Wolf Tales 2018 annual issue

WOLF TALES AUTUMN-WINTER 2018

WG DIGITAL MARKETING

SEBASTIAN CARSTOIU Believes in the power of e-commerce

OXIME OR ALKOXY? PLASTERSEAL NEW PRODUCTS

NEW LEADERS OF THE WOLF PACK

2

WOLF TALES

A YEAR OF TESTING THE LIMITS If you could compare the development of a company to the construction of a building, this would be a fairly unusual house.

It definitely isn’t functional and minimalist; rather, judging from the age and size of the company, it is an eclectic bundle. At first, only the essential systems and spaces for living are built. As the family grows, new rooms are added for both, practical purposes and pleasant leisure time activities. In the meantime, you might buy a piece of adjacent land from the neighbour.

As life gets better, increasingly fancy components are added. And why not, if a person can afford it, people do tend to want to move up from an apartment to a house and then to a larger house or better neighbourhood.

After years of this kind of eclectic de-

velopment, it becomes evident that not everything is essential, but some of it is a burden or in danger of crumbling. There’s a big roof, big windows with spacious views, but a part of the foundation is missing, or an intermediate storey. Or the insulation was omitted and heating costs start jeopardizing the family budget in winter.

How much effort do we really want to expend every day on design and furnishing and how annoying it is to have to solve problems caused by a leaking roof or rotting floor!

Are we capable of noticing where the problems come from and how to resolve them? Sometimes you have to demolish something for the rest of the house to be stable. But it isn’t an easy decision – the old has become dear, it’s hard to give it up and so we try to fix the rotting logs with a new coat of paint.

Wolf Group is precisely this kind of a house. The old and decaying parts need a proper full renovation, and some elements have to be removed, too. We need to give up the illusions that we are able to maintain and sustain everything we have amassed over time. Our long-held convictions have to be questioned and the fundamental truths reinforced. Is there a foundation in the first place, and will it bear the load? Will the roof hold in winter or only in summer. There are many old habits and it’s difficult to break them.

Reality can be so terrifying that there is a temptation to deny problems and deal with issues that are more within one’s power, such as washing dishes.

Krimelte is starting its 25th year of activity, while Olivé will soon turn 45. It’s time to leave the comfort zone and train a critical eye on our foundations, walls and roofs, and even chimneys, as to where they are. What am I, a load-bearing structure or a decoration?

Jaan Puusaag, founder, Wolf Group / Krimelte

WOLF GROUP VALUES 1. COOPERATION. Our strength lies in cooperation, loyalty and partnership. We do our best to make our employees, partners, clients, and users of our products feel they belong to our wolf pack.

2. THERE IS ALWAYS A SOLUTION. Nature does not forgive errors. Good quality in everything is vital for us. The wolf is a survivor, there is always a solution, there is always a way out, never give up.

3. HUNT IS OUR DNA. The wolf is a perfect hunter, the hunt is in our DNA. We hunt for survival, for gaining strength and for growth of our wolf pack.

4. SKY IS THE LIMIT. Successful hunt requires courage and brightness - in open landscapes our feeding grounds can cover more than a thousand square kilometres.

5. IT MUST BE FUN. Joy is an essential part in successful hunt. Wolf shares its prey with the pack and enjoys life.

6. WE TAKE GOOD CARE. Wolf Group regards the environment that should be treated with respect.

7. THE TRUE WOLF LEAVES A TRACE.

AUTUMN-WINTER 2018

NEWS

WOLF GROUP’S E-ACADEMY

TRADE FAIRS AS MEETING PLACES FOR PROFESSIONALS

Wolf Group’s e-Academy is an intragroup video environment where the most important presentations and sales case analyses can be found. It is the brainchild of the former Member of the Board of Wolf Group / Krimelte, Alar Salum, whose vision was that all of the video presentations related to the products, brand or group values should be available in a single place online. It is a modern database that helps company employees raise their competence even further.

The busy time of the year for construction fairs started with the Expocadena in Madrid, where Olivé Química was among the exhibitors. Both Olivé and PENOSIL EasyPRO products were featured. This fair is aimed at clients and affiliates of the construction and retail company EHLIS. The Baltic fairs in Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania focused on the PENOSIL SpeedFix line, sealing tapes and self-expanding tapes, as well as energy-efficient

3

solutions for window installation. In the last quarter of the year, Olivé Química will be taking part in VETECO, which is Spain’s most important fair for producers and installers of glass facades and aluminium doors and windows.

NEW MILESTONES FOR COMPANY SPORTS For years now, Wolf Group / Krimelte has been encouraging employees to lead healthy lifestyles and participate in amateur sports. This year two new exercise bikes were bought for the Krimelte headquarters so that employees could work out before or after the working day or just take time out for a bit at lunch. The 12-member Krimelte football team, dressed in PENOSIL colours, competed for the first time at the Estonian corporate football competition among 52 teams.

A ROLE MODEL IN IMPLEMENTING BUSINESS SOFTWARE

THE MOST IMPORTANT ADHESIVE DEVELOPMENT OF THE YEAR

Leading oil shale and chemicals producer Viru Keemia Grupp (VKG) visited Wolf Group to learn and exchange experiences at the managerial level regarding how to implement business software effectively in the manufacturing process. VKG is currently choosing an ERP solution and information systems consultant Jano Kahr was on hand to give them an overview of the systems in use at Wolf Group.

One ERP product, for example, is the MS Dynamics AX, connecting 12 companies, four manufacturing operations, 10 countries and 200+ users at Wolf Group. In addition, third-party programmes are also integrated with the software.

A novel series of adhesives called SpeedFix was launched under the PENOSIL brand. The products were developed to meet consumers’ desires for adhesive products with more user convenience. The SpeedFix line of products is characterized by fast adhesion and a strong bond, with a clear indication of its applications. As a result, the entire gluing process is simple, fast and clean. There are nine products in the line: a multipurpose adhesive for interior work, a hybrid adhesive specially designed for outdoor use, an acoustic and decorative tile adhesive, a universal foam adhesive, two transparent glues, a mirror adhesive, etc.

