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Buschinelli manufactures and sells ceramic and porcellanato tiles. To understand the company, you should understand its long history in Brazil, its market and its Ten Commandments.
HISTORY:
Soon after arriving in Brazil from the town of Curtatone in North Italy in 1910, Mr. Carlos Buschinelli set up a grocery store in Santa Gertrudes. Six years later, Mr. Buschinelli purchased a ceramic roofing tile manufacturer from a German Immigrant who had decided to move back to Europe. The company has undergone great changes since then. In 1932, at a time of severe national crisis, it was necessary to comply with the new business rules. The company filed articles of organization changing its name to Irmãos Buschinelli. In 1949, the company changed its name once again to Buschinelli & CIA.
In the 1970s, Buschinelli really took off; one of the main reasons being that the company got a patent on the Capanal roofing tiles - a kind of tile that gathered both the covering and the water canal on a single piece. It was also around that time that Buschinelli started building the second largest and most modern colonial tile factory of the time in Brazil.
Nowadays, Buschinelli is run by the fifth generation of the Buschinelli family. The company manufactures 80\% of its production in size 40X40, and it has recently launched a 50X50 line.
Buschinelli puts its success down to its pioneering spirit in promoting its products at sales points. For two years in a row, the company sponsored breakfast sales campaigns at different sales points all over the country. Sales skyrocketed by 380\% while the event was being held. Shop owners celebrated a 30\% increase in general sales on the days of the event. Caixa Economica Federal, a federal bank in Brazil, is still using the general lines of Buschienlli’s breakfast campaigns to promote services.
After the great success of breakfast sales efforts, a new campaign entitled Feirão, that is BIG FAIR, was launched nationawide too. “Last year we held the campaign in all 14 branches of TELHANORTE HARDWARE STORES. Sales at these shops grew from 7,000 sq.m. a month to 110,000 sq.m. in February,” says Vinicius, Buschinelli’s general sales director. Buschinelli is one of the few selected suppliers of big retailers (Telhanorte, C&C, and Leroy Merlin) based in Brazil.
MARKET:
At present Brazil is the fourth largest producer of ceramics in the world, but it is bound to gain ground and overtake Spain’s position before the end of this year. It (Brazil) is also expected to reach Italy’s production level and take the second position within the next two years. Santa Gertrudes, a town in the countryside of São Paulo State manufactures 39\% of all national ceramics and 65\% of the Sao Paulo State total. It is estimated that 60\% of all tiles purchase in Brazil is glossy, and 40\% rustic. “... and The preference in Central America, for example, is glossy pieces with bright colors, too.”
“Puerto Rico is one of the biggest tile consumers in the world. Puerto Ricans are used to changing tiles often, just like the Brazilian upper middle class is used to changing cars,” says the company’s sales director.
Buschinelli, aiming to gain ground in new international markets, participated in the International Fair in Dubai last year.
During the event, the company’s booth was visited by a North American agent , which is involved in the rebuilding of Iraq. Then in January, representatives from this company visited our facilities in Santa Gertrudes and quoted one million square meters. Delivery is scheduled to happen in the second half of the year.
The company also invested US$ 1 million last year to increase its present monthly production capacity of 550,000 square meters by 25\%. US$ 6 million is still to be invested along the next two years to increase the company’s production capacity by another 50\%.
BUSCHINELLI’S TEN COMMANDMENTS:
1. Serve the client efficiently.
2. Bring out all motivation and commitment. Be creative. Be ready for changes.
4. Teamwork, and energize people.
5. Keep informed and learning constantly.
6. Take good care of yourself. Your life quality is connected with your job.
7. Manage your time well. The best time of all is now.
8. Plan your actions and organize your work.
9. Pay attention to the market. That’s how you will learn the way.
10. Be a champion. You can do it.
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