Sebastian Furtado founded Imprenta Mere in 2002 in his hometown of Paso de los Toros, Uruguay. He was already working in the printing sector, but the economic crisis that hit the country at the turn of the millennium brought down the company that employed him.
"I had to find a solution, so I became an entrepreneur," Furtado says.
Like many Uruguayans, Furtado initially ran his business out of his home. He bought his first printing equipment used and set up shop in his mother's garage.
"I started from scratch and had no money, but I needed some basic equipment to get going. In the beginning, we only did offset printing," he recalls.
A partner from the start
However, Furtado was successful in expanding his business. Today, Imprenta Mere has its own modern facility with digital equipment in Paso de los Toros and six employees. The company is a family business, as Furtado's wife also works in the print shop.
Imprenta Mere produces a range of printed products, from brochures to business cards, posters, and vehicle graphics. They also design and produce signs and billboards.
Furtado says that the company has worked for the UPM Paso de los Toros pulp mill since the very beginning of the mill’s construction.
“We’ve provided a wide range of printed products for UPM and its partners, producing all the signs, posters and forms since the very beginning of the works on the site in 2019."
In March 2020, the COVID pandemic paralyzed Uruguay. But in Paso de los Toros, many businesses were able to continue operating almost as usual, or even at a higher volume, thanks to the mill project.
"Compared to the rest of Uruguay, we were in a kind of bubble. The rest of the world was closing down, but we had even more demand than before in many sectors. The mill project saved our business too, there's no doubt about it."
A step into the digital age
The UPM pulp mill is an important customer for the print shop. Its large-scale orders have naturally helped the company to improve its profits. But the cooperation has brought more than material benefits.
"Our learning curve has been steep. The orders were so different in volume from what we had before, and we learned to work in different ways and to different standards."
Furtado's business has grown steadily since its inception, with a major growth leap in 2015–2016, when the company moved to its current premises.
"The UPM mill orders consolidated our position and allowed us to purchase new equipment. We had planned to do this before but were not able to implement our plans in the previous market situation.”
Since the mill was established, Furtado's company has purchased, for example, a digital format printer, a laser cutter and a larger cutting plotter.
"Today the print shop is almost 90% digitalised,” Furtado says.
Big changes for a small community
The construction of the pulp mill was a major event for Paso de los Toros, a town of around 15,000 people. The local community had concerns about the mill project, such as road safety and its environmental impact – but also high expectations.
"I attended all the information and discussion meetings organised for the local community. All the criticism expressed was an important counterbalance to the development plans. I think UPM handled the situation well and took the concerns of the local community and national stakeholders seriously.”
Now, about a year after the mill's completion, life in the Uruguayan town has returned to normal – and according to Furtado, the scales have tipped in a positive direction.
"There are no other industrial operators as big as UPM in this region, and the different types of labour that the mill provides will be in great demand, which is obviously important for the whole city."
The construction of the mill has given Furtado and many other local entrepreneurs an additional boost to their activities, as well as improving infrastructure, from roads to railways and links not only within the Durazno area but also with other departments.
"I think our whole community now has a clearer vision of what development can mean in practice for such a small town.”
Bright prospects
Furtado sees a bright future for his company. He plans to build on the momentum and develop the relationship with the UPM mill.
The company will continue to provide for the family, and his daughters, aged 9 and 13, will be able to see the fruits of their parents' labour.
Looking back, Furtado realises that he has already achieved many of his goals as an entrepreneur, and his philosophy in life is to keep moving and evolving.
"I'm an optimistic person and don't want to stay in my comfort zone. I always want to have some plans for the future. I believe we can continue to develop our business by investing in new technologies and improving our processes.”
Text: Anna Venejärvi