4

PERSON

WOLF TALES

SEBASTIAN CARSTOIU

believes in the power of e-commerce Penosil SRL Country Manager Sebastian Carstoiu is working to position PENOSIL in Romania as a professional, innovative and cool brand.

PERSON

AUTUMN-WINTER 2018

Sebastian has been in sales for 16 years now. His first experience in the area came with Coca-Cola and Nestlé products. Before he took the post of Penosil SRL Country Manager 5 years ago, he held a sales management position at the Norwegian industrial paints manufacturer Jotun and the Romanian branch of the Saint-Gobain construction products group.

I want to encourage people to take action and I try to do this without embellishing reality,” he says. Sebastian sees the blog as having major potential as an environment where people in the naked sales community could talk shop and discover new perspectives in the field of sales.

The power of storytelling

Sebastian prefaces his comments about the Romanian market by saying that PENOSIL has been there for 11 years compared to 20-25 years for his competitors.

As a result they have to make up for the long head start the other brands had in regard to key clients. “Precisely this is our main test: how to grab the best seats in the house even though those who arrived first would appear to be set for life?”

Sebastian says that broadly speaking there are two approaches to the situation.

You can just get in line and hope that the old players will “retire” at some point. But there is also another route – the one that Wolf Group chose: to approach from the top, positioning one’s company right from the beginning as a leader of an international calibre. Introducing unique and innovative products and solutions through online marketing and social media, and showing your clients that PENOSIL is a happening, cool brand. In other words, you go where the people are today – on the internet.

Sebastian says that feedback on his blog posts gives him valuable information about Romanian consumers – what they like or don’t like and how the internet affects their preferences. Secondly, blogging helps him better understand social media algorithms, which is also a big help when it comes to digital marketing for PENOSIL. “Blogging has forced me to do more background and fact checks, consider different perspectives and follow trends – it trains and educates me,” he says.

As to the digital marketing of PENOSIL in particular, Sebastian stresses the importance of storytelling. “We use the power of storytelling in our Facebook posts, we add clever humour and inspirational photographs to our ads to keep the reader hooked. In this manner, our posts become a great way to share ideas, with the PENOSIL logo or product being advertised reaching internet users naturally without seeming intrusive.” He adds that thanks to Facebook, visits to the website have increased, and this gave impetus to take their business in the direction of online retail.

A hobby that gives the right sense

An online sales pioneer

When the front ranks are filled

Sebastian came to know the online world better thanks to a hobby of his – blogging.

It started about three years ago when he found himself waiting all night at an airport for a morning flight. Instead of trying to sleep on an uncomfortable seat, he decided to write something. That was the start of the blog Hoinar De Regie Veche, which is connected to a Facebook page that now has over 6,000 followers.

In that blog, Sebastian writes of everyday matters through the prism of metaphors and humour, posts illuminating pictures and opinions on topical issues, but in a second blog meant for sales people that he started a year ago, Naked Sales, he focuses on the nitty-gritty of business and sales. “The internet is full of know-italls and experts, but very few people talk about real life and strategic action, not just about strategic planning and thinking.

5

A half year ago, Penosil SRL opened an online store at www.penosil.ro, thus becoming the first Wolf Group company to do so, as well as the first in the field in Romania, where no competitors that sell joint sealants had an online retail operation. Online retail is developing rapidly in Romania, having grown nearly 30% in recent years.

“An online store is not only a way to sell products; it can also offer know-how, instructables and the best customer service.

We develop a direct rapport with the client, we can ask them questions, offer recommendations and share experiences,” says Sebastian. Although they also work closely with Romania’s influential online marketplace leader eMag, the advantage of having our proprietary e-store is the chance to sell the entire PENOSIL product line nationwide. The main target group to whom penosil.ro is aimed consists of home build-

During his time off, Sebastian is very familyoriented, and likes to spend as much time as possible with his wife and sons, Alexandru 7 and Rares 5.

ers, architects, interior architects, and door and window installers.

The Wolf has a special spirit

Sebastian enjoys the work culture and atmosphere at Wolf Group, a reasonable amount of independence and real-time access to all of the necessary tools. The spirit of the WG, he says, is a special mix of the finest components of corporatism – professionalism, structure and corporate culture, and on the other hand, the advantages typical to a family business, such as joy, caring, flexibility, the human touch and refraining from rigidity. “It’s an amazing combination that is very hard to achieve,” says Sebastian. “I have a great appreciation for how the top executives have managed to preserve this spirit, even while the company has become global and has quite complex business flow."

It’s the independence he has experienced here that has also proved to be the best trainer and development coach.

It has given him the chance to study, experiment, learn from the progress and errors. Alongside all of that, Sebastian has a high regard for the joint team meetings where, he says, they offer each other support and inspiration and share their positive experiences.

6

WOLF TALES

INSIGHT

NEW LEADERS OF THE WOLF PACK As spring turned to summer, new top executives filled key positions at Wolf Group.

INTERVIEW: MONIKA KELLE PHOTOS: MATS SOOMRE, PRIVATE COLLECTION

people and objectives everywhere, but at the same time every company is unique.

My desire is to make WG into a company that is not as vulnerable to external changes, including market shifts, and ensure that employees continue to be motivated to work here. Serving the company’s employees is exciting for me, it’s my hobby, too.

Does it ever happen up in a Chairman’s work that everything goes swimmingly at the company and there’s not a single serious problem to solve?

PEETER TOHVER, CHAIRMAN OF BOARD Chairman of the Board of the Wolf Group (WG) Peeter Tohver has 30 years of management experience in Estonia and abroad.

In recent years, he has been associated with the management service provider Velström Vallner Tohver as a partner, and serves as Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Nordic Aviation Group. Before that, Peeter was the Head of Eastern European operations for G4S, adviser to a Moscow transport official, Deputy Secretary General of the Estonian Economic Affairs Ministry and the Chairman of the Management Board of the Tallinna Kaubamaja department store.

How did your path cross with that of Wolf Group? What sort of challenge does the work offer and what

do you see in the group’s future?

