{"id":14993,"date":"2024-09-05T07:00:44","date_gmt":"2024-09-05T07:00:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ruydelacerda.pt\/the-evolution-of-marabu-and-the-importance-of-strategic-partnerships-an-interview-with-simon-bornfleth-vp-of-global-sales\/"},"modified":"2025-11-28T11:41:19","modified_gmt":"2025-11-28T11:41:19","slug":"the-evolution-of-marabu-and-the-importance-of-strategic-partnerships-an-interview-with-simon-bornfleth-vp-of-global-sales","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ruydelacerda.pt\/en\/the-evolution-of-marabu-and-the-importance-of-strategic-partnerships-an-interview-with-simon-bornfleth-vp-of-global-sales\/","title":{"rendered":"The Evolution of Marabu and the Importance of Strategic Partnerships: An Interview with Simon Bornfleth, VP of Global Sales"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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(English Below) \ud83c\uddf5\ud83c\uddf9<\/p>\n

No cen\u00e1rio global competitivo, a Marabu destaca-se como uma empresa de refer\u00eancia na produ\u00e7\u00e3o de tintas para impress\u00e3o, com uma forte presen\u00e7a em diversos mercados internacionais. Durante a nossa presen\u00e7a na Drupa 2024, tivemos a oportunidade de conversar com Simon F. Bornfleth , VP Global de Vendas da Marabu Inks , que partilhou connosco insights valiosos sobre a sua trajet\u00f3ria e os desafios enfrentados pela empresa num mercado em constante evolu\u00e7\u00e3o.<\/p>\n

Jos\u00e9 Quintino da Ruy de Lacerda comentou sobre as altera\u00e7\u00f5es no mercado das tintas: \u201cCom a relev\u00e2ncia cada vez maior da sustentabilidade e prote\u00e7\u00e3o do ambiente em todas as ind\u00fastrias, o setor das tintas, devido \u00e0 sua vertente qu\u00edmica, tem sofrido fortes altera\u00e7\u00f5es. Desenvolvemos esta parceria h\u00e1 mais de 40 anos com a Marabu, que sempre demonstrou um alto n\u00edvel de excel\u00eancia e inova\u00e7\u00e3o, o que \u00e9 essencial para trazermos os melhores materiais para a ind\u00fastria portuguesa.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Trajet\u00f3ria Profissional de Simon Bornfleth<\/strong><\/p>\n

Simon Bornfleth iniciou sua carreira em 1980, com um est\u00e1gio em impress\u00e3o, tendo de seguida feito engenharia de impress\u00e3o. Desde ent\u00e3o, sua carreira evoluiu significativamente, passando por diversas \u00e1reas, como impress\u00e3o offset, digital e serigrafia. Em 1989, Bornfleth deu in\u00edcio \u00e0 sua carreira em vendas como Gerente de Contas na Kodak. Posteriormente, assumiu posi\u00e7\u00f5es de destaque em empresas como Day International e Flint Group, at\u00e9 chegar \u00e0 Marabu em 2011, onde atualmente \u00e9 respons\u00e1vel pelas vendas globais de tintas para serigrafia e tampografia.<\/p>\n

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O Desafio de Liderar as Vendas Globais da Marabu<\/strong><\/p>\n

Assumir a vice-presid\u00eancia global de vendas na Marabu exige n\u00e3o apenas habilidades t\u00e9cnicas, mas tamb\u00e9m uma forte capacidade de gest\u00e3o e lideran\u00e7a. Celebrando este ano 165 anos de exist\u00eancia, a Marabu \u00e9 uma empresa com uma longa hist\u00f3ria, repleta de desafios. Segundo Bornfleth, um dos principais desafios \u00e9 garantir que a equipa de vendas tenha o conhecimento t\u00e9cnico necess\u00e1rio para entender as necessidades do mercado e desenvolver estrat\u00e9gias eficazes em conjunto com a gest\u00e3o de produtos. “Toda a nossa equipa de vendas, incluindo eu, t\u00eam forma\u00e7\u00e3o t\u00e9cnica, o que nesta atividade \u00e9 obrigat\u00f3rio. O nosso Diretor Executivo, York Boeder<\/a>\u00e9 muitissimo competente e tem uma miss\u00e3o clara sobre a forma como as vendas e o pessoal t\u00e9cnico trabalham em conjunto. \u00c9 muito \u00fatil ter este tipo de forma\u00e7\u00e3o. Al\u00e9m disso, os vendedores que contratamos s\u00e3o normalmente engenheiros de impress\u00e3o ou engenheiros qu\u00edmicos. Esta \u00e9 a grande diferen\u00e7a entre uma equipa orientada para as vendas e uma equipa t\u00e9cnica de vendas.\u201d – explica Simon.<\/p>\n

