QUALITY and experience
Crilamyt has worked hard to become the leaders in laminated glass for structural buildings and automobile manufacturing in Ecuador.
What values have the company maintained since it was founded?
One thing that this company has demonstrated over the years is that we have not lost our identity. That is reflected within the group of people that work and collaborate everyday with Crilamyt. There are people who have been here for 30-35 years. This is a family company that is looking to adapt to modern times and has moved to a corporate governance model. Therefore, we hired an outside professional business administrator. Crilamyt is recognized as an experienced and highly professional company that pioneered the automotive glass industry in the country. We are the leaders in selling laminated glass for structural buildings in different segments and windshields for vehicles, which is our core business at the moment. My responsibility is to lead the company to new times, without losing, by any means, the DNA that has been carried over 44 years.
What role does innovation play, and how are you helping the company be more competitive?
The first thing that we are doing is looking internally and making sure the production process is as efficient and effective as possible. We want to ensure that we run smooth production lines with no glitches; we are currently competing with countries that have different production economies of scales such as China, Mexico, and Brazil; and we all are required to comply with the same legal regulations. Unfortunately, currently in Ecuador competition is not fair, as several importers are misusing certain duty regulations, which puts us at a critical disadvantage.
What is behind the Crilamyt’s accomplishment in becoming the market leader?
Quality and experience. We have 44 years of compromise with our customers with the knowledge that we must deliver a safe and high-quality product. We use the best raw materials available on the market and are constantly upgrading our equipment in our production lines in order to comply with our commitment to our customers. Crilamyt is currently an original equipment manufacturer company (OEM) for local vehicle assembly lines like KIA and Hyundai. We comply with national and international product standards contained under ISO9001 and INEN 1669 certifications.
How do you plan to position Crilamyt on the international stage in the coming years?
Crilamyt seeks to become an extremely efficient and competitive company in the future. We will develop new commercial products inherent to our core business. We also want to maintain our local leadership but will be looking for business opportunities within the region. We have the experience and spirit required to go international and compete with high-quality products and customer service. Currently, we are providing glass to the Medellín bus rapid transport system in Colombia.
Supplies windshields to more than 95% of bus builder companies in Ecuador
Original equipment manufacturer of windshields for local vehicle assembly
What does Chaide y Chaide mean to the local textile industry and mattress production capacity?
Chaide y Chaide is a 100% Ecuadorian company. We have been in the national market for 47 years employing about 540 people and generating thousands of indirect jobs. We have two manufacturing plants, one located in Quito, and the other one in Guayaquil, from where we distribute to over 600 retailers around the country. This is a year of countless opportunities and challenges after the pandemic. The health and textile sectors, and more specifically, the mattress industry, including pillows and sleep products, demonstrated better results on average. Fortunately, our industry barely suffered. Even though sales declined in 2020, we have experienced a speedy recovery. Considered as an industry closely related to health and well-being, we have been able to better achieve positive results by creatively overcoming obstacles like supply chain interruptions and raw material shortages.
How is Chaide working in terms of sustainability from both a social and environmental perspective?
We have various sustainable initiatives which focus on two key areas: environmental and social. From an environmental perspective, we continuously strive to reduce our carbon footprint, and we have been carbon neutral certified since 2020 in specific industrial operations. In line with our goal to reduce GHG emissions, 60% of our energy consumption is generated by solar energy since 2021. We are also undertaking a circular economy plan, where our goal is to accomplish cradle to cradle production. Not only we are developing mattress recycling operations, but also we are working on a cleanup project in the Galápagos Islands where we plan to collect disposed used mattresses and adequately repurpose or recycle them. Finally, certain fabrics used in the fabrication of our mattresses are made of threads from recycled plastics thrown into the ocean. We also supply our main dining hall with organic produce from less privileged communities, making them part of our production chain and at the same time helping their business grow. In addition, we collect the plastic packaging used to cover our mattresses and donate them to a foundation called Hermano Miguel, where they repurpose these plastic bags.