COCENTAINA, Spain —There is a 60 percent decline in Spanish textile production but Comersan is still holding its own in upholstery and wide width curtain fabric” says  Jorge Sanjuan, General Manager and second generation owner of the 45 year old company.

Nicolas Sanjuan, his brother, is responsible for the design and sales of the business. The two boys are full of enthusiasm for their future.

By improving its delivery, quality and design, Comersan has survived but with an increase in its export and contract business, it hopes to thrive again. “Residential is just not growing but contract is,” he says. “We think we can grow our export business even beyond the 70 percent it is today. It could be as much as 95 percent of our business.This residential market has been shrinking for ten years. Many customers have gone to China and Pakistan for product.” Nicolas and Jorg Sanjuan

 Armed with a ten man design studio, Comersan says it can produce a custom made fabric for the architect in one day for a model room. “About 20 percent of our business today is customized product,” he says. “You can come here in the morning and by the evening, you can have samples of jacquards, prints, embroidery and confeccion for contract use. If there is a problem with the hotel  room, we can fix it. The price is secondary.”

About 15 percvent of Comersan’s business is now contract with the balance in residential, he explains.

The company has 60 looms, jacquard and dobby. Average prices are in the 10Euro range.

The business is split between sales to retailers-20 percent; 35 percent to wholesalers; 20 percent to manufacturers and 20 percent to architects and designers of hotels and five percent to technical textiles. One recent development is a Comersan’s motocross tire warmer, used to increase the speed of racing motor cycles. Even the circuit board has been designed by Comersan. Other applications of the technology are employed in heated mattress pads and heated carpets for public areas.

Comersan sells to the wholesaler in Portugal, Romania and Italy. It owns its own wholesale distribution in Spain, Germany and USA in Doral, Florida.