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Transforma\u00e7\u00f5es Tecnol\u00f3gicas e do Mercado<\/strong><\/p>\n

Nos \u00faltimos anos, a Marabu tem se concentrado em desenvolver solu\u00e7\u00f5es mais sustent\u00e1veis, como tintas \u00e0 base de \u00e1gua e livres de BPA, al\u00e9m de investir em automa\u00e7\u00e3o e efici\u00eancia energ\u00e9tica, como o uso de tintas LED. Simon enfatiza que a procura por produtos mais sustent\u00e1veis tem sido um dos maiores impulsionadores das mudan\u00e7as na ind\u00fastria de tintas. “Em todas as nossas f\u00e1bricas s\u00e3o utilizados produtos qu\u00edmicos em conformidade com a norma Reach. Esta tem sido a miss\u00e3o mais importante dos \u00faltimos 10 anos. Por exemplo, desenvolvemos a primeira tinta de tampografia \u00e0 base de \u00e1gua, pelo que tudo se resume a ser amigo do ambiente. Esta \u00e9 uma grande diferen\u00e7a, por exemplo, em compara\u00e7\u00e3o com algumas empresas asi\u00e1ticas, porque por vezes n\u00e3o t\u00eam os certificados. Alguns dos nossos clientes, como a Schleich ou a Tonies, verificam cuidadosamente se tudo est\u00e1 em conformidade com as mat\u00e9rias-primas.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Seguran\u00e7a e Sustentabilidade<\/strong><\/p>\n

A seguran\u00e7a dos produtos, especialmente em segmentos sens\u00edveis como brinquedos e produtos m\u00e9dicos, \u00e9 uma prioridade para a Marabu. Bornfleth menciona que grandes marcas exigem rigorosos controles de qualidade, especialmente quando se trata de tintas que entram em contato direto com a pele ou s\u00e3o utilizadas em produtos infantis. “A maioria das marcas bem conhecidas da ind\u00fastria t\u00eaxtil procura tintas aprovadas.<\/p>\n

Quando visitamos clientes na \u00c1sia, falamos com os gestores de topo. Eles querem ver que cumprimos todos os requisitos, o que significa que gastamos cerca de 200 000 euros em certificados e auditorias todos os anos.\u201d<\/p>\n

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A Import\u00e2ncia de Portugal e Outros Mercados Europeus<\/strong><\/p>\n

Com cerca de 80% de sua produ\u00e7\u00e3o voltada para exporta\u00e7\u00e3o, a Europa representa o principal mercado da Marabu. Simon observa que pa\u00edses como Portugal, Espanha, It\u00e1lia e Fran\u00e7a s\u00e3o especialmente importantes para a empresa, devido \u00e0 crescente prefer\u00eancia por produtos fabricados na Europa, \u00e0 medida que os custos de produ\u00e7\u00e3o na \u00c1sia, particularmente na China, aumentam. “Por exemplo, Portugal \u00e9 um pa\u00eds atrativo para o fabrico de brinquedos, pelo que at\u00e9 as marcas mais conhecidas acreditam nestes pa\u00edses para produzir os seus brinquedos que s\u00e3o caros e pulverizados com tinta Marabu.\u201d comenta. Sergio Pereira<\/a> , da Ruy de Lacerda explica: \u201c\u00c9 do nosso maior interesse atrair ind\u00fastrias reputadas para Portugal, de forma a apoiar os nossos clientes e impulsionar o tecido industrial no nosso pa\u00eds. Procuramos sempre o melhor para os nossos parceiros e clientes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Com mais de 120.000 empresas que empregam mais de 770.000 empregados, a ind\u00fastria gr\u00e1fica na Europa depende de produtores de tinta como a Marabu para reagir de forma eficaz \u00e0s exig\u00eancias dos mercados locais. Sendo um setor dominado por micro e pequenas empresas que operam localmente, a proximidade \u00e9 uma for\u00e7a que move a inova\u00e7\u00e3o.<\/p>\n

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Parceria de Longo Prazo com Ruy de Lacerda<\/strong><\/p>\n

Um dos pilares do sucesso da Marabu \u00e9 a forte rela\u00e7\u00e3o de parceria que mant\u00e9m com empresas locais, como a Ruy de Lacerda S.A. | Grupo<\/a> , em Portugal. Esta parceria, que j\u00e1 dura quase 40 anos, \u00e9 caracterizada pela inova\u00e7\u00e3o e orienta\u00e7\u00e3o para o futuro. “\u00c9 uma parceria longa e vemos que a Ruy de Lacerda est\u00e1 a prestar um excelente servi\u00e7o ao cliente final no mercado.”, elogia Simon.<\/p>\n

