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Aldeco, a company that produces fabrics for interior decoration and architecture, is registering a stable growth in 2024. Underpinning the good results is international expansion “driven by product innovation”.
In an interview with T Jornal, creative director Susana Dias describes the growth strategy for the future as continuing to develop “increasingly technical decorative fabrics, especially for the Contract market to the Aldeco Home line, made up of finished products such as decorative cushions”.
The company is already developing retardant, stain-resistant, water-repellent, acoustic and highly abrasion- and sun-resistant fabrics. The aim is now to invest more in fabrics with antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral finishes, she explains.
The year 2023 was “extremely positive” for Aldeco, with a recorded growth of 10 per cent. The secrets to success are: providing a “rapid response to customer needs” and offering “quality service and fabric”.
Susana Dias also told T Jornal about the Design Studio concept, which allows architects and interior designers to bring their projects to life. “Our Design Studio develops customized solutions to meet requests in terms of design, quality, international guidelines, standards and technical requirements. A tailor-made service!” she guarantees.
Aldeco currently employs 45 people, has 2,300m2 of facilities, including showrooms, a logistics warehouse and offices, and has an annual production capacity of 500,000 metres of fabric.
In terms of exports, they account for 45 per cent of the company’s turnover, with the main markets being Europe and North America. “We have plans to increase our presence in markets with strong potential such as the Middle East and Asia,” she says.
As for recent investments, Aldeco is focusing on a new platform that allows customers to check stocks, prices and current accounts. It’s called Aldeco B2B and it also performs other actions “quickly and intuitively, streamlining processes”. In addition, it has made investments in improving energy efficiency by installing solar panels, implementing a digital invoicing system to reduce internal paper consumption and also reducing plastic consumption in the packaging process.
The company has also updated its fabric production processes to include the use of more environmentally friendly dyes and production processes, the recycling of textile waste and integrated social responsibility programmes.
“At the moment we are initiating ISO 14001 sustainability certification. The certification of environmental management systems is an essential tool for organizations wishing to adopt good environmental management practices,” she says.
“Aldeco’s goal is to grow and prevail successfully, to be global without forgetting its identity,” says Susana Dias, underlining the company’s near verticalization. “Aldeco is involved in every stage of the textile production process, from conception and design to monitoring and controlling the production processes of yarn selection, weaving, dyeing and finishing fabrics,” she concludes.