A note from El Cronista

It is the only Argentine company dedicated to manufacture hyperbaric chambers approved by the Anmat, and the first national exporter of this equipment for people with autism. By the end of the year, it expects to reach a billing of $ 25 million.

The need to undertake BioBarica arose when a friend of founder Claudio Teler had a child with autism. The hyperbaric chamber seemed to be an important part of the treatment, but it was almost impossible to import one to Argentina, since there was no model approved by the Anmat and the costs were very high.

"At the time my friend asked me for help, I had a plastic factory, so we decided to develop the first prototype for the child to start using it. Noting the good results of the hyperbaric chamber in the treatment, the Association of Autism was very interested in having this equipment in the organization", says Teler.

From that moment, the entrepreneur decided to give a complete turn to his activity and devote full time to market research, redesign and improvements in the product. In addition, he consulted the medical community, and was in charge of finding out how the procedures were to certify the factory. He started BioBarica with his son Ivo in 2010 and entered the market being the first Argentine manufacturer of hyperbaric chambers.

In relation to the initial investment, Teler says that the first step was to apply for Buenos Aires Emprende 2010. "Our company won and we were granted a $ 50,000 loan that was supplemented by a contribution of family capital. We thought that it had potential, but the award confirmed that it had the expected projection. This was intended for the start-up and certification of the factory at national level. After one year we got the ANMAT certification and we could start with the sale of the medical equipment to local level”, he says.

In 2011, father and son applied to PAC Entrepreneurs and they were granted a loan of $ 200,000 that was used as part of the investment to redesign the product and adapt processes in new international audits and certifications.

It was possible to develop a new, more innovative and easy-to-use product that positioned itself better in the market and allowed them to obtain new certifications such as the CE and COFEPRIS seal to enter the European and Mexican market. In eight years of intense work, the company was able to break down local and international barriers, and managed to sell a product of quality and technology in the most demanding foreign markets. But undoubtedly one of the most important obstacles was obtaining the European certification. Now, a new challenge is to obtain the American one, which is in process.

"In 2018, we increased our staff by 30% compared to last year. The areas of greatest growth were production and communication, and we currently have a very large project: opening a plant in the United States once we have obtained the certification", highlights Teler.

BioBarica provides hyperbaric treatment units in various health institutions. These can be large hospitals or private clinics that wish to incorporate the treatment, doctors who want to complement their professional practice with hyperbaric treatment and entrepreneurs with experience in different areas and interested in developing their own business with the support and know-how of BioBarica. The interesting thing about the hyperbaric treatment is that it is applied in more than 60 pathologies of different specialties such as wounds, traumatology, medical clinic, sports, neurology, child neurology, rheumatology, oncology and rehabilitation, so that the BioBarica centers approach patients from all the ages.

It is proven that hyperbaric chamber treatment makes tissue healing more efficient, improves metabolism, reduces recovery times, synergizes with other treatments and prevents future diseases. It is very efficient in post-surgical recovery and is proven to shorten up to 50% the recovery time after an injury. The main way of commercialization of BioBarica is the channel of distributors that carry out direct sales. Some of the most used tools to attract new clients are events such as congresses or fairs of medical equipment.

In addition, the company has a communication team that develops strategies to disseminate the benefits of this painless treatment without adverse effects. In relation to the great achievements of the company, Teler mentions the expansion and opening to new markets such as Gabon, Uruguay, Jamaica, Italy, France and Colombia, and obtaining the certifications of Chile and Colombia. "We grew and moved to a larger plant, integrating the commercial offices for a better interaction of the work group, we also won the ICBC foreign trade prize and the Export award for the opening of new markets," he adds.

International projection

The company has 19 centers located in 17 provinces of the country. In addition, it has more than 850 equipment sold in 32 countries of the world, such as Spain, Mexico, Chile, South Africa, Holland, France, Italy, India, Portugal, Gabon, Iraq, Peru, Colombia, Egypt, among others. "Our goal for this year will be to develop the North American market, opening an equipment production plant in Florida, the United States. The intention is to generate a market strategy different from the current one since the US market has a very different idiosyncrasy than Argentina. By the end of the year we plan to reach the Russian market and its area of influence in the former Russian federation, and we will continue to open treatment centers in the countries where we already have a presence, consolidating the operation area of our own centers in conjunction with the distributors of each country", says the founder of BioBarica.

File:
Start date: 2010
Founders: 2
Billing 2017: $ 15 million
Billing 2018 (e.): $ 25 million

Source: El Cronista