Alberto Bulhosa

Founded by Alberto’s grandparents, Bulhosas is a family business that can boast more than 85 years of history, a place where ink, paper and machines make the business progress. This is where paper tells stories and takes on a life of its own by being printed on a daily basis. The employees evolve with the times and the succeeding generations respect tradition. Perhaps it’s time to get to know this legacy that endures, today, under the leadership of Alberto Bulhosa.  

Alberto Bulhosa is the face of the third generation of Bulhosas. How does it feel to carry on more than 85 years of this legacy?
It’s a paradoxical feeling. It’s a source of pride, of course, seeing as a company’s lifespan is related to outside factors and the context of national and international markets, but it’s also related to internal strengths, to the human resources we’ve been working with, from our employees to our suppliers and clients. To be able to say that all this has worked out well, despite the inevitable daily problems, is a reason for us all to be happy about our achievements. However, the legacy of so many years of existence implies an inevitable responsibility to continue the work that has been accomplished by our ancestors, as well as to ensure that older employees, who have been working here since the previous generation, are valued and supported in the technological evolution and the frenetic demands of today’s world. 

In terms of the graphic arts market, how has the company learnt from the past and prepared itself for the requirements of the future?
Doing the same as everyone else is unthinkable for us. If everyone is going one way, then we’ll head the other. It’s not always easy to row against the tide, both when it comes to the prices of the competition and with regard to innovation. For example, not all of our clients in Portugal are willing to take a risk on a disruptive solution, and there is a certain fear of change, perhaps because the Portuguese mentality is a little averse to the unknown. Although being one step ahead may make us feel misunderstood at first, this attitude has served as a preventative measure so that we can operate in the best possible way when unexpected issues arise. 

From the food industry to cosmetics, Bulhosas operates in different and varied areas. What are the daily challenges for a multi-sector company like this?
That is precisely the great challenge of our work. Versatility always implies a great capacity for flexibility. Flexibility, in turn, means accepting that there will be daily challenges that need to be solved quickly, with the result that one day will never be the same as the last or the next, which means that, despite the length of time we have been around, our work process is never stagnant, nor are we possessed of certainties and static realities. We deal with very diverse ink, paper, machines and clients of very different sizes and areas, which means we have a huge variety of factors throughout the manufacturing chain. It's chaotic at times, there's no denying that, but adrenaline is also part of our DNA, and anyone who works for our company definitely has a knack for navigating the unpredictable.

«Without the potential of the human brain, machines are utterly useless»

In 2019, the company was awarded the National Innovation Prize by the Portuguese Printing Industries Association (APIGRAF). Does the secret to success lie in investing in cutting-edge technology?
Actually, one of our latest investments has to do with Artificial Intelligence, which is associated with quality control and speeding up the work of our employees by detecting non-compliant production. So yes, cutting-edge technology is essential, and yet without the potential of the human brain, machines are utterly useless. The combination of these two will always be the secret to success and, if the future really does involve the total independence of technology with regard to human beings, the world will lose the beauty of partnerships and the emotional factor as a catalyst for «eureka» moments.

And how do you achieve humanised and sustainable management in a market like today’s, which is constantly changing?
In our case, in a family business with more than forty employees, it’s not difficult for us to humanise management. We don’t believe in numbering people, as is the case with large companies, and there are cases of employees who even have nicknames related to the names of the machines they work on. A very unique sense of humour has naturally developed within a group that knows each other well. Some printers also have their children working with us, others have known the management since they were at school, and so there is an inevitable humanisation in the group of people we work with. In this challenge of being part of the requirements and demands of contemporary industry, we also have to know how to reconcile the production process with the sociological factor of those who work with us. Our concern for sustainability will be, above all else, a concern for the future of our team. 

How do you foresee the future of the printing industry in Portugal?
Everything that has remained consistent throughout human history has managed to survive to this day. Our belief in the potential of the printing industry is great, so the future will certainly be equal to the foundations that support us.