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From ‘Made in Spain’
to ‘Thought in Spain’
By Antoni Flores, President/Founder, CDN International
In the 70’s and 80’s Europe was undergoing a period
of strong industrial development and expansion, and the Spanish
way of life was not too well perceived by our European neighbors.
Today, on the other hand, with a well-developed industrial sector
and a focus on services, Spain is admired and envied. Industrial
products such as ceramics (Porcelanosa), democratic luxury (Puig,
Lladró), footwear (Yanko, Camper, Pielsa), services in the
“good life” food sector (Freixenet, Chupa Chups, Borges,
etc.), have experienced spectacular development in the last decade.
In a short period of time, we have watched the rapid rise of brands
such as Inditex, Mango, and Imaginarium, which are making strong
inroads outside Spain in tough marketplaces like the US. Their success
is based on a particular know-how that allows them to understand
their client needs and offer products based on a way of life. Fresh,
dynamic, evolved, innovative, democratic, adapted to their needs,
and balanced between performance and price are some of the attributes
that make them unique and successful.
In parallel to this enormous success and rapid growth, we have
also seen the disappearance of some Spanish brands and iconic companies.
Sectors such as consumer electronics, motorcycles, automobiles,
computers, appliances, etc. have lost their importance in the economy,
assuming a secondary role as manufacturing plants for multinationals.
Globalization and market concentration, the technology slump, sector
specialization, industrial clusters, etc. are all factors that can
explain this decline.
In addition, global brands focused on the satisfaction of user
needs beyond their technology framework are triumphing as well.
Nike, Black & Decker, Samsung, Gillette, Decathlon, Ikea, EasyJet,
Virgin, Smart, and Swatch, for example, are successful as a result
of their capacity to understand and represent their client needs
and lifestyles, apply them to products, and launch them swiftly
into the market with accessible prices.
In a consumer society such as Spain, where primary needs are met
and technological knowledge flows rapidly, success is dictated by
the capacity to understand and build on consumer lifestyles.
The new “Made in Spain”
Can this scenario represent an opportunity for Spanish companies?
Are Inditex, Camper, Imaginarium or Porcelanosa isolated cases?
Or, on the contrary, are they the basis to structure successful
companies based on this new positioning of “Made in Spain”?
Presently, manufacturing capacity and technology expertise aren’t
a problem; if you don’t have it, you can subcontract it and
find industrial competitiveness wherever it may be. It’s a
stretch from the typical “Made in Spain” mentality that
was full of prejudice and affected the production of many local
products. Business in Spain is now evolving from merely being “Made
in Spain” to a more valuable “Thought in Spain”.
Today we can export “Thought in Spain” and convert
all the old clichés into competitive factors that are a hard
act to follow by our competitors, from Asia or from anywhere else.
It is a considerable step forward from our “Spain is Different”
stance.
But in order for our companies to pass from the “Made in
Spain” to the “Thought in Spain” concept, our
companies must understand the hidden new needs of their customers;
factories must adjust and become flexible logistical structures;
our technical offices must become project management teams, and
our commercial networks must be able to offer the market very different
value-added proposals.
Spain’s ability to surprise the world has been more than
proven; our art, events, fiestas and traditions are cultural references
and one of our differentiating achievements. In a global and commoditized
world, we must be able to convert this differentiating factor into
a strategic advantage. No one else can do it the way we, as companies
representing Spain, can.
Antoni Flores is an industrial designer, and
president and founder of CDN
International. CDN was founded in 1998, and is a consultancy
specializing in innovation, product optimization, and competitiveness.
Among CDN's clients are companies such as Hewlett Packard, Bosch
Siemens, Unilever, Pepsico, Amorim, Nepresso, Indra, Sagem, Azkoyen,
et al. Antoni's work has been on display on several museums such
as the MOMA and the Design Museum in London. He has participated
in several congresses and has written innovation and competitiveness
articles in the Spanish press and in international publications.
This article appeared in the May 2005
eBulletin.
Feedback on DMI Viewpoints and article proposals
are always welcome! Please email jtobin@dmi.org.
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