Paraná company invests in design and innovation to expand its presence in the Brazilian market

Design is one of the most important distinctives for those who work in the competitive furniture market. Harmonizing such concepts as esthetics and functionality is a challenge that Colibri Móveis, from the city of Arapongas, Paraná, has successfully dealt with, based on a partnership formed with Senai (Brazil’s National Industrial Apprenticeship Service) to make use of students from the Furniture Design course.

Former Senai student Andressa Rodrigues now works in the product development area of Colibri Móveis, after completing the Apprenticeship course in Industrial Furniture Making and Furniture Design. “The machines in the classrooms are identical to those used by the biggest companies in the industry, which made it easier for me to adapt to the work,” she says.

Installed in the Furniture Hub of Arapongas, Colibri has an extensive product line for living rooms, bedrooms, and home office, and the company has been notable for the investments it has made in training its labor force, in order to allow innovations in the manufacturing processes and to result in distinctively different products.

Colibri created a market intelligence area, using concepts followed by other large business sectors, like the automotive industry, by giving priority to the innovations brougth about by design. “We have invested heavily in making management professional, over the past several years, for the purpose of building a high-performance industrial operation,” explains market director Marco Komura.

As he sees it, the strategy of investing in design should not be limited merely to the esthetic aspect. “Functionality cannot be forgotten, so we went to Senai to help us not only to identify a furniture design professional, but also to guide the creation of our innovation area, for the purpose of expanding the company’s actions in the internal market,” He finished.