“Just Give It a Try, and You’ll Never Look Back” – A Decade with Sefa, kav’s CEO for Southeast Europe

Ten years ago, he almost said no to “Made in China”.
Ten years later, his business has grown tenfold, and he became a kav shareholder in Europe.
“Without kav,” he says, “I wouldn’t be where I am today.”

In 2015, he decided to “bet the cost of one container”

Back in 2015, when Sefa first got to know kav, the market was dominated by German and Italian brands. German quality was good but too expensive; Italian delivery was unstable – sometimes three months.

kav’s samples surprised him. He tested them side by side with a leading German brand – the feel was almost identical, but the price was 40% lower.

“Worst case, I lose the cost of one container. Why not give it a try?”

That try lasted ten years. Today he is kav’s shareholder in Europe and kav’s CEO for Southeast Europe, and his company N.T.P NESKO has become kav’s benchmark partner in the region.

One SGS certificate opened the door to Germany

Early in the partnership, a factory owner who made products for export waved him off: “Chinese? No.”

Instead of arguing, Sefa showed him kav’s SGS certificate and fatigue test report – 50,000 cycles.

“Try 200 sets. If any fail, I’ll pay you double.”

A month later, the owner called back: “Another 2,000 sets.”

“Certification is not just a piece of paper – it’s a passport for export.”

1 AM, and kav technical support replied instantly

Once, a customer’s installer misread the English manual, wired an electric lift-up basket incorrectly, and burned the control box. The customer was furious and wanted to return everything.

It was Friday, 6 PM local time – already 1 AM in China. Sefa sent a voice message to kav’s technical manager.

He replied immediately. A video call, step‑by‑step guidance – 40 minutes later, it was fixed.

The customer later said: “Your supplier is even more responsible than European ones.”

From hinges to full category – 30% more business

A customer used to buy only slides from Sefa. He recommended kav hinges, handles, and storage systems – same quality, lower price.

Now that customer buys all hardware from him – procurement cost down 15%, Sefa’s average order value doubled.

“Thanks to kav’s full category, my business grew an extra 30%.”

The export wave came, and kav was ready

Furniture exports from Southeast Europe have grown rapidly in recent years. 60% of Sefa’s customers are now in export – their biggest headache is meeting EU standards.

kav products are designed to SGS, CE, EN standards from the start, with complete test reports.

“With kav, they rarely face problems in export customs or buyer inspections.”

He expects export customers to reach 80% in three years.

One suggestion for kav: set up a warehouse in Europe

When asked “If you could give only one suggestion”, he said without hesitation:

“Set up a small warehouse in the EU, even with a third‑party logistics partner.”

Current lead time from China is 35 days at best, sometimes over half a year. If you can deliver in 5‑7 days from local stock in Europe, that is a huge competitive advantage.

“If you are willing to do it, I will be the first to support – N.T.P NESKO can share some of the inventory.”

One sentence to the camera

At the end of the interview, he looked directly into the camera and said to any European distributor still hesitating:

“Don’t be fooled by the old ‘Made in China’ stereotype. kav’s quality matches European brands, and leaves you good margin. Give it a try – you will thank yourself for this decision.”

Ten times growth in ten years – and still standing together

Ten years ago, he had only two people and an 80 m² rented warehouse.
Today he has his own team, his own building, showrooms across Southeast Europe – and his business has grown ten times.

“Without kav, I couldn’t have come this far.
I hope kav becomes the first Chinese hardware brand that is remembered in Europe.
I will always stand with you.”

kav | Ten years as partners, together for a hundred more

Special thanks to Sefa (kav CEO for Southeast Europe, European shareholder) and the N.T.P NESKO team.