23 September 2014

Azkoyen opens plant in Colombia to serve Latin America

The Azkoyen Group, as part of its internationalisation plan, has established a manufacturing plant in Pereira, free trade zone in Colombia. The plant is the company’s first outside Europe, in line with Azkoyen’s bid for new strategic markets for business expansion. Becoming operative on 25 July, it will be a key operating centre to strengthen Azkoyen’s presence in Latin America.

Specifically, its production will be delivered to Central and South American countries.

The decision to disembark in Colombia is part of the company’s bid for internationalisation and expansion outside Europe, where it has two manufacturing facilities that make coffee vending machines – one in Navarra, Spain, and another in Portishead, UK. The company was looking for new markets in the region, which is why it decided to establish the manufacturing facility in Colombia.

The first models being made in Colombia are ZEN and ZENSIA, machines making coffee and other hot beverages. Both models feature a contemporary design and the latest technologies available, which enable users to get personalised drinks made from freshly ground coffee.

Azkoyen Andina SAS is headed by manager James Perea, mechanical engineer from Pereira Technology University, who completed a course on Production and Total Quality Management at Valle University. The commercial unit is led by Rubén Acarreta, industrial engineer from Zaragoza University specialising in industrial electronics, with a postgraduate degree in Business Administration from ESIC and more than 10 years’ experience in the vending industry.

With this international expansion move, the Azkoyen Group has taken a new step in its internationalisation strategy. Currently, the company’s export sales exceed 80% turnover.