BENCOMP – the largest manufacturer of WPC profiles in Southeastern Europe and the Balkans. Cristina Isabela Bene, majority shareholder: We protect the environment and produce sustainably, out of love and respect for the consumers”

Composite wood – Wood Plastic Composite (WPC) – is a hybrid material that combines the qualities of wood with the ease of processing plastic and successfully replaces natural wood without compromising on strength. Composed of wood fibers, respectively waste generated from wood production processes, mixed with recycled plastics, WPC  proves to be revolutionary also by being an environmentally friendly material, made of 100% renewable materials, sawdust and recycled plastic.

Relatively unknown on the Romanian market, although in the countries of Western Europe, but also on other continents, it had reached „maturity”, the composite wood “caught” on in Romania, due to its appearance similar to that of wood and to its extremely low price.

Composite wood was invented in Japan – in 1976 – its composition including wood flour (over 50%) and plastic waste, a stabilized mixture against ultraviolet radiation, mold, and insects. Due to its structure and composition, WPC does not release toxic gases and, unlike fibrous wood materials that use formaldehyde-based adhesives, does not release hazardous substances into the environment either. WPC does not produce secondary pollution while its technological waste can be 100% reintroduced into the production process.

However, in Romania, despite these indisputable advantages, WPC profiles had a „weak” presence, and the existing ones were of low quality.

Cristina Isabela Bene, BENCOMP majority shareholder: “A factory started from scratch, after more than 2 years of careful market analysis”

Thus was born the idea of starting from scratch a factory designed to provide the market with quality WPC products, sustainable and environmentally friendly at the same time.

BENCOMP Factory – the largest manufacturer of WPC profiles in Southeast Europe and the Balkans – started its activity from the desire of Bene International SRL to completely close a final recycling circuit by obtaining finished products, which would add value on several levels, says Cristina Isabela Bene, majority shareholder of BENCOMP:

• environmental protection by recycling wood waste and HDPE plastic waste (editor’s note – high density polyethylene) which thus no longer ends up in a landfill.
• environmental protection by reducing energy consumption –it is a well-known fact that production based on recycled materials saves between 30% and 50% of energy consumption, which means a decrease in CO2 emissions
• sustainable production over time.

BENCOMP is part of a group of companies with a tradition in recycling and recovery of plastics, glass, electronics and packaging waste, the majority shareholder of Bene Internațional SRL operating in this field for over 20 years.

”Initially, for more than 2 years, we analyzed the existing technologies and the suppliers of raw materials / additives. Only then was the final decision made, and the large-scale project became a reality. Although the company’s headquarters are located in Osorhei, just a few kilometers from Oradea, the decision to locate the factory in Buzau was a strategic one”, states Cristina Isabela Bene, a BENCOMP majority shareholder.

On the one hand, the proximity to the main raw material suppliers – Buzau, Bucharest, Ploiesti – was taken into account, and on the other hand, the relatively short distance to the port of Constanța weighed enormously in this whole “equation”.

From the very beginning, BENCOMP aimed to remain not only a national “player”, but also to become an international one, targeting the export market as well.

“Today – after more than 9 years of production – the WPC profiles produced by BENCOMP (from which outdoor terraces, fences, building cladding, street furniture, etc. can be manufactured), have reached customers, individuals and legal entities not only from Romania, but also from Bulgaria, Belgium, Spain, England, Cyprus, Greece, Hungary, Qatar, Italy, France or the Republic of Moldova”, says Cristina Isabela Bene, BENCOMP majority shareholder.

Cristina Isabela Bene, BENCOMP majority shareholder, about the company’s mission: “BENCOMP WPC profiles for life!”

BENCOMP’s mission is to meet customer requirements through professionalism, experience and continuous improvement of the performance and quality of the products offered.

Cristina Isabela Bene, BENCOMP majority shareholder, mentions that ” The entire activity of the company is oriented so that it can always offer its customers the guarantee of a good long-term financial investment, one of the central points of its activity being to raise awareness of this revolutionary product – composite wood – on the Romanian market and, last but not least, to save the native forests by creating ecological products that are more resistant and easier to maintain, over time, than the classic wood”.

The WPC profile production plant – located in Buzău, 100 km from Bucharest and 220 km from Constanţa – benefits from the contribution of specialists with long experience in the field of plastics processing.

“Practically, BENCOMP reintroduces in the economic circuit the excess wood left over from the manufacture of furniture and recycled plastics, the end result being high quality products exported both in Europe and the rest of the world”, explains Cristina Isabela Bene, BENCOMP majority shareholder.

The production capacity of the BENCOMP plant has grown steadily since 2015

Over time, the production capacity of the BENCOMP plant has steadily increased and, since the 2015 season, the number of the executed WPC profiles has reached over 40.

• 11 different types of floor profiles
• 4 exterior paneling profiles
• Over 15 fence profiles – boards, beams, pillars, etc.
• 3 types of pergola beams
• Over 20 models of accessories for the assembly of these profiles

Thanks to the quality of the ingredients used, but also to the production technology, high quality profiles can be made, perfectly similar to those produced in Western Europe, reveals Cristina Isabela Bene, majority shareholder of BENCOMP.

