Cantabrian design in 70 countries

Source: El Diario Montañés

The students of San Juan Bautista La Salle school in Los Corrales de Buelna, accompanied by their tutors, visited the facilities of The Bath Collection. A company with three decades of experience in a sector that applies design to everyday life.

José López, the company manager, was in charge of guiding the students through the more than 600 square meters of exhibition space, where he showed them the different materials and finishes that «allow any type of design to be imagined.».

Because imagination is a fundamental factor in shaping the products that have made Bathco a leader in the sector. A company with international reach but with a «very deep» Cantabrian sentiment. As a testament to this is the ‘Cement&Terrazzo’ collection, whose models are named after towns in Cantabria: Ampuero, Parbayón, Potes, Suances, Polanco, or Sarón, among others.

Among the spaces that La Salle students were able to discover is the one called ‘Bathco Atelier,’ an art workshop formed by graphic designers and visual artists.

Artists develop «small big works of art,» an entirely artisanal job that brings to life a collection of 14 designs with 370 units of each produced. A criterion of exclusivity applied to the final outcome of the creative process.

Unique pieces

This is a base design that, when created by hand, ends up making each piece unique. Sinks painted one by one, with imprints of inspiring elements such as dehydrated leaves or other natural elements. The works of these artists are also joined by designs from other well-known figures such as David Delfín or Javier Mariscal, as well as prints from wallpapers from their ‘Vintage’ collection because «everything that was fashionable 30 years ago is back.» It is, as José López highlights, «finding the balance where art and ceramics coexist.».

Innovating and creating high-quality, attractive products is the differentiating factor that your clients appreciate. «Everything has already been invented, and if you want to stand out, you have to offer something different,» states López. «Our system,» he adds, “and our approach are different from the rest of the market.» In this regard, he explains that they have a stock of over 150,000 sinks, making it possible to deliver the product in 24 or 48 hours without issue. And here lies part of their success: "a calculated risk that we meticulously evaluate with statistics," he indicates.

BathCollection is present in over 70 countries through its distribution network and participates in the most important industry trade shows worldwide, such as Cevisama (Valencia), ISH (Frankfurt), Cersaie (Bologna), and The Big 5 (Dubai), thus strengthening ties with international clients and bringing its products to new markets.

Appropriate message

The Social Media Manager, Rafael Pérez Revilla, is in charge of leading the second part of the visit.

The Bath Collection has a strong online presence on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+, and LinkedIn. Pérez Revilla explains to the students how their social media activity and the messages they share differ on each platform.

It's about achieving «a balance between the image the company wants to project, the need that exists at any given moment, and the audience we are targeting,» he/she details.

He cites the match against La Salle—which was already being covered on social media while it was still underway—as an example. «This interaction allows you to open a communication channel with an enormous reach.».

It is at this point that the question-and-answer session opens, and students begin to ask for information about positioning and its importance. Pérez Revilla gave them some general approaches to content marketing with the information and news generated by the brand, which Bathco reinforces through the ‘News’ section on its own website.

Network management is the aspect that generates the most curiosity among students interested in the guidelines to follow: what time to post, how many times a day... Pérez Revilla explained that «it is very important to know the target audience you are addressing, to know who is on your networks.» For this, he highlighted the importance of using analytical tools, common sense, and the recurring «trial and error.».

Rafael himself, asking La Salle students for information about the ideas they are beginning to sketch out. Each group presented in broad terms what need they hope to satisfy with their proposal and what makes it unique. An interesting conversation opens up, leading to comments that enrich the work.

Bathco in data

Renewal: Continuous improvement and the relentless pursuit of new opportunities areBathco's core principles.

By the Numbers: 30 years of experience, operations in more than 70 countries, inventory of more than 150,000 parts, service within 24–48 hours

One-of-a-kind pieces: The Bath Collection incorporates artisanal design into its products, creating unique and exclusive pieces.

Competitiveness: Applying the latest technological advancements while keeping roots in mind is part of its success.

Future: The Bath Collection's goal is to continue growing through the knowledge acquired.