PIODAO GROUP | SMALL COMPANY | PORTUGAL

DESIGN-LED
INDUSTRIAL (RE)VOLUTION
Piódão Artesanato e Design, was born in 1992, to meet a challenge: To produce rugs for the German market and to take advantage of a specific opportunity. Having been born to produce under the demanding set of requirements that such clients required, the company produced mainly as an industrial
supplier for brands that had their own design. Of course, the first years were spent in improving our capacity and skill, know-how and quality of product
and service. The quality of our work reached very high standards and allowed us to start producing for renowned brands and design editors. We were
ready to produce any kind of design with the utmost quality. We just didn’t have designs of our own, and all models were received already prepared and
processed. All we needed then was to reproduce them in rugs with very little adaptations. On the other hand, our negotiation capacity as a player in the
market was extremely limited. Margins were constantly threatened. Our relation with the end consumer was very little to non-existent, globalization was
a constant threat and price was key. This blockage had to be broken. We had to be able to reach and hold not only our clients (the brand and the prescriber… the distribution chain) but also the end consumer. We had to leave a mark and create a room for ourselves in the global market, something which
would make our capacities stand out, and creating trend at the same time - To establish ourselves as a reference – a leading reference.
New solutions and new initiatives were adopted for the necessary growth and upkeep of the group. The introduction of design revolutionized the entire
system and simplified working processes, which would, before, take an eternity until optimization would be reached. We have studied, considered and invested, and added what that was missing to assert ourselves as one of the best, making a difference through design. Through design-oriented management, we have learned better ways of working, using specific tools making more simple and effective production and operational procedures. What in the
past was developed using simply a pen to prepare the drawings on the tufting screen, today is implemented and developed by dedicated software and experienced designers, answering quickly to the end customers demand. Designers that became an integral part of the production process from product
conception, all the way to the dynamization and re-orientation of the factory floor improve our overall performance. Changes to a product became quick
and immediate. Response follows swift. Variations are almost infinite. With the introduction of a design led philosophy into our management, we’ve
geared ourselves to attend global brands, creating premium quality products while maintaining the company competitive. Through product design, we left
a mark in virtually every corner of the world, slowly becoming a reference in rug design. An innovative collection was created, with the Piodao soul in its
DNA given each rug an unmistakable individuality.
Finally, we brought in the final piece of the puzzle – Marketing. While implementing our strategy, we went out of our way to find a staff that understood
design. Although studying different variables, the truth is that, for us, marketing and design became indivisible. Image and product, the study of tendencies and part of future necessities the market demand, presentation and figuring how to convey our capacity and image – what to show and how to show
became two sides of the same coin. Graphic design, product design and Marketing came together. And we got through....
Design itself leveraged our company. It attracted attention, development and growth, as through it we were able to evolve and drastically improve our
work, becoming better in everything we do, thus allowing us to keep this passion for what we do alive, constantly thriving and evolving. At the high peak
we went one step beyond – we became a group of companies and guided by designers themselves, we now offer an entire range of materials and qualities
5 times greater than before. Texture became a tool. Hand-sculpting became an integral part of the production line adding volumetry to our products. Conception of new materials and how to combine them is now our new design weapon to challenge everyone’s creativity.
Design management too us from a purely industrial supplier into a rug design reference. Today, we build trends and the market praises our innovation. We
are no longer a simple factory, we lead markets and captivate design followers that we are passionate to please and correspond to. Design management
allowed us to break through the deadlock of competition, creating a space of our own, gaining notoriety and nourishing growing faithful markets. Price is
no longer the soul key element. Concept, reference, status, quality in product and service and design quality are as, or even more, important. We didn’t
just evolve; we became an entirely different business. Our focus is different and comprehensive. We could never have come to where we are today, if not
for the timely and much needed introduction of a design-based philosophy into our daily operation.
PIODAO GROUP | SMALL COMPANY | PORTUGAL