On the 19th December of 1995, Arfai opened doors for the first time. 23 years have passed since then: more than two decades of many projects, challenges, up’s and downs, 23 years of stories and, mostly, 23 years of people. Looking back over this period, the people behind Arfai is what makes the company most proud of its past: many of those who work today at the company are there since the foundation years, and even some, since the very first day.

From the 20 employees who constituted the foundation team, nearly half are still at Arfai. Currently, with approximately 80 workers, the average of employment years in-house is 10 years, which shows a quite low staff turnover rate that is not a coincidence. For Arfai Manager, Carla Moreira, this is due to the fact that the company does value and cherish its employees:

“Recognition, appreciation and sense of belonging. These three factors are key to a work environment. A person who feels he/she is an important part of the whole is certainly happier and more likely to stay”, she explains.

AN EXPERIENCED TEAM AND NOT AN AGED TEAM

How does Arfai make sure this scenario of stability means not stagnation? How does the company keep growing and innovating? First, the company core business, which is not per se compatible with becoming outdated: “This is not fashion industry, but Arfai works in a quite fast-paced industry supplying key-players of retail around the world. This forces us to keep growing, innovating and to keep following trends on a worldwide scale”.

Investing in qualified areas that boost the company soft skills, like design, marketing, sales, is another strategy. These so-called soft skills force the company to innovate and to try new ways of making things, while “hard-skills” are ensured by the core: “I am very lucky to have these people. I know I can count on them. They are strongly committed to the company and motivated to perform their job as best as possible. This allows us to ensure the best quality, know-how and excellence service is assured”, explains Carla Moreira.

“Over the last years, young workers have gone away from the industry, the factory was seen as dirty and unrewarding”, says Carla Moreira. “Luckily, we have been managing to bring young people on board”.

And with this, the final strategy: the company hires these workers assigning them in areas where experience is not a requirement and then offers them internal on-job training so that they can acquire the necessary skills. Nonetheless, the future is a concern: The shortage of Human Resources in this industry is a reality that is not only a problem at Arfai but in the ceramics industry in general: “an issue that should be addressed by the business sector in order to find solutions”, she concludes.

FACES BEHIND ARFAI: BEFORE AND AFTER

Feel invited to meet some of these people who are behind Arfai.

Cecília Bernardes. Working at Arfai since the very first day, she is currently responsible for managing the Finishing Section team. She knows. as no one else, how to finish a piece saving time and assuring almost zero loss.

António Diogo, the molder. One of the few experienced molders in the area and even in the country, Diogo has joined the team 18 years ago and is, since then the talented artist who gives form to the Design Team ideas.

Gina Rodrigues, at Arfai since the very beginning. Gina is responsible for the Human Resources Department, becoming over the past years also responsible for managing operations regarding key-accounts of the company. She knows every single employee as no one else.

Fernanda Roda, on the left. She has joined the team as Sales Manager when French was the company main working language. Today, she is responsible for multiple administrative tasks, giving direct support to the accountancy department and to the management body. António Marques, on the right, is today one of Arfai Production Managers. During these 23 years he has passed for multiple sections and today, as Production Manager, he is the person mainly responsible for the maintenance department as well as packing and shipping operations.

Last but not least: Carla Moreira. She was one of the Arfai founders and is today the company’s sole Manager. She has grown with Arfai and has been over these years one of the unique female managers.