2020 Champion invests 60 million

The Ghost group from Viana do Castelo, a manufacturer and distributor of personal care products for baby and adults, will invest around 60 million euros in 2017, as a result of three applications for community funds, and will invest in the products for the female public.

Holder of the companies Suavecel (toilet paper, kitchen rolls, napkins and tissues), Fortissue (raw material: paper and carton) and Nunex Worldwide (baby and adult diapers), is a “champion” of investment in Portugal 2020 and plans, by 2018, to launch new products and expand its entire production, adding about one hundred jobs to the current 230, and reaching 100 million euros in turnover.

The group will start the production of new products, among which, an “ultraslim diaper” for babies, innovative due to its absorption capacity and thickness (twice less than it currently produces) and which earned it the European innovation award in the category of Baby Care at Wabel 2016.

For now, the “giant” of paper processing in Viana do Castelo, which produces the only 100% Portuguese diapers, is preparing to close the year with a growth of “between 10 to 30%” in turnover, which, in 2015, was more than 50 million euros.

Diversify and innovate

“We still need to finish a big Business deal, but we should earn about 75 million euros in 2016”, says Nuno Ribeiro, the group's founding entrepreneur, in 1996, who is now focused on “another important year for the group” that comes on the way. “We have planned important investments in the three factories, around 60 million euros, to diversify production. In addition to the baby and adult diapers that we have right now, we are going to start producing sanitary pads, underpads, wipes and perhaps tampons. At least, the first three products have already been decided”, declared the businessman, guaranteeing:“ After the baby diapers, we will also be innovative with sanitary pads. There is still no one producing in Portugal ”.

The investment list includes the renewal of equipment and the creation of new production lines for tissues, napkins and hand towels at Suavecel, the “automation” of the Fortissue factory and the replacement and opening of new production lines at Nunex .

“We are champions in the North in terms of Portugal 2020 projects. We are big consumers of community funds”, comments Nuno Ribeiro. As soon as the investments are completed, at the end of 2017, “around 100 jobs” will be added and a total of 30 references will be reached. “I expect, in 2018, to make a very big leap. I believe it will be a year to earn over 100 million ”, he says.

Currently, the group exports to destinations like France, England, Norway, Morocco or China and is approaching countries like Germany, Colombia, Venezuela, Cuba and Nigeria. One of the group's new bets is on no-name brands, according to Nuno Ribeiro, “a niche market left by large international groups”. The group also includes a maintenance company of the three main ones called, Magnetifólio.

Source: Jornal de Notícias