2024-01-24 15:17:44
Feniks Cleaning & Safety is a company from Seville that manufactures firefighting and emergency vehicles, as well as vehicles for urban cleaning and the maintenance of solar thermal plants. Between 2022 and 2023, employment has tripled, derived from the growth of increased production in the company.
Juan José Castro is a founding partner of Feniks, a finalist company in the CEPYME 2023 Awards in the SME Job Creation category.
How did you decide to submit to the CEPYME Awards?
We know them from other editions and due to the great growth we have experienced we thought it would be interesting to present our candidacy.
What conditions does your company meet to attend them?
The significant growth experienced and the consolidation of clients in the different sectors served makes us a good candidate for the awards.
Do you think that the CEPYME 2023 award could improve the image of your company in the eyes of clients, suppliers and future investors?
We believe that with the appropriate impact it can be relevant to our company by communicating our achievements to all external agents with whom we have a relationship.
Sustained growth
How has your company faced the increase in costs and the consequences of the pandemic?
As this new scenario has coincided with significant growth in production, we have managed to at least avoid increases with volume negotiations and rebates and, in some cases, even cost reductions in relevant equipment for some projects. In a period of so much uncertainty, at Feniks we have found advantages that have favored us in the financial and production areas:
At a time of significant growth and therefore new resource needs, we had access to financing formulas created specifically to help during the pandemic period.
The increases in deadlines in chassis manufacturing have allowed us very long-term planning, going from the average of 6 months, in the pre-pandemic period, to 12 months later. With the significant increase in projects in a short period of time, it allowed us a more adequate fit of both financial and human resources.
What measures have they adopted to face this new crisis caused by inflation and the lack of some supplies?
Regarding inflation, our Purchasing department has carried out a search for similar products in those affected by price increases to minimize the impact of these cost increases on contribution margins.
We have solved the lack or delay in some supplies naturally since our project deadlines have lengthened over time. In the case of private clients who have to provide the chassis, this period increased significantly. On the Public Administration side, in tenders where the deadline was not realistic with the situation, they allowed extensions in deliveries.
Have they recovered their pre-pandemic activity and results?
Our trend has been upward, we have not suffered any cuts as a result of the pandemic.
Objectives and main challenges of your company for the coming years
Continue growing and consolidating our position with our customers in all our products, always accompanied by the development of new solutions as an objective pursued since the creation of the company.
Boost to employment
How has employment evolved in your company in recent years?
Growing to face the significant increase in production. The growth has been very important in the personnel directly linked to production. We have grown to a lesser extent in positions more related to the company structure. We started 2022 with 47 people and by mid-2023 120 people were already part of Feniks.
What measures have you adopted to increase your workforce?
We have published advertisements with Universities, attended specific employment fairs, reached agreements with training schools, we have created a specific employment section on our website or published advertisements with paid reach on networks such as LinkedIn.
What forecasts do you have for next year?
Currently, we have an order book to maintain our entire staff during 2024. As new projects will be closed, we may need to reinforce certain areas with more staff.
Does your company have difficulties finding qualified labor according to its needs?
In some more specialized positions in the production area such as electricians or hydraulics we have had difficulties growing, we have also noticed this in the engineering area due to the high demand for personnel with this qualification.
Do you carry out training actions among your employees?
Yes, we do training courses in the different areas of the company regularly. For example, some of our technical team receives bidding and leadership training, while our production staff focuses on training related to, for example, metal working.
We believe that the continuous development of our skills and knowledge allows us to constantly improve in our responsibilities.
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