The Professional of the month of this edition comes from Argentina. This is Guillermo Ortega, general manager of the company Sui Color.
By Duván Chaverra Agudelo
Football and motorsport are the two favorite disciplines of Guillermo Ortega, the general manager of Sui Color, who shares these two passions with leading a project that is consolidating more and more in the market of paints and coatings of the Southern Cone.
Guillermo has been all his life linked to the industry, which he came to by the influence of his uncle, who took him to work in the Casa Poggi painting shop when Guillermo began to study mechanical engineering and needed to have a job to be able to cover his expenses.
After that moment, all his life he has developed in an Argentine industry that is quite competitive, that has very large players within the sector, but where he has managed to overcome difficult obstacles that did not collapse him in the construction of that business dream that is still valid today.
Its beginnings
Guillermo Ortega was born in Colón, province of Buenos Aires, Argentina. At the age of 9 he moved to Capital Federal, where he studied. In 1974 he did his military service and when he returned he began to work at Casa Poggi pinturería, this benefited him because his place of work was close to the faculty where he studied his professional career.
In 1984 he formed a distributor of paint and accessories making tenders for the State. Four years later he opened the first store that, in 2001, with the country's crisis, closed. "With a lot of effort I started again from scratch, doing the route that places me today," said the guest.
Achievements, goals
Undoubtedly, being able to recover after a difficult business moment is one of the achievements that Sui Color has had, according to its general manager. "The an achievement to have been able to resurface after the economic crisis that Argentina went through in 2001 that, as I mentioned earlier, led me to bankruptcy. And as a result of this, I will keep constantly growing, together with my entire team, because this is not done alone."
With respect to his goals, Guillermo plans to continue with the growth of the company, its facilities and its brand within the field. In addition, it highlights the service as a very important differential factor.
"We want to grow, expand our facilities and be a company that stands out from the rest of the sector. It is not only to sell paint, but to provide a service that brings new technologies, products and forms of application, to applicators, companies, architects and anyone who has a specific need to solve. In 5 years I hope to be positioned in the market with our brand, All Paint, with a wide family of products, which is sold, in principle, in the branches of Sui Color, more than a painting shop, "said Guillermo.
Argentina, competitive
As is well known, the paints and coatings market in Argentina is quite competitive. There, the big brands have an important presence, but due to its large market size, the country has been offering opportunities for other companies to compete to keep a good slice of the sector's cake.
In this regard, the Professional of the Month commented the following: "The market in Argentina is very tied to political changes. This causes permanent speculation and certainties to become more difficult. Luckily, another very notable feature is that the sector is ceasing to be so demanding of the leading brands and this gives rise to smaller companies that can make products of excellent quality with more competitive prices. The painting sector is growing according to the overall growth of the country. But since we cannot stay with this alone, we are always looking to win new markets, linked to construction and generating alliances with companies that supply inputs for the sector".
And to be competitive you must meet certain requirements that allow you to be in force in the business. Guillermo mentioned some: "Efficiency, being updated and the predisposition to provide solutions, from experience and knowledge. Innovate, incorporate new tools, links and products, which can be directly linked to the painting or its accessories. And the incorporation of direct sellers with extensive experience and drive."
In terms of product, the general manager of Sui Color emphasizes that there is still a lack of better quality control, an inconvenience that covers the entire business chain, from raw material to technical tests. However, our guest recognizes certain technological advances in the sector: "For a long time we have seen innovation in washable paints, bactericidal latex, for laboratories, hospitals or places that need to be free of bacteria. In addition to the development of non-polluting paints and water, solvents are no longer used."
Added value, the key
As a company philosophy, added value continues to be a differential factor to meet the needs of customers. "In our case, the added value comes hand in hand with the service. The permanent training of our sellers, the technical advice on site against any inconvenience that arises to our customers. Delivery on site free of charge. The proposal of new, cheaper products with equal performance. Courses free of charge, with the main brands. Payment facilities for regular customers. Collection of materials in our facilities. Special offers and combos. Always providing our best predisposition for our clients, who in many cases become friends, "explained Guillermo Ortega.
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