My first contact with Wolf Group was thanks to Alar Salum, when our company was discussing cooperation in the field of management in the rapidly growing Wolf Group. It didn’t lead to further cooperation that time, but the contact was maintained.

It’s believed that people who have been running large organizations with complicated structures for years wouldn’t be enthusiastic and committed to one specific company. That is why eyes turn to people who are just starting to climb the career ladder. But actually, if you have experience under your belt, then you can choose interesting assignments and, in each job, sense precisely how you can contribute.

Although I didn’t know anything much about WG and I am at present getting to know the field, the principles of management from one company to the next are relatively similar. There are processes,

If a CEO gets the feeling that everything is going smoothly at a company, it’s time to let that executive go. There have been times where I had that sense. In 1993, when I worked for the economic affairs ministry, we were forging a new country, dealing with setting up the ministry, establishing policies and procedures and changing paradigm that the ministry exists to serve businesses. There I did get the sense that we were real “players”. At one meeting, I had to talk to Swedes about Estonia’s economic climate. I thought I was such a big guy that I would talk from the hip without preparing. Afterwards I was pretty embarrassed.

At G4S things went well, and still are going well, and it was my decision to leave, as I didn’t have anything more to give to that company. So I tracked myself down and let myself go.

Estonian or foreign owner – which option is more suitable for you?

There’s quite a big difference whether the owner is in Estonia or abroad. The framework for decision-making at an interna-

AUTUMN-WINTER 2018

tional, publicly traded company is in place and your hands are tied. You can’t make strategic decisions with a local team.

Yet if the firm is headquartered in, say, London, your local company isn’t so important in the big scheme of things and you have much more leeway in a given field.

The owners of WG are accessible all the time; here, it’s possible to make big transformative decisions faster and more flexibly. But if we want to grow and go public, we might face the same problem as in the example I just mentioned. Right now as well, the decision-making pyramid is perhaps too high, it has to be lowered.

People have to take more responsibility.

Your recommendation to WG staff for finding motivation and energy to get going at difficult moments when they’re swamped with work?

I find that most of the people working for WG have a great appetite for work and are motivated. Sure, incipient changes make people anxious – they worry about what will happen. I hope there are now less fears like that and in a half a year from now, even fewer. Keeping motivation strong is difficult during a time of changes, certainly. People who can’t find their place or think they are smarter than the rest, who aren’t happy here or see more negatives, they have to leave.

I think people could try to be happy at work and find solutions even when the going gets tough. Do not expect someone else to come and solve problems for you.

At the same time, people could plan their days and try to find more time to rest. If necessary, force themselves to take time out.

I have trained myself to be a manager of people and processes. The older I get, the more I do what I know how to do and what I don’t know how to do, I delegate. One of my leadership principles is that I have to be surrounded by people who know things better, who know more than I do.

Do you have any interesting hobbies?

I like sport in all its forms and other things that people have always loved: reading, travelling, mowing the lawn, pruning (apple) trees, picking and eating blackcurrants with both hands, mushroom gathering.

Everything that isn’t related to work.

INSIGHT

7

to identify, articulate the problems and bottlenecks for yourself and then get busy resolving them. As in every company, there are always areas for improvement and it’s a normal part of the development.

What are the trends or developments in the financial sector?

Eddi with his children, Kirke and Karl

EDDI JOOST, FINANCE DIRECTOR OF WG For the last 20 years, Finance Director Eddi Joost has been working in leading positions in banking and financial advisory and been on the board of a manufacturing company.

As a finance director, is there a difference in terms of which field of company to work for?

Manufacturing, retail or financial services have their own specific aspects. It’s not like you go from one company to another and keep on doing the same thing and succeed in everything right away. You have to understand the particularities of the sector and the company. I was aided by my previous work experience in different financial, manufacturing and retail companies.

Is the area of activity of Wolf Group and the large number of subsidiaries something that makes the work more complicated?

Seen from a distance, WG might seem fragmented, but actually the group is logically structured. The subsidiaries are more of a challenge. Risks stemming from cultural differences, language barriers and mutual understanding and national regulations and the specifics of the work all have to be mitigated. You have to get everyone working as part of the team. The sense of working as a team, motivation and setting a common direction for everyone is very important.

The strategic position of the parent company is very strong, but the development of the subsidiaries acquired in the last four years needs more work. You need

The new trends in finance are closely connected with the rapid development of the IT. Metadata and data streams are massive and they have to be “translated” into more comprehensible language to be a good basis for decision-making. Managing IT and data makes for constant challenges and development opportunities.

Is there good teamwork and communication between different departments at Wolf Group, in your opinion?

Exchange of information is of key importance in any organization, to get it to function optimally and smoothly and moving in one direction. In my opinion, exchange of information works well at WG, I am up to date with the information I need to do my job.

I like that our company has its definite values and the company operates based on those values. People are encouraged to take the initiative and carry things out.

As we have grown to be a large international company, assigning uniform strategic directions to all organization and sending out communication messages are today the biggest challenges.

How do you cope with a heavy workload and how do you recharge when you’re not at work?

I don’t operate according to free time but rather to my energy level. If body and spirit need to recharge, you have to take time for that. Time planning is a skill that has to be learned. Quite often I get out my to-do list and triage the activities, categorizing them as “important and urgent “, “important “, “not as important “, “plenty of time “ and so on. It is also important to delegate and trust the colleagues.

In my free time, I like sports, nature, culture and travelling. My hobbies are tennis and the triathlon. (Eddi entered the Ironman Tallinn 2018, and swam 3.8 km, cycled 180 km and ran 42.2 km - ed.). I go to concerts and the theatre more often than average.

Family trips are also a good way of getting inspiration and resting my mind.

8

BRAND BRAND

WOLF TALES

DIGITAL MARKETING HAS ITS FACE TURNED TO THE CLIENT Digital marketing has increasing importance in every company’s toolbox, as it is the most effective route to reaching potential clients anywhere in the world. Wolf Group mainly focuses on development of corporate and brand websites, intranet, social media, video content, SEO and analytics.

