This Barcelona company bills 2.5 million with product design for healthcare, mobility, and DIY groups
Diego Quiroga, CEO and founder of the Barcelona-based company (
Behind an Almirall medical device, a Bosch saw, or a Rieju motorcycle, there is a common denominator: the Ánima Design seal.
This small Barcelona company has been working for over 20 years in the shadow of major multinationals. It is the brain behind their product launches. Founder Diego Quiroga started in 2002 making a name in the carpentry world with the design of saws and drills. First, he collaborated with the DIY company Casals, and later expanded to large groups such as Bosch, Makita, and Hitachi. Over time, Ánima diversified into the mobility sector, designing next-generation bicycles and motorcycles, until 2020, when the medical sector became a major turning point.
With 28 employees, the company has branches in the U.S. and China and exports 70%
“Pharmaceutical groups that needed to manufacture ventilators started contacting me, and from there a relationship developed that has gone far beyond,” says the CEO.
This year, the company expects to bill 2.5 million, compared to 1.9 million the previous year, with 65% of the total coming from the medical sector. “We develop devices for groups like Almirall, Roche, and Grifols, but also collaborate with hospitals such as Clínic and Sant Joan de Déu, for which we designed an intrauterine environment simulator of an artificial placenta system that received the ADI-FAD Delta d’Or award,” he points out.
With 28 employees, the company prides itself on highly innovative activity, which has been recognized numerous times with local and international design awards. In over 20 years, it has helped its clients obtain patents for 110 products (actually created by Ánima Design).
By working for large groups, the company has long looked outward. In fact, 70% of its activity takes place abroad, in countries such as Germany, Italy, and the United States, where it entered alongside Grifols and opened an office in Miami. China is also a relevant market. Ánima opened a branch in Shenzhen to work firsthand with manufacturers (who later produce its designs at scale). All this without forgetting the Spanish market, where a branch in Madrid will complement the activity of the Barcelona headquarters.
Over the years, the business has always been self-financed. “EBITDA or gross profit is around 33-35%. We have declined external investors, who have approached on several occasions interested in buying the company,” says Quiroga. Ownership is mainly his, with a minority held by General Manager Joanma Baqués.
Read the news in La Vanguardia at this link.
