On Tuesday the 19th of May, Team Sweden had a virtual meeting with Anticimex Portugal to learn more about their operations and how they are managing during the current COVID-19 outbreak. What we learned was truly inspiring as Anticimex has been able to adapt itself quickly to, not only a new form of working, but also to a rise in demand of 800 % for disinfection services. A change made possible through a flexible organizational structure based on trust in the competence of the co-workers and short lines of command, that is the Anticimex model.
The Embassy of Sweden in Portugal and the CLS were invited to participate in a virtual meeting with Anticimex Portugal. Present to receive us were Paulo Coelho, Managing Director and Bruna Gomes, Digital Sales and Marketing Manager.
Anticimex is the fourth largest pest-control company globally and has been operating on the Portuguese market since 2013. Since its start-up phase in Portugal, Anticimex has been working strategically to position itself as a market leader. Through five strategic acquisitions and a focus on innovative solutions, Anticimex has managed to grow both its customer base and profit margins and is currently the second biggest provider of pest-control in Portugal.
When the COVID-19 crisis became evident, many companies were forced to rethink their operations. For Anticimex, they had an organizational structure that enabled them to respond quickly to the changes brought on by the pandemic. The Anticimex model is a decentralized management model in which lines of command are short and a lot of autonomy is given to local management. In Portugal, Anticimex is divided into four branches which are operating as small independent companies that have the freedom to adapt their local business and who share best practices within Anticimex Portugal.
By focusing on innovation, Anticimex was prepared to continue their pest-control operations remotely as they have invested in developing Anticimex SMART which is an intelligent system connected to their Smart data hub, which allows them to analyze the situation and monitor pest-control remotely while keeping their employees safe. By being able to increase the number of SMART systems to their clients, Anticimex could adapt pest-control to the lockdown. This coupled with a rapid surge of 800 % in their disinfection service has led to Anticimex coming out of the crisis with stronger revenue growth, better operational margins and even being able to hire new employees to support their operations.
It is truly commendable to see how investment in innovation and flat organizational structure has enabled this Swedish subsidiary to flourish in these challenging times. Anticimex has shown that it is possible to grow in hard times while being able to protect the health of their employees.
From the Swedish-Portuguese Chamber of Commerce, a big congratulations on your good performance!
