AEPF promotes local development

With the aim of promoting and increasing the competitiveness of companies and the socio-economic development of the region, the Paços de Ferreira Business Association is a non-profit organization of public utility that stands out for being multi-sectoral. As such, the AEPF represents economic agents from the most diverse areas – in particular the furniture, textile, trade and metalworking sectors. Mobiliário em Notícia magazine spoke to the President, Rita Pacheco.

1. What is the mission of the Paços de Ferreira Business Association?

As the Paços de Ferreira Business Association, we are constantly focused on promoting our region and working to develop the Paços de Ferreira business sector culturally, socially and economically.

Another aspect to highlight is a fact that makes us very proud: we are multisectoral and include the furniture, textile, trade and metalworking sectors. It is all these sectors that make the Association, and Paços de Ferreira, a hub that aggregates the dynamism of a region with an unparalleled impact on national economic development.

Since the foundation, we have worked tirelessly to promote the region, companies and the training of people and, in recent years, we have reaffirmed our commitment to the continuous search for excellence in our activities, aiming at an even more significant and positive impact on our companies and on the lives of those who cooperate with us.

We believe that by actively representing the interests of the business sector, stimulating entrepreneurial culture and the search for innovation, and promoting sustainable and socially responsible business practices, we will be contributing to the construction of a more robust, dynamic and ethical business environment in Paços de Ferreira.

2. What are the main challenges facing the furniture sector in Portugal and how are they dealing with these challenges?

There are numerous aspects that, in recent years, have been challenging. Since Paços de Ferreira is a municipality with more than 700 companies related to furniture, it is important to be aware of what happens in the sector.

The constant innovation of the furniture offered to the market requires a greater complexity of the products and an adaptability to the new production processes by the companies. Labor is also one of the major problems for this sector, essentially for three reasons: current workers are aging and all knowledge and experience are at risk; there is a great difficulty in hiring young people, mainly for operational tasks; and it is also difficult to adapt current workers to the recurring innovation of the sector.

In addition, one of the major problems in the sector, and not only, is related to the delivery time of orders. Technology and the internet are evolving at a breakneck speed and, at the same time, so is e-commerce. Companies end up noticing that at the time of the decision, the buyer, for the most part, ends up preferring those who offer them a shorter delivery time, putting a great pressure on the logistics chain.

There are other factors that concern producers: the level of customization of products, the quality and price pressure demanded by buyers, and the investments associated with the digitization of production processes.

At the same time, there is also a concern about the delay in accessing new Community funds, namely through Portugal 2030, which help to boost the economy and allow organizations to invest more in innovation and technology.

3. What are the main programs and initiatives that AIMMP is involved in?

As AEPF, we have a series of initiatives designed and prepared to promote the development of the business and worker fabric in the Paços de Ferreira region.  Workshops in different business areas, seminars on new market regulations, informative publications, consulting and awareness campaigns are just some of the examples that we can highlight.

We are also implementing two projects funded under the Recovery and Resilience Plan, namely:

– IMobDEC Project – Decarbonization of the Furniture Sector, which aims to encourage and support associates in the modernization and restructuring of their companies, contributing to the improvement of their competitiveness in the areas of Quality, Environment and Energy; and promote the identification of a set of measures applicable to the Furniture Industry Sector, aimed at contributing to the goal of carbon neutrality.

– Bairro Capital do Móvel Project is an initiative promoted by the Business Association and the Municipality of Paços de Ferreira that aims at the recovery, revitalization and modernization of companies in the local commerce and consumer services sectors with activity in the central urban axes of the city.

Certain that people make companies and society, we promote professional training for the qualification and training of people, whether in UpSkills processes such as ReSkills. In this way, we are fostering the development of the region, not only through companies, but also through human capital.

AEPF is also a founding partner of the Technological Center for the Wood and Furniture Industries, a project that will be crucial for the development of companies and the furniture sector, given the current challenges of sustainability and innovation.

We could not finish this point, without first mentioning the important project that we promote annually, which is the Furniture Capital Fair, with two editions in the Cities of Lisbon and Porto, which mobilizes thousands of people, from exhibitors to visitors who get to know trends, product innovation and design concepts there. A project that promotes the territory, companies and, above all, is an important driver of sales and commercial relations.

4. Would you like to share examples of the various successful projects that the association has led?

In recent years we have participated in and led some projects that we are very proud of and which have different pillars: the identification of companies’ needs through the collection of information based on questionnaires, meetings and constant dialogue or the analysis of economic data; clarification sessions; promotion and networking; support for the digital transition; encouraging the energy transition with the development of a Carbon Footprint Assessment Platform, the provision of guides or the establishment of partnerships with environmental entities; promoting the internationalization of companies with diplomatic actions, business missions or even support in prospecting strategic markets; or even the promotion of events such as the already emblematic Capital of Furniture, which is positioned as the largest decorative furniture fair in the country.

The year 2023 was also marked by the success of the Conference “Pioneering The Future of Furniture” in which AEPF was on the organizing committee and which had 267 participants, 30 speakers, 7 demonstration teams, 25 sponsors and 20 partners who, over the 2 days of the event, they enabled the great success of this meeting between the business community and the scientific ecosystem.

Under the theme “Future of Furniture”, we set out to explore the great challenges of design, sustainability, new business models, skills of the future, and, above all, emerging technologies.

5. For 2024, what are the plans, objectives and goals to be achieved?

Our goal is to promote actions that strengthen the business fabric, encourage entrepreneurship and generate a positive impact on the lives of people who live and work in Paços de Ferreira.

In addition, this year marks 40 years since the creation of the Capital do Móvel brand, a true milestone in the sector that helped in the projection of our country across borders and in the recognition of the quality and durability of the Paços de Ferreira brand. It is in this sense that, this year, our eyes will be – even more – focused on the international market and that, at the end of the year, we will have important news in increasing our worldwide notoriety.