Outro Pormenores, a factory in Felgueiras specializing in the creation of stands customized for fairs, celebrated its 13th anniversary last February.
Founded by Pedro Sousa, a former electrician, Outro Pormenores arose from the business opportunity left by another company from Felgueirense that closed its doors. At the time, the company manager recovered “five employees” with the intention of working on a “superior market niche”, making products “top of the range”.
To demonstrate the importance of a good stand, Pedro Sousa tells the story of his first client, a shoe factory, which, in 2011, when presented with the project, reacted with great surprise given the high budget values. However, after some reflection he decided to take the risk and Pedro Sousa reports that at the first fair he went to “more customers saw the stand than actually buying shoes”. From then on, the “word of mouth” and the business grew.
Pedro Sousa likes to refer to the company as “tailor’s shop stands”, this is because Other Details deals with the stands from the conception of the idea, to production, assembly and disassembly, including transport. The displays are personalized and made “according to the brand and based on what the customer wants”. Furthermore, during the process, customers also have access to pre-assembly of the stand at the factory premises, so they can review every detail before exhibiting at the fair.
The main clients of Outro Pormenores are “footwear and furniture”, having already worked with major national brands in both sectors. However, the customers who use their services are those who “like to invest in high quality products”. It is for this reason that for Pedro one of the most important stages of the business is the search for the right client, “the most meticulous customer who likes things well done and is looking for something different”.
You stands reflect the company’s commitment to quality, but do not neglect sustainability and innovation. Pedro Sousa highlights that the company is “sustainable from the start”, given that after use at fairs, all materials used are recycled or donated. Wood, if it cannot be reused by people themselves, can give life to “Carnival floats”, for example, and the furniture is “donated to various institutions”. In cases where this does not happen, the materials go to “the recycling container to be transformed into new wood”. Furthermore, the company is energy self-sufficient, being powered by photovoltaic panels.
For Pedro Sousa, the key to success lies in a team with great “professionalism”, with all employees “specialized” in the sector. The businessman considers that “There’s no point in having the idea if you don’t have professionals”. Precisely for this reason, Outro Pormenores’ motto “is to provide working conditions”, and this is also why the person in charge treats his workers as “family”, highlighting that there are people working in the company “since it opened 13 years ago”.
Despite being successful, Pedro regrets that the company is little recognized, reflecting that “Most of the neighbors, perhaps, don’t even know it”adding that Felgueiras has a company that “turnover three million euros per year” and it is “forgotten”, highlighting the importance of seeing the municipality of Felgueiras beyond footwear.
Pedro Sousa also reflected on the challenges faced, including the total shutdown during the COVID-19 pandemic, but highlighted the company’s resilience and the maintenance of all jobs: “This company stopped completely, but always maintained the 25 jobs it has”. Today the company continues “growing and earning at the level of pre-pandemic years, which were the years with the highest turnover”, highlights the person in charge.
Looking to the future, Pedro Sousa expresses concern about changes due to the increase in digital content, but remains optimistic about the continued relevance of fairs and face-to-face contact in the sectors in which he operates. He believes that “only with the focus on international fairs” is that customers, mostly from the footwear and furniture sectors, can “get better results”.
To conclude, when asked about what is missing in Felgueiras, Pedro Sousa calls for a “greater unity among businesspeople”. To the person responsible for Other Details “With unity, a lot of things could be done, because there are not only shoes in Felgueiras, there are many other companies from other areas that stand out”. The businessman believes that Felgueiras can grow by investing in sectors other than footwear.
