Interview with Mr Francisco Lorenzo

Mr Francisco Lorenzo
Director (marketing & sales), Paper & Forest Products
Sniace SA

Sniace SA is a chemical industrial group with four business division namely the Cellulose and Viscose, the Generation and Energy Services, the Biofuel, and the Forest Division. The Group was founded on December 1, 1939 with corporate head quarters in Torrelavega (Cantabria). Sniace Group’s Cellulose and Viscose division through its affiliate Celltech, produces 66000 tonnes of total chlorine free cellulose annually. Approximately 40% of the whole cellulose paste production is vertically integrated to produce, through its affiliate Viscocel, 26000 tonnes a year of total chlorine free viscose staple fiber. The Viscose factory, through the recovery plant, produces 8000 annual tonnes of sodium sulphate anhydride. The Group employs more than 500 people in four working centres placed in Cantabria, Madrid, Warsaw and Shanghai. Its portfolio includes clients from Europe, Asia and America. Mr Francisco Lorenzo is the Director (marketing & sales),Paper & Forest Products division at Sniace since February 2005. His responsibility includes developing strategies of the global business of Viscose Staple fibre, Dissolving Pulp and Sodium Sulphate business. He also looks after global logistics of the company, product development. Presently, Mr Lorenzo is also member of International Committee of Rayon and Synthetic Fibres (CIRFS). From 2001 to 2005, Mr Lorenzo had been Export Manager for VISCOCEL SL (Textiles), and from 1999 to 2001 he was Sales Engineer at Sniace (Chemicals industry) Mr Lorenzo has acquired Masters in Managing and Marketing from ESIC Business & Marketing School (2004) and is a graduate in Chemistry from Universidad Autónoma de Madrid. He is fond of sports in particular Basketball. Speaking with Face2Face team, Mr Francisco Lorenzo offers his stance on world market of synthetic fibres in current times.

Change is inevitable. Change is continuous. Consumers have changed and so has the Industry. Am sure you would take this. You have been in the industry for 75 long years, so, how would you word for the changes you have witnessed in your industry? How has Sniace Group re-engineered itself through this long journey?

World industry and marketing have been changing dramatically during the last years, but every day faster and faster. Many years ago, you received orders and you simply supplied them, but nowadays you need to pursuit the market and advance the changes to succeed. Being focused in the marketplace, controlling the costs, is the way of managing the fiber business right now. Nowadays, with the current economical situation, studying the changes of market share between private labels and leaders due to their position in the mind of final customers, can teach a lot in how quickly you need to react.

Sniace group has made big efforts to update its technology, not only from the environmental point of view, but also in some niche applications that is positioning our products just in the right place.

On what corporate ethics and values do Sniace distinguish itself and its products amongst the cluster of companies?

We have made strong efforts in environmental matters. We probably are the company that has invested more money per Kg of fiber manufactured to have an environmentally friendly process. Our goal was to become one of the more environmentally friendly factories in the world that is producing dissolving pulp and viscose. Although we firmly continue with our schedule updating our technology, I really think that goal has already been achieved.

Published on: 23/03/2009

DISCLAIMER: All views and opinions expressed in this column are solely of the interviewee, and they do not reflect in any way the opinion of Fibre2Fashion.com.

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