S\u00e9rgio Pereira, da Ruy de Lacerda, comenta a import\u00e2ncia desta parceria: \u201cA Marabu \u00e9 um parceiro de neg\u00f3cio de muito longa data. Trabalhamos e crescemos juntos, e a informa\u00e7\u00e3o circula de uma forma livre entre as nossas duas empresas. Desta forma, a Marabu est\u00e1 sempre a par das necessidades do nosso mercado, e n\u00f3s estamos sempre a par das mais recentes inova\u00e7\u00f5es dos seus produtos.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Conselho para Novos Executivos e Empresas<\/strong><\/p>\n

Para aqueles que est\u00e3o a come\u00e7ar no sector ou que procuram expandir as suas opera\u00e7\u00f5es, Bornfleth aconselha a trabalhar com parceiros de confian\u00e7a e a focar-se na sustentabilidade, referindo a import\u00e2ncia que as empresas d\u00e3o aos certificados. Al\u00e9m disso, ele destaca a import\u00e2ncia de investir nas redes sociais e na cria\u00e7\u00e3o de conte\u00fado t\u00e9cnico relevante, como v\u00eddeos interativos, para atrair a pr\u00f3xima gera\u00e7\u00e3o de profissionais para a ind\u00fastria.<\/p>\n

Em conclus\u00e3o, a entrevista com Simon Bornfleth oferece uma vis\u00e3o aprofundada sobre a evolu\u00e7\u00e3o da Marabu e a import\u00e2ncia de parcerias estrat\u00e9gicas para o crescimento sustent\u00e1vel das empresas. A combina\u00e7\u00e3o de expertise t\u00e9cnica, foco na sustentabilidade e fortes rela\u00e7\u00f5es de parceria s\u00e3o fatores chave para o sucesso cont\u00ednuo da Marabu no mercado global.<\/p>\n

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A Marabu<\/strong><\/p>\n

A Marabu \u00e9 uma empresa l\u00edder no desenvolvimento e produ\u00e7\u00e3o de tintas serigr\u00e1ficas, digitais e de pad printing. Situada em perto de Estugarda, no sul da Alemanha, a Marabu conta com 165 anos de hist\u00f3ria, estando atualmente presente em mais de 80 pa\u00edses, atrav\u00e9s de 15 subsidi\u00e1rias e parceiros de distribui\u00e7\u00e3o.<\/p>\n

Com mais de 500 empregados a n\u00edvel mundial, a Marabu exporta mais de 80% da sua produ\u00e7\u00e3o, e na Ruy de Lacerda temos o orgulho de apoiar uma empresa inovadora e empreendedora na expans\u00e3o dos seus neg\u00f3cios.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t

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\ud83c\uddec\ud83c\udde7<\/p>\n

The Evolution of Marabu and the Importance of Strategic Partnerships: An Interview with Simon Bornfleth, VP Global Sales<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the competitive global landscape, Marabu stands out as a benchmark company in the production of printing inks, with a strong presence in several international markets. During our presence at Drupa 2024, we had the opportunity to talk to Simon Bornfleth, Marabu’s Global VP of Sales, who shared with us valuable insights into his trajectory and the challenges faced by the company in a constantly evolving market.<\/p>\n

Jos\u00e9 Quintino from Ruy de Lacerda commented on the changes in the paint market: \u201cWith the increasing relevance of sustainability and environmental protection in all industries, the paint sector, due to its chemical aspect, has undergone strong changes. We’ve been developing this partnership for over 40 years with Marabu, which has always demonstrated a high level of excellence and innovation, which is essential for us to bring the best materials to the Portuguese industry.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Simon Bornfleth’s career path<\/strong><\/p>\n

Simon Bornfleth began his career in 1980 with an apprenticeship in printing, followed by a degree in print engineering. Since then, his career has evolved significantly, passing through various areas such as offset, digital and screen printing. In 1989, Bornfleth began his career in sales as an Account Manager at Kodak. He subsequently held senior positions at companies such as Day International and Flint Group, until joining Marabu in 2011, where he is currently responsible for global sales of screen and pad printing inks.<\/p>\n

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The Challenge of Leading Marabu’s Global Sales<\/strong><\/p>\n

Taking on the role of global sales vice-president at Marabu requires not only technical skills, but also strong management and leadership abilities. Celebrating 165 years of existence this year, Marabu is a company with a long history, full of challenges. According to Bornfleth, one of the main challenges is to ensure that the sales team has the necessary technical knowledge to understand the needs of the market and develop effective strategies in conjunction with product management. \u201cAll of our sales staff, including me, have technical training, which in this business is mandatory. Our CEO, York Boeder is highly competent and has a clear mission on how sales and technical staff work together. It’s very useful to have this kind of training. What’s more, the salespeople we hire are usually print engineers or chemical engineers. This is the big difference between a sales-oriented team and a technical sales team.\u201d – explains Simon.<\/p>\n

