JULY 2018 FEATURE:

Bagging a booth design award at three consecutive editions of Archidex since 2016 definitely says something about the KompacPlus brand.

An SFIC member, the nine-year old firm has been making a deep impression with its innovative yet stylish material surface that serves as an alternative to the conventional kitchen countertop surfaces such as solid surface, granite and stones.

Established in 2009 barely after the financial crisis, the young upstart has chosen to compete in a saturated industry with bigger players already dominating the markets for years.

Unfazed by the challenge, KompacPlus has been successful in changing customer mindsets about using a thin 6mm thick material available primarily in wood-only finish, which is no easy feat — just ask any interior designer.

The use of a state-of-the-art technological process in manufacturing has enabled the svelte material to have the extreme physical properties suitable for applications such as kitchen countertops. With gradual market acceptance, KompacPlus revolutionized the kitchen surface market by offering patterns not only those that mimic different wood grains, but also in concrete screed, slate and rusty panels, allowing them to be the top choice for premium surfacing solutions.

KompacPlus’ achievements sure seem to bear the hallmarks of an innovative disrupter with an iron will to succeed. Its rising brand awareness and sales can be attributed to a combination of marketing savvy and experiential brand storytelling.

With a brand revamp in 2013 to position itself as a credible surfacing solution provider to the local residential market, KompacPlus’ new sleek logo conveys the brand message of superior quality products and services, a new website and mobile application soon followed.

Expansion has always been in the cards, with a view to service the region first. Neighbouring country Malaysia has been identified as a key market, which also partly explains why Archidex is an important platform to showcase the brand. To stand out in the market, KompacPlus spared no effort in sprucing up its booth, collaborating with local designers and creative studios in the process. The rest, as they say, is surface material history.

While its competitors are starting to bring in cheaper similar products from third world countries, the KompacPlus team takes the brand into another level by giving emphasis on the country of origin of its products. Their “Definitively Italian, Distinctively Stylish” tagline underscores what the brand is setting out to achieve.

Supported by aggressive social media campaigns such as #ExperienceKompacPlus, KompacPlus felt it crucial to provide unparalleled experiences beyond just product offering by taking everyone to new dimensions, which provokes new possibilities in understanding material and imposing new perspective of how daring the future of design can be.