History

THE PORTUGUESE MOULDS INDUSTRY

The dynamism and commercial drive of Portugal's moulds industry are based on international recognition of its competitiveness in quality, delivery times, technological capacity and price. This worldwide reputation has enabled Portuguese mould makers to establish a presence in more than 70 countries.

Despite being a relatively small economy, Portugal is the world's eighth largest mould-making country. The industry exports about 90 per cent of its production. These exports earned 36,774 billion escudos (USD 238,5 million) in 1996. The United States and Canada are the sector's biggest markets, together absorbing 18 per cent of total exports.

The growth of the moulds industry in Portugal has centered on the town of Marinha Grande, 150 kilometres north of Lisbon. In the late 18th century an Englishman named William Stephens opened a glass-making plant in the town, the Fábrica Escola Irmãos Stephens, bringing with him artisans from Genoa and Lisbon. The skill of the town's glassworkers came to rival the best in the world and the town remains today the "glass capital" of Portugal.

At the beginning of the 20th century, Marinha Grande began producing moulds for glassware, having previously imported them from Germany and Austria. This was the foundation for the growth of the plastics moulds industry. Aníbal H. Abrantes, a partner and lathe-worker in the first pressed glass moulds plant in Marinha Grande, established the first moulds plant for Bakelite products in 1944.

Two years later Abrantes produced Portugal's first plastic injection mould. Other plastics mould companies began to open in Marinha Grande and the northern town of Oliveira de Azeméis, another traditional glassmaking centre. The industry developed with the importation of foreign technology. Exports began in 1955 with the sale of the first Portuguese mould to Britain. By 1980, in the Marinha Grande area alone 64 companies employing 2000 people were operating.

In 1983, one of Portugal's leading mould-makers was the first European company in the sector to install CAD/CAM technology - computer assisted design and engineering systems. That year Portuguese mould exports made a record 50 per cent leap to 3,3 billion escudos. Portuguese mould companies are today among the leading pioneers in the use of CAD/CAE/CAM and other computerised technologies for mould design and engineering. Companies have also invested in advanced machine tools such as wire EDM units and in finite-element-analysis (FEA) technology.

Today, the moulds sector in Portugal comprises more than 250 companies, most of them in the Marinha Grande area, employing about 7500 people. Most companies are small to medium-sized, employing an average of 30 workers. The future of the industry is assured by its technological developments, good production planning and quality control; constant modernisation of equipment, and investment in professional training.

The main markets for Portuguese moulds after the United States and Canada are Germany, France, Spain, Sweden, the Netherlands and Britain. Portugal is one of the world's largest suppliers of advanced tools for injection moulding and blow moulding. Companies have recently made significant advances in design capabilities to remain on the leading edge of producing highly specialised moulds. The industry invests about 10 per cent of total sales in new equipment in relative terms. Portuguese mould companies invest more in equipment and new technologies than any of their foreign competitors. Mould makers also have access to excellent communications systems that enable them to transmit mould design data black and forth with their customers.

Multinational companies have gone on record in their praise of Portuguese mould makers for offering quick delivery times and for being both reliable and technologically advanced. Since Portugal's entry into what is now the European Union in 1986, European countries have become the main customers for Portuguese moulds. Sales to the United States have dropped from 65 per cent of total exports in 1985 to 18 per cent today.

Each Portuguese mould company has its own speciality. Some work only on cavities or on mould bases; others on polishing, some on large moulds, some on precision ones. Compared with other European countries, the concept of simultaneous engineering is more widely accepted. A belief in the importance of marketing is also highly developed. Almost every salesperson speaks at least two other languages.

The standard of education of managers is high. Technicians and workers are also well qualified. Specialist colleges are evidence of the willingness of Portugal's mould companies to pool their efforts - a trait that is also illustrated by overseas promotion carried out jointly by CEFAMOL, the National Moulds Industry Association, and ICEP, the Portuguese Foreign Trade and Tourism Department.

CEFAMOL, founded in 1969, is a non-profit organisation with the main aim of furthering the development of the sector. It acts as a representative of the industry in dealings with the government and other official bodies. Its activities include technological research, professional training and interchanges of scientific and technical information with other related bodies in Portugal and abroad. The association embraces all sub-sectors of the moulds industry, not just plastics moulds.

In 1991, a CEFAMOL was instrumental in the setting up in Marinha Grande of CENTIMFE, an advanced research and development centre for the moulds industry. It is equipped with the latest developments in computerised technology.

CENTIMFE provides support for companies aiming to improve quality control and productivity. Officials believe computer integrated manufacturing (CIM), to which the centre gives attention, is the path to success in the moulds industry.

The moulds industry also benefits from the support of CENFIM, a professional training center for the metallurgy sector. It has one delegation in the northern Portugal and another in the south. Courses range from management education for executives to instruction for middle-managers and technicians to professional training in such subjects as the use of CAD/CAM and CNC programming for the general work force. CENFIM facilitates the permanent upgrading of the skills and knowledge of all employees in the moulds industry as well as other related sectors.

Mould making is today one of Portuguese industry's most competitive sectors at an international level. This leadership is based on experience and know-how in design and production techniques. The industry also prospers because of its reputation for reliability based on respect for delivery dates and careful quality control, proven experience, competitiveness and investment in high technology ensure that Portugal will continue to supply quality moulds to the most demanding markets in the world.