Work together and bet on innovation
The beautiful frame of the Hotel Melià Golf Vichy Catalan of Caldes of Malavella (Gironinginga) was the place chosen by
After words of welcome by the Manager of the Cluster, Elena Repollés, more than 50 attendees who attended the 1st Conference on immersion strategic, the first speaker to take the floor was Joan Martí, Manager of Acc1ó Cluster promotion. Its aim was to explain how the cluster can serve as a tool to generate new business opportunities. To certify your assertion that "there are not sectors in crisis, or areas of success, but winning and outdated strategies in all sectors," gave as an example three Catalan companies which have achieved success in the three sectors plunged into a deep crisis: Mango, in textile; Munich shoes, the footwear sector; and Kibuc, in the furniture industry.
Joan Martí, manager of Dinamización of Clúster of Acc1or, transmitted the importance that have the clústeres for the business fabric.
The clústeres, according to Joan Martí, owe to be a tool of competitiveness and for this has to exist a transversalidad between all the companies of the chain whose businesses are focused to a same aim. “The clúster has to be the place to speak on the strategy in group and execute coherent actions with the same”. It put examples like the Clúster Childish, with a sector that generates 3.000 million annual euros; Indescat, the Clúster Catalan of the Sport; or Femac, the Clúster Catalan of Agricultural Machinery that this year has fulfilled 15 years. At present, Catalonia has 1.000 active companies in 22 clústeres.
Joan Martí launched also to the assistants the message that the cooperation results fundamental in the clústers, and this achieves generating confidence; establishing transformative projects in base to strategic challenges; creating groups reduced with leaders that share a same vision; and looking for the own profitability, but at the same time working in key of sector.
To continuation the turn was for Joan Bonmatí, director of Marketing and Trade Marketing of Henkel Adhesive, in one of the most acclaimed reports of the days. Bonmatí Reviewed the tendencies of the big consumption dividing his report in three points: the tendencies macroeconómicas in Spain; main reactions of the buyers; and strategies that mark the difference. In the first point analysed like the high figure of unemployment has gone irremediablemente followed of a descent in the consumption in all the sectors, and that the situation in general terms will not change in a lot of years whereas the Spanish population do not increase and the demand keep on being the same. Of face to 2013 expects a stagnation (+0,3%) of the consumption, situating in 'green' alone some sectors like the one of the childish products (+0,6%) or of beauty (+0,2%).
According to the head of Henkel Iberica, in 2012 the big supermarket remained the more dynamic channel, with one 3.7% more supers than the previous year, while retail trade was the only type of channel that decreased in number of premises (- 2.4%). In terms of the major reactions of Spanish buyers, trends mark a higher consumption at home, a rationalisation in the consumption and a tendency to buy more and cheaper products, something that happens especially in the drugstore channel. In this sense, and according to a study by the consulting firm Nielsen, Spanish consumer tends now to plan your purchase more, visit more stores and more resists buying on impulse.
What are the strategies that make a difference? This was the last question that tried to answer Bonmati in his presentation. New consumer habits offer new opportunities. Here he gave the example of how you have increased sales of cocoa creams, because breakfast has also moved to the home; or how some brands have created second brands with more competitive prices, generating multiple benefits. For Bonmati, innovation in product, packaging, prices and commercially is key now more than ever.
Innovation marks the evolution of the second day
The second day began with Enric Pedrós explaining the experience of the clúster more ancient of Catalonia, Femac, devoted to the agricultural machinery. The clúster manager of the association began explaining how were the starts of Femac, created in 1998 with 12 companies associated. “The truth is that the starts are very hard and more when to the people speak them of clúster, a term that anybody understands”. The first activities were the development of new products, learning, the certifications ISO 9001, etc. In the actuality the average of export of the companies is of 50% and thus the international strategy results fundamental for Femac, with commercial missions, visit and participation in the main international fairs, and the creation of specific groups of internationalisation. It was in 2004 when it began to have present and consolidate the clúster, with a total consolidation after his acceptance in the 2007 in the breast of the AEI (Innovative Business Grouping), a recognition that the Packaging Cluster already has asked after his first year of life.
Regarding the financials, Pedrós showed cutting: “The clústeres without public financials are not sustainable”. In this sense, remarked the need to look for more alternative to level of services. According to Pedrós, an exclusive financials by part of the partners does that it can not work from a global perspective, but attending to the particular needs of each one of them. Thus, from Femac are realizar projects of technological transfer, that in addition to offering income added to the account of exploitation, also sell the mark of the country.
Enric Pedrós during his presentation on the experience of the cluster Femac.
The design gained prominence in the following paper, which Sison Pujol, Nomon Design Manager, explained the case of success of the Lékué brand. This company's turnover has grown exponentially in recent years after base investment solely on the design of its products as the most direct way to get to the end customer. "There was no money for major campaigns in the media, why put the emphasis on working with the consumer and offer you useful products at the same time attractive", said Sison Pujol.
Leopoldo Abadía exposes his way of seeing the crisis
With a "crisis began 12 years ago," began Leopoldo Abadía, IP Harvard Business School and a member of the founding team of the IESE, a presentation regarding how it started the current economic crisis, in what situation we are and how much take to get out of it. He was released more than one laugh attendees at the very direct and explicit way in which have Abbey of referring to the current economic problems and the way in which its protagonists have led to them. Abbey, which is now 80 years old, had even forces, after an hour of presentation, to sign the present the last of its publications: the Economist hopeful.
The afternoon session started from the hand of Rafael Gimeno, lawyer and director of Online Reputación, who outlined the importance of the protection of the mark on the Internet. Gimeno, for it is "necessary to understand the Internet as a place where many attacks occur". Why digital identity seems very important. "Make planning, protecting the name and mark, have a good domain has a fundamental value", said. According to the specialist, it is also necessary to make registrations of trademarks and software regardless of which end up developing. Social networks are no less important, since there have been many cases of identity theft. "It is vital to check Facebook or Twitter and other networks, depending on the country in which we are going to implement a brand or application."
Rafael Gimeno, lawyer and director of Online Reputación, explained the importance which is to protect the brand on the Internet.
Interview to Elena Repollés, manager of Packaging Cluster
- Which were the aims of these first Days of Strategic Immersion?
The aim was to gather during a day and half to all the members and potential members of the clúster so that desconectasen of the routine, break prejucios, and give them inputs so that they inspire and, when finalising the day, could realizar the session of work. The clúster has some strategic challenges and in base to them realizar activities to be able to them implement them. The end last is to increase the business competitiveness of the group.
In this session of work what do is consensuar the challenges, and of each one of them, has to result at least an activity or a project, for of this way increase the competitiveness of the group through the own companies.
- Which has been the feedback of the members of the Packaging Cluster in these Days?
The feeling has been well, and this day and half has served to reinforce bonds between the members, especially if we take into account that it treats of a clúster relatively new. It is very important that know between them and take confidence. It is the best form so that they arise new projects.
- Treats of a clúster with so only eight months of life. Which challenges pose from now?
Ours fundamental mission from the first day is to increase the competitiveness of the packaging. The really important is to work in activities and projects that carry us to fulfil the strategic challenges marked in the bases of constitution of our clúster. The sector of the packaging is strategic in Catalonia and is fundamental to create synergies between all the chain to achieve win new members and enrich between all our sector.
