Interview to Luis González-Fiscer Galician, manager of plastics of Carlota

Although in Portugal have several customers from does years and follow opening market, especially in the zone south and centre, is Morocco the true market with future for our company. While Portugal went in in economic recession, Morocco keeps growing ininterrumpidamente from does years (5% in 2010), with the agriculture (13% of the GDP / 43% of the active population) like one of the pillars in which they base said growth. The Plan Maroc Vert, allocated to industrialise the agricultural sector, is the clear example on the commitment that purchases Morocco for modernizar this sector.

Another key factor is the little competition that there is, especially in Morocco, of companies that manufacture containers of plastics for the recolección, storage and transport of fruit, vegetables and vegetables.

The monarchy and political institutions of Morocco are betting clearly by modernizar the country, incentivando the strongest sectors, like the agriculture, the fishing or the minería.

At present the majority of the containers that manufactures the sector elaborate with materials recycled. No for having an ecological mentality, alas, but by prices: the customer of this sector in Spain looks the price, and no the performance of the product on a long-term basis. The virgin material pays almost the double.

The problem of the materials recovered is that they do not have continuity and there are periods of little offer in which the prices go up a lot. It is practically impossible to close an agreement of supply during a time. The usual practice of the companies of recycling of plastic is to close truck to truck. This is a sector that has to profesionalizarse.

The first that it is necessary to take into account is that the biodegradable materials are more expensive, in proportion 3 to 1, that the polymers of common use. Centring us in the containers, know that the materials ‘bio' can not reutilizar and a thermoplastic himself (without losing his characteristics). That is to say, the biodegradabilidad of the material ‘bio' would prevent us reutilizar ours own boxes in the process of recycled that elaborate in Recycle Carlota, S.L., with the addition that if trituramos boxes ‘bio' can not mix with boxes of thermoplastic normal, as we generate material contaminated (will not be able to reutilizar by the deslaminaciones and breaks of chemical chains). The solution in this case would be additive very expensive for compatibilizar material, in contradiction with the definition of biodegradable.

“Centring us in the containers, know that the materials ‘bio' can not reutilizar and a thermoplastic himself (without losing his characteristics)”

Has developed a polietilieno ‘bio' designated LDA, and when doing proofs of compatibility with the PET normal the results are negative. They exist several studies realised by big companies like Cespa or Urbaser where can see all this more detailed.

Basically the one who marks the law, since in the ancient installations that have do not have of means to engage us in this subject more than what stipulates the law.

Recycles Carlota was cream with the main aim to resupply to his company matrix of materials triturados for the injection. In the year 2011 Recycles Carlota bought and trituró 213 tonnes of boxes used to recycle, this is almost 10% of the whole of the prime matter that consumes plastic of Carlota, S.L., because of the bad quality of the materials that supply us the usual providers.

The aim of Recycle Carlota is to resupply of the greater quantity of possible prime matter to plastics of Carlota, S.L., since when controlling the process of triturado, the quality of the plastic will be greater, damaging less the machines of injection and increasing the quality of the product.

Has noticed it, as all the sectors, but in minor measured that the most affected. The field follows producing, but the prices are very low because of several factors like the competition of emergent markets, with hand of work a lot of cheaper.

plastic of Carlota, S.L. It has not noticed the crisis of a significant way had to, in greater part, to the good do of the team that have. In 2011 we have invoiceed 75% more than in the previous year.

More than 90% of what produce are containers of plastics for the industry agroalimentaria. Occasionally we manufacture other products for other sectors, but the incidence in the total of the company is almost invalid. Ones of the aims that have marked like important is the diversification in the product, therefore we test with different sectors.

At present are shipped in several projects of this type, like injecting the matrix of PE to do bottles by means of blown or the manufacture of caps for diverse marks of mineral water.

In the sector hortofrutícola does some years changed the tendency to light boxes (stray container), mainly for the export. Less weight indicates less price, as the material supposes between 60% and 70% of the final price of the product.

The container MiniPetit contrived to give us advertising giving the product. We give it to providers, customers, companies of the surroundings, restaurants, bars, hotels, etc. In the two last editions of Fruit Attracion give 15.000 cajitas MiniPetit, and in the last Fair Sifel of Agadir (Morocco) gave almost 10.000.

The main project that have from does years, is the transfer to the new installations, so much of plastics of Carlota as of Recycle Carlota. It does years buy (and pay) 15.000 square metres, since because of the continuous growth saw us forced to buy new machinery and needed more metres, especially for the storage. To day of today, the municipality does not have of the designated macropolígono that so much promocionó; like consequence,  had to look for other factories with machinery to inject and store: we have two moulds in a factory of Jaén (plastic Caval) where inject some two million boxes to the year, and that give some places of work that by logical would have to be in the municipality of Carlota.

If all goes well, estimate that for the next year 2013 will be able to begin the transfer to some totally new installations, where will be able to work until seven machines inyectoras (now have five).

The second project in importance is the installation of a factory with two machines inyectoras in Morocco. During the two last years have exposed in the fairs of Mequinez (Siam, International Living room of the Agriculture of Morocco) and Agadir (Sifel, International Living room Professional of the Sector of Fruit and Vegetables) and have participated in several commercial missions with Extenda (Andalusian Agency of External Promotion) in Casablanca, Marrakech or Agadir. All this has left us very clear that in our sector, to consolidate and grow still more, Morocco can be a very important market, because of factors like the lower competition, the peak of the agriculture, etc…

On the other hand, want to install a machine inyectora in Almería, since big part of our customers find in this zone and the saving in logistics would be considerable, benefiting to manufacturer and customer. Also we want to install a ‘mill' to recycle boxes used in Cádiz.

Design a logo to give to know our anniversary and print it in new cards of visit, sobres, folios, web, etc… Also announce it by means of posters in Fruit Attraction. Apart from an invitation to all the team of the company, do not think that have to spend more by an anniversary.

As we have done it up to now: treating by the same to customers, providers and mates of work; creating an optimum labour climate so that the worker was more competitive (when paginating his labour and personal life or familiar); with continuous learning, opening always market with new commercial, having an always positive attitude, flexible and tolerante, and improving the human diversification (different nationalities, races, beliefs…); with the investment of the profits in the modernisation and growth of the company; with a very good communication between people and departments and a taking of decisions in consensus, etc…

This manufacturer of containers of plastic for recolección, storage, transport and sales of fruit, vegetables and vegetables has his installations in the municipality that gives him name, in Córdoba, where work between 25 and 27 people. plastics of Carlota has two productive areas: injection and recycled.

In the area of injection, the company has of machines of injection that can produce pieces that go from some grams until 3,5 kilos. The department of R&D of the signature follows closely the demands of the market, and idea from small containers for clinical laboratories until small pieces for the sector of the solar power or the telecommunications. In the area of recycled, the company Recycles Carlota S.L. It resupplies of customers of plastics of Carlota whose material out of use or dilapidated is wash and recycled.

In Jaén, the company is associated with plastics Caval for works of injection. The plant jienense, that has 10 operarios, began manufacturing products of thermoplastic of high quality for the sector of the piece of furniture. Later, it expanded his production with the manufacture of boxes, manguitos for the union of pipes, heating, electricity and glasses of plastic of poliestireno glass and polipropileno.