Celebrating 5 Years of Stravifloor

The role of a Global Segment Manager can be summarised in five main areas.
First, defining the product strategy - ensuring that the solutions evolve in line with market needs.
A key part of the role is also understanding both the market and the customers: analysing competitors, gathering insights from customers and sales teams, and staying close to broader trends such as urbanisation or new construction methods.

Based on that, priorities are defined and translated into actions. For example, when product development is needed, requirements are structured and discussed with the R&D team to make sure the right solutions are delivered at the right time.

It’s also a very cross-functional role, involving close collaboration with engineering, R&D, marketing, sales, and purchasing to ensure alignment across the full value chain, from product to service.

And finally, performance is continuously monitored, looking at how solutions are adopted, how they perform in the market, and whether they effectively answer the identified needs.

A common misconception is that product managers directly manage teams, but in reality, the role is much more about managing priorities, decisions, and alignment across different functions.

Stravifloor is CDM Stravitec’s range of floating floor solutions.
Floating floors are usually made of poured-in-place concrete or lightweight panels supported by resilient elements that transfer the loads from the floating floor to the subfloor.

In simple terms, it’s a solution that is placed between the building structure and the activity above it, designed to control how vibrations and noise travel through the building.
So instead of impact or vibration going directly into the structure, Stravifloor introduces a decoupling layer that helps absorb and isolate these effects.

Within CDM Stravitec, Stravifloor represents the building-focused side of our expertise.
It brings together all our floating floor solutions under one clear and consistent name, making it easier for customers to understand what we offer and how we can support them.

And beyond just the solution itself, it also reflects how we approach projects, not as standard, but as engineered solutions that are adapted to each application, whether it’s a gym, a cinema, a mechanical room, or a more complex structure like timber buildings.

What enables Stravifloor to serve such a wide range of applications, such as cinema and theatres to sports facilities, mechanical rooms, and even timber construction, is really the flexibility of the solutions within the range.

First, there are different construction approaches, ranging from roll-out systems to discrete solutions, including solutions like Stravifloor Deck (which uses a different type of formwork compared to the more traditional wood-based approach, a proprietary dovetailed metal deck sheet for thin concrete pours. Within discrete solutions, jack-up systems are also available. These systems are fully adjustable and can be replaced if needed, offering long-term flexibility. Additionally, they minimise the risk of acoustical bridging, ensuring consistent acoustic performance over time.

Then, there is a wide variety of isolators - whether it’s mats, strips, pads, or springs. Each of these behaves differently and is selected depending on the project requirements.

Another key aspect is the diversity of material technologies behind these isolators. Different materials bring different dynamic properties, which allow fine-tuning of the system in terms of natural frequency, load capacity, differential deflections across the space or within different load conditions, etc.
All of this combined means that the same range can be adapted very precisely—whether the need is controlling structure-borne vibration from heavy equipment, achieving high acoustic performance in sensitive spaces like studios or theatres, protecting sensitive equipment like MRIs or addressing demanding environments like gyms.

In gyms, for example, the challenge goes beyond acoustics. It’s also about structural performance. Heavy-weight drops, such as Olympic lifting, generate very high dynamic loads and repeated impacts. So, the system must not only isolate vibrations but also withstand these forces over time without degradation.
So, it’s really this combination of solutions design, isolator types, and material behaviour that gives Stravifloor its versatility.

Projects can vary a lot, from relatively straightforward applications to very complex ones, and that in itself is part of what makes the role both challenging and rewarding.

On the challenging side, the most demanding projects are usually those where several constraints come together: very strict acoustic performance targets, high loads, limited available height, or complex structural conditions. In these cases, finding the right balance between performance, feasibility, and cost requires a lot of technical optimisation and close collaboration with all stakeholders involved.

But at the same time, these are often the most rewarding projects. Being able to design a tailored solution that works within all those constraints and then seeing it successfully implemented is very fulfilling.
More broadly, what is really rewarding is the fact that such a wide spectrum of applications can be covered. From recording studios to helipads, each project brings a different challenge, and the ability to respond to all of them with adapted solutions is something very satisfying.

And beyond the technical aspect, there’s also a strong sense of purpose. Contributing, on a daily basis, to better acoustic comfort and reduced vibration, essentially helping to make the built environment quieter and more comfortable, is a key motivation (our mission: Make your world a quieter place”)
And of course, seeing this recognised through positive feedback from clients and partners is probably the most rewarding part.

Floating floor solutions have indeed been part of CDM Stravitec’s expertise for many years. But bringing them together under the Stravifloor name was really about clarity, both internally and for the market.
Before that, the solutions existed, but not always under one unified identity. By creating the Stravifloor brand, it became much easier to present a coherent and structured offer, making it clearer for customers to understand what we do and how we can support them.

It also helped strengthen the positioning of floating floors as a key part of our portfolio, not just as individual systems, but as a complete and adaptable solution range.
Internally, it allows better alignment as well, across product development, marketing, and sales, so that everything is built around the same vision and message.
So, in a way, the brand didn’t change the know-how, but it made that expertise more visible, more accessible, and easier to communicate.

One key area has been the extension of the range itself, with new solutions that bring more flexibility depending on the application.
For example, developments like both replaceable and non-replaceable jack-up systems have significantly expanded the possibilities. The replaceable version is particularly relevant in projects where future access or adaptability is important, allowing inspection or even adjustment of the isolators if the use, and consequently, load conditions of the space change over time.

At the same time, more compact solutions have been developed. The non-replaceable jack-up systems offer the benefits of a jack-up solution (fewer contact points and lowest risk of acoustical bridges) enabling a lower build-up height, starting from around 85 millimetres (3-3/8’’), making them suitable for projects where height is a key constraint.

Another very important evolution is linked to sustainability. Environmental performance is becoming a key decision factor in building projects, and having Environmental Product Declarations allows us to support our customers with transparent, verified data, adding an extra dimension beyond acoustic performance alone.

There has also been progress in how systems are designed from a construction perspective, with more panelised solutions that are made for disassembly. This responds to growing trends around circularity and adaptability, making it easier to install, modify, or even reuse systems over time.
Overall, these developments are not just about adding new products, but about making the range more versatile, more sustainable, and better aligned with how buildings are designed and used today.

What motivates me most is really the opportunity to connect technical expertise with real-world needs.
Stravifloor is not just a product range - it’s a way to solve very specific challenges in buildings, whether it’s improving acoustic comfort, managing vibration, or enabling more flexible and efficient designs. Being able to take feedback from the market and translate it into solutions that make a real difference is very rewarding.

There’s also the cross-functional aspect of the role - working closely with different teams, bringing together different perspectives, and aligning everyone towards a common goal. That dynamic and collaboration are a big part of the motivation as well.

Looking ahead, what’s most exciting is how the requirements in construction are evolving.  There is a growing need for solutions that are not only high-performing but also easier to install, more adaptable, and aligned with sustainability goals. Aligned with this last point, we also see strong growth in timber construction, which brings its own set of acoustic challenges. The low mass and stiffness of timber structures require specific design considerations in acoustics, both in terms of direct sound transmission and flanking paths, where floating floors play a key role.

At the same time, designing efficient solutions that address these challenges without compromising the inherent benefits of timber construction, such as speed of construction and lightness, is a key focus area.
So, the focus is really on continuing to evolve the range in that direction: developing solutions that can respond to these new challenges, while remaining flexible on site, tolerant to installation variability, and suitable for the long-term use of buildings.

At the same time, it’s about staying very close to market needs and making sure that Stravifloor continues to be a relevant and reliable solution, even as those needs evolve.