Portugal

The new government has shown a way forward for Portugal involving structural reforms, which should help increase productivity and economic competitiveness. The Prime Minister, José Manuel Durao Barroso, has declared that he will try to cut Portugal's deficit from 4.1 percent in 2001 to 2.8 percent in 2003. FULL STORY

Quality is the key to successful competition

With new competition from low-cost production locations like Eastern Europe and Asia, Portugal's textile industry has concentrated on a new formula to keep the industry competitive internationally, namely, quality.

In the past, multinationals chose to manufacture their textiles in Portugal due to the country's low labor costs. Today Portugal's numbers cannot compete with that of some countries outside Europe. Textile producers are now using quality as their ammunition in the global fight for customers.

Sonicarla is one Portuguese textile company obsessed with improving quality. This manufacturer of seamless textiles has an ongoing strategy of equipment modernization to provide the quality demanded by customers. This has put the company in a leading position among both local and foreign companies in the same sector. "By June of 2003 we will be one of the most modern in seamless textile manufacturing in Europe," says Antonio Ferreira, Sonicarl's president and founder. FULL STORY

Keeping one step ahead

Fujifilm discovered the value of the Portuguese market early on. Back in 1967 the Japanese company decided to introduce its products to Portugal, making the Portuguese consumers only the second in Europe after the Belgians to get acquainted with Fujifilm's photographic quality.

Fujifilm Portugal's long years of experience and market know-how have paid off. Today it has the strongest market share of all Fujifilm distributors in Europe. However, it had to start out being innovative even from the beginning to reach its present level. FULL STORY
Joao Cesar Machado, CEO of Fujifilm Portugal

Portuguese Ready-to-Wear targets the world market

Portuguese clothing companies are faced with the interesting challenge of being the new kids on the block in the global fashion industry. In this group, AJD is breaking new ground while proudly carrying the Portuguese flag.

In 1996, Joao Domingues, managing director of AJD Comercio De Vestuario, established the Acetato brand of ready-to-wear clothing in Portugal. Armed with nine employees and a deeply rooted family tradition in the clothing sector, Domingues opened his first shop in the northern city of Porto. Six years and 11 stores later, the company has extended its doors beyond its borders and into neighboring Spain. FULL STORY

An aerial view of Corksribas' factory
Making good use of a noble material

In the 15th century, one of Portugal's kings ruled that anyone cutting down a cork oak tree would be punished with decapitation. Of course this rule is no longer applicable in Portugal, but cork trees are still sacred. Today, Portugal has 50 percent of the world's cork resources and controls over 80 percent of the world's cork trade.

Eduardo Gomes Coelho Ribas, president of the cork producer Corksribas, says that cork is Portugal's No. 1 ambassador: "There is cork in every corner of the world, though there is an 80 percent chance that any cork you find is from Portugal." FULL STORY

Where premium service is set in stone

The world has known of the quality of Portuguese marble from the time of the Romans. Today Portuguese stone is still in high demand around the world. And despite the current downturn in the construction industry this sector has seen steady growth.