Moreover, in addition to the usual types of profiles – for flooring, paneling, poles, or fences – other profiles can be made to order, by extremely fast assimilation of the necessary moulds, of course, for quantities that allow reasonable amortization of these moulds.

“BENCOMP has set out from the very beginning to perform in this field and to become, little by little, the most sought after and appreciated manufacturer of WPC profiles, not only in Romania, but also in Europe, its production capacities being continuously developed in order to optimize costs. The investment in the WPC profiles produced by BENCOMP is a long-term one, eliminating future efforts and maintenance costs, being a sustainable and ecological alternative and at the same time offering the natural look of wood, so sought after by consumers”, mentions Cristina Isabela Bene, majority shareholder of BENCOMP.

BENCOMP offers the largest warranty on the Romanian market

But not everything is limited to the technological process and the constant search for the best suppliers of raw materials and additives on the European market to provide the quality desired and expected by customers, and Cristina Isabela Bene, majority shareholder of BENCOMP, referred also to the specialists who advise the company’s clients so that they always choose the appropriate WPC profile.

” The BENCOMP specialists also offer the best advice for choosing the right profile by customers, taking into account 3 essential factors – the type, purpose and size of the work. At the same time, customers are taught to install WPC profiles on their own or are directed to the network of BENCOMP approved mounters so that the installation of the profiles is correct, without endangering the lifespan of the respective product.

BENCOMP also offers the longest warranty on the Romanian market – 5 years, compared to the mandatory 2-year legal warranty for long-use products – but also a lifespan of the profiles (mounted correctly) that can reach up to 25 years, the average being a period of 15 years”, adds Cristina Isabela Bene, majority shareholder of BENCOMP.

BENCOMP customers want “elegance, durability and good value for money”

With regard to the clients – individuals – representative for BENCOMP, the majority shareholder Cristina Isabela Bene makes a suggestive “portrait” of them and insists on the fact that they want „elegance, durability and a good price-quality ratio”.

“Individuals with an average age of 35-40 years, with average and above average income. They want elegance, durability, and fair value for money.  They prefer to pay more, but not to have problems, over time, with maintenance and upkeep.  They want to have an elegant product, and the fact of choosing an ecological product (made of wood and plastic waste) gives them, permanently, a sense of fulfilling their responsibility towards the environment”, points out Cristina Isabela Bene, BENCOMP majority shareholder.

Complete list of products and services offered by BENCOMP

WPC Profiles for outdoor floors – terraces, pontoons, playgrounds, pedestrian alleys, swimming pool beaches, terraces for restaurants, bars.

• for residential use
• for commercial use
• for heavy traffic
• mounting accessories: clamps, stainless steel screws, support rail and corners

WPC Profiles for fences and fencing / railings – solid profiles and cellular profiles

• Fence laths
• Boards
• Slats
• Crossbars (handrails, current hand)
• Poles /pillars
• Mounting accessories: pillar covers and collars, metal pillar supports, connectors, clamps.

Some of the WPC profiles for fences can also be used for the manufacture of street furniture – trash cans, planters, etc. – or for making pergolas and gazebos.

WPC paneling profiles – exterior cladding.

Sales advisors assist BENCOMP customers in the profile selection process and help them calculate the necessary of profiles and accessories.

Cristina Isabela Bene, BENCOMP majority shareholder: “Permanent communication, another key to BENCOMP’s success”

Being revolutionary products, communication with customers is essential, and Cristina Isabela Bene, majority shareholder of BENCOMP, believes that this the only way to quantify the level of post-installation satisfaction, but there is also the possibility to monitor the behavior over time of the profiles produced by BENCOMP.

”On the other hand, there is a constant emphasis on continuous communication with potential customers, precisely in order to find out what their wishes are and what are the possible problems that BENCOMP profiles have to solve.

On a market where competition is becoming increasingly fierce, another key criterion of development is the constant monitoring of direct and indirect competition in order to observe in advance any important changes in their pricing policy, product design, etc.”, explains Cristina Isabela Bene, BENCOMP majority shareholder.

At the same time, other benchmarks are taken into account that can provide, in summary, a suggestive picture of how this “WPC market” is developing.

• Staying permanently in contact with the manufacturers of technological equipment for the production of WPC profiles – especially with the manufacturers already integrated in this long-term collaboration – in order to keep up to date with the latest global trends in the market for these profiles: new models, new applications, new technologies to increase productivity and reduce electricity consumption.
• Constant search for new sources of raw materials and additives that would allow the rhythmic supply of the plant in the conditions of a constant increase of its capacity (investments in new production lines).
• Permanent monitoring of the legislation directly related to this field of activity.
• Attracting trained and qualified workforce, but also the retention of quality staff. Creation of training programs and procedures aimed at minimizing the risk of quality defects and to maximize productivity.

The notoriety of BENCOMP – the brand has become increasingly known in the last two years – lies in the fact that the company has become the local producer with the largest and most diversified production capacity, having in its portfolio over seventy (70) profiles and accessories.

“Due to the constant development, BENCOMP – the largest manufacturer of WPC profiles in Southeast Europe and the Balkans – also has the technical, logistical and, finally, the human and technological quality needed to support collaboration agreements with the most important “players” on the Romanian market”, adds Cristina Isabela Bene, BENCOMP majority shareholder.