20 | Pg | Metalworking moulds Portugal's growth Amtrol-Alfa The cylinders that deliver gas in over 60 countries Amtrol-Alfa began by manufacturing petrol pumps, but within a few years the company specialised in gas cylinders. Today it produces more than 800 models in six factories, most of which are exported to more than 60 countries. Over the past 50 years, Amtrol-Alfa has con- solidated its position as the largest Europe- an manufacturer of gas cylinders, a journey marked by different priorities and milestones over the decades. "In the seventies, we fo- cused on productivity. In the eighties, we add- ed quality to the productivity we had already mastered. In the nineties, we began to realise that these two components were no longer enough, and we entered the era of innovation as a differentiating factor," explains Tiago Oli- veira, the company's director. The first step was to invest in incremental in- novation, but later the company ventured into more disruptive innovation. "I think the Portu- guese remember the PLUMA bottle. That was our first radical innovation project," recalls Tia- go Oliveira. And they will undoubtedly remem- ber it, especially those who often transported gas bottles and saw them drastically reduced in weight. This innovation has contributed, among other things, to the company's success in various international markets. "Amtrol-Alfa is recog- nised worldwide as the market leader in terms of the safety, quality and innovation of its cyl- inders," says Tiago Oliveira. "We are never the cheapest on the market, but if we continue to sell, we have something that sets us apart from our competitors." The company's activities began in 1962 with Petróleo Mecânica Alfa, which manufactured petrol pumps. Four years later, in 1966, the
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