Presentation

The Project “Capital do Móvel – Feeling the Essence” developed by the Associação Empresarial de Paços de Ferreira, is part of a set of actions thought to empower the companies in Paços de Ferreira and the surrounding councils, within the wooden and upholstering sector. Increasing their businesses internationalization, improving their image, marketing innovation, information about external commerce and promote the exporting supply.

Objectives

Message

The Project “Capital do Móvel – Feeling the Essence”, was born facing the region companies emerging needs, on the furniture and upholstery. This project was designed on thinking about the companies and the region, framed on the AEPF strategy to support the internationalization process, marketing innovation, promoting the supply and cooperation. Therefore, it is intended to enhance immaterial collective competitivity factors, through activities which will allow to develop supporting tools to the PME Internationalization and contribute for new and more competitive positions. With this in mind, we present a tool with great relevance for the companies, in order to create new business opportunities.

The AEPF President

Tâmega and Sousa is a region that belongs to the sub region of NUTS III, part of the Northern region. It is an area bordered up North by the sub regions of Ave and Alto Tâmega, south with Viseu Dão-Lafões, East Douro and West the Oporto Metropolitan area. This region covers a 1831 km² area, corresponding to 8.6% of the Northern region, it is composed by 11 municipalities: Amarante, Baião, Castelo de Paiva, Celorico de Basto, Cinfães, Felgueiras, Marco de Canaveses, Paços de Ferreira, Penafiel and Resende.

Tâmega and Sousa population is higher than 420 thousand inhabitants, which represent 4.1% of the national population and 11.7% of the Northern population in the country. Its local enterprises are mainly micro, small and medium companies (PME), representing 9.3% of the total companies in the North. There are also major companies, particularly industrial units, outcomes from the big foreign investment in the region. The sub region Tâmega and Sousa Gross Value Added (VAB), represents 8.3% of the total Northern region, with a special highlight to the VAB on building from Tâmega and Sousa, which represents 17% of total share on building up North (Tâmega and Sousa Internationalization Atlas, April 2019). The Tâmega and Sousa territory, takes on a relatively low weight on the total export on the Northern Region, representing only 7.7% of the total share, being the fifth sub-region. The Metropolitan area of Porto leads with 50.8% of Northern export. Regarding the Municipal areas, Felgueiras stands out on the 12^th place as one of the most exporting councils in the North, with 3.6% of the total export, and Paços de Ferreira on the 20^th place and a total of 1.8% share (Tâmega and Sousa Internationalization Atlas, April 2019)

Paços de Ferreira

Paços de Ferreira is one of the eleven councils which are part of Tâmega and Sousa, and which stands out on the furniture manufacture and export, recognized national and internationally as “Capital do Móvel”. Although it is the smallest council in Tâmega and Sousa, this doesn’t limit the Paços de Ferreira dynamic, with a total population of 56.9 thousand inhabitants and over than 5100 companies.