Interview to Balbino Menéndez, general director of Cecofersa, member of Solfer
12 April 2012
With which basic and common aims have joined his organisations?
The agreement of the head office of shopping Cecofersa with the cooperative Coferdroza and Coarco is cream of the need to look for new ways and opportunities directed to contribute new values to the chain of supply, offer advantages to the providers, satisfy the needs of the professional and particular customer, ensure the future of our partners and associated and guarantee the personal and professional growth of our organisations. It put it it is to lead the sector of the ironingingmongery and industrial supply in Spain and Portugal centralising efforts to reduce costs and make possible the growth. All this based in the mutual confidence and the backrest in the experience and in the effort of the three organisations. Like this it is cream a concept that engloba to the three organisations: Solfer (‘Solutions for ironingingmongeries').
And which actions go to undertake to achieve them?
The distinct solutions that contributes the agreement support in a centralisation of shopping, marketing, logistical and services. The platforms of Saragossa and Tenerife will cover the logistical needs of partners and associated in Spain and Portugal. The profile of our establishments covers urban ironingingmongery and of vicinity, industrial and professional supply and all the related with the decoration and the home, therefore we have segmentado three types of business of ironingingmongery: Ferry Plus to give solutions to the customer of vicinity, Ferry Pro to contribute solutions to the professional customer and Ferry Shop to give answer to the needs of the that does his own repairs, improvement and decorates his home. We have solutions in new technologies, based in a program of exclusive management for electronic exchange of data, download of files and prices and development of virtual shop. We contribute campaigns, brochures, catalogues and exclusive events. Also it fits to stand out the saving that will suppose for the provider the centralisation of the turnover or the reduction of the risk by the guarantee of payment, amongst other services.
How they complement these three entities?
In the actuality Solfer, like sum of the three groups, already gives like result more than 800 ironingingmongeries and industrial supplies associated that cover the whole of Spain and Portugal, covers a distribution specialises and generalista and supports in a team of 102 highly qualified professionals and capacitados to offer the best services in shopping, sales, marketing, logistical, computer, financialss, administration, imports, management of quality, RSC, human resources, etc.
And how they will organise to the hour to direct Solfer?
Without wanting to, when deciding work together have had to be humble and generous by all the parts since we have a coincident vision of the market and this illusion has forced us to this. The form of not increasing structures and offer greater and better services, increasing the productivity is to centralise the efforts of the three organisations. The most important of the project is that it was agile and work and until today have reached the marked aims in the planned time and this is the most significant.
Which points thinks that the difference of other business groups of the similar sector to the his?
The three organisations share the philosophy to do well the things and afterwards communicate it: ‘Said and done'. The intermediate organisations have to give solutions to the needs of our partners and associated and especially to his customers and not being a ballast for them. We know that we have to do the distinct things of how have done until today to be able to grow, that the market has changed and that we have the obligation to direct the change to help to our partners and associated to schedule the future. We possess a wide vision of the market that us capacita to lead a new project, know to do it and go it to do.
They have foreseen to add more signatures to Solfer?
All will depend on how go developing the situation in our sector and of the form to understand the market that have the distinct organisations and companies. Be more can be interesting, but no only is question to purchase critical mass: it is necessary to do it well and it is necessary to be the best.
How they have fit his main providers this union? They will go out benefited of her?
Find us in a phase in which we are transmitting to the new ours providers philosophy and our new projects oriented to the customer and for now the result is quite positive. The aim is to develop an optimum exchange of information, sinergias and capacity to grow inside and out of our borders. We want to coordinate the actions with the provider and our equipment of sales to improve the innovation, the novelties, the edition of promotional material and the event organisation. We look for the collaboration to form to our personnel, partners and associated. We give importance to the conjoint research of technological solutions. And amongst other profits more, transmit the saving that will suppose the implantation of the payment centralised, negotiation of anticipos and the reduction of risks with the guarantee of payment.
They are designing his future chains of sales. What can explain us of Ferry Plus, Ferry Pro and Ferry Shop?
As I already have commented, to cover all the segments of clientele that cover our partners and associated, in Solfer have segmentamos three types of establishments that have a common part: Ferry Plus oriented to a type of customer generalista that gives importance to the vicinity, Ferry Pro oriented to the industrial supply and to the professional customer and Ferry Shop to offer all the necessary to the customer that realises personally his reforms, looks for products and services to decorate and that improves his home. Each one of them will rest in a solid common image, easily identifiable and strong that will support in the visual identification of the establishment, commercial implantation, furniture, señalética, assortment, internal processes and in the distinct promotional actions and advertising oriented to the final customer.
Inside his new organisation which paper play the new technologies? And the electronic trade?
The new technologies are a bet decided in our project. In Solfer have our own and exclusive program of commercial management that makes possible and improves the electronic exchange of data (EDI), as well as the download of files and prices. We are developing a new web oriented to the customer and a virtual shop that will contribute an advantageous competitive solution for partners and associated. And simultaneously we continue developing our strategies in the diverse virtual communities.
To finalise, which is the most immediate project of Solfer?
From January of this year, when it approved the Strategic Plan and of Business until today Solfer has begun to contact with providers, has begun to expand the coverage of the logistical services and have begun to establish the bases for the three available chains Ferry Plus, Ferry Pro and Ferry Shop. We are working time trial to fulfil a very demanding calendar and as it characterises us, first will do well the things and afterwards, will communicate it: ‘Said and done'.
