Alastor Matanzas strengthens its position as a state-owned micro and small company.

Alastor Matanzas specialists repair pipes of the solar field at the Valentín El Patriarca hotel in Varadero. Photo: Taken from Alastor Matanzas Facebook page.

From a basic business unit (UEB) to a state-owned MSME. With this new structure, Alastor Matanzas achieves autonomy and sufficient capacity to better meet its social purpose of serving, among other activities, steam boilers, air conditioning, refrigeration, water treatment plants and solar heaters.

This, one of the 32 state-owned MSMEs approved by the Ministry of Industry in the country, saw its sales, productivity and, consequently, its income grow vertiginously. As an example, from an average of 6 thousand pesos per worker, today the average is 18 thousand.

Established in July 2022, last year Alastor Matanzas took another step on the road to its consecration. So much so that they made sales of 58 million pesos, much more than the 39 million pesos planned.

In this way they were able to respond to the demands of the Ministries of the Revolutionary Armed Forces, the Interior, Health and Tourism, their main clients.

Having an operating account is one of the biggest gains after the change, something impossible in the times when we as UEB depended on the company, summarizes Freddy Abreu Fernandez, administrator of Alastor Matanzas. In addition, «having access to electricity and fuel, even though now there is a bit of a crisis when it comes to getting it, something that must be solved somehow».

However, he recognizes that being able to acquire this energy has made it possible for them to have more activity because all the services offered by Alastor Matanzas depend on transportation. «We have to go out to work and since we did not have access to fuel in an expeditious way, little was done», he remarked.

For this economic actor, all is not rosy. Its resounding success could be hindered because «there is still resistance on the part of state-owned companies to contracting with MSMEs. There is a certain fear. They look at us with prejudice, both clients and suppliers».

Beyond these subjectivities, in his daily work, Alastor Matanzas faces objective obstacles: «It is difficult to access raw materials such as electrodes, pipes, steel plates, parts and pieces for boilers and solar heaters, paints».

They perform scheduled maintenance on the solar heaters, in addition to breakdowns in the hot and cold water pipelines.

Productively chained with MSMEs and state-owned companies such as Conformat, as indicated by the Cuban state, this MSME is not satisfied and wants more. «We have yet to commercialize in foreign currency or acquire it through the exchange system. So far we have not been able to sell anything in hard currency.

«We are aware that we must develop products to sell online and we have not been able to do so. We need certain raw materials… We could also sell in the Mariel Special Development Zone, but we consider that it is difficult because of the fuel situation».

According to Abreu Fernández, the export of services is another variant to obtain foreign currency. «Through a project with the Group and the company to which we belong, we made an assembly abroad, which gives us some income, not much, but steps, signs of what can be done. We have not yet achieved a large enough business to cover our foreign currency expenses».

As requested by the country, opening the way to exports is part of the strategic projection of Alastro Matanzas, which for 2024 has set a sales plan of 43 million, more than the previous year, mainly in the areas of boilers and hot water through solar heaters.

To achieve this, they count on the contribution of the workers and the union performance in a MSME where they consider it vital to be affiliated in order to «continue receiving the support of the organization when needed».

Written by Eva Luna Acosta Armiñán.