IMFU was founded in December 1995, and is located in Maia, next to Oporto Airport. This company is dedicated to the mold manufacturing, providing a comprehensive service: design, manufacturing, and testing of molds for plastic injection; manufacturing of molds for die casting; and the provision of mold maintenance services. Its main market is the automotive industry, but it also operates in other sectors, such as the electrical components, construction, and houseware. Its main clients are in Portugal, Spain, France, and Switzerland. It currently has 32 employees.
Founded to address the existing market need for plastic injection molds and die casting, IMFU was established in December 1995. At the beginning of its activity, the manufactured molds were to produce parts that would be incorporated into final products.
As the company was growing, the productive structure was equipped with modern technologies and machines, more people were hired, and a small high-performing team was created. In November 2001, the company’s ownership structure changed and so did its administration, which became since then under the responsibility of a single administrator: Serafim de Vasconcelos Magalhães.
The molds manufactured by IMFU, initially intended to the production of parts for the domestic market, also began to have the international market as their destination, namely, Spain, France, and Switzerland, and others.
The company’s journey has been marked by a progressive growth, sustained by the quality of its production. IMFU increased the order’s volume and expanded its team. By the end of 2020, it had 32 employees.
During this period, IMFU created conditions to build molds with greater technical requirements and stablished a testing center to test its plastic injection molds. The company’s machinery park was expanded, prioritizing high-tech equipment as well as the continuous improvement of the IT systems supporting the modeling and CAM programming sectors and administrative services.
To reinforce the trust of its customers, IMFU made Quality Management Certification a priority and, in November 2004, obtained certification in accordance with the ISO 9001 standard.
In 2018, the company began its long-awaited investment project to modernize its infrastructure and machinery park, which included the construction of a new industrial building configured for the mold industry, the acquisition of state-of-the-art 5-axis machining centers, as well as the reinforcement of its testing center, which today incorporates a wide range of injection molding machines (from 75 up to 2100 tons).
After concluding this investment project in 2020, IMFU began operating in its new facilities in Maia, on land adjacent to the old ones, next to Oporto Airport.
Currently, IMFU provides a comprehensive service, from the design, manufacturing, and testing of plastic injection molds; manufacturing of die casting molds; and the provision of mold maintenance services.
OPTIMIZING RESOURCES
With the automotive industry as its main market, IMFU is accustomed to the cycles of growth and deceleration that characterize it. However, the pandemic crisis, according to Serafim Magalhães, has exacerbated the situation of this industry, which he believes was already in a downturn since 2019. In his opinion, «there are many projects in the drawer waiting for better economic conditions to be launched.»
He also states that «the economy is a ‘living organism’ that reacts to expectations. And until general confidence is re-established – which naturally involves quickly overcoming this unexpected health crisis that has persisted for too long – the industry will continue to suffer.»
For Serafim Magalhães, economic recovery should arrive from 2022 and states: «Until then, the great challenge is to optimize internal resources and processes». As an example, he emphasizes that IMFU recently concluded a demanding investment project and, because of this, «is today better prepared to respond to the needs of our clients coming from the most diverse sectors of activity.» However, he also says: «we are also aware that the current external factors are too preponderant.» Therefore, he expresses his readiness for a future that «will be demanding.»
Alongside all the investment directed towards the company’s growth, he mentions that the team has also undergone changes and is now «even more solid and cohesive.» In his point of view, the human element is the success factor of every organization. Therefore, he believes that «we are undoubtedly better prepared to respond more quickly and efficiently to the requests of our clients.» But he concludes by reinforcing that «this is a continuous, daily work of collective resilience to overcome, as far as possible, the difficulties in our path.”