The factory in the 1960s in full production.
Catalogue number 6. Pons, Monfort and Company.
History can be written in numbers. And that’s also the case for the story of this legendary outdoor furniture brand. The number 100 speaks to us of an anniversary.
In 1920, José Pons Pedro founded a small artisan furniture workshop in his hometown, Gata de Gorgos. He trained the people of the town and gave them jobs. This was the start of Point. As a teenager, he had travelled to Argentina by boat from Alicante. It was there, in the Americas, that he learned the trade of designing and weaving wicker and other natural fibres and started to lay out his future.
José Pons Pedro. Portrait of the founder. 1916 Uruguay
Juan Bautista Pons Leyda receives the Export Leader Award in 1975. 
2020 is the hundred-year anniversary but it is also the year the National Design Award was received. It was collected by 4 brothers - Antonio, Paco, Vicente and Pepe Juan. They are the third generation of the family.
The jury highlighted “their contribution to the betterment of society and quality of life”. The comments of one of the brand’s spokespersons also reveal one of the keys to their success:
“our secret lies in the fact that we have been and continue to be manufacturers”. With factories in Asia and a large logistics centre in Jalón, 11 km from Gata de Gorgos, Point has been able to boost the local economy. This small town in the province of Alicante receives goods that are then distributed worldwide.
Pons brothers.
Paralel Collection. Designed by Gabriel Teixidó.
Another way to tell this story would be by looking at the catalogue of nearly 300 products. We can find their pieces in more than 1,000 interior design projects all over the world, in partnerships with brands such as Four Seasons, W, Shangri-La, The Langham and Hyatt Regency. To reach these heights they have drawn upon a lot of savoir faire and partnerships with renowned Spanish and international designers. This includes the work of Vicent Martinez, Gabriel Teixidó, Francesc Rifé and Christophe Pillet. Mario Ruiz (2016 National Design Award) as creative director. His challenge? To reach new audiences and consolidate the brand’s international status.
Rancho Punta Mita, Mexico. Project designed by Joaquín Homs.
5 * Shangri-La Hotel, París (France)
But we have skipped too far forward. This success story has other chapters to tell. The first big step in the transformation from workshop to large company was taken in the fifties by the second generation of the family. The company grew and strengthened its design focus. This was the beginning of the expansion into the international market. The first assembly plant outside Spain was opened in the United States. In the sixties and seventies, production techniques grew more advanced and new international markets emerged, including Germany, France and the United Kingdom, which would later be joined by the Middle East, Central America and North Africa.
Weave Collection designed by Vicent Martínez.
The eighties involved a major crisis. Rattan-exporting countries banned the international sale of the material. For Point it was an opportunity to grow and diversify. It opened its first factory in Asia and started to conduct research into new materials. In the nineties, Point developed Shintotex®, a new high-strength, high-flexibility, recyclable fibre which has been used extensively in production.
Point also has a clear desire to care for the planet. Consequently, 100% of the materials it uses are recyclable. The wood it sources comes from controlled, sustainable forests and, since 2008, the corporate headquarters is also 100% self-sufficient in terms of its energy supply, producing more energy than it consumes.
This year marks 100 years since the company was founded and, with it, this heralds new challenges including how to keep on progressing in a world that has suddenly changed and how to carry on creating pieces that make people's lives better. Throughout this century, POINT has survived crises, international conflicts and sensitive situations. Our secret has been to face them head on as a united team, with us continuing to motivate and inspire our people and our clients. Therefore, armed with these factors, we are prepared to work for another hundred years.
More information: BrandBook
Image gallery
Rancho Punta Mita, Mexico.
Blue Mountain Resort, South Korea.
Solaz Los Cabos, Mexico.
Gran Plaza Movënpick City Hotel, Dubai.