Desafios em Sintonia
MagazineHM #49 features an interview with Fernando Santos, Strategic Council Chairman of Desafios em Sintonia, a client company of HM Consultores that manufactures medical equipment and personal protective equipment with a significant export capacity.
Interview
From Aveiro to the world, Desafios em Sintonia was founded in 2015 and has since navigated challenging contexts that required assertiveness and strong leadership. After some transformations, how was the year 2023 for the company?
The year 2023 will be, based on our indications, a continuation of the work done in previous years, with a revenue and sales increase of about 22%. The company consolidated markets, particularly in Brazil and China, while not neglecting others, with an anticipated export volume of around 60%. Simultaneously, under an application for Productive Innovation, PT 2020, we are completing a new, state-of-the-art 6000m2 production unit, equipped with a range of equipment and technologies that will allow control over the main links of the value chain, from raw materials, production, quality control, packaging, and storage of the produced goods. These products will expand the portfolio of what is already produced (surgical masks and FFP2), with suits, gowns, caps, shoe covers, wipes (dry and wet), as well as a cleanroom and a unit for blistering and encapsulating medications. With this new production unit, Desafios em Sintonia positions itself as one of the best and largest national players in the areas of Personal Protective Equipment and Medical Devices.
What are the particular challenges of your sector that make it difficult to work in?
There are several particularities and requirements that make this sector challenging and, at the same time, very demanding, given that we are working in health and personal protection. These devices often make the difference between health and illness, as failure to comply with all national and international standards and requirements can compromise the well-being of an entire team and patients. On the other hand, it is always possible and desirable to innovate and do things differently, not only in raw materials but also in packaging, distribution, and recycling, following a philosophy of reuse and circular economy, which will bring economic and social benefits to everyone and reduce carbon, pollution, and waste.
In this post-pandemic period, have you felt new demands from your customers? What changes did the COVID-19 pandemic bring to your business?
During the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergency and needs of Hospitals, Clinics, IPSS, Schools, among other entities/institutions/companies, as well as the population, Desafios em Sintonia accelerated its transition process and response, as well as its national and international partnerships, to meet the many requests of the moment. Today, after this period, the market has returned, if we can say so, to its normalcy, with longer response times and higher demands.
The company leveraged European funds from Portugal 2020 to financially support the investment in new technologies that will improve the quality and efficiency of production. How has it been working with HM Consultores in this regard, and how will these investments influence Desafios em Sintonia’s competitiveness?
We consider HM Consultores a partner, not just a service provider. Among the various projects we have already completed, we cannot forget the Inovação Covid-19, where Desafios em Sintonia, in collaboration with HM, completed its first production unit in a short time, significantly contributing to the market supply of mandatory surgical masks and FFP2 masks during that period. Today, we are together completing another project, as mentioned earlier, with other values and dimensions. From the conception of the idea to its realization, through submission and real-time follow-up, we have done very positive work that will culminate this year with a fully robotized, full-automatic production unit across its different production lines, as well as upstream (raw material reception) and downstream (storage and shipping). The robotization of the entire process, its digitization, and the use of recyclable materials and photovoltaic panels will help Desafios em Sintonia face the future with optimism.
Internationalization is part of the company’s identity. It exports to more than 20 countries and shows no signs of stopping. What are the medium/long-term plans to cement your position in such a competitive sector? Are you considering applying for European funds from Portugal 2030 to help in this mission?
As mentioned earlier, Desafios em Sintonia exports to various countries, with 55% of its revenue coming from external markets last year, and we intend to increase this value both in percentage and absolute terms. Thus, we are working on various support measures for internationalization, in partnership, such as participation in international fairs and/or other events, as well as individual projects like the SME Internationalization support measure, for which we have already started work in partnership with HM Consultores. These and other measures are very important for Desafios em Sintonia and other SMEs to make the qualitative leap that the global market demands.
Fernando Santos, Strategic Council Chairman