TEXT: MONIKA KELLE PHOTOS: WOLF GROUP The digital marketing field is undergoing extremely rapid changes. The lifetime of web applications and design concepts keeps on becoming shorter and today’s strategies and platforms may be obsolete a few years from now. Consumers won’t cling to existing habits but will readily embrace new environments and technologies and want feedback in real time. In addition, people’s decisions are increasingly emotion-driven, which also explains the suc-

cess of entertainment-oriented Facebook posts and YouTube videos. The function of marketing is to be in the right place at the right time, offering up to date messages, making brands better-known, engaging clients, generating traffic in different channels and gauging activities for maximizing benefit from the investments.

Statistics on digital channels can give companies a good overview of their target groups and people’s habits, which can vary

greatly from one channel to the next. The information can be used to set more precise goals and create offers geared to target groups.

Behind the scenes web development activity has immense impact To survive on the internet, it’s vital to keep up with search engine optimization (SEO) trends and pay attention to the quality of search results. “Before we worked on

AUTUMN-WINTER 2018

our SEO, a Google search yielded only penosil.com, but didn’t turn up the EasyPRO site. Why? One reason was that both pages were on the same domain and Google considered them the same. Other important point is that people look for answers to their questions or problems using keywords or phrases, and EasyPRO products didn’t appear high in the rankings this way,” says Krimelte’s digital marketing project manager Kätlin Tüksammel, describing where they started from.

“The first step for us was to change over to a new domain name, penosileasypro.com. Then, we got together with our subsidiaries’ marketing people and started going through the work to be done on our site: putting together metadata and marketing messages, sifting through the most popular keywords and fine-tuning the style and structure of the copy for each product,” says Tüksammel.

“By adding additional necessary SEO steps, we have risen significantly in the Google results and we can enjoy a better position in keyword search,” she says.

Appearing first in search results is a huge competitive edge. Marketers even have a saying: if you want to hide a body, put it on the second page of Google results, because no one will look for it there.

Optimizing a website is a big job and keeping up to date with all of the changes requires true commitment. Getting results takes time and they don’t last forever because competitors don’t sleep either.

Measure nine times, cut once

For more than a year now, the marketing department has compiled and shared with subsidiaries quarterly website sta-

BRAND

tistics for the Penosil Premium and EasyPRO pages. “Analytics is a good yardstick for both marketing and sales for gauging how much visitor traffic pages get and how people find their way to us, even what day of the week or time of day people visit us on what devices,” says Tüksammel.

Across all countries, Penosil Premium gets more than 80,000 unique hits per year and the average time visitors spend on the page is around 2.5 minutes. The most viewed categories are gun foams, adhesives and silicones. The rise of adhesives to the second spot is a good reflection on the SpeedFix construction adhesives launch campaign, which got people‘s attention.

Unique visitors to EasyPRO have grown by 3000-4000 sessions since a year ago.

One important innovation is the fact that Penosil user videos on the Masters Club website have moved to the Penosil Official channel on YouTube. We have collected all of our own videos there and most are available in three languages.

Penosil’s YouTube channel has 3,928 followers and the 136 videos have been viewed a total of 2.5 million times. The main source countries have been India, Russia, Ukraine, the US and Estonia.

The new and improved Wolf Group website

A major development project in 2018 has been the makeover of the Wolf Group website. Project leader Anneli Kulver, the group’s brand manager, notes that WG is an international company that offers the best sealants and adhesives worldwide, and that is something that has to be apparent in the corporate website. “WG’s manufacturing capability, portfolio of products and systems, brand architecture and innovation are the main topics our target group, such as distributors, private label clients, suppliers, strategic partners or potential employees look for online,” says Kulver. The project involves moving

9

wolfgroupweb.com to a new platform and creating a more secure, functional, modern design and user-friendly website that is compatible with different devices and optimised for search engines.

The development of the WG website also encompasses all of the plants’ websites, which are linked to from wolfgroupweb.com. In the sense of the volume of work, it’s like a nested series of dolls – every smaller step becomes bigger until the final result, which is the corporate website connecting all brands and manufacturing units.

Olivé’s brand page helps increase sales

While the WG website is still brand-new and the user verdict is not in yet, the page for the Olivé brand was launched almost a year ago and has been received well by the sales team and clients.

Olive-systems.com mirrors the Olivé Green Building product and packaging concept and is aimed at professional builders, architects, project managers and industry clients. Olivé Química marketing director Daniel M. Da Costa notes that navigation on the site is very simple and both existing and new customers can find all of their information in one place easily. “They can check out who we are, what products we sell, find information about systems, use convenient online tools, read the blog, and more.”

Kulver from the Krimelte marketing department, who led this project in cooperation with Spanish web agency Quality Studio and Olivé Química headquarters, adds that besides embodying the brand’s values and displaying the product selection, it was a challenge to make the technical documentation for the products available by also making sure that the updates and improvements were also shown in real time on the web. Da Costa says they constantly get feedback from sales people and clients and are prepared to supplement and add information on a daily basis, if needed.

Da Costa says that in fact the most complicated part of the job is that the website is never finished. “You have to find solutions that would meet every department’s needs, yet also align with what consumers expect. Kulver adds that everything so far has succeeded. “It has been gratifying to have colleagues and partners who are professionals with broad knowledge and experience.”

1 0 NEW PRODUCTS

WOLF TALES

PRODUCT S(H)ELFIE During the last year, the Wolf Group’s R&D and product management teams have been hard at work developing the SpeedFix adhesive product line. The addition of the first foam adhesive to the Olivé product line and the launch of a sprayable foam, for which a special nozzle was designed, are just as important landmark events.

TEXT: PRODUCT MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT

SEALANTS AND PU-FOAMS PENOSIL Premium SilAcryl Exterior & Interior A high-quality acrylic sealant, suitable for joints where a traditional acrylic sealant may fail. It has better movement capability (±12.5%) and elasticity than regular acrylics, while still being easy and convenient to handle. Suitable for indoor and outdoor connection joints before finishing works and painting.

