SLATE THAT FEEDS ON THE SUN

THE CHALLENGE THAT THEY PROPOSED WAS

to promote sustainable construction solutions as well as quality in insulation and the generation of energy. To achieve these goals, they established various lines of innovative activity.

One line of innovation led to the first thermal solar panel made of natural slate that has received various awards and recognition such as the award for the best construction material in the IV edition of the NAN Prizes and for the best product in the International Fair of Sustainable Construction SAIE2010 in Bologna (Italy). They were also selected in the Gallery of Innovation of the International Fair of Energy Genera2011 (Madrid) and obtained the Diploma of Selection for the best product at the International Fair of Construction Construmat2011 (Barcelona). Recently, it was nominated for the best product at the International Fair of Construction Batimat2011 (Paris).

‘Thermoslate’ is the name of this type of panel developed by Cupa Soluciones, the business division that is focused on the design of high performance products based on the material that they know best: slate. According to its creators, ‘Thermoslate’ is “the only panel that integrates perfectly into the roof while respecting the aesthetic of the house at the same time that it takes direct advantage of the energy of the Sun in order to heat water for domestic use.”

The Director of Cupa Soluciones, Carlos Loureiro, explained that this panel contributes more than two-thirds of the energy needed to produce sanitary hot water in addition to functioning as support for home heating. It can also be used to heat the water in swimming pools and it has been installed in spas. According to Loureiro, ‘Thermoslate’ needs no maintenance nor additional accessories in order to dissipate excess heat, thanks to the properties of natural slate.

Another of the innovative construction solutions that has allowed the company to be positioned as a leader in its market sector is the ‘Thermochip,’ a sandwiched panel of insulation for roofs that incorporates a nucleus of extracted polystyrene whith a decorative interior finish. According to Loureiro, among its advantages is the elevated level of thermal insulation which increases the energy efficency of the building in which it is installed.

Grupo Cupa was formed in 1968 as a family business that collaborated with five Galician slate mines from which the community slate was extracted. The Director of the Cupa Solutions division explained that Galician slate “is the best on the market” with an advantage that is attributed to its defoliation properties and to its capacity to be transformed into different formats.

Along its trajectory, the company has diversified production with its incorporation into other sectors such as natural stone or granite, although the slate roofs are what have allowed them to be known in the markets of France, Germany, Belgium, and the United Kingdom, countries to which they have exported their product since the 1970s. Loureiro emphasised the “innovative character and the international vocation” of the company since its beginnings, a compromise that has been consolidated with the opening of Cupa Innovación in 2004, the division that integrates the R&D&I projects that the company develops.

THE OTHER FOCUS: INTERNATIONALISATION

In addition to innovation, the growth strategy of the group is set on internationalisation. Apart from the slate division with presence in more than 20 countries on five continents, Cupa have various additional lines of business with important international presence. That of natural slate has three of its own granite factories and an agreement with other businesses associated with extraction in countries such as Brazil, India, China, and France. Another line has to do with housing construction, an activity centred in Brazil where they have the support of a very well-knownlocal partner: the ex-soccer player of the Deportivo team of A Coruña Mauro Silva. In that South American country, the company is developing two lines of differentiated activity. On one hand, it is building houses for people with limited resources by virtue of an agreement with the Brazilian Government. On the other hand, it is conducting higher quality promotions in São Paulo based on buildings made of natural stone. The company have 20 persons working in Brazil in order to cover the part of the business that they are developing.

Lastly, there is the division of renewable energies on which the Grupo Cupa have decided to bet. In Galicia, they have achieved 120 megawatts from a wind energy competition offered by the Regional Government of Galicia, to which must be added the plan for the expansion of renewable energies in Brazil where they have invested not only in wind power but also in hydraulic energy. “We want to position ourselves as a reference group in natural materials and energy efficiency," Loureiro explained.

About 80% of today’s business volume of Grupo Cupa comes from exports, especially the sale of slate. The company billed 290 million Euros in 2010, an amount that they hope to maintain in this business cycle. Since Cupa Innovación was founded with ten engineers, they have tried to apply innovation to all of the products that they sell, independent of the area of business to which they pertain. This activity has led them to establish collaborations with technological centres and universities such as that of Vigo which conduct tests with fire or acoustics applied to the products that they sell. Cupa Innovación head-quartered in Vigo (Pontevedra) develop between 8 and 10 projects per year concerning both products as well as process improvement.

Today the company have more than 2,000 workers around the world. The percentage of the budget dedicated to innovation is greater than 8% of total sales and the company hope that this ratio will continue to increase.