthusiasm to help entrepreneurs is a shared passion.