Located in one of the major manufacturing footwear hubs in Europe, that of Alicante, Spain, Plaginsa is a well-established company renowned internationally for its reliability, professionalism and passion
Close to its fortieth anniversary, the Plaginsa sole factory was founded in 1983 by Gaspar Navarro, father of Javier Navarro, currently at the helm of the company, who, at the latest edition of Lineapelle, told us his impressions about the current market, striving to get back to normality after two years of pandemic. “It’s been difficult years – stated the CEO – but we are nevertheless satisfied with our work. Of course, we had to adapt to the new rules and measures, but we can consider ourselves lucky because thanks to product diversification, constant research and international expansion, we still recorded decent profits.”
During the pandemic, the problems derived from the travel restrictions, while today the real challenge is the transport cost, which has risen dramatically, as well as the supply of raw materials, closely linked to logistics: “The only way to keep prices in line with those of two years ago is choose low-price raw materials, but this, in the end, means offering a qualitatively lower product, so we must hold on and hope for a reasonable realignment of prices.”
In addition to boasting high production potential, Plaginsa has always stood out among competing companies for its commitment to R&D activities in terms of cutting-edge technologies, high-performance technical materials and sustainable solutions, main topic of recent years. “Our items are free of formaldehyde, phthalates, IPA and comply with the strict European regulations on safety and the environment. In this sense, the fashion sector is the most demanding one and for many years Plaginsa has been in line with the various specifications. Some of our lines boast up to 30% recycled material, a goal that is not easy to achieve; every day we raise the bar more and more in order to overcome new challenges and meet the needs of this sector.”
In addition to the fashion sector, Plaginsa is made up of other company branches that deal with very different markets, such as acoustic insulation and flooring for the fitness sector; the latter was particularly affected by the pandemic: “With the gyms closed – continued Javier Navarro – we had to significantly slow down production for this niche, trying to reach different markets in order to create new work opportunities.”
To the last customary question, “Are you satisfied with your presence at the fair?”, Javier Navarro exposed us his doubts about the change of date of Micam, the fair dedicated to the finished product, which should have taken place in conjunction with Lineapelle: “Moving Micam one month ahead – concluded Javier – wasn’t a clever strategy by the organizers; this change in dates has made us lose an important slice of visibility, considering that many buyers go to Milan to participate in both events, making us exhibitors benefit double. I hope that the dates for the next edition will be revised in this sense “.
PLAGINSA – www.grupoplaginsa.com
Javier Navarro, CEO Plaginsa
