Simoldes
Encyclopedia
Simoldes is a Portuguese
mould
maker company headquartered in Oliveira de Azeméis
.
Claimed to be Europe
's largest mould maker, Simoldes Group Mould Division supplies plastic
injection moulds for the automotive industry
.
Its Simoldes Tool Division is a group of 7 Production Units and 5 Advanced Customer Service offices with Sales and marketing structure centered in the 4 main companies of the group: Simoldes Aços, MDA, IMA and Simoldes Aços Brasil, and with 950 people.
Simoldes Group Mould Division main customers are worldwide automotive suppliers like Renault
, Volvo
, BMW
, Saab
, General Motors, Ford
, Peugeot
, Mercedes-Benz
, Citroën
, Volkswagen
, SEAT
and other well known companies like Nokia
, Hoover
, IBM
, Whirlpool
, and Philips
.
In 1963 the plant location was changed with the main goal of increasing the business, already growing very fast at that time.
Later in 1966 following a deep market research and a precise marketing strategy, the company made its first approach to potential customers. At that time through well known brokers (typical way to handle business in the sixties).
Two years later the customers approach was changed and the first direct selling was made to England.
In 1974 the company built a new facility that is still operational and considered as the "mother house".
At that time the strongest world companies had frozen their investments due to the economic recession, but Simoldes Aços kept investing on new equipment, experienced people and preparing itself to the market demands and consolidating its image has a mould maker.
Meanwhile the core business was changing - the automotive industry was the main target.
Twenty years later Mr.Rui Paulo Rodrigues, son of Antonio assumes the 2nd direccion of the factory.
The company was working mainly for the Automotive suppliers and the demands were so high that a new company called MDA – Moldes de Azeméis, was created to focus on big size and hi-tech moulds.
With the continuous increase of customer requests a third company (IMA - Indústria de Moldes de Azeméis) started in 1996 for medium size moulds. Later on in 1999 another facility named Simoldes Aços Brasil was built in Curitiba
.
Following a very strong sales strategy and customer orientation, several offices were prepared and spread over the most important European target markets. This policy increased the number of customers and consequently the business volume. To be able to fulfill the new demands a new company was built, IGM – Indústria Global de Moldes, and two other companies nearby were bought, Mecamolde and Ulmolde.
Through all these years exports have been made to over than 30 countries, mainly Argentina,France, Germany, Spain, Sweden, Netherlands, United Kingdom, United States and Turkey, among others.
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
mould
Injection moulding
Injection molding is a manufacturing process for producing parts from both thermoplastic and thermosetting plastic materials. Material is fed into a heated barrel, mixed, and forced into a mold cavity where it cools and hardens to the configuration of the cavity...
maker company headquartered in Oliveira de Azeméis
Oliveira de Azeméis
Oliveira de Azeméis Municipality is located in Oporto Metropolitan Area in Portugal. It has a total area of 163.5 km² and a total population of about 70,000 inhabitants. The city itself has a population of more than 15,000. Oliveira de Azeméis is part of Oporto Metropolitan Area and it is located...
.
Claimed to be Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
's largest mould maker, Simoldes Group Mould Division supplies plastic
Plastic
A plastic material is any of a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic organic solids used in the manufacture of industrial products. Plastics are typically polymers of high molecular mass, and may contain other substances to improve performance and/or reduce production costs...
injection moulds for the automotive industry
Automotive industry
The automotive industry designs, develops, manufactures, markets, and sells motor vehicles, and is one of the world's most important economic sectors by revenue....
.
Its Simoldes Tool Division is a group of 7 Production Units and 5 Advanced Customer Service offices with Sales and marketing structure centered in the 4 main companies of the group: Simoldes Aços, MDA, IMA and Simoldes Aços Brasil, and with 950 people.
Simoldes Group Mould Division main customers are worldwide automotive suppliers like Renault
Renault
Renault S.A. is a French automaker producing cars, vans, and in the past, autorail vehicles, trucks, tractors, vans and also buses/coaches. Its alliance with Nissan makes it the world's third largest automaker...
, Volvo
Volvo
AB Volvo is a Swedish builder of commercial vehicles, including trucks, buses and construction equipment. Volvo also supplies marine and industrial drive systems, aerospace components and financial services...
, BMW
BMW
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...
, Saab
Saab
Saab AB is a Swedish aerospace and defence company, founded in 1937. From 1947 to 1990 it was the parent company of automobile manufacturer Saab Automobile, and between 1968 and 1995 the company was in a merger with commercial vehicle manufacturer Scania, known as Saab-Scania.-History:"Svenska...
