Could you tell us about the history of Litex Promo and its evolution in the market?
Litex Promo Sp. z o.o. has been operating on the market since 1993. For over 30 years, we have been a manufacturer and exporter of umbrellas, tents, banners, advertising flags and restaurant and café garden equipment. Production started with the work of a few people in a small craft workshop. Through years of dynamic development and investment, we have grown into a company that is a leader in its field. Today, Litex is several hundred people employed in a thriving factory with modern machinery, which is part of a capital group of mutually supporting enterprises with resources allowing us to carry out the largest orders. We are increasing the scale of production year by year – we have completed thousands of orders, working for hundreds of companies in the HoReCa sector and beyond. We have customers in 40 countries on 5 continents. The scale of our production is evidenced by the fact that annually we produce so many umbrellas that we are able to shade 520 football pitches, and through our printing machines passes a ribbon of fabric annually with a length equal to the distance from Warsaw to Athens – that’s 2300 km!
What makes your parasol different from your competitors’ products?
Our products are made in Europe. We carry out the entire production process ourselves in our factories, with components made mainly in Poland and Europe. We have dozens of specialised machines for printing, woodworking, steel, aluminium and plastics, which gives us independence from unstable supply chains from Asia. We handle every stage of production ourselves: from design in the R&D department, printing, assembly and logistics. We can therefore provide our customers with fast delivery times and the required individual personalisation – even in small order volumes.
How does Litex Promo ensure the quality and durability of its products?
We are experts in printing textile advertising media. The variety of printing techniques at our disposal allows us to ideally match solutions to customer needs. Our wide and varied machine base allows us to achieve impressive production volumes in printing, making it possible, for example, to produce more than 50,000 large parasols per month. We also offer a wide range of protective coatings such as waterproof, water-resistant, anti-fungal or flame retardant. Our dedicated parasol models have increased resistance to wind gusts of up to 100 km/h and are wind tunnel tested. We also have safety certificates for our parasols, such as for the substances used in the production process (REACH), mechanical safety and child use safety, so our umbrellas can be used in playgrounds.
How does sustainability affect your production and sourcing of materials?
We focus on ecology and sustainability. In 2023, we received the EcoVadis gold award for our development and achievements in the areas of environmental protection, fair employment and sustainable supply chain. Our umbrellas can be ordered with a recycled fabric cover, made from recycled PET plastic bottles. The fabrics we use are sourced from suppliers that meet the criteria of the Recycled Claim Standard certification, a controlled cycle of recycled raw material. All parts of our umbrellas are recyclable (aluminium frame, polyester and acrylic fabrics, polypropylene parts). Our latest environmental project is the Eco Way product line, starring the Harmony umbrella, in which the cover is made from recycled fabric (rPET) and the frame is 90% recycled aluminium and recyclable. We have also reduced the amount of plastic in this product – it is only there where necessary, and the materials used for the umbrella packaging, including the foil, are biodegradable. Less plastic, more recycled materials and biodegradable plastics. This is the idea behind the Eco Way Litex line.
