Case study
Spacer crosses with the longest and highest arms
What makes our tiling handle spacer crosses special?
Our crosses have the longest and highest arms, which are the most important working part. They have been made after extensive research and testing so that they meet the requirements of the most accurate tiling professionals. What is interesting is that the demand for them has been growing steadily since 1995.
1995
When did this start, and what has been the significance for Ranplast?
During the 1990s, Poles started to travel abroad much more frequently. As a result, they were able to observe how western companies work on modern products and solutions in the wider construction industry. Czesław Nowak – co-founder of Ranplast – met up with Marian, a good friend of his. He had returned from France and brought back an idea for a new design concept for large-sized crosses, which had an additional contoured handle. Czeslaw Nowak took up the challenge and thanks to him, in 1995 Ranplast became the first manufacturer of large crosses with a handle.
What challenges did we face and what did we do?
We refused to copy a design imported from France on a 1:1 basis. It meant a series of challenges: from designing, and refining the detail to making the mould and starting serial production. Through extensive research and tests, our prototype product was finally engineered in accordance with the requirements of the end users. Only then it was launched into production and sales. The co-founder took a risk by designing, for the time, a mould with interchangeable plates to allow flexible manufacturing of several sizes of crosses. The early days were challenging. Distribution proved extremely difficult because Poles were used to an outdated tiling technique. It was due to habit and fear of change. Furthermore, the spacer crosses of our production, since they were ahead of the expectations of the professionals, were a more expensive solution than small crosses or matches.
What was the outcome?
After years of educating professionals on how to use a speedier and simpler technology – Ranplast's spacer crosses – they began to be appreciated in a more significant way and became the Holy Grail among glaziers. In the following years, with increasing demand, our crosses grew in popularity and became more and more available on the market. Over the years, we have expanded our range of tiling accessories. And we know from our customers that professionals who once used Ranplast spacer crosses at work cannot imagine working with any other range.
