“We are a company committed to our territory.This commitment means we work from here, with the resources we have close by and collaborate with other companies which share the same values.Here we coincide with AGA”
Interview with Juan Díaz, Managing Director of SEFER, a company based in Navarra which specialises in the production of items made of metal,marketed principally for the security and ironmongers sector. Alsasua, the town where SEFER is located, has a metallurgy history which is worth remembering. Even though today some of those companies which marked an era have since disappeared, a lot of experience and know how has remained, this knowledge has been transferred to the day to day running of the business.
Juan Díaz tells us about his beginnings, about how his grandfather saw an opportunity for the production and commercialisation of the first metallic tool boxes.
A product which at the time set them up as a reference in the sector. A journey taken over the years which has allowed them, thanks to the knowledge and experience acquired, address new challenges and opportunities, to be here today with an extensive and ample range of security solutions and ironmongery for sale to wholesale and small businesses.
SEFER was founded in 1996 and from its beginning has sustained growth,thanks to its business model directed towards the diversification of products and markets. Over recent years it has expanded and modernised its installations and production means, with the incorporation of the latest cutting edge machinery.
A stride for evolution and adapting to new times which has allowed them to offer better products in quality/price and in service, making them more competitive to face the challenge of internationalisation.
We would like to know more about SEFER. What would you say is your main strength, the characteristic which best define your business model?
Although we deal with standardised products, what characterises us is our diversification, the ability to give a personalised response to every client. We are a very versatile company, with great ability to adapt. We have the knowledge and the means to manufacture needed to develop the ideas the clients bring to the table. This business model centred on the manufacturing of orders in short series allows the company to maintain a more direct and personalised contact with the clients, as well as to improve technical aspects and the quality of the end product. A model which enables innovation, thanks to the integration in the process of work of different materials, sizes and colours. Finishing options and presentation of the product which the client appreciates.
It’s a time of collaboration and transparency.How would you define your relationship with AGA?
We are a company committed to our territory.We like to do things here and collaborate with companies which have the same ideals we put into practice in SEFER. AGA, in many respects, is a company like ours.Their proximity and clarity when tackling projects, is something which we value in the same way.We are comfortable working together. We have found ourselves on more than one occasion, as is the norm in any company, with the typical uncertainty when you have to deal with new proposals for products, and when that has been the case, we have turned to AGA and found total willingness from those in charge to solve and address any doubt or consultation.
Proximity and production capacity
In this day and age concepts like proximity and production capacity have a special significance. Do you consider it an added benefit that AGA is a manufacturer?
As well as proximity in the business model and work ethic, we also have a geographical proximity. That is without doubt a great advantage. Although in AGA’s case, the understanding and capacity to respond is such that it would function as well even though they were situated 300km away. To have as a supplier a company of its characteristics, like SEFER a manufacturer and collaborate with people in the technical office when needed and who respond with solutions instantly, is fantastic. To have AGA’s capacity of design and production to solve any challenge, and to do so with friendly people,always willing to answer, as is Mikel’s case, the commercial manager in our area, makes our job much easier.
These are uncertain times; energy costs, the supply chain, inflation.How does the director of SEFER see the evolution of the sector?
The digitalisation and incorporation of electronic components in security articles and ironmongery is becoming commonplace.The sensation is that it is all moving too fast for what the sector and users demand. It is a technology with advantages, but it also generates doubts. SEFER is already working along this line, but we are doing so as I have already said, adapting the products characteristics to the clients real needs. And in the field of security, for example the users of safes, continue to opt for mechanical systems rather than electronic ones, or in some cases in solutions which combine both systems. From how the clients react to this dilemma, I’d say that the key to open and close doors, still offers more security and guarantee than the technology that requires the management and control of data in the cloud.
Julen Díaz, CEO of SEFER.
