Petratex: Fabrics that help you to reach the podium.

EXAME

Have you seen Pixar's animated movie The Incredibles?

One of the characters is Edna Moda, the eccentric and brilliant superhero costume maker.

It has state-of-the-art machines to manufacture special suits adapted to the talents of each superhero. They are made of materials capable of resisting explosions, stretching to infinity or even becoming invisible. In real life, Edna's factory would be Petratex's. The Portuguese company is responsible for several inventions in textiles and clothing. In 2008, a company invention caused a sensation. Co-created and produced Speedo's famous LZR swimsuit, which Olympic champion Michael Phelps wore when he won multiple gold medals at the Beijing Games.

The company has patented the no-sew technology in the manufacture of swimwear. The fact was eventually prohibited, as it constituted an unfair disadvantage.

But the technology was named by Time magazine as one of the best inventions of the year.

In 2015, the company's factory, in Paços de Ferreira, received high praise in an article in Esquire magazine. “I visited many fashion production units and only two factories of top brands – MaxMara and Canali – match the Portuguese company in heavy research and development technology”, says the author of the article. The company, created in 1989, supplies 159 brands worldwide in fashion and clothing, employs almost 600 employees and has a turnover of over 70.5 million euros. It has 900 machines and exports to countries such as France, Italy, Germany, Spain, the United States, Canada, England and Japan. It has developed its own software solutions (Petrabook, Petratasks and Petrarequests).

In addition, it has a different organization from the conventional one, as each department functions as a small company within the company. for a better connection with customers and a deeper knowledge of each market.

This article is part of the June 2017 Exam