Canaletas participated in the 'Week of the Entrepreneur and Innovation "organized by the Municipality of El Prat de Llobregat (Barcelona) Spain

The general director, Jordi Morera, believes that progress is impossible without involving all employees of a company.

El Prat de Llobregat (Barcelona), 28 November 2007
The Economic Development area of the Municipality of El Prat de Llobregat (Barcelona) has organized the 'Week of Innovation and Entrepreneurship' in order to bring together some of the local companies and exchange ideas on how to innovate in the business environment.

Among the planned events highlighted, there was a roundtable in which several local organizations described experiences related to business innovation.

Canaletas is a company based in El Prat de Llobregat (Barcelona), for over 40 years it has been designing and manufacturing all kinds of water coolers and drinking fountains. Since its founding, the firm has been distinguished for its innovative character and today sells 50 different models. Its general director, Jordi Morera, was one of the participants in the roundtable.

In his statement, the company official has said that "in a competitive market like this, innovation is indispensable to all SMEs that want to survive, since it is the only way to differentiate itself from other companies. In our case we have a specific department of R & D for 15 years. This department allows us to anticipate market needs and obtain patents nationally and internationally. "

Likewise, Morera´s view is that in a business environment, changes must come from above. Those responsible for the company must control the process and raise awareness among workers for the need to change. The scheme will only succeed if it manages to involve the entire staff. "

In this sense, Canaletas involves its employees in the decision-making processes. As an example, explained how an idea from one of his workers (to replace metal blades by a copper) was able to greatly improve the performance of a product.

This commitment to innovation has enabled Canaletas to take big projects. A few years ago the company decided to implement the ERP software, with which they have gained in flexibility and were able to improve its service delivery. Jordi Morera said that "thanks to this change as a company we have grown to the point of winning public competitions at international level."

Without going any further, last July, France chose the firm as an official supplier of water coolers for all units assigned to his administration, such as hospitals, universities, schools and municipalities, among many others. "If it had not implemented the ERP system we could not qualify for a project of this magnitude," the general director of the company.

The "Week of Innovation and Entrepreneurship 'has aroused great interest in El Prat, as the number of participants has exceeded a hundred people. In addition to the roundtable on innovation in the enterprise, the area of the City Economic Development has organized other events, such as a workshop for entrepreneurs, presentations of case studies or awards to the best business initiatives.

About Canaletas

Canaletas is a family run company founded in 1965, which focuses on the design and manufacture of all types of water coolers and drinking fountains. Its headquarters are based in El Prat de Llobregat (Barcelona), the company has different branches throughout the country and a distribution network covering the majority of European countries, while exporting to many different areas around the world.
Currently, Canaletas is the most experienced manufacturer of water coolers and drinking fountains in Europe and is characterized by its innovative spirit, this can be seen by the numerous patents that have been registered throughout its 45 year history. The company is now run by the second generation and is notable for the quality of its products that stand the test of time and offer a "life cycle" superior to most other coolers and dispensers on the market.