José Peleteiro,CEO of Ecoplas: “Our main goal is to finish strengthening our presence in Europe and the US. In addition to this, we continue to invest in R+D+I to improve our compostable mesh. We are pioneers in this type of product and we have great international prestige”
We spoke with José Peleteiro, CEO of Ecoplas, to find out what are the main challenges they have faced as a company, he will tell us what are the growth plans for the coming years and what are his priorities at this time of economic uncertainty of the Covid-19 crisis.
Since the founding of Ecoplas in 2006, he highly values the effort and understanding of each partner and employee of the company, especially those who from the beginning opted for this project and who therefore are part of the family that has grown up around Ecoplas.
1- WHAT IS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE ECOPLAS FACED?
The first great challenge for Ecoplas has been the jump from workshop to factory. After six years of work in which the growth of Ecoplas was done gradually with an increase in the workforce of two employees per year, at a certain moment, we made a large investment that multiplied our productive capacity by ten, causing us to double our staff as well. This was a very important financial effort. Managing this change has been the biggest challenge at an economic level, consolidating, as I said before, a change from workshop to factory in the broadest sense of the word.
I also remember, as another great challenge at the production and manufacturing level, it was to achieve the perfect mixture that allowed the manufacture of high quality net, with all the properties that this requires, having to dedicate almost two years to reach a quality level necessary to bring it to market.That net must have manufacturing conditions, memory, color, drawing, resistance, etc. that they are not easy to reach at all and I have very good memories of the satisfaction that having achieved, step by step, a challenge that I insist, was not easy at all.
2-WHAT ARE THE GROWTH PLANS FOR THE NEXT YEARS?
Due to the global economic uncertainty that Covid-19 has generated, Ecoplas’ growth plans are being evaluated month by month.
We have invested in industrial land, thinking about modernizing our factory, but all very dependent on the macroeconomic data that the market is marking us and allows us to take new steps.
3- WHAT ARE THE COMPANY’S PRIORITIES AT THIS MOMENT?
José Peleteiro, Ceo of Ecoplas: I believe that this year and the next, they are years of being very attentive to all the events derived from Covid 19, seeing the evolution of the market and what the crisis will record on family and business economies.
Let us bear in mind that, at the business level, within 12 months the grace period for ICO financing ends, since it extended its duration and, to which companies have come to capitalize, and we will see how the economy of this country remains alive .
At Ecoplas we are prioritizing the capitalization of our company to be as consolidated as possible in the event of an intense economic downturn.
All this uncertainty will make us pay attention to the economic evolution day by day and I believe that our most important priority is to finish strengthening our presence in Europe and the US, which are markets with which we are already working, but not as much as we would like.
It is also a priority objective to continue investing in R+D+I in terms of compostable nets, a field in which we are already pioneers and in which we have great international prestige.
4- HOW DID THE IDEA OF ECOPLAS ARISE AND WHAT MAKES YOU FEEL SO PROUD OF YOUR COMPANY?
The idea of Ecoplas, arises as a result of a visit to an industrial warehouse (owned by a company of which I was administrator) in 2005, with one of the current partners of Ecoplas, Anxo Vidal and a friend of his who came from the packaging sector.
They proposed to me to invest in a project to manufacture shellfish nets and bags for the world of mussels. When we realized it, within six months we were manufacturing products and starting a path that gradually took out and strengthened. We started with four people and the Ecoplas team grew and formed.
Regarding the second part of the question, what I am most proud of is the group of people that make up our work team, which has been formed and involved in the day-to-day work to get there at the level of professionalism that our company has today.
I am very pleased to remind employees-colleagues that when they started they were real young people and today they are real parents and excellent professionals, with positions and recognitions in this company at Management level.
I do not want to give names, because I would have to name them all and I think this is not the time, but I do want to thank everyone, partners and employees for their capacity for sacrifice and understanding for making it possible to have reached where we are. Especially to those who from the beginning have bet on us, and I hope that, in a short term, this family called Ecoplas will continue to grow and that in many years we will all continue in this boat. For it to navigate correctly, it requires the work and worth of each one of us regardless of the position or position they occupy.
May the Tao accompany you on your way to Happiness.