Intecol invests in production

In addition to the tights with the colours and shapes dictated by fashion, Intecol wants to reach more market segments, always with value-added products. The first step on this path are compression products, a new business area that is leading to new investments and hiring more people.

The projected investment for this change in the strategy of the tights’ manufacturer amounts to 500,000 euros this year alone. «The company is undergoing a major restructuring, with the entry into a new product line», said Filipe Ferreira, general manager of Intecol in an article published in Jornal Têxtil’s April issue.

«We were more directed to a fashion line and we have moved on to a more technical line, with compression items, which are a product that is not subject to market fluctuations in demand», he justified. «We think the medical area will allow the sustainability of the company. The market feels increasingly a demand for cheaper goods and Intecol has always been dedicated to quality products, so often we cannot make the prices that many customers want», he added.

The investment in this new area also comes through the intervention of a new client, with whom Intecol, which exports 80% of production, established a contract in the medium/long term. «It is an international group of large dimension that is present throughout the world, i.e., from America to Asia, passing, of course, by Europe. We are talking about a sales level that, at least, will quintuple in 2017 our revenues», confessed the general manager, anticipating a turnover of 3.7 million euros in 2017. «I’m just talking about the first phase. We have to be cautious and we are advancing step by step, but the idea is to grow beyond that and it will even pass by the creation of another production unit. But this is in the long term, meaning after the fifth year», said Filipe Ferreira.

The new project will also lead to hiring more workers for the company, which currently employs 34 people. «In total we might hire 14 to 20 people. But both the investment in machinery and in human resources will be gradual», he concluded.