Polopiqué’s investment in spinning now amounts to 30 million euros, a sum that includes the acquisition in 2010 and the subsequent renewal of Fiateviz, along with the establishment of this new unit. This new facility comprises 13 carding machines, 6 twisting machines, 10 rolling machines, 10 combers, 20 winding machines, and 20 ring spinning machines (equivalent to 23,040 spindles), including two systems for core-spun yarns and two for compact yarns.
“Our production increase and the lack of resources from suppliers in Portugal or in proximity that could allow us to continue providing a quick response to our customers” dictated the increase in thread production, explained Luís Guimarães to Jornal Têxtil, in an article published in the February 2017 edition.
The two thread production units, employing 103 people, are complementary, with the new spinning facility focusing on fine threads, blends, and colored threads, especially for shirting, while the existing unit primarily produces threads for the knitwear sector – reaching a monthly output of 360 tons, which may potentially increase. “We have half of the new facilities available, precisely to decide during this year whether we relocate the existing spinning to there, as everything is already prepared for that, or if we buy more equipment and increase our thread production,” revealed the president of the Polopiqué’s group.
The thread production is certainly intended solely for “internal consumption” and not for sale to third parties. “That is not the intention for now,” assured Luís Guimarães.
However, the current production is still not sufficient to meet the needs of the vertical textile group, which is around 500 tons of thread monthly. “But there is some raw material from these 500 tons that doesn’t make sense [to produce in-house],” emphasized Luís Guimarães.
With the group growing year by year – in 2016, the turnover is estimated to have increased between 10% to 11%, to a value of around 126 million euros – investments are expected to continue in 2017 and the future. “Every year we invest. This year, we are investing in machines with some specialization in the finishing and preparation area,” said Luís Guimarães, also highlighting the focus on improving logistics and energy efficiency.
