A history of entrepreneurship
Until the early '50s, all wood fiber boards used in the Brazilian market
were imported from Sweden. São Paulo businessmen Eudoro Villela
and Nivaldo Coimbra Ulhoa Cintra, owners of Los Andes import and
export company, discovered the potential of wood grown in Brazil for
that use, became enthusiastic with about the product’s quality, and
founded Duratex S.A. on March 31, 1951.
Today, at age 60, Duratex is consolidating its position in the market.
It is on its way to the seventh place in the global ranking of
companies that produce industrialized wood panels, in addition to
holding the leading position in the Southern Hemisphere. Deca
Division, incorporated into the company in the ‘70s, is currently the
largest manufacturer of sanitary ware and metal fittings in Latin
America, and the fifth largest sanitary ware company in the world.
Find out more about this history:
The ‘50s
Duratex S.A Indústria e Comércio is founded on March 31, 1951, a
publicly traded company from the start. In 1954 the first industrial
plant begins operating in Jundiaí, São Paulo State. In 1956 Olavo
Egydio Setubal takes over the management of Duratex S.A. and on
the following year the company exports the first batch of wood fiber
boards to the United States.
The ‘60s
In August 1961 construction begins on the second production line
in Jundiaí, which doubles the production of fiber boards. In April
1966 Duratex obtains the Status of Publicly Traded Corporation
Certificate from the Brazilian Central Bank. Still in the ‘60s,
production line III begins operating in Jundiaí in 1968.
The ‘70s
The decade was a period of great activity. The New York office is
opened in 1970, consolidating the company’s image abroad. In June
1971, the company presently named Duraflora is formed for handling
reforestation operations and the development of forestry technology.
At that same time, Duratex acquires land in Jundiaí and Lençóis
Paulista, both in São Paulo State. In September 1972, the company
acquires Deca S.A, which later became one of its divisions. In 1973
the Wood Division opens its industrial plant in Botucatu, São Paulo
State.
The ‘80s
The acquisition of the Louças Sul factory in São Leopoldo in July 1981
begins the company's expansion into Rio Grande do Sul State.
Duratex is voted Company of the Year by Exame magazine. It also
receives the Prêmio Mauá award from the Rio de Janeiro Stock
Exchange, as well as the Abamec Award for being considered the best
public company by the Brazilian Association of Capital Market
Analysts. In 1984, Duratex acquires the Itapetininga industrial unit
and, in 1988, the Agudos plant, both in São Paulo State.
The ‘90s
1995 is the year of the acquisition of Argentine company Piazza
Hermanos, which became Deca Piazza. In 1997 Duratex starts
commercial operation of Brazil’s first MDF (Medium Density
Fiberboard) plant in Agudos (São Paulo State), and the production of
Durafloor flooring begins the following year. The company wins
significant awards such as Prêmio Anamaco, Prêmio Destaque Feicon,
and V Prêmio Pini.
2000
Duratex builds the Deca Hydra Technical Center in São Paulo, a
project for demonstrating the performance of water-saving products,
and also the Tide Setubal Municipal School of Carpentry in Agudos,
São Paulo State.
2001
Duratex celebrates its 50th anniversary. The company is voted 1st
place in the Floor Covering category of Pesquisa Datafolha’s Top of
Mind award, as well as the Prêmio Pini award and the Platinum
Award. Duratex becomes a sponsor of the Human Genome Project
developed by the São Paulo Foundation for Research (FAPESP).
2002
The Wood Division builds a new MDF/HDF/SDF factory in Botucatu
and begins operation of the new BP coating line in Itapetininga, both
in São Paulo State
2003
The new MDF/HDF/SDF panel line is inaugurated in Botucatu, making
Duratex the largest wood panel manufacturer in Brazil and a
reference in technology and reduction of environmental impacts.
2005
Duratex adheres to Level 1 of the BM&F Bovespa (São Paulo Stock
Exchange) Corporate Governance Index.
2006
Wood Division is awarded Prêmio Pini in the laminated flooring
category. And Deca Division wins the Prêmio iF Design award.
2007
The company’s Code of Ethics, the Environmental, Social and Cultural
Sustainability Committee, and the Sustainability Management are
created for managing these matters.
2008
Ideal Standard, with industrial units in Jundiai (São Paulo State) and
Queimados (Rio de Janeiro State), and Cerâmica Monte Carlo in Cabo
de Santo Agostinho (Pernambuco State) are acquired. In April, the
Olavo Egydio Natural Reserve is formalized as a Private Natural State
Heritage Reserve (RPPN) by São Paulo State Governor José Serra.
2009
On June 22 Duratex and Satipel, who had plants in Taquari (Rio
Grande do Sul State) and Uberaba (Minas Gerais State) since the
70s, merge. The company joins the BM&F Bovespa New Market
system.
2010
8,671 hectares of forests are acquired in São Paulo State, and the
company starts up its resins plant in Agudos. Duratex acquires
Elizabeth Louças in João Pessoa (Paraíba State), which becomes Deca
Nordeste Louças Sanitárias. The acquisition expands in the production
of the Division’s sanitary ware units by 25%. With the acquisition,
Deca becomes one of the world’s five largest sanitary ware
manufacturers, and becomes the industry’s leader in the Southern
Hemisphere, a position its metal fittings division already held in its
segment.
2011
Duratex, turning 60 in 2011, continues its R$ 2.12 billion investment
program initiated in 2007 for expanding its installed capacity. Deca
Division, in addition to the acquisition of Elizabeth Louças, invests R$
160 million for expanding the capacity of its metal fittings segment,
R$ 100 million in Queimados, and R$ 60 million in the other units
producing sanitary ware. Expansion work on the sanitary ware unit in
Cabo de Santo Agostinho (Pernambuco State) is concluded in the
second half of the year.
R$ 1.2 billion investment for the construction of two new MDF plants
is announced for the Wood Division. The first one, scheduled to be
inaugurated in 2012, is being built in Itapetininga (São Paulo State)
with an effective capacity of 520,000 cubic meters per year. The
second plant, which is expected to begin operation in 2014 at a
location still being defined, will have the capacity to produce 680,000
cubic meters per year. When they become fully operative, the two
new plants will take Duratex from the eighth to seventh position in
the global wood panel manufacturer ranking.