Álvaro Solans (Zaragoza, 1980) does not hurt to recognize that his last name weighs heavily. Third generation of one of the most traditional business lineages in Aragon, last week his promotion culminated by taking the reins of the family company, the multinational rest company Pikolin. A challenge that he assumes with "illusion and responsibility" in an uncertain context.
It was his grandfather, Alfonso Solans Serrano, who founded the company in 1948 in the fledgling Zaragoza neighborhood of Arrabal. It was a small workshop where, together with a small team of people, he began to manufacture metal beds and bed bases. Sometimes they worked at night, and other times, also on Sundays, even though it was forbidden. “We had to ask for permission in the parish, and the company had to give us time to go to mass in the morning,” recalled a former worker in the book published for its 50th anniversary.
Over time, the business grew and they had to move to larger premises. In 1957, Solans noticed an advertisement published in La Vanguardia in which an Italian company, Permaflex, was looking for a Spanish partner to produce spring mattresses. At a time when the woolen pallet still predominated, the man from Zaragoza saw a business opportunity. It was made with the manufacturing license, and in 1959 the registered trademark was born. From there he made the leap to Spanish homes, with campaigns as memorable as the television show "To me plin, I sleep in Pikolín"
Almost 60 years after the creation of that slogan (1964), the firm has achieved the status of multinational in the rest sector (or "a family business that has crossed commercial and political borders without losing its Aragonese essence", as Alfonso preferred to say Solans son).
Currently, the Pikolin group has 13 different brands and is the leader in Spain and France, with 30% of the market in each, and the second European group in the sector. It employs more than 3,000 people in its ten production plants (seven in Europe, two in Asia and one in Brazil) and in 2021, the last year for which figures are available, it sold some 4.7 million rest sets and billed 482 million euros, 11% more than the previous period. "They have been difficult years, marked by uncertainty and continuous changes in the scenario, and consolidating the path of growth is the best reward," acknowledged the group's CEO, José Antonio González, at the presentation of the results.
One of the fundamental legs of his good work is the diversification of the business. In the home sector, Pikolin has more than 40 years supplying its products to national (Sol Meliá, Barceló, AC or Iberostar) and international (Hilton, Waldorf Astoria or Crowne Plaza) hotel chains. In addition, in 2012 it bought the Pardo firm, a national leader in the manufacture of hospital and geriatric beds and furniture, which at that time was going through serious economic difficulties, a market that has consolidated thanks to an increase in its exports.
Out of doors, its international expansion began in neighboring countries such as Portugal (1988) and France (2001), and was strengthened in 2011 with the entry into Southeast Asia, a market with great potential in which they have two factories (Vietnam and China) and license to market in 45 countries. In 2019 they went a step further with the acquisition of a plant in Brazil, where they already had a commercial presence, with a view to expanding the Latin American market. "It is necessary to bring factories closer to consumers because the mattress (is a product that) travels badly, is heavy and bulky, scratches or humidity can damage it, and it requires packaging that makes it more expensive to transport," its director commented some time ago. of communication, Ana Robledo.
This international bet allowed them to reduce their dependence on the Spanish market, which went through a big hole as a result of the real estate crisis of 2008 and the entry of new competitors and, today, Spain represents 30% of their sales, when in 2007 it was the 70% Even so, the brand inaugurated in 2017 on the outskirts of Zaragoza the largest European mattress factory on a 210,000-square-meter plot.
Despite its magnitude, Pikolin continues to display a strong family character. In this sense, Alfonso Solans Jr., recently named honorary president, places special emphasis on the need to guarantee a "calm transmission" within the group, with a well-managed transfer of responsibilities that respects time and avoids haste.
In the absence of knowing the results for 2022 and future projections, his heir at the helm, Álvaro Solans, will be responsible for implementing the new strategic plan aimed at "promoting and consolidating international expansion." His other son, Borja, will continue to lead the Asian business from his base in Malaysia. "The future will go through sustained and sustainable growth, a global challenge to which we must all contribute," the new president said at a recent forum.