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Technological and Market Transformations<\/strong><\/p>\n

In recent years, Marabu has focused on developing more sustainable solutions, such as water-based and BPA-free paints, as well as investing in automation and energy efficiency, such as the use of LED paints. Simon emphasises that the demand for more sustainable products has been one of the biggest drivers of change in the paint industry. \u2018All our factories use chemicals that comply with the Reach standard. This has been the most important mission of the last 10 years. For example, we developed the first water-based pad paint, so it’s all about being environmentally friendly. This is a big difference, for example, compared to some Asian companies, because sometimes they don’t have the certificates. Some of our customers, like Schleich or Tonies, carefully check that everything complies with the raw materials.\u2019<\/p>\n

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Safety and sustainability<\/strong><\/p>\n

Product safety, especially in sensitive segments such as toys and medical products, is a priority for Marabu. Bornfleth mentions that major brands demand strict quality controls, especially when it comes to inks that come into direct contact with the skin or are used in children’s products. \u2018Most of the well-known brands in the textile industry are looking for approved inks.<\/p>\n

When we visit customers in Asia, we talk to the top managers. They want to see that we fulfil all the requirements, which means we spend around 200,000 euros on certificates and audits every year.\u2019<\/p>\n

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The Importance of Portugal and Other European Markets<\/strong><\/p>\n

With around 80 per cent of its production for export, Europe represents Marabu’s main market. Simon notes that countries such as Portugal, Spain, Italy and France are especially important to the company, due to the growing preference for products made in Europe as production costs in Asia, particularly China, rise. \u2018For example, Portugal is an attractive country for the manufacture of toys, so even the best-known brands look to these countries to produce their toys, which are expensive and sprayed with Marabou paint,\u2019 he comments. S\u00e9rgio Pereira, from Ruy de Lacerda explains: \u2018It is in our best interest to attract reputable industries to Portugal in order to support our clients and boost the industrial fabric in our country. We are always looking for the best for our partners and clients.\u2019<\/p>\n

With over 120,000 companies employing more than 770,000 people, the printing industry in Europe depends on ink producers like Marabu to react effectively to the demands of local markets. As a sector dominated by micro and small companies operating locally, proximity is a force that drives innovation.<\/p>\n

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Long-term partnership with Ruy de Lacerda<\/strong><\/p>\n

One of the pillars of Marabu’s success is its strong partnership with local companies such as Ruy de Lacerda in Portugal. This partnership, which has lasted almost 40 years, is characterised by innovation and future orientation. \u2018It’s a long partnership and we see that Ruy de Lacerda is providing an excellent service to the end customer in the market,\u2019 says Simon.<\/p>\n

S\u00e9rgio Pereira, from Ruy de Lacerda, comments on the importance of this partnership: \u2018Marabu has been a business partner for a long time. We work and grow together, and information circulates freely between our two companies. In this way, Marabu is always aware of the needs of our market, and we are always aware of the latest innovations in their products.\u2019<\/p>\n

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Advice for New Executives and Companies<\/strong><\/p>\n

For those starting out in the sector or looking to expand their operations, Bornfleth advises working with trusted partners and focusing on sustainability, noting the importance companies place on certificates. In addition, he emphasises the importance of investing in social media and creating relevant technical content, such as interactive videos, to attract the next generation of professionals to the industry.<\/p>\n

In conclusion, the interview with Simon Bornfleth offers an in-depth insight into the evolution of Marabu and the importance of strategic partnerships for the sustainable growth of companies. The combination of technical expertise, a focus on sustainability and strong partner relationships are key factors in Marabu’s continued success in the global market.<\/p>\n

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Marabu Inks<\/strong><\/p>\n

Marabu is a leading company in the development and production of screen, digital and pad printing inks. Located near Stuttgart in southern Germany, Marabu has a 165-year history and is currently present in more than 80 countries through 15 subsidiaries and distribution partners.<\/p>\n

With more than 500 employees worldwide, Marabu exports more than 80 per cent of its production, and at Ruy de Lacerda we are proud to support an innovative and entrepreneurial company in expanding its business.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t

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In the competitive global landscape, Marabu stands out as a leading company in ink production for printing, with a strong presence in various international markets. During our attendance at Drupa 2024, we had the opportunity to speak with Simon F. Bornfleth, VP of Global Sales at Marabu Inks, who shared with us…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":14988,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_joinchat":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[181],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14993","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-rdl-institutional"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ruydelacerda.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14993","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ruydelacerda.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ruydelacerda.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ruydelacerda.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ruydelacerda.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14993"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.ruydelacerda.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14993\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14994,"href":"https:\/\/www.ruydelacerda.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14993\/revisions\/14994"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ruydelacerda.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14988"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ruydelacerda.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14993"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ruydelacerda.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14993"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ruydelacerda.pt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14993"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}