With 70 years of history, Dexco, which until 2021 was called Duratex, is a giant Brazilian corporation with publicly traded capital. Its headquarters is located in the city of São Paulo, and the company currently has more than 14,000 employees, also present in Argentina, Europe, and the United States.
Its production lines are segmented into three divisions, supported by its own brands:
Wood Division – Duratex and Durafloor: engaged in the production of MDP and MDF panels, with units located in Minas Gerais, Rio Grande do Sul, and São Paulo.
Deca Division – Deca and Hydra: The branch focused on the production and commercialization of sanitary ware, metals, showers, and electric showers, with units located in Pernambuco, Paraíba, Rio de Janeiro, Sergipe, and São Paulo;
Coatings Division – Ceusa, Portinari, Castelatto: focused on the production and trade of coatings for floors, walls, and tiles, with units in Santa Catarina and São Paulo;
There is also LD Celulose, focused on the production of Soluble Cellulose, with a factory located in Mineiros (MG).
Exporting to more than 50 countries, Dexco is the leader in the production of sanitary ware and metals in the southern hemisphere, as well as being the largest producer of industrial wood panels in the national territory.
Foundation
Originating in the 1950s from the need for the manufacture of wood fiber boards in the national territory, entrepreneurs Eudoro Villela and Nivaldo Coimbra de Ulhoa Cintra joined forces with Alfredo de Egydio de Souza Aranha to officially create Duratex S.A. in São Paulo on March 31, 1951, already as a publicly traded company.
Early years
The first factory was installed in Jundiai, São Paulo, producing wood boards, with engineer Olavo Egydio Setúbal taking over its management in 1956. In the following year, the first shipment was exported to the United States, thus initiating its contact with the external market.
In the 1960s, the brand was already considered synonymous with trust in the Brazilian market, leading to the expansion of the Jundiai factory, doubling its production capacity. Investing in market expansion, the company also began producing wheat feed. In 1966, the company obtained the Certification of Condition of a Publicly Traded Corporation, and the Association of Duratex Employees, known as AED, was created.
A third business line was implemented in 1968, where the brand also began operating with its Duraplac paint line, boosting its growth within the country.
1970s-1980s
During the 1970s, an area in the municipality of Lençóis Paulista was acquired for raw material supply, and a new factory located in Taquari, RS, was opened, focused on wood panels. The first office abroad was also inaugurated, located in North Carolina, USA. Aiming for reforestation and technological forest development, Duraflora Silvicultura e Comércio Ltda was founded in 1971, along with Duratex Florestal, focused on resource capture.
In 1972, Deca S.A., a company founded in 1947 and focused on the production of metal parts such as keys, cruciform screws, and other objects like faucets, mixers, and showers, was incorporated into Duratex, becoming the company's first factory focused on Metals. In 1973, a new wood panel factory was inaugurated in Botucatu, São Paulo. The following year, further expanding its areas of operation, a unit focused on the production of ceramics was acquired in Jundiai, SP. In 1975, the fourth factory focused on panel production was opened, located in Uberaba, Minas Gerais.
During the early 1980s, the French sanitary ware factory Lafarge, located in São Leopoldo, RS, was acquired, with significant investment in the automation of sanitary ware production. In 1984, the company began to take over the wood units of the Peixoto de Castro group, with factories located in Itapetinga SP and Gravataí, RS.
In 1988, the wood unit of the Feudenberg Group, in Agudos, SP, became part of the company, establishing a forest-industrial complex aimed at complementing its product line and increasing production capacity. A second metal factory was built in Jundiaí in 1989.
1990s
Paulo Setúbal took over the company's leadership in 1990. It was in this decade that the group began investing in an Environmental Management system, and in 1995, the company received the FSC certification for Forest Management. In 1997, the company celebrated its 50th anniversary and implemented Brazil's first MDF line, located in Agudos, SP.
After the turn of the millennium, the group strengthened its presence abroad, exporting to Europe and Mexico. Internally, the company emphasized diversifying its portfolio, investing in its production lines.
The following years were marked by the company's growing market expansions, with the acquisition of new factories across the country, in addition to its sustainability-related improvements. In 2009, the company became part of the Novo Mercado of BM&FBovespa, and in 2010, the process of association with Satipel was completed.
60 years of the company
In 2012, the group joined the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index and entered the Pro-Ethical Company Registry. They also achieved ISO 14001 certification in five units of the Deca and Wood divisions. In the same year, there was a change in the brand's visual identity, aiming to convey flexibility, innovation, and dynamism, and the acquisition of 37% of Tablemac's shares, a leader in the manufacture of wood panels in Colombia.
By 2013, the stake in Tablemac increased to 80% of the company's shares. Meanwhile, the company acquired Thermosystem, a shower and electronics company in Tubarão, SC.
In 2016, the company celebrated its 65 years of operation in Brazil, with more than 12,000 employees, 22 industrial units, 7 forest units, and 3 factories in Colombia. In 2017, the purchase of Ceusa, one of the largest producers of ceramic coatings in Brazil, and shares of Viva Decora, a platform on decoration and interior design, was completed.
In 2019, the company acquired another large company focused on the ceramic coatings market, Cecrisa. And in 2021, completing 70 years, Duratex changed its name to Dexco.
