Interview with Mr. Fernando Cordeiro

Tell us a bit about your origins.
Well, we come from the extreme north-east of Portugal, an area called Trás-os-Montes. My wife and I are both from there, we went to school in Bragança and then we went to university in Oporto.
Later, we emigrated to Brazil - I was there twice, once before the 25 April revolution and once again afterwards.  We believed that we could have a more prosperous future in Brazil at that time. Portugal was going through a difficult phase following the revolution, there were not many career prospects or any future for young people and so we decided to go back to Brazil.
It was while we were in Brazil that we began our life in the textile industry as a "work of destiny". Our qualifications have nothing to do with the industry at all. My wife is an infant teacher and I studied economics, but because of family influence - my brother-in-law was also in Brazil at that time with a textile company - we eventually entered the textile industry by setting up a company to produce negligées and lingerie.

How did you come up with the idea of creating a company in Portugal?
It was in 1981 and although the company in Brazil was expanding well and growing, we decided to come back to Europe and to Portugal.
The main reason for our decision was the lack of security, in a country that had until that time been a military regime, and there was lots of pollution from the steel-making industry and cars in the state of Sao Paulo. Plus there was the fact that we did not see Brazil as a place to bring up kids - we already had a 3-year-old son who was born there - and over there in Brazil we would not be anything more than emigrants from the old country.  On the other hand, we realised there was great demand in Portugal for the kinds of products we manufactured in Brazil, particularly the pleated sheets, which were sold by the thousands in Lisbon through friends and family who visited us in Brazil and took the products back to Portugal.
In short, the decision to return to Portugal and set up Piubelle was because of three factors: the desire to return home, the business opportunity with the production and sale of household textiles in Portugal and the opening of Portugal's borders to the European Community.

Why household textiles?
After making lingerie and sheets in Brazil for six years, we saw there was demand for our products in Portugal: our pleated sheets were sold by the thousands in Lisbon through travelling salesmen, friends and family who visited us. Instead of exporting from Brazil, we decided to manufacture them in Portugal.
In Portugal we began by producing household textiles - including the pleated sheets and ladies' lingerie. However, there wasn't as much acceptance for lingerie on the Portuguese market as there was in Brazil, so at that time we only focussed on household textiles, an activity we have dedicated ourselves to for the past 35 years.  The pleated sheet is still in demand on the Portuguese market today.

Where does the name Piubelle come from?
Piubelle comes from our desire to develop a European brand that was easy to pronounce as a mixture of Italian and French. We created the Piubelle brand even before we produced products for others. We believed that the company's success was also due to the focus on our own brand because it helped us stand out on the household textile market. At fairs they would ask us if the company was Italian because of the Italian sounding name.

When did you set up the company?
We came to Portugal in December 1980 after a visit by  Portugal's President Ramalho Eanes, who visited the business community in Sao Paulo and encouraged us to return to Portugal - we were told that the country would join the European Union very quickly. This would be an opportunity to build new roads and infrastructures in Portugal: it would open to Europe and become more modern.
When we arrived in Portugal in June 1981, we had already formed the company, rented a warehouse and bought the machinery to start production.  Although we started our activity in Rio Tinto, it was in Maia that the company saw its greatest expansion. This location is still today strategic for Piubelle: it's close to the airport and has good accesses, allowing us to grow according to the plans that we were shown in the county development proposal.

Who were the first workers in the company apart from the owners?
At the beginning the company had about 8 workers. Four of them have stayed with the company for 35 years. This was these four people's first job and we hope they stay at the company until they retire.

What are Piubelle's greatest victories?
There have been many historical mile stones between when the company was created in 1981 and today: the first international client in Holland, the first event outside Portugal - in Madrid, the victories and challenges of the clients who have trusted us for 35 years.
The hundreds of fairs where we have shown Piubelle products and the huge sales effort and dedication means that exports now account for 92% of the production.
Apart from its own brand, Piubelle produces for many other well-known international brands. Large chains and fashion designers seek out Piubelle to develop products for their ranges. The legacy of the Piubelle brand is spread all around the world today. 50% of sales are represented by the brand, which is present in the USA, Chile, Argentina, Spain, Mexico, Canada, Ireland, Romania, the UK, Poland, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea and China.

What's the productive process at Piubelle like?
The Piubelle product development starts with our clients' and consumers' needs. We position ourselves at stand out right away as household textile specialists. We control all the production process and the value chain. We procure the best cotton, control the thread production and produce the fabrics - Jacquard or plain - we are very demanding in the manufacturing and finishes, right up to the distribution of Piubelle products. We don't only count on our vast experience, but also with more than 35 partners who contribute towards our success every day.
Apart from being an absolutely vertical company, Piubelle also has exclusive partners who provide flexibility to the company's range of products and services. It lets us be quicker and more efficient in sales response and to meet the growing increase in sales by the company and the brand.
We are constantly up-dating our products and we recognise the importance of novelty in the retail industry. Initially we had one year programmes, but today the programmes are much shorter, in line with short deliveries, quick restocking and the constant search for new products.

What has been the company's greatest challenge?
Unquestionably the need to be prepared to be a true partner for our clients. We have to be able to support both the most informed clients and those who expanded with their brands through Piubelle's knowledge and technical skills.
This need arises from a funny story: one client in particular, who was very well informed, asked lots of pertinent questions that I did not know how to answer.
From that moment on, I promised myself that it would never happen again and that the knowledge of the product, raw materials and their components would be a distinctive factor both in the sales approach and in production.
This skill was equally essential at times when the economic situation was more difficult - such as when the Chinese market opened - and that has allowed Piubelle to remain successful!

What has changed in the industry over the past 20 years and how has Piubelle adapted to the changes?
The clients have always been great ambassadors both in assessing and advertising the brand and the company. Consumers have always set the pace for trade and industry.
Before the 25 April revolution, demand was greater than global supply. There was balanced consumption. Over the last years, an excess of production means the supply is greater and there is a greater choice.
However, Piubelle has the ability to respond, and one of the factors behind Piubelle's success is that it is very much in line with the demand and diversity of products.
Piubelle is accustomed to responding "just-in-time" through the group of companies that we work with in partnership: we have a wide range of machines, we can produce countless different products and this sets us apart on the market.

What are the company's values?
a. Human Relations: with our clients and our staff. We are all part of the Piubelle family, we focus on all our staff feeling that the company is part of their future;
b. We are concerned about the environment: on our choice of raw materials and in production. This has been a concern ever since the company first began - we consider it essential to live in harmony with the environment: from the production of the raw materials to the production and distribution of the products;
c. Product Excellence:  including the excellent quality of the products, the price/quality ratio and the range of products. The clients comment on this balance and seek out Piubelle for this reason.

How do you see Piubelle's future?
In the future I foresee nanotechnology playing an important role in developing new sustainable products - environmentally friendly - that are visually appealing and that contribute towards people's well-being that can be worn without any restrictions on human health.
Today, I am sure it is a beautiful project that is worth while, a family history, with a past, present and future.