Company from Felgueiras celebrates 25 years of activity

Vapesol, a company from Felgueiras (in the north of Portugal) that specializes in the production of soles for footwear, has just blown the candles for its 25th anniversary. Amidst a "festive atmosphere”, it gathered customers, employees and suppliers to project the future: Décio Pereira, the company’s CEO, announced an investment in a new pavilion of 15 thousand square metres. The goal is to unify spaces and optimize the response to reach an annual production of 5 million soles.

Recently, Vapesol completed the investment of two million euros in a new factory unit destined exclusively for the production of EVA soles, thus reinforcing the company’s production capacity. The new facility also has the singularity of allowing 100% reuse of EVA waste, reincorporating it into production.

In full swing since February 2022, the new factory operates six days a week, resorting to three shifts, and employs 50 people, 44 of whom were hired for the purpose. Vapesol employs overall more than 150 workers, ensuring the daily production of 20 thousand soles. The company from Felgueiras – already headed by the second generation - also offers a "wide range of services, from design to production”, claiming a focus on the "technological progress, the implementation of measures with environmental concerns and a strong relationship with the customers”.

In the view of Décio Pereira, "we live in an era of swift change, and Vapesol holds as its mission to always be a step ahead” of its competitors. The CEO of the company defends that "the entire industry is evolving”, with soles taking on a prominent position "for every avant-garde shoe”. "The search for quality, efficiency and innovative solutions is growing momentum, and as many foresee that the industry is becoming global, the fashion industry demands modern products that are sustainable and extremely lightweight”, he highlighted.

Décio Pereira stresses that "Vapesol’s differentiating characteristics are present in every detail and throughout our company”, which invests "in a wide range of products, with a huge sense of teamwork and experienced human resources in the industry”.

Sustainability has been one of the most crucial areas for Vapesol. For this reason, it obtained the certification of recycled products by the GRS - Global Recycled Standard 4.0. Already last year, the company pursued its commitment to the products’ sustainability, achieving another goal: the certification of TR and TPU products by the RCS - Recycled Claim Standard 2.0. "The certifications of the soles produced by Vapesol are an important asset for their customers, so major brands find in Portugal a solution to the demands for footwear with a recycled composition”, says the head of the company, so "Vapesol will maintain the focus on the sustainability of its products”.

Additionally, the company has made a strong investment in energy efficiency, for which it has installed 1501 photovoltaic panels in the company’s structure.
"At Vapesol we aspire for perfection, always in line with the mission of our customers. Our goal is to open the door to all those who wish to position themselves according to our philosophy: to be the best of the best”, concluded Décio Pereira.