PENOSIL Premium Floor Joint Hybrid 25HM High movement capability and high modulus hybrid sealant for sealing indoor floor joints. The product has almost no shrinkage, is permanently elastic and doesn´t contain solvents or isocyanates.

Applications include shrinking control joints, sealing of indoor concrete floors, sealing joints of stairs and balconies.

PENOSIL Premium Insulation Foam Insulation foam with special application nozzle for thermal and acoustic insulation of buildings, vehicles, vessels and uneven surfaces. Quick and easy application with the nozzle. The cured foam has very good thermal and sound insulation properties and excellent adhesion to all common building materials.

ADHESIVES Olivé A-45 A universal polyurethane foam adhesive ideal for construction work both, indoors and outdoors. It has excellent adhesion properties and thermal insulation, low curing pressure and low expansion. Adheres to most materials.

NEW PRODUCTS 1 1

AUTUMN-WINTER 2018

PENOSIL Premium SpeedFix All Exterior 777 General-purpose high-tack adhesive sealant for exterior use. It has strong initial bonding and very good adherence to most substrates. Suitable for moist surfaces, doesn´t cause corrosion on metals. UVand weather-resistant, paintable, doesn´t shrink during the curing process and doesn´t contain harmful components.

PENOSIL Premium SpeedFix Hybrid Crystal 799 General-purpose hybrid polymer-based transparent adhesive for bonding and sealing various materials. Suitable even for moist substrates, doesn´t cause corrosion on metals. Easy to use and finish.

Adhesive sealant stays elastic after curing. UV- and weather-resistant, paintable, doesn´t shrink during the curing process and doesn’t contain harmful ingredients.

PENOSIL Premium SpeedFix Clear 909 Transparent mounting adhesive with high initial strength, able to fill and bond a wide range of substrates with very high speed. Easy to use, super-fast and strong bonding indoors and outdoors. Ideal for all kinds of bonding applications in the construction industry. For connecting floor, plinth and other fillets, panels, profiles, etc.

PENOSIL Premium SpeedFix Mirror 936 High-quality single-component ready-touse synthetic-rubber-based mirror adhesive. Immediate strong adhesion, doesn´t run on vertical surfaces. Cures after the solvent has vaporised, thereby forming a strong, lasting and durable connection.

Used for installing mirrors and stained glass on most surfaces.

PENOSIL Premium Wall&Floor ParquetFix 749 Silane-modified polymer-based ready-foruse single-component parquet adhesive packed in 3x5 kg foil bag, has shelf life of 24 months. The adhesive is moisture-curing and forms elastic connection that reduces the shear stress between the parquet and substrate, thereby compensating the expansion and shrinkage of wood. At the same time, it ensures optimum step noise insulation and reduces the room noise by up to 13 dB, depending on the parquet type.

CAULKING MATERIALS PENOSIL Window Tape Full Glue+1 External Joint tape whose one side is covered with full glue and the other - with an acrylic glue strip, to cover window and door joints from outside. Allows water vapour diffusion from inside to outside. Protects the joint and building structure from precipitation and wind. Excellent adhesion to all common materials.

PENOSIL Window Tape Full Glue+1 Internal Elastic vapour barrier tape whose one side is covered with full glue and other - with an acrylic glue strip, to cover window and door joints from inside to outside. Prevents penetration of water vapour into the construction foam and wall structure. Ensures airtightness. Excellent adhesion to all common materials.

1 2 FOCUS

WOLF TALES

OXIME OR ALKOXY? YOU DECIDE. Due to the increasing focus on environmental issues and new VOC regulations, as well as commodity price increases, alkoxy silicones are in the spotlight. But smart sales strategy cannot neglect oximes, because in certain applications they are irreplaceable.

TEXT: KULDAR KONGO, JOSE MARIA MARTINEZ

Single-component oxime and alkoxy silicones are neutral-cure silicones, which rely on exposure to atmospheric moisture to produce a durable and flexible seal.

Although there are many similarities between those two curing systems, there are also some important differences that should be considered before preferring one system to another.

Odour or not, that’s the question

The main differences between oxime and alkoxy silicones emerge during the curing process. Oxime silicones are typically fast curing, whereas alkoxies cure more slowly.

The length of curing time can’t be considered either advantageous or disadvantageous – it comes down to the exact application and customer’s expectation. Another difference is the by-product released during the curing process. While curing, alkoxies

OXIME

ALKOXY

CURING PROPERTIES

++

+

EMISSION OF HARMFUL SUBSTANCES

-↓

++

ODOUR

+

++

CERTIFICATIONS AND CE APPROVALS

++

++

EMISSION “GREEN” LABELS

+

++↑

STORAGE STABILITY

++↑

+↓

SHRINKAGE (depending on the formulation)

+

++

ELASTICITY

++↑

++↑

THERMAL STABILITY

++

++

ADHESION PERFORMANCES (depending on the substrate)

++↑

++

USE IN CONSTRUCTION

++

++

USE IN ELECTRONICS

-↓

++

WEATHERING, AGEING AND UV-RESISTANCE

++↑

++↑

RISK OF YELLOWING

+

+↓

PAINTABILITY

↓

↓

FOCUS 1 3

AUTUMN-WINTER 2018

release methanol or ethanol, which is basically odourless; however, oximes release small quantities of a hazardous substance called “Methylethylketoxime” (MEKO), which has a specific smell. Here the alkoxy silicones have the clear advantage since no safety labelling pictograms are needed on the product label and the neutral odour makes it more convenient to use it indoors, e.g. factories etc. Furthermore, the absence of such hazardous substances allows alkoxy silicones to receive the highest classification classes of ecolabel certification (EC1+, M1, BREEAM, etc.). An important difference between oximes and alkoxies is also their shelf-life stability – whereas oxime silicones typically maintain their skinning time throughout the storage life period, alkoxies show a decrease of curing speed the longer they have been stored. In other words, after an alkoxy product’s shelf life expires, the silicone might not cure properly anymore. In addition, in some cases deterioration of skin-forming and curing of alkoxies has been noted when they are applied close to other silicones (oxime and/ or acetoxy). All of this should to be taken into consideration before application to ensure the best user experience.

