The company specialized in spray paint Montana Colors will invest 36 million euros to double production capacity and grow to double its turnover within five years. The company's plans include building a second paint and packaging manufacturing plant in Sant Vicenç de Castellet. With this extra capacity, it seeks to make a leap in revenue, from the 53 million euros forecast for 2022 to 100 million, thanks to the international push.
The drive is part of an ambitious plan after the departure of the founder, Jordi Rubio, who three years ago sold the company to the chemical industry group Briolf – totaling five companies, 155 million in sales and more than 1,000 employees – and continued as CEO until June. “I sold to a Catalan company, continuous and with experience in the sector. There are moments to start and others to leave”, summarizes Rubio. The company was born in 1994 focused on graffiti and urban art. “We are still committed to maintaining the origins, reaching out to artists, but today the spray has become a tool for universal use. It is present in DIY, industry, fine arts...”, explains Olga Fuertes, current CEO.
Graffiti continues to account for half of sales, with the rest for other markets, with solutions ranging from repainting household objects to mechanical workshops or industrial maintenance. After closing 2021 with record sales of 47 million, the forecast is to complete this year at 53 million, which represents a growth of 13%. Now a stage of "strong industrial investments" is opening to double the size, although the current weight of the different businesses is to be maintained. In addition, it manufactures for third parties, especially European brands, contributing 30% of sales.
Montana Colors employs 300 people and exports 65% of its production, with subsidiaries in the US, Australia, Germany, Mexico, Chile, Brazil, Colombia and Peru. "We are growing and investing a lot in the US and Latin America." Precisely, within the plan to double income “international business would be the driver to achieve more growth. We want to grow in the most distant markets or in those in which we are not present with certain ranges”, he details.
The company has a network of 26 stores globally, a number that will be maintained. In confinement, when the planet was locked up at home, there was a greater demand for DIY that allowed it to be overcome. In fact, online experienced a surge and "today it represents 5% to 10% of sales", Fuertes figure.
