Manuel Chire is the representative as the Professional of the month for the Andean region in this edition. The chemical engineer represents the company Disan.
by Duván Chaverra Agudelo
Peru, that market that in recent years has attracted the attention of all economic industries due to its remarkable growth, which has made it one of the most promising countries for entrepreneurs around the world.
Manuel Chire, is the Technical Marketing Specialist in Paints & Construction of the chemical company Disan, and for this edition, from Lima, he represents with merits the Professional of the month, which is dedicated to the entire area of the Andean region.
"Our proposal, and that we share with our customers is very clear: the best way to endure over time in business terms is to be continuously reinventing and evolving, offering new products, launching attractive brands, creating trend and ecological awareness, this is key to position a brand or product in a differentiated way", explained the guest when reflecting on the keys that he has taken into account when being competitive and lasting in time in the business field.
The above says a lot about the goals and projects that Manuel has in his mind to get ahead in such a competitive business. In addition, Manuel also has time to enjoy outdoor sports, music and Peruvian food, recognized worldwide as one of the best cuisines. But his professional activities are undoubtedly the ones that make him most proud.
"I am passionate about sharing experiences with other colleagues in the paintmaking medium and solving their queries. This year 2015 I had the opportunity to take a technical presentation at Andina Paint, where you can share my research in the development of pigment dispersions in aqueous medium; there we presented a live demonstration of pigment dispersion."
How did it all start?
To share all that knowledge with his industry colleagues, Manuel had to go through an intense academic process that allowed him to develop his skills to be recognized within the guild.
"I received my professional training at the Faculty of Chemical Engineering at the University of Callao, since my school days science was always one of the subjects that strongly captured my attention. It was since then that I decided to study it to contribute with my work to the national industry, where I have been working for almost 15 years, "said the Professional of the month.
It was in 2001 when he began his time in the solvent and aqueous based coatings industry at the company Corporación Mara S.A in Lima and it was here where he learned from great masters the basic principles on quality control, formulation and inspection on site of paints, and then occupied the position of Head of Laboratory and Research and Development of products in this company. After almost 10 years of work, he moved to positions in coating inspection areas at Chicago Bridge & Iron – south of Lima.
"In 2010 I joined the company Disan as a Technical Marketing Specialist – EMT, where I direct the Applications Laboratory for the Paints and Construction industries with direct attention to Ecuador, Colombia and Peru, bringing solutions, value proposition and industry trends, which has allowed me to frequently visit the Andean countries."
On the other hand, Manuel highlights the fruits that the long hours of work have left him, a source of pride: "During these years the professional and family achievements have been nourishing me both in the affective and the spiritual, I am pleased to say that the most important achievements in my career in recent years have concentrated on the promotion of epoxy protection technologies based on water, eco-friendly architectural paints with low levels of VOC, high performance in-film protection biocides, seeking to improve the offer of final products with high attraction for the final consumer, seeking in the future to paint increasingly breathable environments; green consciousness is in full formation and development."
One of the goals that our Professional of the Month has clear is to share knowledge and nurture good ideas to an increasingly broad guild of professionals, which has greater opportunities to achieve greater participation in the business.
"Professional growth is always present, for me the important thing is to grow and that the people I support also grow professionally; That is why my greatest dedication is focused on forming increasingly solid commercial teams with technical capabilities, taking into account that the industry I serve has grown during these years. The challenge is to strengthen my position as an EMT in the countries and start the implementation of a second laboratory of applications for the industry in Colombia, which is a clear commitment to the future that Disan as a company has been developing".
Research, added value, formulation
These three pillars are key for Manuel, as they define, both technically and economically, the correct way in which the business should be guided.
On how to give greater added value to products, taking into account the economic present, the guest indicated that "from our perspective, we believe that it is necessary to bring value propositions that break the current status of the simple fact of marketing raw materials; we prefer to bring differentiated solutions, enter the kitchen of the formulator, accompany him in his developments and solve his problems. As I said earlier, the multifunctionality and differentiated performance of products such as innovative emulsions, high-dilution rheology modifiers, and controlled molecular weight dispersant, make a difference in final formulation costs and profitability for paint companies."
Regarding the subject of research, Manuel considers that "we are seeing for a few years the need to develop heavy and light maintenance coatings in aqueous base, due to restrictions for consumption of organic solvents imposed in the countries, this is an example on which we focus to solve this need, we have developed solutions with high performance acrylic enamels, road demarcation, epoxy paints, hospital paints, all water-based, we also focus on the use of biocides with low odor and VOC levels, reduction of APEO in emulsions and multifunctional additives."
And on formulation, the Professional highlights the current difficulties that continue to occur in the sector of our region: "Taking into account the diversity of climates and geographies of the Andean countries, the main problems revolve around stability and performance in wet and dry film, both in aqueous-based and solvent-based paints, problems such as sedimentation of pigments, sudden changes in viscosity, enzymatic degradation and adhesion failures are frequent in our countries."
Manuel added about this same concept that "the current processes also present many things to improve, for example the sanitization of plants, waste management and optimization of processes in the plant are practices that we must strengthen to give continuity to the producers of paints, so that they face the new environmental regulations that are being established every day in the countries".
News of the Peruvian market
Manuel believes that in the areas where he has interference there is sustained growth. His experience has served as a platform to have a better vision of the market. "In Ecuador, Colombia and Peru, in the paints and construction sectors, there is sustained growth due to the participation of our clients in investment projects, both in social housing, shopping centers, road infrastructure and power generation projects, among others."
To conclude, the guest shares his experience as EMT of Disan: "I must become dynamically aware of the particular needs of each country, where variables such as quality of raw materials, multifunctionality, innovative products are a constant and mark a trend in the countries where we have commercial operations, the technical support we offer to our customers, it has allowed us to understand the needs and solve the problems faced by the formulator."
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