The CEOs of Minicool, Amelia Arroquia, and Judith Martínez, review the industry in 2017 and give us some clues as to what is to come next year.
What changes in the industry/market would you highlight in 2017?
A few years ago we saw a slight growth in the textile industry, although, in our opinion, it was this 2017 when this change has been consolidated. We can see it in several indicators, which makes us surer of the perception.
For example, internally, Minicool has grown during this year in the volume of production and business in several countries. On the other hand, there is a clear improvement in the most important trade fairs, nothing to do with the situation that we find ourselves at the beginning of 2013. Last, and not least, the impression of our customers, who transmit this improvement and how their investment expectations in design and quality have increased.
What news/changes have you included in the books this year?
Minicool books are always full of design, inspiration and color innovations. Each season, we start from scratch and reinvent ourselves to give our client a different and very creative vision of the industry for the season.
Also in the last edition, we have redesigned the layout and the way to present the color proposal. The new layout makes the whole look cleaner and allows the designs to stand out even more.
How have social and political changes influenced products for children?
We always talk about the future, there are many social changes that will directly influence the world of children. The most interesting that we can highlight for the next few years is the introduction of technology in education that, among other things, will allow many more children to have free access to learning and knowledge. On the other hand, the internet of things is going to be a before and after in our lives and in the lives of the little ones. The need to reconnect with nature and the involvement with its care will affect consumption and production throughout the planet.
An achievement of 2017
In 2017 we have many things to celebrate, we have been adding small conquests that, after the final balance, add up to a great year.
Undoubtedly, for us, the most important thing has been our collaborations with different children’s NGOs, “The Ronald McDonald House” with which we will continue to collaborate to help the neediest children.
We want to highlight, also, the confidence of new companies in the design of Minicool and our customers for years that continue to believe in our team to guide them in the design. In October we made a trip to the USA and had the opportunity to share a day of trends, organized by our distributor there, with companies from the Big Apple. A really interesting day. We have felt very supported by the ICEX, which echoed our stay in NY on its website. We have closed a collaboration agreement with Asepri that, after so many years, we find very interesting and extremely important.
Finally, we have managed to maintain team spirit throughout the year. For us, the company philosophy is fundamental and we note that the care and affection we dedicate to each job is perceived by our clients and by the industry.
What technological trend would you highlight for 2018
The internet of things together with the 5G is going to suppose a true revolution, it will begin to become palpable during 2018 although we will have to wait at least two years to really perceive its impact on our lives. We believe that the world is preparing itself for something that it does not yet imagine. Along with this, we would like to highlight the appearance of robots in jobs and homes.
A favorite collection for 2018
No one should miss our original and fun interpretation of recycling. They are very animated collections, with bright and different colors.
A wish/goal for 2018
The first thing we want is health for all and the protection of children throughout the world. The facilitation of education for children thanks to new technologies seems to us to be a great step forward.
From Minicool we are always looking for projects that we can support, we want to help in everything we can to protect children and ensure children’s education, they are our true future.
The other objectives are to continue helping companies to have quality designs and useful information so that their products are better. We plan to grow 20% in this period, especially in the USA, China, and India with our line of exclusive designs. We are in a good moment to grow, we have experience, energy, and the ideas to achieve it.
