Having revolutionised the sector in the seventies, today it has modern manufacturing systems across its more than 50,000 m2 of facilities, producing more than 300,000 doors a year, as well as its own research and development laboratory.
Its products are present in thousands of homes and landmark buildings in 40 countries, from hospitals, universities, theatres and airports to football stadiums, historic buildings and all kinds of institutional projects.
On 23 March, it was 50 years since a young Vicente Andreu Bort, now president of the company, began his journey as a small metalworker in the centre of Paterna.
As he himself says, its origins lie in “Talleres Andreu, a humble metalwork business in Paterna”, which managed to evolve into a leader in its sector, reaching more than 40 countries on five continents and places as far away as the Juan Carlos I base in Antarctica. A successful track record in which they have upheld the principles promoted by its founder: “reliability, work well done, honesty, human quality and commitment to Paterna”, the town where it was founded in 1972 and where it still remains today.
Having started out in the barely 200 m2 of its first workshop, on the corner of Calle Jacinto Benavente and San Agustín in the town centre, today they have three production centres covering more than 50,000 m2 in the Fuente del Jarro Industrial Estate, where more than 300 people work, producing more than 300,000 doors a year.
Mr Vicente Andreu recalls that “the turning point was the creation of the Ensamblada door in that same year, 1972”. It was the first steel door manufactured in Spain without weld points, thus patenting a system for assembling two metal sheets that was ahead of its time. This innovation was a milestone for the company and also a revolution in the sector. In 1977, Talleres Andreu became Puertas Metálicas Andreu, S.L., and the following twenty years brought constant growth for the firm based on this model, which is still manufactured today, albeit with updates to its design.
However, this would not be the only aspect to demonstrate its capacity for innovation. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, several tragic fires with numerous victims occurred in Spain. This clearly revealed that the market required doors capable of protecting people from fire, and the company threw itself fully into meeting this challenge.
It was for this purpose that Andreu Barberá S.L. was founded in 1985, to focus exclusively on the manufacture of fire doors. The new name also reflected the generational handover that was beginning to take place in the company, with the arrival of the four children of Vicente Andreu and Fina Barberá: José Vicente, Amparo, Mónica and Alejandro. It was a gradual process, as its founder remained at the head of the company until 1999.
The development of a wide variety of fire doors is clear proof of its commitment to the continuous Research, Development and Innovation of its products and manufacturing processes. Andreu Barberá has a laboratory with its own test furnace, where fire resistance and durability tests are carried out. This significant investment allows them to stay one step ahead of market demands, carrying out all kinds of tests to ensure they exceed strict international quality standards and regulations.
Andreu Barberá, S.L. reaches half a century having successfully navigated all kinds of economic circumstances. It took advantage of the construction boom of the nineties, manufacturing more than 2,000 units a day, but also managed to lay a solid business foundation that proved essential to overcoming the subsequent crisis in the property sector.
Over all this time, it has become a specialist in special solutions, being present in a large number of singular projects in many countries, such as government buildings, hotels, hospitals, universities, shopping centres, metro stations, museums, football stadiums, airports and historic buildings, in which the most prestigious architecture and engineering firms have placed their trust in the Paterna-based company.
Nevertheless, the company’s medium-term strategic objective is to regain leadership in the manufacture of standard products, as it has held for much of its history, reaching all kinds of homes and buildings. In this regard, the recent opening of a new production plant is particularly noteworthy, which will be dedicated exclusively to the manufacture of this type of highly competitive series products.
50 years is a very special milestone and Vicente Andreu, in an open letter sent to customers, suppliers, institutions, friends and other collaborators, wished to express his gratitude to all the people and organisations with whom they have collaborated or maintained business relations over a lifetime and “in particular, to all the men and women who, as part of this company’s workforce, past or present, have put all their effort, professionalism and dedication, day after day, into making Andreu Barberá, S.L. the great company we know today”.