, General Motors, Ford
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
, Peugeot
Peugeot
Peugeot is a major French car brand, part of PSA Peugeot Citroën, the second largest carmaker based in Europe.The family business that precedes the current Peugeot company was founded in 1810, and manufactured coffee mills and bicycles. On 20 November 1858, Emile Peugeot applied for the lion...
, Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. Mercedes-Benz is a division of its parent company, Daimler AG...
, Citroën
Citroën
Citroën is a major French automobile manufacturer, part of the PSA Peugeot Citroën group.Founded in 1919 by French industrialist André-Gustave Citroën , Citroën was the first mass-production car company outside the USA and pioneered the modern concept of creating a sales and services network that...
, Volkswagen
Volkswagen
Volkswagen is a German automobile manufacturer and is the original and biggest-selling marque of the Volkswagen Group, which now also owns the Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, SEAT, and Škoda marques and the truck manufacturer Scania.Volkswagen means "people's car" in German, where it is...
, SEAT
SEAT
SEAT, S.A. is a Spanish automobile manufacturer founded on May 9, 1950 by the Instituto Nacional de Industria , a state-owned industrial holding company....
and other well known companies like Nokia
Nokia
Nokia Corporation is a Finnish multinational communications corporation that is headquartered in Keilaniemi, Espoo, a city neighbouring Finland's capital Helsinki...
, Hoover
The Hoover Company
The Hoover Company started out as an American floor care manufacturer based in North Canton, Ohio. It also established a major base in the United Kingdom and for most of the early-and-mid-20th century, it dominated the electric vacuum cleaner industry, to the point where the "hoover" brand name...
, IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
, Whirlpool
Whirlpool
A whirlpool is a swirling body of water usually produced by ocean tides. The vast majority of whirlpools are not very powerful. More powerful ones are more properly termed maelstroms. Vortex is the proper term for any whirlpool that has a downdraft...
, and Philips
Philips
Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. , more commonly known as Philips, is a multinational Dutch electronics company....
.
History
The company started on 30 November 1959 with Simoldes Aços foundation. With an amazing capital share of 200€ (40 thousand escudos at that time), Mr. António Rodrigues founded this small plant located inside Oliveira de Azeméis. Nowadays the mould division has 6 companies in Portugal and 3 in Brazil (two in Curitiba and one in São Paulo) and, one more in Argentina. The group expanded their facilities to Asia and Eastern Europe following their customers migration and market rules. Simoldes Aços started as a toy and houseware mould maker.In 1963 the plant location was changed with the main goal of increasing the business, already growing very fast at that time.
Later in 1966 following a deep market research and a precise marketing strategy, the company made its first approach to potential customers. At that time through well known brokers (typical way to handle business in the sixties).
Two years later the customers approach was changed and the first direct selling was made to England.
In 1974 the company built a new facility that is still operational and considered as the "mother house".
At that time the strongest world companies had frozen their investments due to the economic recession, but Simoldes Aços kept investing on new equipment, experienced people and preparing itself to the market demands and consolidating its image has a mould maker.
Meanwhile the core business was changing - the automotive industry was the main target.
Twenty years later Mr.Rui Paulo Rodrigues, son of Antonio assumes the 2nd direccion of the factory.
The company was working mainly for the Automotive suppliers and the demands were so high that a new company called MDA – Moldes de Azeméis, was created to focus on big size and hi-tech moulds.
With the continuous increase of customer requests a third company (IMA - Indústria de Moldes de Azeméis) started in 1996 for medium size moulds. Later on in 1999 another facility named Simoldes Aços Brasil was built in Curitiba
Curitiba
Curitiba is the capital of the Brazilian state of Paraná. It is the largest city with the biggest economy of both Paraná and southern Brazil. The population of Curitiba numbers approximately 1.75 million people and the latest GDP figures for the city surpass US$61 billion according to...
.
Following a very strong sales strategy and customer orientation, several offices were prepared and spread over the most important European target markets. This policy increased the number of customers and consequently the business volume. To be able to fulfill the new demands a new company was built, IGM – Indústria Global de Moldes, and two other companies nearby were bought, Mecamolde and Ulmolde.
Through all these years exports have been made to over than 30 countries, mainly Argentina,France, Germany, Spain, Sweden, Netherlands, United Kingdom, United States and Turkey, among others.