After 45 years manufacturing and distributing water coolers and drinking water fountains in the Spanish market, Canaletas expects to increase its export quota in the coming years.
BARCELONA.
After 45 years manufacturing and distributing water coolers and drinking fountains in the Spanish market, Canaletas expects to increase its export quota in the coming years. The company already distributes its models of water coolers in more than 50 markets, but plans to increase its presence in the countries where it is now working and enter new markets to grow. This way, the family company expects foreign markets to offset the fall in Spain.
As Jordi Morera, CEO of Canaletas, explains, «The significant drop in turnover occurred in the year 2009.The company will close this fiscal year with an increase of 6% of sales, that will come from the exports, as the National market continues falling between 2 and 3%».
30% of the incomes proceed from the more than 50 markets in which it operates « Nevertheless, if you look for units, more than 50% of the water coolers Canaletas sold this year has gone abroad, as export prices are lower», points out the general director of the catalan company.
Canaletas has more than 20,000 customers worldwide, including private companies, government agencies or entities managing public spaces, for which it has installed more than 140,000 water coolers, 100,000 of them in Spain. « Our water coolers are present in many public places, including in the locker rooms of the of Real Madrid and Barcelona stadiums, or the facilities in which the tournament Conde Godo of Tennis takes place» says Morera proudly.
The company has
more than 40 models, but the water coolers can be customized, based on customer criteria. Canaletas destinates 10% of its turnover to its R + D + i department, which mainly handles the test of new materials and the design of new models.
The catalan company launches, on average, two new models of water coolers every year. In 2010, one of the innovations that were put on the market is a special drinking fountain for schools playgrounds, which, according to its general director, «It doesn't cool the water » In 2011, they will launch a new version of an existing water cooler model, in which they have been working for a year.
The main feature of Canaletas water coolers is its endurance. So, Morera notes that «Today, a water cooler is like a domestic appliance, it can last ten years, but the water coolers Canaletas can have a life of up to 30 years, in fact, if they last less than 20 years, we believe that there has been some problem ». The secret is in this endurance is in the materials, since 95% of the components used in the manufacture of the water coolers are made of stainless steel.