Discover valuable properties

As described above, most of the differences between oxime and alkoxy systems come into play during the curing process.

However, after being fully cured, both oxime and alkoxy silicones possess several valuable properties. They have high elastic recovery and movement capability, which are the characteristics of a high-performance product. Furthermore, after curing, oxime and alkoxy silicones have excellent thermal and weather stability and resistance to UV radiation, which allows them to be used in different climate zones, even in the most severe weather conditions. When talking about adhesion properties, both oxime and alkoxy offer an excellent primerless adhesion to a variety of porous and non-porous substrates, although a preliminary adhesion test is always recommended on every surface. All of these advantages allow neutral oxime and alkoxy silicones to be used in several applications, e.g. weathersealing of facades, including door and window perimeters, glazing, sanitary, ventilation, etc. Both systems are non-corrosive to metals, but in some cases, oximes can still react with copper and its alloys, so therefore it has some limitations in be-

ing used in electronics. Alkoxy silicones, on the other hand, are completely neutral and don’t have any limitations here.

In conclusion, there is no such thing

as a bad or wrong product, as long as we clarify the strengths and limitations of different curing systems and chooswe the right product for the right application.

PENOSIL PLASTERSEAL PENOSIL Plasterseal is a lightweight ready-to-use compound specially developed for filling gypsum board joints. The product is tested according to EN 13963 and meets the requirements of CE marking 4A, which means that it can be used in plasterboard systems without reinforcement tapes. Plasterseal is safe to use indoors, because it holds an A+ certificate.

PENOSIL Plasterseal is intended for filling and finishing of gypsum board joints and plastering of screw heads in plasterboard systems. It is also designed for surface levelling and repair of imperfections and cracks.

The product is usable without reinforcement tapes with gypsum boards, which have tapered factory edges; half-rounded tapered factory edges or half-rounded factory edges.

On gypsum boards with bevelled, cut or mixed edges, reinforcement tape must be used to avoid cracking.

PENOSIL Plasterseal is packed into buckets. As the product is very light, then the transportation is very convenient. Plasterseal was developed by Olivé Química R&D team and it is sold Spanish, Portuguese and French markets under the names of Jointaplac and Junta Placa. The feedback from these markets is positive, because they have been used to work with products that do not need reinforcement tapes. The main aim with PENOSIL Plasterseal is to achieve greater traction in markets everywhere.

Main characteristics of Plasterseal are: 1. READY TO USE 2. VERY LOW SHRINKAGE 3. VERY HIGH CRACK RESISTANCE

4.

5.

6.

7.

QUICK DRYING SANDABLE PAINTABLE TAPELESS

1 4 OPINION

WOLF TALES

SALES ON A GLOBAL MARKET Wolf Group operates on a global market where success is generated through competence and knowledge of the sector.

EASYPRO SPATULA NOMINATED FOR DESIGN AWARD

TEXT: PIRET SAUTER, WOLF GROUP SALES DIRECTOR

During the last 12 months, WG’s plants have sold products to 73 countries. Our competence and knowledge of the sector have pointed the way to regions of potential sales growth and has helped us to notice new possibilities on the horizon.

In 2018, our primary market has been Europe, but we are also looking farther afield with increasing confidence. Together with Wolf Group’s sales teams, on the markets have embraced new challenges, characterized by rise in prices and increasingly tight competition. Markets are becoming more segmented in terms of price and quality. As a manufacturer, we have to be able to sense where the trends are, and offer what the market is prepared to accept.

You might be too expensive in one place, but in another there is demand for your product. The one who manages a product portfolio skilfully, will be successful.

All of our successful markets are characterised by the existence of a strong sales team and a capable distributor or a sales partner. Knowledge of conditions in the sales area and professional sales management on the local market are the main factors contributing to sales volume.

It is increasingly important to be able to offer our products as trusted advisors and consultants. Selling isn’t just a transaction anymore, but rather the ability to guarantee for the client that the solution you are offering is the one they need. In the context of chemical products for the construction industry, this ideally involves having a system of multiple products in the portfolio. A professional sales person is an expert who proposes suitable solutions and is a step ahead of the buyer, with

knowledge of the market and a vision of what tomorrow might bring.

The world is changing rapidly, requirements and building codes are getting revised and new trends are appearing. User convenience is important, and we are also talking more than ever before about environmental sustainability. Wolf Group’s leading brands Penosil and Olivé are forcing us to evaluate constantly what the unique values of our products are. Modern sales strategies require cross-functional thinking to develop common positions and views. It means cooperation between marketing, product development and product management. Sales to construction professionals are growing, which means navigating a field with high demands.

Social media gives us a way to speak a common language with the end consumers, too, and to watch online product demos. The world has become simpler but also more demanding.

In addition to Wolf Group´s brands, we are partners to many well-known trademarks, which has led us to good business ties, brought a great deal of competence and understanding about markets. In the case of large-scale private label partner projects, there aren’t usually any one-sizefits-all solutions. It’s custom work. Where we sometimes learn more by listening than sharing what we know.

Wolf Group’s sales teams have become increasingly stronger, new people have come on board and the business has offered us great opportunities to seize.

The PENOSIL EasyPRO spatula has been nominated for a Bruno award of the Estonian Association of Designers. The spatula made it to the final round of the Best Design of an Engineering-Technical Product category alongside products like parcel lockers, a thermostat, a bicycle mud guard, a pier service station, etc. The jury’s judging criteria were innovation, execution or material, functionality, user-friendliness, ergonomics, technical solution, aesthetics and sales potential.

Krimelte launched the EasyPRO spatula in 2016, at a time when the EasyPRO sealants targeted at home builders were bundled with a free tool, a spatula. The spatula was developed to address a problem: people bought a high-quality joint filler, but had trouble with the job of smoothing the compound and were not pleased with the aesthetic appearance. The spatula makes it easy to smooth the filler even for complete newbies.

The EasyPRO spatula was on display at the 2018 Estonian Design Awards exhibition and featured in the catalogue.

