Andrea Carandell: “I had to respect myself: I'm 26 years old and I'm a woman!”
You're 26 years old and you're already at the helm of the newest company in the Carandell group (creators of Fundició Dúctil Benito). Have you always wanted to be an entrepreneur, or did it just come naturally? It's what I saw at home! My grandfather owned a textile machinery factory, then my father drove the shift to the urban furniture sector, until he founded Fundició Dúctil Benito in 1992. I studied business and worked at the company in the summer, returning to all the departments, doing everything! After finishing university, I joined Deloitte. It was like doing military service. Working as an auditor gave me the opportunity to see many different sectors and become self-sufficient, not just work in a team. A year ago, my father completely disassociated himself from Dúctil Benito [sold to the Belgian venture capital fund Ergon and now Benito Urban], and we considered a change. We detected a business opportunity in the lighting sector; many cities were switching from traditional lighting to LED technology, and we created Novatilu. We leveraged our experience in the street furniture sector and working with the government as a client.
Did the industrial sector motivate you? Especially the smart citiesMy final year project was about parking and blue zone management! The Carandell family has always had an industrial vocation; this year we celebrate our 150th anniversary! We have stakes in the Catalan operator. We talk about and invest in projects where we can contribute our money. know-how Through Ona Capital, the venture capital firm we share with the Font family, owners of the Bon Preu group. We invested €3.25 million in Novatilu. The headquarters are the former offices of Dúctil Benito, in Manlleu.
Do you compete with Benito Urban, the former Dúctil Benito? Yes, but we specialize primarily in urban lighting. A town can save up to 50% on its electricity bill by switching to LEDs! We differentiate ourselves from intermediaries or distributors through innovation and our evaluation and advisory services. We advise clients on the power they should contract... There are many town councils burned by previous experiences with other suppliers, who were purely product intermediaries. In Spain, lighting contracts of more than €60,000 are awarded through public tenders, but almost half of our business is abroad. We sell to 11 countries in the Americas, Asia, and Europe. In 2015, we'll exceed one million euros in turnover, and in 2016, we want to reach 10 million.
Can you be a competitive manufacturer in Manlleu? Except for the casting, the design and manufacturing of our products is local, zero kilometer. This allows us to maintain very high quality control. We have no intention of leaving La Plana. Our future goal is to partner with partners premises to complement our product portfolio.
Do you like working in a family business? It's been the master's degree of my life! Having the family's trust when starting a business is a luxury. I really like executing ideas and carrying them out quickly. In my business studies, I miss being taught about having tables, getting to know yourself better, and understanding your strengths and weaknesses so you can be smarter and more independent. I've also had to earn respect. I'm 26 years old and I'm a woman!
