Petratex bets and innovates in the stamping process.
COMPETE 2020
We spoke with Sérgio Neto, CEO of the company linked to the textile industry, who spoke about the current challenges and that the PetraMAX project, co-financed by COMPETE 2020, was born “due to the low supply/efficiency of the traditional printing processes existing in the market and the inexistence of stamping processes for the customized product”.
Co-financed by COMPETE 2020, the PetraMAX project aimed at differentiating PETRATEX through its intangibles, allowing the company to move up the product value chain, in order to remain competitive in the market and in products with greater added value.
Interview
Sérgio Neto, CEO of the company Petratex, who spoke about the current challenges of the company and about the PetraMAX project.
How was the PetraMAX project born?
This project was born due to the low supply/efficiency of the traditional stamping processes existing in the market and the lack of stamping processes for the customized product (measure to measure), which did not respond in any way to the growing needs of the market.
What motivated you to carry out the project?
Petratex, pursuing its strategy of differentiation and valorization, felt that it needed to adopt cutting-edge technologies in order to produce innovative products and respond to the most pressing market needs, which included an increasingly diverse amount of product, both in or in its performance complexity.
That is why it proposed to invest in the acquisition of a set of innovative printing and sublimation technologies aimed at creating products with greater added value and greater coverage of product diversity.
What are the main challenges you face in project development?
The digital stamping process is a very sensitive process as it is applied in completely different materials, so it is a very rigorous process and there is a whole learning process to be developed by the technicians in the digital stamping operation, which is guided by the high demand and quality of the same.
As a result of these characteristics, it has proved difficult to train people in this area and, in addition, there is also a requirement to develop / adapt equipment according to the broad spectrum of products to be presented to different customers.
What do you consider to be critical to the success of your strategy?
Considering the level of excellence that Petratex is applying for, new products will have to meet high quality requirements, so the company will also have to, at the same time, develop new solutions to control non-conformities, so as not to give rise to complaints by customers.
As Petratex is one of its clients' main partners, namely in the development of the product, which is generally conceived in its LABCLIENT, in line with the client's designers, it identifies internationalization, innovation, the team as critical factors for its success. , quality and service, with its growth strategy oriented towards maximizing them.
So, in order to continue to grow in the market, Petratex is aware of the need to continue investing in the development of each of these aspects.
What is COMPETE 2020's contribution to your company's journey?
The contribution of COMPETE 2020, with community funds, and in proportion to this same contribution, has contributed to the pursuit of Petratex's growth strategy and to the positioning of the company as a reference in the sector at an international level.
This financial contribution was very timely, as it is a project that forced the company to make a significant financial effort, providing the company with flexible high-tech processes, which allow the manufacture of specialized products for new sectors and fields of application, increasing the capacity for customization and personalization.
Support of COMPETE 2020 Co-financed by COMPETE 2020 under the Innovation Incentive System, the PetraMAX project involved an eligible investment of 3 million euros, which corresponded to an ERDF incentive of 1.3 million euros.