INFLUENCER 1 5

AUTUMN-WINTER 2018

INVESTING IN A MORE PAIN-FREE SOCIETY For years, Jaan Puusaag has supported initiatives that are aimed at solving keen social problems – ones that people usually close their eyes to and are easier not to notice.

TEXT: MONIKA KELLE PHOTOS: ARCHIVE

The Good Deed Foundation, which is in an international partnership with the European Venture Philanthropy Association (EVPA), has been working with Krimelte and Jaan Puusaag to support common projects for the last eight years. “Jaan came on board during the recession and it was extremely important for us that he joined us,” says Good Deed Foundation managing director Pirkko Valge. For his part, Jaan says that his path just happened to cross with the foundation, but after only a brief acquaintance he realized that the charity reali-

sation resembles an ordinary company in that it also had to be managed professionally. “It’s not something that can be done successfully on the go or as a sideline. The Good Deed Foundation gives other charity associations a quality label, because being part of our portfolio requires an realisation to meet certain minimum standards.”

As a father of five, Puusaag is most drawn to child-related topics, from school bullying to orphanages. Pirkko also affirms that projects aimed at children, youth and parents have historically been the ones that get Jaan going – for example, the Sina ja Mina (You and I) family centre and Oma Pere (Own Family), which were started up in the foundation’s early years. “Oma Pere is a training and information centre for parentless children looking to find a

foster family. The initiative proved so influential that the state took over the project – in other words, it no longer depends on private donors but is funded from the state budget. It’s a great example of how a private initiative solves a major problem,” says Jaan.

Peace of mind from realisation of ideas

“If Jaan becomes impatient, that means greater changes are needed,” says Pirkko in describing Jaan’s style of leadership as member of the supervisory board. “His persistence resulted in the realisation that we had to go ahead and launch the Social Impact Bond programme (SIB) as well, an idea that had existed for 10 years.”

“The foundation had for many years

1 6 INFLUENCER

WOLF TALES

The team of Good Deed Fondation.

been involved in counselling, which requires a high level of resources as the entire team has to be maintained all year round. When we were asked if we could contribute financially ourselves, we always had to make a helpless gesture, there was no good answer. With Social Impact Bonds, though, Good Deed Foundation now has a key instrument for also providing finance for truly good initiatives, so that the valuable ideas would not just remain ideas,” says Puusaag.

Announced this February, the Good Deed SIB programme is Estonia’s first philanthropic fund supported by individuals and companies. Pirkko notes that Jaan was the first to signal his willingness to invest his own money there and that was a motivation for other investors as well.

Besides financial support, knowledge is also important for launching new initiatives and the Social Impact Bond facility has the capability to provide competent experts on any topic. Over three years, the fund plans to provide starting capital for 4-6 influential initiatives that solve thorny problems in education, healthcare, the environment, and the social sphere.

The Good Deed Social Impact Bond has currently raised 390,000 euros with a goal of increasing the figure to 500,000.

“We ourselves would have settled for less, but Jaan encouraged us to think big,” says Pirkko in describing Jaan’s effect as

a catalyst.

The Social Impact Bond programme is supported by Jaan Puusaag as an individual and Pirkko says the supervisory board of the SIB, primarily consisting of individuals, is very praiseworthy. “This gives the fund free rein for selecting which problems to tackle and to deal with more complex issues. If the supporter is a company, not all initiatives may match with the strategies.”

Studies indicate that the biggest magnets for donations are diseases, easing unavailability of treatments, and initiatives pertaining to children deprived of parental care. On the other hand, helping people with special needs to cope with, resocialising former prisoners or drug abuse are less appealing and ordinary donors are not especially keen on funding these.

The new projects first pass through the NULA social initiatives incubator and only then does the SIB step in. The first investment has already been decided – a prevention programme for bullying-free schools. Statistics indicate one in five children in Estonia is a victim of bullying and this indicator unfortunately is the highest in Europe. The fund will help intensify the battle against bullying in the next three years so that instead of 10 enrolled schools, there will be 25 schools which run the programme each year. Pirkko says that schools that have implemented the methodology have seen bullying drop sig-

nificantly. “This requires much from the school, both in terms of having a personal stake, training of teachers and motivation. Usually, after the first positive leap forward, teachers undergo a slump, but in this case we would need to find a way to overcome that,” says Pirkko.

A vitamin for growth

Pirkko says half-jokingly that she expects the supervisory board members to be available around the clock and that meetings aren’t just an occasion for coffee and biscuits. “Jaan is very active in thinking with us, strategic issues are in his corner and he also considers oversight very important.” Above all, the social impact of a given solution is gauged – i.e., how the initiative has helped to resolve a problem. If necessary, research institutions and universities are also involved to ensure that data are evidence-based. For his part, Jaan says modestly that he doesn’t need to go that in-depth in each project, because the Good Deed Foundation itself is capable, sustainable, and professionally managed and administered.

“At least once a year, we meet in private with Jaan and from his reactions, I get very good feedback for my own ideas and suggestions,” says Pirkko, and says that there will be no drought of ideas for the foundation any time soon.

INFLUENCER 1 7

AUTUMN-WINTER 2018

A QUIET MOVER AND SHAKER WITH THE POWER OF A SUPERSTAR Jaanus Paeväli has been president of the Estonian Wrestling Federation since 2016. His ambition and global grasp have already borne fruit, as he has clinched the right to host the junior world championship.

TEXT: MONIKA KELLE PHOTOS: ARCHIVE, ESTONIAN WRESTLING FEDERATION, SCANPIX

“Jaanus is a good Estonian lad. He doesn’t shy away from looking for new solutions.

He always puts his heart into things. There are probably many people like Jaanus, but ours is the president of the Estonian Wrestling Federation,” says a female wrestler, Epp Mäe, who has won medals at the European and world championships.

The election of Jaanus Paeväli for president of the Estonian Wrestling Federation did not come as a surprise to sporting circles as being a former wrestler he knows the field inside and out. Both, the brighter side – wrestling has been the most storied sport for Estonia, earning it the best results, and boasting 3,000 wrestlers from 48 clubs – and the more complicated financial status. Jaanus has brought a new view of wrestling: athletes should have the chance to train intensively and not spend energy on haggling for thousands of euros at a time from sponsors. He has sought additional financing and has proposed novel financing models.

