Movecho on Liga dos Inovadores: advanced engineering stitched together with know-how

Here is our story, told by the man who has made it from the start.

Luís Abrantes was the guest on Liga dos Inovadores in the episode of 7 October 2026. Movecho's chairman spoke with Pedro Lima and Elisabete Miranda on the Expresso and SIC Notícias podcast, in Portuguese. A revealing conversation on the ethos of a company from Portugal's Beira Alta, over a journey that began in 1989 in the municipality of Nelas.

The conversation turned on three ideas.

The haute couture of new technology and know-how

Movecho began with office furniture for the Swiss market. Experience in banking and in retail spaces then opened the way to other markets and other demands. Luís Abrantes described that evolution as the move to an advanced engineering company that “is very good at stitching new technologies together with know-how”. In a process that will never have a defined end point (there can be no ceiling on innovation), this move brought a client portfolio that includes many of the international reference brands in the luxury sector.

The proof is on the factory floor. Movecho was the second factory in Europe to run Industry 4.0 in woodwork. By 2018 it was already investing in a robotic cell for 3D printing. Digital surveys of the spaces and the construction of shops in the factory before installation on site anticipated the difficulties and shortened assembly times. Beyond the technology, today's work combines academic training with a wealth of joinery experience. The team now numbers around 200 people, 32% of whom hold a degree or a master's.

Price is never the beginning or the end. It is the consequence.

“Movecho has only one problem for us: it is the most expensive company we work with,” said a director at a major European brand. Luís Abrantes replied: “good.” That remains the company's position: service, lead times, or the design specifications are open to discussion. The merits of the work are not.

Added value, from the designer's mind to Movecho's execution

The new metals unit will be complete by the end of 2026 and answers the need for greater precision and control over essential stages of manufacture. It is the only way for metal to carry the same tangible authorship that Movecho brings to wood and to countless other materials. Luís Abrantes calls it “metal joinery”. The industrial unit itself is a signature project by the architect Carvalho Araújo: after all, coherence demands that the care given to clients' spaces be just as visible in the company's own working environment.

This story takes 43 minutes to hear. It has taken 37 years to make. And it is still at the beginning.

Listen to the episode on Liga dos Inovadores (in Portuguese)

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