Seven insights into what makes the president tick Wolf Tales inquired as to what keywords world-class wrestlers associate with Jaanus Paeväli as president of the Estonian Wrestling Federation.

FIRST ENCOUNTER. “My first encounter with Jaanus was years before he be-

came president of the Estonian Wrestling Federation. He happened to give me a lift when we travelled to Koeru for a competition – me as honorary guest and he as competition supporter. I was left with a very pleasant impression of him right away. Already then, he asked what could be done better in wrestling,” recalls Olympic silver medallist and two-time

world champion in Greco-Roman wrestling Heiki Nabi, reflecting on the time before Paeväli became president.

SENSE OF HUMOUR. “As a person, Jaanus is extremely positive and has a good sense of humour. When I feel I have not done well at a tournament, Jaanus’s words are always brimming with positivism. He al-

1 8 INFLUENCER

WOLF TALES

ways roots sincerely for wrestlers and it’s a great pleasure to feel that,” says Epp Mäe, a top female wrestler. Nabi adds that Jaanus is a very warm person, good listener and communicator and pleasantly modest.

WINNING. “I find that it is a great win for wrestling that Jaanus is with us. If there isn’t a good leadership, you can’t get anything done. The Wrestling Federation always lacks money, although the area is more popular now, but the goal is to find supporters, if even a little bit from each sponsor,” says Olympic medallist Nabi.

DEMOCRACY. “The new president’s first questions were about what could be organised differently or more effectively in wrestling. There hasn’t been democracy like that before in the Wrestling Federation,” emphasises Nabi. When Paeväli took the helm, the bigger picture began to be seen. Did everyone – adult team, women, freestyle wrestlers and youth – have what they needed for camps and tournaments, so there would be no unexpected “holes”?

OPEN-MINDED. Epp Mäe says a number of noteworthy changes have taken place in the Estonian Wrestling Federation. ”Together with vice-president Tanel Samuel, completely new directions have been taken for getting funding. These guys are very ambitious.” Nabi says he thinks Jaanus is characterized by a marketplace of ideas. “He has come out with a number of ideas and options, we have got together, discussed and provided advice. I really like his approach – he isn’t like an authoritarian captain on a ship, who knows everything and everyone just has to obey.”

MAJOR RECOGNITION FOR ESTONIA. “It’s a big deal that the World Championships will be held in Estonia. As soon as Jaanus came to the Wrestling Federation, he had a mission to bring the title competition to Estonia. He was actually even more ambitious and was trying to land the adult world championships, which is the first Olympic qualifier competition. But the rules say that to host the competition, you have to have experience hosting the youth world competition first. For me, thinking big was unexpected in a good way. Jaanus and the board of the association went for big prize – they did a lot of work in a short time

Heikki Nabi (on the left).

Eddi with his children, Kirke and Karl Heiki Nabi

and made a strong case for Estonia as organiser, beating out a number of other countries. Hat tip to Jaanus for being able to put Estonia on the world wrestling map, it is a chance for us to show what we are capable of to the heads and umpires of the International Wrestling Federation,” says Nabi.

A WRESTLING VETERAN. Jaanus has said his first wrestling singlet as a child was made of wool, and he competed for the first time in socks and the first time he travelled beyond his home town was like an adventure. Nabi says that actually Jaanus doesn’t make a show of the fact that he himself is a good wrestler. “Instead he will always say he doesn’t know that much about throws and techniques.”

Epp Mäe

PENOSIL BUILDING A BETTER FUTURE FOR ESTONIAN WRESTLING In spring 2018, Penosil Eesti came on as a sponsor of the Estonian Wrestling Federation, contributing financially to promote children’s and youth wrestling. It introduced a specially designed construction foam, PENOSIL Premium Gunfoam. Five cents from the sale of each cylinder goes to support wrestling.

Penosil Eesti sales director Eikki Kari says it is important that an Estonian trademark supports Estonian sports.

“Strong and healthy children, who don’t spend time only on devices, but take pleasure in physical activity – this is the capital for our future,” says Kari.

AUTUMN-WINTER 2018

GALLERY 1 9

TALLINN MANUFACTURING PLANT CELEBRATES In the heart of summer, about 70 people got together at the Maarjamäe Palace complex to mark the 20th anniversary of Krimelte’s Tallinn plant. With a pleasant atmosphere prevailing, the team and some of the plant’s original founders, Jaan Puusaag, Jaanus Paeväli and the Kruusement brothers, were acknowledged.

Guided tours were held in the history and film museums, and the order of the day was “chill and grill”.

SAVE THE DATE!

PHOTOS: TANEL MURD

Krimelte’s 25th anniversary will be celebrated on 22 November 2019.

A FAMILY DAY AT THE SEA Wolf Group / Krimelte’s traditional family day was held this year on Noarootsi peninsula where participants enjoyed the water and active pursuits. A mini-surf-camp allowed those interested to try out windsurfing or stand-up paddling, as well as kitesurfing. At the end of the day, there was a giant-SUP competition on a large paddleboard and a foam party that thrilled the youngsters. Those, who didn’t want wet ground under their feet, looked skyward, as a ropes course and airbag jump offered chills and thrills to the more adventurous.

A performance by Sissi, a finalist from the Estonia´s superstar show, closed out the summer picnic in style.

MATI LEET

An office building in Tallinn consisting of two towers and galleries connecting them, popularly called “The Superministry�, houses five different ministries and 1,000 workers. The terms of reference for the building with 14 above-ground storeys and two underground parking levels was to abide by energy efficient construction requirements. PENOSIL Premium Gunfoam Winter was used in the construction.

Info: Wolf Group Coordinator: Monika Kelle Suur-Paala 10, 13619 Tallinn, Estonia Phone: +372 6059 300 Fax: +372 6059 315 E-mail: info@wolfgroupweb.com www.wolfgroupweb.com

Produced by: O2 Works www.o2works.ee